¡Joyopuspito,brother to the deceased chief, accepted
Of his office, but only to use the influence which it afforded
him for revenge. He subdued all the districts
In his vicinity, called to his assistance the
people of Bali, was joined by the Madurese, and
by several rebel princes of the house of Mataram,
■so that'this formidable insurrection only terminated
by his death in the succeeding reign, after desolating
the country for a great many years. The
-chief of Surabaya, in the many actions which he
fought with the Dutch, and in all his proceedings,
displayed so much enterprise, spirit, and conduct,
that, but for the slender portion of European science
opposed to him, he must have acquired the
sovereignty of the island.
I shall take this opportunity of animadverting upo
n the policy pursued by the Dutch, not only on the
present occasion, but in every war which they carried
on in Java. They alwayspermitted a beaten enemy
to retreat unmolested, and never vigorously prosecuted
any advantage. This either arose from ignorance
and want of conduct, or from a crooked and
mistaken policy, which led them to believe it the
wisest conduct to reduce the native power, whether
legitimate or insurgent, by expending its strength
in a protracted contest. ’Probably both Causes* had
'their share. By the imagined refinement implied
in the latter, nothing ean be more certain than
’ that they were exhausting their -own finances, and
training the natives to a predatory and desultory warfare,
the only one which a barbarous enemy, in a close
country, can with any success conduct against a civilized
and disciplined one, and that even in the event
of success, they would acquire but a desolated and
ruined conquest, hardly worth the occupation.
Oppression on the part of the government acting
on the singular credulity and superstition of
the people, gives rise in Java to those rebels, called,
in the language of the country, Kraman, a word
which literally means “ an impostor or pretender tp
royalty.” Whenever the country is in a state of
anarchy, one or more of these persons is sure to
appear. Sometimes they affect to be descended
from some ancient line of sovereigns; at others,
pretend to redress grievances, and now and then to
propagate some absurd and nonsensical opinions,
under the name of a new religion. Sometimes
the individuals themselves are designing fanatics,
at others, mere boys, or simple peasants, the puppets
or tools of more designing and artful persons. Whoever
they he, they are quite sure of finding followers,
and they have been often »known to subjugate
whole provinces, and to disturb the peace of the
country for whole years, defying the legitimate
authorities. The reign of Pakubuwono was fruitful
in these insurrections. The fate of one of these
impostors is worth narrating, because it affords but
too true apicture of native manners. Mas Dono set
up the standard of rebellion in the district of Mata