' Importa from
Europe :
— of Iron,
— of Steel,
— of printed
Cottons,
From Europe the-most important -Imports; and-thosesin constant demand
for the native population,''are ironp steel, copper, printed; cottons: of a
peculiar-pattern^ and- .woollens:'.-*! ©®'ironiTnotf t e s ‘fithan:!fEOffl^ onetthousand
to fifteen hundred-tons are annuallyf imported, which is worked'up; into the
implements , of husbandry* and • into 9tke vations- instruments, engines, :iand
utensil^ >reqtiire'd4n 'the towns and^ag^ultaralfdi^MCtsis :The. prme has
varied,ffdtiring»rthe last -four*'yeans, from six to twelve Spanish dollarsi 4sbe-
average hast been about eight'doHars per hundred-weight for the English, and
about nine 'pter hundred-weight-fop'*thq! S#gdish ’iron.' smhll bar. iron
isalways-in demand iti-the market,»4afcOn^eqUOBfee of its convenience j for
working-up iMo-the-differentiraplemeBts required». - Steel is »Iso in-demand,
to the extent -Of- twdor ‘tbre@'hu«dred-t0ns'4nnuallyjf* - j
-''English printed-cottons,- t>f-peculiar patterns adapted-to-the taste of Jhe
natives'-and Chinfisfe,-' and- white cotton-sheeting-cloth; always--toeet- a ready
and extensive sale -; but the- great objection “to ' the former -1 is 'the want of
permanency1-in -the Colours, a disadvantagO'-Which -all--the English - printed
cottons -labour tinder.; 1 - A'-very1 extensive and--valuable- assortment of-these'
cottons,, imitated after the Javan' and Malayarf •p'atSOrfis,i was -reeently imported
into Java by the East-lndia Company, and on the first jsafe produced
very .good pfife^ ^-bmt-hefbre^'^Cond trial dattld be made; ,tjie> riatives*had
discovered that the colours would not stand, and "the remainder "jyerk4id
f longer
(< 8e®era^'h*Jcdom of commerce and navigation, and the encouragement such .freedom .holds
“ out *° “ erchaat, will - establish and extend a *§ad>y communication and frign^jy. relation
between Batavia and .the trading places of India. In.the, article of rice, Java possesses advan-
| WgesSupepja»taBmgali;.,§t^.although thk.grsi&'is generally very cheap there, yet thenar
“ vigation from and to Bengal is always more difficult than that, from and to Java, froija'.g'hence,
‘t at all seasons of.the -year,- the passage may be made to most parts of .India-* and in Bengal
it often happens, that the rice is-very. scarce and dear, and even-that a famine rage®, there»
<£ On. the island, of Jay% on-the contrary, although the..crop»,mynsewtimeswpartially -fail
“ fc d few places, a general and total failure never happens at-least thener-is npinstanee.of it
“ on record. It may .also be considered,-whether thewixportatioft of. .rice from. Java to Europe
«, might not-become an object of speculation. -.-Ther. cargo .Df asship'Of five hundred lasts,» or
“ koyans, wquld only cost fifteen thousand-rix^dollars,-whichcannot be reckoned at more than
“ thirty thousand guilders * - and the k$yaa- being „caloa&ted. at-rtbree thousand-five, hundred
“ pounds, the only question would be, what would Joe the value,of one milliop seven hundred
“ .and fifty-vthousand pounds pf rice,in. Europe,-aad,if the ni»dftrta.t.mgjw^ddiyffhi!d_ a ;reason-
“ able gain2. £ven Chinais .sometimes. much in iwantofri.ceriand -the.export of-it ,tp;rthat
“ country would often, ifnqt .always, tumputfyery advantageous.’’r-H«^e»rfore,.
Rice was exported both to England- and-China,,during the provisional admipistration of the
British government on Java.
Iqhger in any demand. Would it.-.not tend greatly to the improvement of
the British manufacture, and consequently, greatly extend the. export, if
the’enquiries of scientific men in India tyefg^flirected, in' a particular manner,
to an observation of, the different dye stuffs used in Asia, and to the;
manner followed by the -natives in different parts, for fixing1 the" colours'and
rendering'ithem permanently^
Broad cloths,-.velvets, glass-ware; wines, and in short all articles of con- ®r“ad-
sumption and use among Europeans,- may on Java be considered also, in a
great measure, -in demand -by the1 'nittive' population, who free from those
prejudices whicb:precludean expectation of the introduction of European
manufacture into Western .'India, generally indulge! in them ‘ according to
their means. . .The .climate of many’ part? of-the - island.renders the broad
rfoth, particularly.at Some seasons,of.-the .year, an article,of great comfort,'
and among the higher orders, it. is usually,! as with Europeans,; worn as a
jacket: sometimesfthis is of velvet, 1 A; constant demand, limited only
by the means of; the1 purchaser,, is" also daily increasing,' for,, gold lace
and -the other European manufactures use,dj in dress, furniture, sadlery,-
&c'.; it may '.therefore be easily hQO.nc^iv'edntfp what an extent-the demand:
for these articles is likely ,to be. carried,- agiong a natiye population'of more'
than four millions and a half of spoils, advancing inijwsaltji:and intelligence.
It is unnecessary- to - notice-jhe extenf ,rf' t|iq;.artides required from
Europe “by the European population, as they are-, the same in all parts of
India. The demand is,-of course, partially affected, by-yhe extent of the
military force, 'and by the wants of the qffieprs ). b{ut where Jhere is a permanent
resident European population, aOf notlesg -jthan'^a thousand souls, .
generally .'in good circumstances, it may (1be inferred that the demand is-
always great. ..
1 A continual traffic-is: carried on between Batavia* the Isle of ii.vr ■ .*• • - ••• -■ v - ; _ . *: Fra-n t ce. |»IsSlea So|f w Fitrha nthcee,
and the Gape of’ Good Hope,-by'which the latter m particular is supplied and the cape,
with timber, rice,1 oil, and a .variety’tqf<,articles of consumption, the voyage
being frequently effected in five1 weeks. ^.J&hil^the Bourbon.-- coffee hore a
higher price in the European tfiarket,- considerable quantities of coffee werd-
seht ftoin Java to that island, and from, thence re-exported as Bdurbon coffee.
The American trade wast carried fio the .-greatest extent’ during, the;_exis—(—with Ambience
of the anti-commercial system of the late French ruler, when 'American
traders .purchased they Java coffee at the rate of eighteen Spanish
dollars the piltul at Batavia, and1.by a;<circuitous* route imported it into
’ l'.g!vF ’ .- • • France^