must have passed successively through all the other
four modes of government adverted to in tracing
the history of the forms of political association. An
examination of the languages of the people throw
a few lights on this interesting subject. * The
genuine native term for king in Javanese is Ratu,
which is the same word that is written JDatu in
some other languages. Its literal meaning is
grandfather, and by a slight inflection a senior or
elder, from which last is taken its figurative mean*
“ We have examples of the theocratical forms of government
in South America, for such were those of the Zac of
Bogota, the ancient Cundinamarca ; and of thelnca of Peru,
two extensive empires, in which despotism was concealed
under the appearance of a gentle and patriarchal government.
But in Mexico, small colonies, wearied of tyranny, gave
themselves republican constitutions. Now, it is only after
long popular struggles that these free constitutions can be
formed. The existence of republics does not indicate a very
recent civilization.”— Humboldt’s Neui Spain, Book II.
chap. 6.—I consider that the argument of this great traveller
in favour of the civilization of the Mexican tribes, deduced
from the republican form of their government, is
wholly unfounded. I have no doubt, indeed, but the Mexican
republics were just such institutions as the aristocratic
federal associations which 1 have described. In almost every
particular connected with the progress of manners and society,
the Indian islanders and Americans are more like each
other than either is to any other race of men, notwithstanding
that no rational ground exists for imagining that the
least intercourse ever existed between them.
GOVERNMENT.
ing, a lord or chief. This brings us to that early
period of society, when, perhaps, no form of social
contract existed, and the community listened to
the advice of the aged and experienced, when they
had need of their counsel.
From another name or title of the Javanese sovereign,
a plausible inference is to be drawn respecting
the immediate derivation of the despotic form
of monarchy from the federal and aristocratic. The
name of the higher order of nobility in Jaya, and
especially of those to whom the governments of
provinces is delegated, is Bopati. The title of
the sovereign now alluded to is Sribopati, which
means nothing more than the Jirst noble, though
this more literal interpretation is of course, now-
a-days, never given to it. This would make his
office to have been precisely parallel to the Arunga
or Krainga of the Bugis and Macassar forms of
government,—make him, in short, the president of
a federal association.
A sort of oscillation between the despotic and
the federal forms of political association may, I
think, be traced in the history of both, but particularly
of the latter. In the former, the powers
delegated to the chief of the confederacy must na-
turally lead to abuse and usurpation. One ambitious
and able prince would effect a great deal a-
gainst the unskilful combination of a number, and
a succession of such princes from the same family,