Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

On March 18, 1869, William IV was once again invited to be interviewed by European Times ace reporter Haig. The topic was "Moving the capital to Melbourne?" 》.

Reporter Haig: "I am very grateful to His Majesty William IV for accepting the invitation for an exclusive interview with our newspaper again."

Wilhelm IV: "I like freedom of speech, so I am willing to be interviewed"

Reporter Haig: “In recent weeks, the world has been discussing more and more topics about the Netherlands. The hotly debated return of the three northern provinces of Belgium to Dutch rule has made the world lament that the Netherlands has become stronger again.

Not long ago, Prime Minister Tolbeck announced that the capital of the Netherlands would be moved from Amsterdam to Melbourne in the southern part of the Australian continent in the Far East. This shocked the whole of Europe and even the world. In this regard, this newspaper hopes to contribute to the Netherlands and even the rest of the world during this visit. Many concerned people in Europe and the world have asked for answers. Your Majesty, many people don’t understand why the Netherlands keeps its homeland with the most advanced technology in Europe, but chooses to go to the Far East, which is far away from the source of technology. Isn’t this putting the cart before the horse? "

William IV: "All things have their own laws of growth and death. Many people think that the Netherlands should not sanction France for the Kingdom of Siam, but the truth is that it did happen; many people also think that the United States should not be divided, but it is still happening. The Kingdom of Siam was the first country in the Far East to establish diplomatic relations with European countries, and it was also the most proactive country in sending diplomatic envoys to European countries. It should be respected by European countries, but As the second largest country in Europe, France, led by Napoleon III, set a criminal precedent and undermined the Kingdom of Siam's devotion to European boxing. This caused many people in the Kingdom of Siam to criticize France and undermine the good European image of the locals. happened.

All of these should not happen, but this is only the perspective of some of us, but there are still some people who support it, so there is no certain standard for everything, it just depends on how many people accept it. My position is in favor of moving the capital to Melbourne. This can be seen from my previous statements on this, because from my perspective, it is like this and it is positive."

Reporter Haig: "Melbourne Port Phillip was discovered during a series of voyages. After the settlement in 1796, Englishmen Matthew Flinders and George Bass took a small open boat and explored the southeastern part of Sydney. Some coastline, Bass Strait south of Melbourne was discovered. What does His Majesty's Melbourne look like?"

William IV said: "This is a matter for the government. I am very interested in the urban development of Melbourne. I have read the book "Melbourne Memoirs" by Rolf Bolwood, a Dutch immigrant in the early days of immigration, and "Two Wheels" by Fergus Hume. Based on "The Secret of the Carriage", this article studies the urban spatial changes of Melbourne, the Australian continental immigrant city, from the perspective of Australian mainland urban immigrants. Starting from the early 19th century, the immigration development of Australian port cities during the British rule mainly occurred in several stages. One is a period of seafaring exploration and secret exile. The second is attracting immigrants, a period of initial construction. The third is a period of immigration surge, a period of urban expansion."

Reporter Haig: “Can you be more specific?”

William IV: "Rolf Bolwood, a Dutchman, first settled in Sydney in 1831, then moved to Melbourne in 1839, and bought land near Port Ferry in 1843. After the Netherlands gained sovereignty there in 1863 He gave up the ranch and turned to gold mine development. He became the Dutch gold mine inspector in the local city. This is the change of humanities.

In terms of development, the British established multiple strongholds along the coast of Australia in the early days of colonization and built ports. In 1835, Melbourne was established on the lower reaches of the Yarra River. The gold rush caused by 1851-1860 caused a large number of immigrants to flow into Melbourne. After becoming a Dutch city in 1863, it is currently the second largest city in mainland Australia after Sydney, and the third largest city in the Dutch Far East after Jakarta and Sydney. "

Reporter Haig: “What is Melbourne’s urban planning like?”

William IV: "The early British people in Melbourne believed that planning was very profound in Melbourne. The urban area of ​​Melbourne developed in 1835 was arranged in a grill shape. The streets were as if they were drawn with a ruler, wide and straight "

Haig: "What now?"

William IV: "In the new urban areas and towns, the streets were, as the dramatists say, 'drawn with a ruler', remaining wide and straight while still providing adequate provision for Melbourne's strong financial sector." funds are spent every day clearing remaining tree stumps from Melbourne’s streets.”

Haig: "Even the tree stumps have been cleared. It seems that the Dutch government and the Melbourne government have put a lot of effort into developing Melbourne. Does your Majesty think it is necessary to move the capital here?"

William IV: "I can't answer you, because the answer lies in the future. Busy Dutch immigrants and the local government are working hard to build Melbourne. After many experiences in opening up new territories, the relevant departments of the Dutch government have concluded that this area of ​​​​36 South Latitude The new territory of the Netherlands outside the province will not be hit by drought like New South Wales. Facts have proved that such disasters have not occurred to a large extent in recent years. For the western part of Wilhelm Province, this judgment is very correct. of.

There have been no drought disasters, and there have been no earthquakes in decades. Coupled with the naturally safe environment there, urban development is booming. The Dutch are building their new homes there more and more every day. I don’t know if it is worth it, but I think Dutch immigrants Just think it's right. "

Reporter Haig: "How will Melbourne develop in the future?"

William IV: "Melbourne has only 35 years of urban history from 1835 to now. This is new for European cities that are hundreds of years old. Therefore, even now it is still in the early stages of urban development. In the early days, along the Yarra River, Philip There are hundreds of settlements in Hong Kong. Now more than 30 years have passed, especially since 7 years ago, it has become the city with the second largest number of Dutch immigrants after Sydney. In just 7 years, there are more than 700,000 people here. The population even exceeds that of Rotterdam, the second largest city in the Netherlands, and directly catches up with Amsterdam. At present, the spatial form of the city center area on the south bank of the Yarra River has initially taken shape."

Haig: "As the Netherlands moved its capital there, was it inevitable that the city would expand further?"

William IV: "Yes, the current urban construction follows the example of the Netherlands and other European countries. Corinth Street is to the southern city what Bond Street is to Amsterdam, and those boulevards can also be compared with romantic Paris."

Haig: "Can you tell me where the street is? It is said that His Majesty has been there."

William IV: "Of course. If you walk towards Corinth Street and arrive at the Melbourne Club Carriage Parking Lot, the carriage will take you towards Coplin Street, then quickly along Wellington Square, and the carriage will drive to Bolette Main Street, to Fitzroy, to Nicol Street, then to Evelyn Street, Coplin Street, until your carriage stopped at the corner of Collins Street, and then disappeared into the Treasury Gardens."