The office of Land’s Advocate or Council-Pensionary was different altogether in character from the stadholderate, but at times scarcely less influential, when filled by a man of commanding talents.  The Advocate in the time of Oldenbarneveldt combined the duties of being legal adviser to the Estates of Holland, and of presiding over and conducting the business of the Estates at their meetings, and also those of the Commissioned-Councillors.  He was the leader and spokesman of the Holland deputies in the States-General.  He kept the minutes, introduced the business and counted the votes at the provincial assemblies.  It was his duty to draw up and register the resolutions.  What was perhaps equally important, he carried on the correspondence with the ambassadors of the republic at foreign courts, and received their despatches, and conducted negotiations with the foreign ambassadors at the Hague.  It is easy to see how a man like Oldenbarneveldt, of great industry and capacity for affairs, although nominally the paid servant of the Estates, gradually acquired an almost complete control over every department of administration and became, as it were, a Minister of State of all affairs.  In Oldenbarneveldt’s time the post was held for life; and, as Maurice did not for many years trouble himself about matters of internal government and foreign diplomacy, the Advocate by the length of his tenure of office had at the opening of the 17th century become the virtual director and arbiter of the policy of the State.  After his death the title of advocate and the life-tenure ceased.  His successors were known as Council-Pensionaries, and they held office for five years only, but with the possibility of re-election.  The career of John de Witt showed, however, that in the case of a supremely able man these restrictions did not prevent a Raad-Pensionarius[4] from exercising for eighteen years an authority and influence greater even than that of Oldenbarneveldt.

An account of the multiplied subdivision of administrative control in the United Provinces would not be complete without some mention of the Admiralty Colleges in Holland.  Holland with Zeeland furnished the fleets on which the existence and well-being of the republic depended.  Both William the Silent and his son Maurice were, as stadholders, admirals of Holland and of Zeeland, and both likewise were by the States-General appointed Admirals-General of the Union.  They thus wielded a double authority over maritime affairs in the two provinces.  In 1574 William had at his side a Council of Admiralty erected by the Provincial Estates, but Leicester in 1585 was annoyed by the immediate control of naval matters being withdrawn from the governor-general and the Council of State.  He succeeded therefore in obtaining a division of the Council of Admiralty into three Chambers, shortly afterwards increased to five—­Rotterdam, Hoorn with Enkhuizen, Veere, Amsterdam and Harlingen with Dokkum.