Amok, - The Batavian arrack l s ’^sil^krioWn inithe European market, and was at
one time imported in considerable1'quantities into the continent-of Europe.
: . It
- ‘i. was countermanded, and the planting'of coffee ordered to be promoted in the most rigorous
“ manner -possible-:T But v^hat ig-|to be expected from a country, where the natives are so
“..■treated, so oppressed? _ To-day the Javan is ordered to plant his garden with coffee trees:
' i f f 1® does so, and although well aware how little he will get for the fruit, he
“ up with pleasure, considering-their-produce as a tribute which he must pay to his master for
“denjoyinent of protectionbut now, 'when they are about to bear fruitjf he isforderedrtd-root
“ them out: he‘ does1 so,'and'four months afterwards he is again ordered to plant others! ii;Gan
:a more infamous tyranny be imagined' ? ' Can it-be credited,1 that any government should act
“ so madly,-so'inconsistently;? And yet this-is' the plain'and real truth. But how can stupid
“ ‘ignorance, which By the vilest meansj"'by base1 meanness,5-mercenary marriages, and every
kind of low trick, rides'into'power'and importance, and then becomes'by whalthluxurious,
“ and by flattery intoxicated, act otherwise ? And will- you, 'Batavians,i continue, to .trusfctin
spch'hands as these your'valuable-possessions and interests in India ?
.Eepper igrows but slowlyfon any soil,' and issonice with regard to it, that in some places,
‘fi'wHere to all appearance there wouldrbe an abundant produce» of the plant, it .will not grow
“iatalh* ,jThe viUfc'rltjuires'fouf'or'ifiVe ykars to’- prodiiceSffuit. t'Theumjfrowjent Javan, who
“ ’-under- the present despotic administration "can ancL'twfll'^carc'ely-provide forthisldaily/subsis-
<ct tdrice; finds this too“iong',a1 delay between his labour and its rewardn having,oiherefqre,.no
sufficient_TOcitive- to puvsuezthe' cultivation cheerfully- ort actively, - he1 can ogly befd-rivemtcpit
“ by force; but let'him’once'experience the advantage of property,in' lapd; let-him see the
“ trader ready with plenty "of money to purchase the’fruits offehis'labour; let him,*! if'^ie should
,e still-be idle,' observe his'-'more industrious neighbour-acquire wealth, by the.saleVof-those
‘‘ articles which" he slothfullyi declines to cultivate, and with.it' prdcurje .the necessaries- oiscon-
• ’.yennlifdiiSS?6f • life,''' and he will soonbe induced, by emulation and the.desire of ameliorating
“ 'his condition, to plough5 and plant his ground, ir: The.islandiof. JayaiwilL then .produce ;a;con-
“' siderafrle-quantity of pepper, for which, if the cultivator obtains twelve rix-dollars per pikul,
“‘‘AlthougE'every 'thing go’es"on w'itlr difficulty at first,' and'it carinot be;denied th'atiitjjwill
' ‘ ‘reqflire time and trouble to stimulate the Javans, who.are <noW'confounded,hasiit'!were, J with
“ tyranny and oppression,'1'to industry and'emulation,- it is ■ notwithstanding equity- certain,
‘“■that an improved" system*-of administration, founded on property of the soil, freedom #f
“ person and trade,’’would by’degrees,'though perhaps much quicker, than may b&.imagiaed,
“ bring' about-such a change, ' and that Java might and would produce as much -pepper for
‘vexjSbftaiibn-'ahntially as coffee, orabout two hundred - thousand pikuls, which'! willt-bring
“ three thousand'six hundred rix-dollars into’.thecountry.”.- -
In' the' yfear ’XSOl^it was estimated»by» one of ■ the rfirst commercial houses in Europe,
that the following quantities of- pepper might be'obtained from different ports of the Atehipe-
' ' “ ‘Poets ‘and PisA’CXs where J?£TVXK-is?tot6e hacl:—■estimatedin March lSQl. . . .
