his son (now serving under Wellington in Spain) with the Princess Charlotte, heiress-presumptive to the British throne.  He now therefore without hesitation accepted the invitation, and landed at Scheveningen, November 30.  He was received with unspeakable enthusiasm.  At first there was some doubt as to what title William should bear and as to what should be the form of the new government.  Van Hogendorp had drawn up a draft of a constitution on the old lines with an hereditary stadholder, a council-pensionary and a privileged aristocracy, but with large and necessary amendments, and the prince was himself inclined to a restoration of the stadholdership with enlarged powers.  To the arguments of Kemper is the credit due of having persuaded him that a return to the old system, however amended, had now become impossible.  The prince visited Amsterdam, December 2, and was there proclaimed by the title and quality of William I, Sovereign-Prince of the Netherlands.  He refused the title of king, but the position he thus accepted with general approval was that of a constitutional monarch, and the promise was given that as soon as possible a Commission should be appointed to draw up a Fundamental Law (Grondwet) for the Dutch State.

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CHAPTER XXIX

THE FORMATION OF THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS, 1814-1815

When the Prince of Orange assumed the title of William I, Sovereign-Prince of the Netherlands, at Amsterdam, on December 2, 1813, the principal towns were still occupied by French garrisons; but with the help of the allied forces, Russians and Prussians, these were, in the opening months of 1814, one by one conquered.  The Helder garrison, under the command of Admiral Verhuell, did not surrender till May.  By the end of that month the whole land was freed.

The first step taken by the Sovereign-Prince (December 21) was to appoint a Commission to draw up a Fundamental Law according to his promise.  The Commission consisted of fifteen members, with Van Hogendorp as president.  Their labours were concluded early in March.  The concept was on March 29 submitted to an Assembly of six hundred notables, summoned for the purpose, the voting to be ‘for’ or ‘against’ without discussion.  The gathering took place in the Nieuwe Kerk at Amsterdam, Of the 474 who were present, 448 voted in favour of the new Constitution.  On the following day the Prince of Orange took the oath in the Nieuwe Kerk and was solemnly inaugurated as Sovereign-Prince of the Netherlands.

The principal provisions of the Fundamental Law of March, 1814, were as follows: