"aan het volk van nederland" was written in service of van der capellen's personal struggle. van der capellen unabashedly pointed the reader to his own publications and political activities, albeit in third person (his first mention: "if thou wants to know more about this important matter, read the writings of baron van der capellen tot den pol..."). his translations of andrew fletcher and richard price, his opposition to the reinforcement of the army, his protest against lending out the scottish brigade and the military jurisdiction he called a hideous monstrosity, his plea for a more strict maintenance of the regeringsreglement, and of course his struggle against the "drostendiensten" are mentioned as the resistance he encountered.