Chapter 8: The Immigrants – 1750–1760
The word spread across Europe: Zeelandia offered land, freedom, and opportunity. The flow of immigrants that had been a trickle became a flood.
In 1752, a ship from the Rhineland docked at Port Victoria. Among its passengers was a young woman named Anna Braun, traveling alone with her two children. Her husband had died of fever on the voyage, and she had nothing but the clothes on her back.
Hendrik, who made it a habit to meet new arrivals, found her standing on the dock, looking bewildered by the tropical bustle. The harbour was filled with the cries of stevedores, the creak of cranes, and the smell of tar and spices.
"Welcome to Zeelandia," he said. "Are you expected by someone?"
Anna shook her head. "My husband died on the voyage. The captain said I could stay here, but I have nothing. No family, no money."
Hendrik called over a clerk. "Find her a house in the town, and a place in the weavers' guild. She will not be turned away."
Anna looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Why would you help a stranger?"
"Because your children will grow up here," Hendrik replied. "And one day, they will build this kingdom. That is how nations are made—one family at a time."
The story of Anna Braun became legend. She became a master weaver, her workshops producing cloth that was exported to Persia and India. Her son, Wilhelm Braun, would later become one of Zeelandia's first industrialists, building the textile mills that would transform the colony's economy.
But not all immigrants came willingly. In 1755, a Portuguese slave ship, blown off course, sought shelter in Port Victoria. Its captain, a man named Alvaro da Costa, offered to sell his cargo of West African captives.
Hendrik met him on the dock, flanked by armed guards. "We do not permit slavery in Zeelandia," he said coldly.
Da Costa laughed. "Every colony has slaves. How do you build your roads? Who works your fields?"
"We use indentured servants from Europe and contract laborers from China," Hendrik said. "They are paid, and after a term of service, they become free citizens. We do not own human beings."
The captain sneered. "Your charity will ruin you."
"My grandfather said that caution builds empires slowly," Hendrik replied. "I prefer that to building them on cruelty. You have three days to repair your ship and leave. If any of your captives choose to stay, they may."
When the ship sailed, twelve of the captives remained, choosing an uncertain freedom over the certainty of bondage. They settled in the fishing village of Southdown, and their descendants would become part of the island's small but vibrant Asian community.
That evening, Hendrik wrote in his journal: We are building a society based on law, not on the whip. It is harder, and slower, but it will last. Let Europe call us naive. We will prove them wrong.