**Hedge-nettle**, or **All-heal**, a genus of plants belonging to the class of didynamia, and order of gymnospermae; and in the natural system arranged under the 42d order, **Verticillatae**. See **Botany Index**.

**STADIUM,** an ancient Greek long measure, containing 125 geometrical paces, or 625 Roman feet, corresponding to our furlong. The word is said to be formed from the Greek word τάσις, "a station," or στάσις, "to stand," because it is reported that Hercules having run a stadium at one breath, stood still at the end of it. The Greeks usually measured distances by stadia, which they called τασίπεδον. Stadium also signified the course on which their races were run.

**STADTHOLDER,** formerly the principal magistrate or governor of the Seven United Provinces. Although this office is now abolished and that of king substituted, our readers will probably not be ill pleased with a short account of the several powers and claims connected with it. To render that account the more intelligible, we shall trace the office of a stadtholder from its origin.

The Seven Provinces of the Low Countries were long governed by princes invested with the sovereignty, though limited in their powers, and under various titles; as Counts of Holland, Dukes of Guelders, Bishop of Utrecht, &c. When these countries fell to the princes of the house of Burgundy, and afterwards to those of Austria, who had many other dominions, the absence of the sovereign was supplied by a stadtholder or governor, vested with very ample powers. These stadholders or lieutenants had the administration of the government, and presided in the courts of justice, whose jurisdiction was not at that time confined merely to the trial of causes, but extended to affairs of state. The stadholders swore allegiance to the princes at their inauguration, jointly with the states of the provinces they governed. They likewise took an oath to the states, by which they promised to maintain their fundamental laws and privileges.

It was upon this footing that William the First, prince of Orange, was made governor and lieutenant-general of Holland, Zealand, and Utrecht, by Philip the Second, upon his leaving the Low Countries to go into Spain. The troubles beginning soon after, this prince found means to bring about an union, in 1576, between Holland and Zealand; the states of which two provinces put into his hands, as far as was in their power, the sovereign authority (for so long time as they should remain in war and under arms), upon the same footing as Holland had intrusted him with it the year before. In 1581 the same authority was again renewed to him by Holland, as it was soon after by Zealand likewise; and in 1584, being already elected count of Holland, upon certain conditions he would have been formally invested with the sovereignty, had not a wretch hired and employed by the court of Spain, put an end to his life by a horrid assassination.

In the preamble of the instruments by which the states in 1581 conferred the sovereign authority upon Prince William the First, we find these remarkable words, which are there set down as fundamental rules:

"That all republics and communities ought to pre..." which being impossible to be kept up always among so many members, often differing in inclinations and sentiments, it is consequently necessary that the government should be placed in the hands of one single chief magistrate." Many good politicians, and the greatest part of the inhabitants of these provinces, since the establishment of the republic, looked upon the stadtholderian government as an essential part of her constitution; nor has she been without a stadtholder but twice, that is to say, from the end of 1650 to 1672, and again from March 1702 till April 1747. The provinces of Friesland and Groningen, with Ommeland, had always a stadtholder without interruption: their instructions may be seen in Aitzema; but formerly the powers of the stadtholder of these provinces were confined within narrower bounds, and till William the Fourth there was no stadtholder of the seven provinces together.

The stadtholder could not declare war or make peace, but he had, in quality of captain-general of the union, the command in chief of all the forces of the state (a); and military persons were obliged to obey him in everything that concerned the service. He was not limited by instructions; but he had the important power of giving out orders for the march of troops, and the disposition of all matters relative to them. He not only directed their marches, but provided for the garrisons, and changed them at pleasure. All military edicts and regulations came from him alone; he constituted and authorised the high council of war of the United Provinces, and, as captain-general of every province, disposed of all military offices, as far as the rank of colonel inclusively. The higher posts, such as those of veld-marshals, generals, lieutenant-generals, major-generals, were given by the states-general, who chose the persons recommended by his highness. He made the governors, commandants, &c., of towns and strong places of the republic, and of the barrier. The persons nominated presented their instruments of appointment to their high mightinesses, who provided them with commissions. The states-general had likewise great regard to the recommendation of the prince stadtholder in the disposition of those civil employments which were in their gift.

