appear in the tables and statistic accounts of-.this work. The nature of the
landed tenure, and the demand made upon agriculture,' in all the shapes of
rent and taxes, were ascertained; the extortions practiced)rby the Dutch
officers, the native princes, the regents, and theDhineSej ’Were disclosed;
the rights of all classes, by law or . usage, investigated ; the state of the
population, the quantity and value of cultivated' dandy of forests,. ;of plantations
of cotton, and coffee, the quantity of live stock, and other, resources
of the country subject to colonial administration, inquired rinto and made
known. ; The result of these inquires; with regard to landed tenure, I have
given above ; and; as- it will be seen; it; was such as opposed'the rights.'df nb
intermediate .class between thet local' government and" the beneficial changes
it contemplated in behalf of the great body of the people. After attaining
•the requisite information, the course .whichdexp’ediency, justice, and ^political
wisdom pointed out was not doubtful, and coincided (as in most cases
at will he found to =do) with the track which: enlightened benevolence’‘hnd a
zealous desire to promote the happiness of rthe people would: dictater
The peasant was subject to gross oppression and uhsdefined exaction : '»our
object was to remove his oppressor, and toMitnii demand to a fixed ‘and
reasonable rate of contribution. He was liable to 'restraiM
o f inland: trade, to personal services and forced contingents: - our object
was to commute them all for a fixed and' welLknown.contribution; .fTfre
exertions of his industry were reluctant and languid, because he bad little
or no interest in its fruits: our object was to encourage thaf;industry,'; by
connecting, its exertions with. the promotion -of -his own individual ^welfare
and prosperity. § Capital could not be immediately oreKtfed, nor agricultural
skill acquired:; but by giving th e cultivator a security,* that :whafeven he
accumulated would be for his own benefit, and whate^er^improvement he
made, he or his- family might enjey~it, a motive :was:oheldr dut to him to
exert himself in the road to attain both.! Tjeases, or contracts'for fixed rents
for terms of years, in the commencement, and eventually in perpetuity,
seemed to be the only mode of satisfying the cultivator, that he would - not
be liable, as formerly, to yearly undefined! demands •; while freedorh from all
taxes but an assessment on his crop; or -rather a fixed sum in commutation
thereof, w;ould leave him at full liberty to devote the whole o f: his
attention and labour to render his land as productive as possible.. fj
In conformity with these views, - an entire revolution was effected in the
mode of levying the revenue, and assessing the taxes upon agriculture.
H E &
The foundation of the amended system was, 1st. The entire abolition of
forced deliveries at inadequate rates, and of all feudal services, with the
establishment1 < ,ofi a, : perfect 'freedom' 1 in ■ cultivation and’ trade: 2d. The
assumption, on the part of government,’of;the inamediate-^sûperintendance
of the»lands, with'fitHel Côllèfericffï1 dfuthe! resources and rents’ thereof1: ’3d.
The1 ; ofr<thejfends so assufnd&ftb the^aetual occupants,- in large
or small‘estates according to looal'circumstafifsë^orr-leaSès 'for ' a moderate
term.!.' In 1 Course wdf the • folio Win g^j^ear s (Ji 8T4! arid 1815)’ these measures
were carried into execution >in, m’ô’Sb o f‘the districts under ouf government,
with a view- todhe égtahlisfhm’ent- of •a^pfeipétulsl •settlement,
on thé principle of ishe>p o to e r/■■or 'a's'’ it has been ■ termed' 1 on "Java, "the
üâng-:âlit system^ l’'.
The principles 'd f ‘land Tentait''and déFaileâ*‘settlement were few and
simple.'* ’f After mature inquiry*, 'Mo ' Obstacle appeared' 'to -éxist, either in
? r' ' ■ law
*?lll^|^'p'Kticrples wèïe 'cMtêniplated as’jaW aisi practicable' b y 'a Dutch ■ adthorriy ' (Van
JHogendorp) who resided on Java, and criticized freely the measures of administration, as mil
appear from, the following .extracts from a. work, which only came into my possession subsequently.
to the introduction of the hew system by the British .government. “ Property of the
“ soil must be introduced by granting all the cultivated lands to .those who have hitherto culti-
■ « leafed them, or, in other'words, ■ to the common Javans.. All the rice .fields belonging to each
“ désa should be distributed. among its inhabitants, and the gardens or spots of ground, in
“ winch their cottages, stand, should lalso, in future, be . their, personal .property. . Correct
“ registers hereof should be kept, and certificates, given to ..the different owners. Who can
“ produce a better and nearer right to the personal possession of the land, than lie who has
“ cultivated and made it productive ? And is there a country in the world, where'the natives
“ ..are happy, free, and well settled, without having a property in the soil ? Our own country,
« and all the kingdoms of "Europe, afford the most direct proofs, of ‘this : they flourish in pro-
“ portion as property is mpre or Hess secure and equally divided -among, the inhabitants of
“ each. All Europe groaned under the feudal . system of government : -.all Europe has freed
« itself from it; but by various means and in different degrees, ' Why, ..therefore; can similar
“ changes not be brought about'on Java ? Every- .thing urges us to make them, and the results
“ must be. important and most advantageous to us. Java is alone able to relieve our com-
“ monwealth from all its difficulties,
“ In order to. cottect a-land-tax properly, a general'and Correct survey should;'in the first.
“ instance, b.e effected in all the districts belonging to ns; according to ,an established land
“ measure, .to be introduced generally throughout Java ; for this is, at present, very irregular.
“ All the lands should then be divided into three classes, first, second, and third class,
“ according to the proportionate fertility of the- soil, and. according to (die -same proportion the
'/ land tax- should be established. I am -very ready to admit, that this will naturally bë difficult
and troubleson^di; but whqt system of'government is exempt from-these-incOnvemences?
« and