such as are found in the dense populations of Java and Hindustan, have no existence.
*i en; e compnted population of the Netherland portion of the Celebes is no more
than 410,000, and it would be unreasonable to expect that such a one armed and
poor, should be either able or willing to furnish to the government of foreign
conquerors a revenue adequate to their own efficient administration and at the same
time to the control of as many more independent parties who make no contribution
at all. The chief source of native revenue is a tithe on corn, and this also is exacted
- by the Dutch government. Where, however, there is no rent, such a tax is a virtual
excise on bread, and can neither be a productive or expedient impost in a country
where the majority of the people are not cultivators of the soil, and which hardly
produces corn sufficient for its own consumption. What the revenues and expen-
t e o f t h e Celebes are I have not seen in any public statement; but it is probable
that the latter is greatly in excess, and that the balance is supplied from the revenues
of Java.
Presumed that it is a conviction of the truth of this state of things
that has led the Netherland authorities, of late years, to establish free ports in
Celebes, on the same principle as the British settlement of Singapore. In 1846 such
a port was established with eminent success at Macassar, on the south-western
peninsula; and at Menado and Kema in 1849, on the northern and southern shores
of the northern peninsula.
CERAM. This is the Portuguese orthography for the Serang of the Malays, au
island in the Molucca Sea, having Hew Guinea and its islands to the east, Boero
to the west, Amboyna and the Banda Isles to the south, and Gillolo with the Moluccas
to the north of it. I t lies between south latitudes 2° 45' 30" and 3° 36' 30", and
between east longitudes 129° 30' and 130° 53'. Its length is about 162 geographical
miles, but its greatest breadth does not exceed 40 : its area has been computed at
4945 geographical square miles. I t is thus the largest island of the Malay Archipelago
next to Celebes, although very far from being of value proportioned to its
extent. _ A chain of mountains runs through it from east to west, or rather the
island is itself one mountain range with little exception,—some of the peaks rising
to the height of 6000 and 8000 feet above the level of the sea; and the highest,
Nusa-keli (in Javanese “ drift island,”) to as much as 9250. The eastern coast is bold'
precipitous, and difficult of access; and although both sides contain some spacious
bays, there seems to be no good harbour on either. Its geological formation has not
been ascertained, but probably is the same as that of the neighbouring island of
Amboyna, or composed of plutonic and sedimentary rocks. I t has certainly no
active volcano, or extinct crater, that has been ascertained. Numerous rivers, or
rather torrents proceeding from the mountains, fall into the sea on both the eastern
and western coasts; but none of them are of the least importance to agriculture or
navigation. The country is generally covered with a stupendous forest, none of the
trees, however, it has been ascertained, being fit for the purpose of ship-building.
Neither is the forest known to contain the clove or the nutmeg. Hogs, deer, and the
civet cat are the reported wild animals.
The coast of Ceram is occupied by Malay settlers, an active and enterprising race
of fishermen, who pursue their chief game, the tripang or holothurion, and the shell-
tortoise as far as the coast of New Guinea, and even Australia. The inhabitants of
the interior are the aboriginal people of the island, divided into many small independent
tribes, distinguished by the difference of their languages. The state of
society among them resembles that of the fixed wild inhabitants of Borneo, although
less civilised than the more advanced of these. Like the wild Borneans they live
in villages, and practise a rude husbandry. Like them, too, they are stealers and
hoarders of human heads, and exhibit these as trophies in their private and public
dwellings,—the only historical records of their -deeds of arms. Their husbandry
consists in the culture of the banana, the sago-palm, some farinaceous roots, and
some mountain rice. The growth of rice by irrigation, and the rearing of the ox and
buffalo are unknown to the Ceramese,^evidence sufficient of the sterility of the soil,
and of the barbarism and poverty of the people. Of the population of the island
no conjecture has been made. Ten inhabitants to every square mile would give a
population of 25,000, which probably exceeds the actual number. Bali and Lomboc
are each about one-third part of the size of Ceram; and the first has a computed
population of 700,000, and the last of 450,000,—one of many proofs that in these
countries, even under the same parallels, mere extent of land counts for little or
nothing in appreciating the value.
