The Kingdom of the Netherlands was a country in western Europe. It is bordered to the north and west by the North Sea, which separates it from England; to the south by Belgium; and to the east by Germany. It also held several colonies across the world, most notably the Dutch East Indies and the island of Sumatra.
Appearances in canon[]
"The Adventure of the Reigate Squire"[]
Watson recounts how in the spring of 1887 Holmes was exhausted by "immense exertions" in the question of the Netherland-Sumatra Company and the "colossal schemes" of Baron Maupertuis, whom Watson describes as "most accomplished swindler in Europe" who had outwitted the police of three countries. The case brought Holmes European acclain, but the strain of the investigation made him physically ill. However, Watson declines to recount the case, arguing that the scandal was too recent, and too intimately connected to politics and finance, to write about.
"His Last Bow"[]
In anticipation of a war between the United Kingdom and Germany, the German agent Von Bork sends his wife and household to Flushing (Vlissingen), a port city in the southern Netherlands across the North Sea from Harwich. They took with them some of his less important papers, but von Bork made the mistake of keeping his most important files with him.
"The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire"[]
Holmes mentions a past case involving the ship Matilda Briggs and the Giant Rat of Sumatra, a tale for which he says the world is not yet prepared.