rendering to another the privilege, of reapingyfrom^his. own,soil,-what is
only the average'recompense of labour-expended on .the: estate of another.
The ReyenurfJnstructions,-- therefore,. bearing date the: 11th Eebruary ,1814,
and transmitted from .thedoeal'government to/tlie officers intrusted with the
charge of£he several provinces subject to its authority, lay down the'followiffg
general position. 'ffTK&natpre.of' the landed tenure through out ..th e Hsian d is
" now thoroughly-uhderstdod. " Generally, speaking; 'no proprietaryrrighfein
«. the soil.is vested, in any. between the-actual cultivator, and the-'savfe$eign4
,‘A the intermediate_.classes,- who may have at any time^ehjdyed thejreVenueg
“ of villages ^or districts,' beingr/deemedfmerelyr the-, executivehd'fHc§rs%of
“ government, who received .these ;revenuesfrom i/thh'/gift, of. their' lord,
‘‘ and .who 'depended on his will alone ford theirc tenure1. ■? Of this aetual
'« proprietary right there can he no doubt tha^therinvesrifee 'rested solely
in the sovereign; but it isT-equally. certain,. that) the first clearer S'.‘o£j »the,
“ land entitled-J-themselves, if as, a just reward,' tbysuch'hreal property, in the
g round theythus in a manner created, that wlflid a duefcributefofia certain
/^»T§hare offits^produce was granted to the sovereign'power^br^thedprotectiori
“ j t extended; the government, in return, was e^ally^bund.m'otHd%gfeb
“ .them or their heirs-in its" possession, d Thisfdi^osaho^he^d%prnffi^t
“ share was thus,.; therefore, all that-could -justly, depend .bniih^^ilKofJthe
“ .ruling authority; and consequently, the numerous.gifts. of .land madejn
“ yvarious periods by thesevefah sovereigns,' have-in! no-’w^raffectedsthfe.,
‘h_rights o fthe .actual; cultivators. - All that government could, alienatefiv'as
“ merely its own,revenue or share of th e produce. -«This ,subject Ihasscome ,
“ fully.under.disciission, and the above result, asrregarding this Jsland, jh'as
“ been!; quite, satisfactorily 'established.” It is remarked,;^ ^ subsequent
paragraph_of-the same-instructions, “ that there have been, ithis knowi^-un
many parts of the country, grants from they sovereign, of lands in per-
petuity, which are regularly inheritable, and relative to which the original
documents still exist. Of these, some have been.made Ter religious pur-
eposes, other's as! rewards or provision-, fqr relativfesi.or ,the higher .nobility,
“ These alienations, as far as it was justly - in the.power of?.the sovereign
?rto make, .-must, certainly be held sacr edhut : their i extent should, be
clearly defined,» that .the rights of .others be not compromised by them.
“ , TheVgavernmeht share, when granted, will (not, be ’reclaimed ;-, but-the
“ rights of the cultivator must not.be aifectedibyithese grants.. Such proprie-
“ tors of revenue, as they may be .termed, sball.in short be allowed-to act,_
I m with
«< with regard to< thefcultiVatofs^omtheir1-estates,", as government acts towards
those bn’itsbwn landshdhaitTig, tliey shall rpeeiv^a; fixed share of the pro-
“ dudé', ■ but- whilst fta^s^dluly id.elivered,yfheÿpshajli neither exact morn nor
“ rrônipîç ^àn^ jbu jyid uÆ^obfrhifi 1 and,^B;il > re mjujkeds ! by Major Yule;
th&'British)iirMi®fe in his Reportion Bantam/, that there,1-. “ all prppprty in
.’thei^^lgfeswestecL çxclusively iu^tfi^hand^totfethe, sd,veieign. powex,; but in
'-VKCpnsaquenQel^c^its-.ihavingibeen* long tepsfdmary' fe^ponferigrants of, land
Ùi-èÿ,.d ifier enf br;anfchëSxQf, th.^f-Së^^family^àjt^p^^rajXëffi'.iand
iS^a^uriteSi'1 abbuto icourt, • » ajajieÈy small portion ; was4' left, without some
S^clSir ^ nt.yQ^aÆfej«- 'HÏtBhe spésâkas- granfe&tea&fie-relations’- of the.; Sultan
“ wrere considered as real property, and sometimes descended to the heirs
*‘^ fe tb ’^famil.yi and at'.orirer.S'.wpre>aUeE;ateiiffrom it - T@
..^efie.et-ja.jt^âçsf^Wnjî tjjhjs naturis^he .previous-,sanction;of the Sultan was
:neeesss0By;iaftfer- ,wjûeh;tKe;paT,tÿ waited1/)? ffi^high/pHesti -.d&Mang&i/r-humi,
“ . whobm4de-fthe?^3eeg^i^#'inq0H-ies y andudpliyeKUdf, th© -title-, deeds1, to .the
ft^pfirehaser, in specified the situation,. extent, boundaries, '. and
^Æ^riceyMïiïhe land., S.QtcfiiA’A . register, of.JSsdesvwas- kept'by -fhe priests; the
yjfpw-cha'séf ; paying - and; it rarely t occurred that land .sold,in - this
“ manner were ever resumed by the crown,
•É^jénsatioh’i being made • ton^pjp^rphayer. < Püsâkas given to chiefsyfbr
’“ (services pjerfdjjmed^ cwer^'recsypraMe again atjpleasute; and,always
, revertêditp,the. crow,n oiyith©;demise) of the chief- to whom"they’had been
^g ran ted : iniall.other’respects, .the ysame^rîÿilfeg^^,ere'afiuiex;ëd;tQ^h.em
“üiâSitoitHe, former;:^ Tbe^bQlder^ ofsy^Æi&piîlands tWiére^ery- seldom-the
“i occupants ; - ithe^ g pn erally remained, abjfîut .the courts and on the approach
» rice,- harvest- deputed agents, to .collect their, i.sbarprof i the wcçop.
“ -They do not let their lands for specific periods. The cultivât?»».are; fiable
»‘Srt'Oiibe turnedjjbut a t, pleasure, - and when[^«jected;-. have, dp- claims - to
“ricompens.ation, for,improvements, made while in jkfssessionj'jgqpb as water-
fMêjîùsâëS; , pr plantations^ of., fruit r tre.es made by^themselyes .;0r ; their
parent».”
tbs“,,We must, make a, distinction,” say the Dutch Commissioners appointed
to, investigate this subject, in,11811, “ between the Prîangén regencies,-i,the
“ province.of CMrjbon, and.the.eastern distrjcts>,»- Throughout'the whole
f c- extent» of foie, „Prîangén regen.cies exists a pretended-prpperty onunculti-
“ vated lands, on ^n q h tn0, person qan settle, without the (Consent of the
“ inhabitants ,pf th at1 désci, pr- village. . In the saxeah fields, or. cultivated .
“ lands,