“ At - Behcoolen, belonging to’ the English; may be had about twelve hundred-tons of
' “ - pepper.’phr annum-. - • •
“ At
It is- distilled in a great measure, from molasses, in which respect, as well as
in the proqess.’ employed,' jt differs sq materially from the arrack ,of continental
India, that it caijnpt -with propriety be considered as the same spirit:
it is in fact vastly superior, £olvjt,. and .^capable;, of competing in the European
market with the rum.pt,th e ^ e s t Indies. Its price " at; Batavia, where any
quantity can at all -titnesjae -procured, is for the first sort about sixty Spanish
dollars, for the second-fsor-t fifty, andjfpr fhe third thirty Spanish dollars the
Ifeaguer; the .first .sort-; is ab“oye proof, thus selling by the leaguer of
<&Ve ihn;adr’e.d ;andi 'sixty ,,-gallong;; akthe rate^pfi^about twenty pence the gallon.
In» cpasequence> ofqtfie pr,pJnibitoiiy .duties against the importation of this
article into -Great* Britain or British * India, .this branch p f jcommerce, has
latterly declined, and many of,Jbhe.distilleries have been .discontinued.
- "The Dutch -possessions p f lt(Qeyl‘on‘?-the^Cape ,of Good .Hope,, and the Of Bice.
Moluccas, .dependent on-the gpvernjnent^qf Batayia, always. received their
principal supplies rofq'ice^oip Java, and considerable .quantities have. of late
berqfoto,cca'sibnally exported -to those-places, as well as the Coromandel coast,
wit-h^great - advantage. „During a scarcity pf-grain in .England, .the Java
ric.e has- also.fqund its way to that market. *
From
-■fliMiMjPrince offWales, Island, belonging to the. English,..nlay.be^had at present only one
.iHhhndred tons per „annum: in a Jew years it will bp five hundred tons.. 1
« At Swfi,on the west coast of Sumatra, belonging: to, the King of itefieen,. 'may be had
jSSohe thousand tons per annum.
'"At 'Acheen and-its ports,-belonging tp the King of‘.Acheen,1 ■' may- be - had about one
E^ifcjuiand'tans per annum: the Danes often'go to ports. "
‘'»At' Tringario -and ' Kalahton,' belonging to a Malayan princel'ma^' be had about-two
“ ^Ifdusand ‘annum': the’Europe Portuguese ships'often' call at these ports on’their way
-rf^®’’,0hina'.
-*f*5$‘3A,t Palembang: the-Dutch’ hav6 a small fortjiere, audl..obligenthe>iin g to send all his
i “ pepper to Batavia^ it-mayJSe ahhut seven hundred tons p e r annum."
.. « Art Lampung, on’the-'south-point^of Sumati-a: tlie'tDutch-h'ave a small fort here,’andthey
■ “ send all!their pepper to’ Balavia-;-it may be about five hundred tons.'11 ’3
Bantam may be'had fivdfKundred tori&Vthis belongs to the Dutch.-'.-
Banjer-masin, on'the south-west of Borneo ^ the-DiitcK Mve' a fort Hfere, and the rajah
“*&nds all -h’is' pepper-to Batavia, it may be^abhutWelve to fifteen hundred‘tons per annum.
“ ''At! Chintabun,- near: Siam^belonging to the4 Kingd}?' Siam, maybe had one thousand tons
‘« per annum f this goes'fo China-in the king’s 'junk's.” >'1
- * “'Ceylon, it may be”observed, will consume two thousand k^yanS annually r(four thousand
*'' “ 'to n ^ ^ There is also a ready market- at ThevCape* of* Go'o'd^Hb’pbf'fer o^p thousand k6yans
“ a year. A scarcity,’of this grain frequently happens on4the coast of Coromandel, when the
~'t f‘ import of it from Java will yield great'profit,- i f the traders are permitted to'export it. The
“ general