Saltpetre.
cloth was manufactured by the Javans, with which the whtfle army was
clothed: A t’Semarang^y/ere established five of these manufactories, having
seventy or eighty looms- each. One or two of them madeteottpn lace, and
supplied the-aftny agents with epaulets, shoulder-knots, tassels, j &c. There
were likewise manufactures of-cotton stockings, tape,1?'fringes,, cartridge-
boxes, sword-belts, saddles, bridles, &c. and in short every thing*,Jhat
could be required for the* dress; and accoutrements'pf-both cavalry and
infantry,
Under, European-superintendants were established saltpetre works, pôw-
der-miUs, • fbunderies for shells, shot, anvils, &ç.- and- manufactories of
swords and .small arms ; and' when it is added, that theFrench goyer-nmpnt
found means, within the r e s o u r c e s - of Java alone, to, equip au army of not
less ; than fifteen thousand effective,." men,^ besides a numerous militia in
every district, and that,- with the exception of a few fumopean' superintendants
in the more scientific works, all* the articles were • manufactured^ and
supplied-by the natives, it is not necessary - to adduce' any further ^proof of
the manufacturing ability of thé country.
. Saltpetre is-obtained in many parts of the. island, .apd-gunpowder has
long been manufactured by the native inhabitants.. A saftpetr-e. manufactory
was established near Grésik, under the supeijntendanpe-of. European
officers, which it was calculated would furnish annually two .thousand -pikuls
of that article to government, at the rate of eight rix-dollars per pileul, (pf pne
hundred and thirty-three pounds English. The importance of this establishment
is-manifest jn the following observations of Colpnel Mackenzie. ;
“ T considered that one day would be usefully employed in-viewing the
“ saltpetre wqrks, which a Very few years back had been estahlllpdfhere,
“ at the risk, and by the,zeal and ingenuitypf^priyate. individuals,
“ with the view of supplying this qolony^with that nepessary ingredient-fpr
“ gunpowder- , The best sulphur is supplied from a mountain near, the straits.
‘.‘ of BâUr For further details of these mines of the manner in which.-the
“ nitre is obtained, "by an.ingenious application, of the latest European im-
“ provements in chemistry ;?;Of ,the sulphureous' cratetiqf ■ the ^mountain,
“ whence, the sulphur, in its utmost.'purity^is, supplied; of the reports .of
“ the- French -engineers, last year, on' tije improvement- of. the gunpowder
“ of Javat; of -the wood setectqd for the best charcoal, and of the present,
“ state of- the manufactory and powder-mills at Semâràng, I must refer, at
“ present, to several papers, collected by me on this subject, which may be
« usefully
** usefully .applicable -to.our,.-manufactures .of gunpowder.in .India, ■ Passing
H 0>er.rthese and .other considerations, I .shall [On^y*/observe,. that of these
“ minei o'neplaiibem is-qiit^in Ihe-i'seft white calcareous rock;
iandiandther, .mote jpegohj&ly: designed,1 ^sumdtte&j by pillars <0 1 masses of
rq^tlje native iro.ckjlico&gi.'s. regulafly}formed^bed^ native, .earth, which
SUU?ing impregnated withrthe. nativ^patre, Jsatura.ted with itpe± evacuation of
<q[lthe numerous bats that b^ubfe these! ca$enfgj: - an d mixed with a- compound
<fyp£>.woodt,,aghes? supplies thehhqtfldVthati isr boiled in{,larg‘eokettJp*; and
‘i-after war deleft-to gaol andjshfystallize. processes carried on,
_tt sin a regular manner, uud'er^'u#pean'.-9V;e^ee.rs, and under, tljpijdijcction of
a the firstiexecutorofthisreally grandjwork, yhqnp^eadeSrat^/S'^^(%«.',’#
forests*,- gives employment to a very<.equsidei$d}le population, wliq ia#e dis,-
itinguished from 1^p§e‘employud'.-iu other avocations, jby thejenniof Mctndoing
people, .o^foresters,, The teak timh^^®srfp?W??dy'34^i'Ver9^r to.the government
aS ar contingent,- by the: .Regents „of thosgdistri^t&iwwhrcht&^prlnci-
pal.-fprf.sts.twere.situated,*, thei quantity being regulated according Jo tb.e
o p p osed-extent the. difer,ent forests, and the rneans„q£ cutting- and trans,-
ppftingjhe. wood. Previously Jo tip year ^IgQg'gJhe aMoJuntof; this annual
contingent was .eight thpusandfeight, hundred beams of ■,differ enty, sizes,
. aeGording>tp;-jhe wants p f the public service, <$£, ^ ich ^ more than three
thousand w.ep delivered'from the. .central»fqr'ests>of Rembdng.
jJEhe cutting and dragging.of the timber^dejivered ippqhtingenfiWas per-
fqrmed by .the^inhabitants; o f i the ..villages, adjpent-, to. the forests, .and the
buffaloes required were left to be provided- b y tip , Regents,; For this .seryice,
inJthe . Rembdng districts;1. fquf. hundred, c u t t e r s ,l a b o u r e r s , : and four
hundred and twelve pair;o£. buffaloes,: werer.appr.qpriat,ed;£fqr the supply o f
three thousand one hundred beams,annually, a proportion which varjed in the
other districts, only according to thedistaricejof the forest Jromjhe timber yard
on the coast, where, payment was made, for,the .timber,on.delivery, at th.e
rate pf sixteen-pence,fqiyeuttingiand conveying a beam, of from;,eighteen to
twenty feet, long and' fromping to ten* inches broad,; fprty-eight stiversjfor a
beam of. from thirty-one to Jl)iiJy.-six feet long and from thirteen"; to fifteen
inches broad, and for others in proportion. This was the regular and only
payment made for- the contingent-timber; but when the_ demands o f government
exceeded thg fixed - contingent, -which was generally the. case,' the
excess,
* Journal of Colpnel Mackenzie, 1812.