CERAM-LAUT, correctly SERANG-LAUT, th a t is “ Ceram to sea,” is the name
of a cluster of islets, the largest of which are named Serenri, Gesir, Kaliwaru, Gorong,
and Malongi. They lie in south latitude 3° 55', and east longitude 133°, and off the
south-east end of Ceram. The inhabitants, in physical form, belong to the Malayan
and not to the Negro race. They practise a little agriculture, the chief object of
which is the culture of the sago-palm, which yields their bread. They are chiefly
fishermen, and their principal game the tortoise and holothurion. Their voyages
extend to New Guinea, and the islands on its south-western coast. At these, they
obtain seed-pearls, scented woods, nutmegs, stuffed birds of paradise, a great variety
of birds of the parrot family, and the crown pigeon; with a considerable quantity
of sulphur, but from what volcano obtained is not known. The Bugis traders
repair to the Ceram-laut Islands and there purchase the different commodities
thus collected, and convey them to the western emporia. The first of the
islands above named, Serenre, appears to be that to which thev resort for this
purpose.
CHAI, abbreviated CHI, means water, and also river in the language of the
Sundas; and exists as the first syllable of many names of places in the western
part of Java, such as Chitarum, literally “ Indigo-plant river;” Chimanuk, “ bird-
river; Chiasam, “ tamarind-river; ” and Chihur, “ river of coco-nuts.”
CHAMPA. The name of an ancient Malay settlement on the eastern side of the
Gulf of Siam, in the country of Camboja. See Camboja.
CHAMPADAH. The Artoearpus polypheme of botanists, a fruit of the same
natural family with the jack and bread-fruit; smaller than the first, but of more
delicate flavour, and greatly esteemed by the Malays. I t seems to be an indigenous
plant of the Archipelago, and even here to be limited to the western parts of it
such as Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula, and their adjacent islands.
CHERIBON. A large province of Java, situated on the northern side of the
, ™g the province of the Preanger Regencies to the west and south,
that of lagal to the east, and the sea to the north. The western portion of it is peopled
by the Sundas, and the eastern by the Javanese; and hence, perhaps, its name
Cf r o0nioy ?’?’ TWch in Jayanese means “ mixture.” Its total area is estimated
at 4043 geographical square miles. I t contains a large proportion of mountain
land ; and one of its mountains, Ch&rmai, rises to the height of 10,000 feet above
the level of the sea, and is an active volcano. Like the rest of the island, Cheribon
is of volcanic formation. It has one beautiful mountain lake, which gives its Sanscrit
name, Talaga, literally, the “ cistern ” or “ reservoir,” to one of its principal subdivisions
■ H H n f S G P 1Ut° 13 d; Stri0fcs- In 1815’ its population 216,000, which, by the census of 1845, had risen to 616,523. By wthaas t reocfk o18n5e0d athte
number had declined, from causes not explained, to 574,730. In 1815, the number
? ° in- M S I was reck°ne(i at 42,866, and of its horses, at 6623. In 1845 the
cattle had increased to 115,000, and the horses to 30,000.
i i l M i tV heii?°nVf Si(f t0 Mah°mmedanism, Cheribon and the districts adjacent
to it were under the rule of several petty independent princes. About the year 1480
I ” t™e’,fu Arabian adventurer, called Shekh Maulana, better known to the
Javanese by the name of the place of his residence and title Susunan Gunung-iati
nriniesTfth6 holf man ?f th,e^ U1 of teak wood-” This person subdued the petty
country, and sent his son to Bantam, who performed the same office of
conversion and subjugation for the Bantamese. From the father and son are
Bautam and Cheribon, both now abdicated kings and
of t w i + ? European government, although a predecessor of the first named
Loub the Xiv! °n0e S6nt aa a3Sy t0 the most Powerful monarch of his time,
CHa^dSthro,ivbg^ e "! ° r ess 1® suP P ° fd to have been an invention of the Hindus,
’ Pg them, to have been made known to the Malayan nations This onininn
§ g ^ S » cd b y i h e *erms of the ga“ 0 iuythe M ly -la n guage.r Had
been wholly SanscrTt Thev^t ^ th6Se ter“ s> as “ other cases, would have
and one belongs to the TelWp v i° ’ ST * T are Persian> some native,
naturalised in other denartmfuts of ? ar® Sanscrlt are but words long
the Malays, who alone are Ian^ ages' ?eems Probable that
modern times from SSS iiSfi ^ with the game, borrowed it in comparatively
learnt it, directly or m d S S g S “the' ^ themsel™s had