sence in the latter country will be afterwards explained.
The origin of slavery in these islands is
referable to four heads ; prisoners of war; debtors
who cannot redeem themselves j criminals,'
condemned to slavery by sentences of courts of
law, and persons kidnapped. None but the most
savage of the tribes destroy their prisoners; and
the more improved nations, like other men in a
corresponding state of civilization, make slaves
of them. In Java, we perceive that, in the conquests
of the dynasty of Mataram, the population
of the districts which were overrun were carried
off into slavery, more particularly the female portion
of it, to satisfy the vicious demands of poly-'
gamy. In the wars of Celebes, even whole nations
were, by the right of conquest, made slaves.
We perceive the Macassar nation at one time in
possession of ten thousand male slaves, of the vanquished
Bugis, and employing them, without distinction
of rank, on the labour of public works.
The right is, indeed, universally established, or
rather the violence universally practised. The
second source of slavery is the failure of the debtor
to redeem himself, and this must, from the
indigence or indolence which gave occasion to
pawn his liberty, be a frequent cause of servitude.
Another ample source of slavery is the arbitrary
and iniquitous sentences of the native law, with
which the deprivation of personal liberty is a frequent
punishment, extended often to the whole family
and relatives of the real or pretended criminal.
The practice of kidnapping, among the Indian
islanders, has chiefly had its origin in their connection
with foreigners, and mostly in consequence of
the establishment of European settlements. * Persons
enslaved by kidnapping could not, from the
nature of things, find a market in their own country,
but are advantageously exported to foreign
countries. This abominable proceeding is recognized
by the native laws, where we find the hereditary
slave, from his subdued spirit, and servile education,
fixed at double the value of the reluctant
and untractable freeman who has been filched of
his liberty.
Among the Indian islanders predial slavery has
* “ For Macassar is not far from hence, (Bouton,) one of
the chiefest towns the Dutch have in those parts. From thence
the Dutch come sometimes hither to purchase slaves. The
slaves that these people get here, and sell to the Dutch, are
some of the idolatrous natives of the island, who, not being
under the sultan, and having no head, live straggling in the
country, flying from one place to another, to preserve themselves
from the prince, and his subjects, who hunt after them
to make them slaves. For the civilized Indians of the maritime
places, who trade with foreigners, if they cannot reduce
the inland people to the obedience of their prince, they catch
all they can pf them and sell them for slaves, accounting
them to be hut a? savages, just as the Spaniards do the
poor Americans.’*—Dampicr, '\o \. I. p. 45 7 .