The power of the stadtholder as high-admiral, extended to every thing that concerned the naval force of the republic, and to all the other affairs that were here within the jurisdiction of the admiralty. He presided at these boards either in person or by his representatives; and as chief of them all in general, and of every one in particular, he had power to make their orders and instructions be observed by themselves and others. He bestowed the posts of lieutenant-admiral, vice-admiral, and rear-admiral, who commanded under him; and he made likewise post-captains.

The stadtholder granted likewise letters of grace, pardon, and abolition, as well for the crimes called Communion Delicta, as for military offences. In Holland and Zealand these letters were made out for crimes of the first sort, in the name of the states, with the advice of his highness. In military offences he consulted the high council of war; and upon the commonia delicta he took the advice of the courts of justice, of the counsellors, committees of the provinces, of the council of state, and the tribunals of justice in the respective towns, according to the nature of the case.

In the provinces of Holland and Zealand, the stadtholder elected the magistrates of the towns annually, out of a double number that were returned to him by the towns themselves.

When any of these offices became vacant, which, at the time there was no governor, were in the disposal of the states of Holland, or as formerly in that of the chamber of accounts, the stadtholder had his choice of two, or, in some cases, of three candidates, named by their noble and great mightinesses. He chose likewise the counsellors, inspectors of the dykes of Rynland, Deiland, and Scheeland, out of three persons presented to him by the boards of the counsellors inspectors; which boards were of very ancient establishment in Holland.

His highness presided in the courts of Holland, and in the courts of justice of the other provinces; and his name was placed at the head of the proclamations and acts, called in Dutch Mandamenten, or Provisien van Justitie. In Overyssel and in the province of Utrecht the possessors of fiefs held of the prince stadtholder. He was supreme curator of the universities of Guelder, Friesland, and Groningen; grand forester and grand veneer in Guelder, in Holland, and other places. In the province of Utrecht, his highness, by virtue of the regulation of 1674, disposed of the provostships and other benefices which remained to the chapters, as also of the canonical prebends that fell in the months which were formerly the papal months.

By the first article of the council of state of the United Provinces, the stadtholder was the first member of it, and had a right of voting there, with an appointment of 25,000 guilders a-year. He assisted also, as often as he thought fit for the service of the state, at the deliberations of the states-general, to make propositions to them, and sometimes also at the conferences which the deputies of their high mightinesses held in their different committees, in consequence of their standing orders. He likewise assisted at the assemblies of the states of each particular province, and at that of the counsellors committees. In Guelder, Holland, and Utrecht, his highness had a share of the sovereignty, as chief or president of the body of nobles; and in Zealand, where he possessed the marquisate of Veer and Flushing, as first noble, and representing the whole nobility. In his absence he had

(a) In times of war, however, the states had always named deputies for the army, to accompany the stadholders in the field, and to serve them as counsellors in all their enterprises, particularly in the most important affairs, such as giving battle, or undertaking a siege, &c. This was always practised till the accession of King William the Third to the crown of Great Britain, and after his death was continued with regard to the general in chief of the army of the republic. In 1747 and 1748 there were likewise deputies with the army, but with more limited power. In 1749 the prince stadtholder was created by the states-general, governor-general and supreme director of the East and West India companies; dignities which gave him a great deal of authority and power, and which had never been conferred upon any of his predecessors, nor had they hitherto been made hereditary. He had his representatives in the several chambers of the company, and chose their directors out of a nomination of three qualified persons. The prince enjoyed this prerogative in Zealand from the time of his elevation to the stadtholderate.

The revenues of the stadtholderate of the seven United Provinces were reckoned (including the 25,000 guilders which the prince enjoyed annually as the first member of the council of state, and what he had from the India company's dividends) to amount to 300,000 guilders a-year. As captain-general of the union, his serene highness had 120,000 guilders per annum; besides 24,000 from Friesland, and 12,000 from Groningen, in quality of captain-general of those provinces. In times of war the state allowed extraordinary sums to the captain-general for the expense of every campaign.

All these powers and privileges were held by the prince of Orange previous to the revolutionary war of France. But since Holland was relieved from French thraldom, and united with the Belgic provinces, the prince has assumed the title of king of the Netherlands.

STÆHELINA, a genus of plants belonging to the class of syngenesia, and order of polygamia aquilas: and in the natural system arranged under the 49th order, Compositae. See Botany Index.