Measures of
the British government.
when stimulated by his own immediate ^interest ; and under a system of
government, where every thing -bptethe bare means'.of subsistence is,.liable
to be seized, nothing but the means p^sulisistencej wil'Wbe^isough.t .to .be
attained. The Dutch accuse the Javans of indolent habits and fraudulent
dispositions; but surely the oppressor has no right t|g]yej3prprized,-._that the
oppressed appear-Teluctant in Ins,service, that they.-meetthis exactions..with
evasion, and answer his csfllto labour with sluggish indifference. _ .
The mode; of dividing land into minute portions is decidedly favourable
to population, and nothing but those checks to the progress of . agriculture,
to which I have^referred, could have limited the population of Java to .numbers
so. disproportioned to jits fertility, ; or copfined the labours, of^.the peasantry
to so small a .space of what-would reward their industry wittyabundance.
■ The cultivated ground, on the island-has already been-estimated at
an eighth part of the whole area. In Probolmg’o and JSesuki, the. total
number of jungs, of land amount to 77^,483, .the total of. land,capabfepf
superior .cultivation 174,675 jungs, . whilê^tthp s p a c e c u l t i v a t e d ,
amounts only to 13,432 jungs. In Rembang, the land- belonging-fp-villages
is about 40,000jungs, and not, the half of that quantity jrilj under cbl£iya-,-
tion. In Pasûruan, the same appearances are exhibited". i^rom,,this .last
district the Resident's report-on the settlement states,. as-.a;çeason;fonhis
assessing the same rent on all the land, “ that the cultivatecl part fa r in g so
“ small a proportion!» the, cultivated, the inhabitants ha\je been enabled, to
“ .select the most fruitful spots ex-dusively^hepce■ arises thejittle-wariety; I
“ have discovered in the produce.” Chéribon, Bantam, Xfae Priang’çn.Regencies,
the eastern comer of the island, -the-: provinces- under the ^nativej go-
vernments, and in short the greatest and most fertile districts,:,ffur,msh
striking illustrations of this disproportion between the bounty ofi,nature and
the inefficient exertions of man to render her gifts available,"to,- extend
population, and to promote human happiness; or rather they supply an
example of unwise institutions and despotic government, counteracting the
natural progress of both.
When the British arms prevailed in 1811, the attention.of government
was immediately turned to, the--state and the interests of its new subjects.
It saw at once the natural advantages of the island and the.ycauses which,
obstructed its prosperity, and it determined to effect those changes which,.
having succeeded in Western India, and being sanctioned by jilstice and
expediency, were likely to improve those advantages and to remove^ tlm$e
obstructions.
obstructions.--, In cohsequen’cbi^rtheaanstructiofisxof Lord.Mnto, the
.Goyemori/xen'eralJ mpiwks-ipfsesent;atf!thmcohquestland)t6ok a .great: interest
in itl^isettlemenfcb%fe^island,i;B.bitfme. wasdoshsto institufe-Aquisiesjand
to icdilect jnformatiomdpntfhe 'state •- offthe, peasantry,1 andvthej father, points;
the knowledge' of which wasm’ecessary,"ibefprei ^iiy .attempt .to legislatebcoiaM.
bebylsely or, rationally madeamDne following^ principles,;;, laid! down-'bsy his
Lordship, were Ithose.bn.whidh-lfb^pi^li^&fe^htaehS) acfced.not
- ContingehtsK off qridex?»iaindiff-indtee'ek ofi < other <. productions,1,1 f*hwe0^fem
“ hitherto required of the cultivators by government at an arbitrary rate :
f‘ thisfaksp is aiyjci^s^ys%hm^^b>b'fe.piOTEbneHya'stssci@rjhas,ip^ssibre. r The
^system, of .contingents, ’did:;not-, arisec’fromrL'thevamfere selfpitudfi/foEpthe
^supply .off the peopl&jahH?wasr d measure! alone? of.ihianmand!control;
“ to' enable -gpenmienl to dome a^e venuej ƒronv*;®il’g.hijiiiecSimpp.sodfcon
Vrthe consumer,; and;tQ keep ith^^hble body ^ttbe^peoplerdeperidentlonutk
j,‘tjpleasU’r^ToESuh^ktence.-l;tbr.eGbmni'en!d'a' radicakTefdFmiifistlh®- branch to
“ thp1 serjousj'an^b.a^ly^tt^tibh-of.governmbnti. .blffheoprinciplilUiof,_ emcttu-
$ or aging lipjd-us'try an the cultisvationc and-amprovements-'ofelaMlpbyqcreating
an inter,est,ih)j then&fforfei and fruitisrof t~hatoinflustry;i can be
f&utlava onlyi byeajfuudamentadlchange off the. ■iTvho^^^tem off laridedc pro-
-“opfeity antUtenuie. A wh^eefieldj badaajspaaewhat distant^-dub^is opeh to
«“fijpais (great and JntesestihgNimprovement; the &djs©u§&iqn of thej subject*
SSSJ^bwiever,“ mUsfo necessarilyjbbidelayed till' t^Mhyesti^atlohiifffff^quircs
^nioretcamplefcp: r, I shall trailstmM^l^hoHghts^d®n^e entertained; and'
■yf#s,uch hopes as-J-hav£ indulged invthis grandfofoectj;bfi'amelioiiatooii,; > but,
if-fTrZ 'am- to^reqyestxthe, aid off;all.the.infofm*atibn.,jail'd;alh.thelights,. that this
Maud;can afford.- On this branch,inothing.'musttlbeiidopesthat:ws|mbt;;
mature; becausetheiexchange is too.dkteu^vuffcU’bb-sucldfenly 5®%hofaUtly
, f‘ attempted-. But- fixed and; immu'tafelejprinbi'plesffjfifthe. humanecharafeteT
^‘mnamft human association, assure me, offiultimate^ andrl'll^pel not rem$fg|
success, in views\that are; consonant).withneyeryiumoti»m{,bff>action? that
;,y.Goperate on man, and areijustified feythei.practice .and i^peiSencojof ;every
“ flourishing country qf theiworld.”., :
Incompliance withjj^ss.e instructions,’ the{dbjectmf 'which was .embraced
with;zeal"by, the.local government, to w^bm.bi^lu^d^ip{e]^fusfe.d fhe/.ai;
ministration^ of i-itbe island, a (commission- was,!, appointed?!r under jffchknable
"directibn^of'.CqloneLMackenzie, to;prosecute statistic, inquiries;;?,‘the^results
of which;-as^ corrected an.d extended, byhsubsequent surveys,” iwil-lifnequently
A • appear