law or usage, to the interference of government, in regulating the Condition
■of the peasantry; and .it'"svas-resolved, therefore', that it should takfe'Mto
■itst'oyvn hands the management of that sharfe of the land prbiaerwhMi
was allowed to be its due,-:and .protect the cultivator in the enjoyment and
.fee disposal of the remainder. The' undue power, of the chiefs was td be
-removed, and:-so far as.. they had a;claim for support, founded either on
•formes; or deprivation. of exp§cfed„employmrint,; they, wefe to be
jemunerated,-in another way. j The lands» after ‘being surveyed • and estimated,,
were to be parcelled, out among the inhabitants .of the villages,' in
the proportions established by custom or recommended- by..expediency.
Contracts were,to be entered -into; with each individual cultivator, who was
to become the tenant of government, and leases specifying the extent Und
situation of fheu-rland, with the. conditions rof their '.-tenjxr’e ,. were to 'be
granted for one or more ye.ars, -with a<yiew to permanency,' if at the ;end
ofe$be stipulated term, the arrangement should be found to combine the
interest of the public revenuerwith the welfareand. increasing prosperity of
the
“ particularly in this country, where it is necessary to effect a-.radical'change and reform
“ in order to produce.any beneficial results?. But with diligence, zeal, and deliberation,
“ difficulties may be overcome; and even should tlie survey not be exactly correct iri the
“ first:instwrce, it might be improved from year to year. The word jicrfg is now used by the
“ Javalls ldi"a-certain measure offend; but this differs so much in different districts, that it
“ ns.impossible to ascertain how many square roods of land a jung ought to contain. The
.«un^.might be-retained,' however, and after having found by experience ho#, many square
“ roods, in:general or. on an average,; are contained in a jung, the proportion might be once
“ for all established^introduced throughout the island, and fixed as the regular fend measure
“ of the country: It would he difficult, and as yet unnecessary,^ to cEdculate how many jkngs
“ of land our territories on Java contain, and how much imghfbV cdfffclrdias a land-tax
“ frolu each >«£> in order to ascertain what this tax would amount to. , I flunk it shhnld ’ be
“ taken 88 a Principle, that the land-tax' can and ought to,produce as much as the head-
“ money, (namely,- a rix-dollar per head): the land-tax would then yield an annual and
“ certain-income, of at least two milfions and a half of rix-dollars. I Every spot-of cultivated
“ ground.-being measured and settled to which class it belongs, every owner will correctly
“ .know, how much he must pay for land-tax annually, and be;completely, at liberty to plant
;“ -.his land' with whatever he may prefer, and may conceive most conducive to his advantage.
" am! of opinion, that during the first years it would be-difficult; on account of the scarcity
“ of specie, or rather its absence'fi;om circulation, to'; collect 'the land-tax; but, in the
“ «»“e way as with the head-money,-it would be expedient, in the first years, to be somewhat
“ «“du'gent in the collection, or else to receive produce in lieu of money, which might be
<< done in this tax better than the capitation. But after five years of good administration, I
“ certain that the land-tax would be fully and without difficulty collected.” ’
the occupant. If that was not the..case, room was thus left for a new
adjustment,, for a reduction of rate, ..or for any change, in the system which
might adapt it more to. the interests and wishes of the people, .without prejudice
-bo thé' rights of government.
This experiment hazarded nothing, and held out every prospect of success
; it committed no injustice, and compromized no claim. The peasantry
could not suffer, because an assessment less in amount, and levied in a less
oppressive manner, than formerly (all rents, taxes, and services included),
was required-of them : the chiefs could not. complain,, because they were
allowed the fair emoluments of office, - and only restrained from oppressions
which did not so much benefit themselves as injure their inferiors. Most of
the latter-were not only allowed.an.equivalent.for their.former income,
but employed, .in services.allied to their- former.-duties^-the collection of
the revenue, and .the,*superintendance of the;,police. As .the cultivator
had acquired rights which the chief qould not violate, as the former
>held in .his. possession a. lease with the conditions on which, he-cultivated
his farm, no infringement of .which could be attempted on the part
of- the latter -with impunity, no evil. could result from employing the
chiefs in .collecting the uèVenüe of districts, whilé, from, their practical
knowledge of the habits and individual concerns of. the peasantry, of the
nature of the seasons and the crops, they .were, thei.fittest'persons for the
office. - Tor these, services it seemed most expedient to pay. them, either by
allowing them, a certain per-centage on their collections,-or-by allotting
them;‘portions of land rent free. .The village_constitution (which will be
more particularly noticed in treating of the institutions óf the. country) was
preserved inviolate; and the chiefs or head men of the. villages; in many
instances elected by the free will of the villagers,. were invariably continued
iri office as the immediate collectors, of the rents, and with sufficient
authority'to preserve the police, and adjust, the petty'disputes'-that might
arise within them ; the government scrupulously; avoiding' all unnecessary
interference in the. customs, usages, and details of these .societies.'- .
; In looking at the . condition of the peasantry, and in estimating the fertility
of the • soil, the wants of the people, and the proportion of produce
and industry that they formerly were accustomed to pay . for supporting
the establishments of government, it was,thought reasonable to commute all
former burdens, into a land .rent.on a fixed principle ; all sawah. lands being
estimated by the parit. or unhusked rice, they, could produce, and all
tégai