A request for time becomes a one-hour ultimatum

Adverse winds held Story in the Vlieter roadstead, while Orangist flags ashore encouraged crews aboard Leiden and Washington to mutiny. Leiden's captain admitted he could have suppressed his own revolt but chose not to do so, revealing how officer politics amplified unrest below decks. Story sent Van Capellen and another captain to request a temporary truce while awaiting orders from the Batavian government. Because the envoys disclosed his weak position, Mitchell answered with a one-hour ultimatum, and Orangist officers steered the ensuing council of war toward acceptance while Story sought collective cover for a decision he could not enforce alone. Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Maitland witnessed the council aboard Washington and later reported its deliberations to General Dundas.