nopolies of trade. *1116 ascendancy of the Chinese requires ;to be cautiously
guarded against and restrained ; and, this, perhaps, cannot bé’. better
done, than by bringing forward the native populatie^;.mnd fenoobvaging
them in useful'and industrious habits.
Aral», Some of these observations regarding are, in a highfdegree,
applicable to the Arabs who frequent the. Malayan countries, andunde^the
specious mask of religion prey on tho simple 'UQsuspicious nativesr m ’lie
Chinese must, at all events, be admitted to be industrious;'but-by fafthe
greater part of the Arabs -are mere ifSeless drones, and idlFcbhsumers of
the producg o f the ground; ’affecting' to bè descended frorru the 3||>p^et
and the most eminent .of .his, followers* whejqiji Reality-they, a^e commonly
nothing better than manumitted Slaves, they worm themselves intm,-the
favour" of the Malayan- chiefs^’and often procure the highest- offiefes under
them. They hold Kke robbers the offices which'they have; b b t a i i^M ^ p -
phants, and covei all with the sa-nGtimanioys. vqil of^eHgiqns kypocrjly^
Under the pretext of instructing the MalqyusM the principles., o^-the
Mahometan religion, they mculeafe the most intolerant higofcry, and render
them incapable of receiving any species - of-useful knowledge? **|lfeJis?seMom
that the east is visited hy Arabian merchants ' of large capitap^ouf fheroire
numerours adventures who carry on a, coasting trade from port tp pp^t^ajud.
by asserting the religions claims of Sheikh, generally óbtaiBi an éx^®|tóhn
from all port duties in the Malayan States. They-are- also not unfrequently
concerned in piracies, and are thè'principal promoters of thé’slave trade.
’ This may serve*, in sqm,e degree, to illustrate the necessity o f es^Hishing
an equal and uniform system of port regulation thp.ugboqt the whole_Qf -the
Malayan countries ; for if the Chinese; têOi .tfefecuae hand*, are permitted to
ffirm import and export duties in different ports, they have' every facility
• allowed them to form combinations^ hi order Y mphogdlfjpé
Chinese traders ; and qn the qther. hand, if the Arabs, under ijriigiqus
pretexts, are entirely exempted from duties, they may baffle aM competition,
and engross the trade of the Malayan- countries to; the exclusion of European
traders altogether!
Let the Chinese and Arabs still trade to the eastward. Without them*,
the trade would -bft reduced to Jqsa than one-tiiird of evpn \ybM A
present, for it is only tinongh the stimulus which # e y ;give to .the industry
of the country that its resources are to be developed : but let their trade be
rëgülafed'; and above aH, let them not be left in tile enjoyment of immu-
* ' nities
nities and advantages,1 which -are' neither possessed' by Europeans nor the
indigenous inhabitants of 'the';Country.1. Since -the reduction of the Dutch
infl'uehSd in4ttf.feMV several-Of * 0 pdr»formerly dependent dn themhave
aimosibecome Arab cofonifk’ TheSevil 'is obviously'increasing every’day,
and- d to ^ tfy hie c h e o » by- encouraging th$ native population, attd regulating'
on equal the Malayantod other eastern ports.
' In many -other iO&peets besides thbse'^/vl^K we have stated, the cottimer-4
dial policy adopted%>»Bpl>V vnth'riefaMl'toi'tfie Eastern Island's and the
Malayan s f e f e s p ^ ^ ^ ^ f c W a ® > all principles of natural justice»,-
ind unworthy of any enlightened andfeittilixed nation.*
Erotn
vnAmong the e v e r t s - from Java for th e Europe market, no partuiatar aotioa has boett tak es
ip. the,text oJf,the extent iof the spies tra3,e,;tbe,prpdoce'of^hd Moluccas having, ^ufmg tha
provisional administration ofrthe British
unEm - _.. ■ # h e ’soWTrei^Prmo?Of the'NMertende has, by a solemn act, abandoned J » right to the-
f c J i l M a i native.subjects in the Eastern Axehipelago, bite has. ati/^same time
reserved to-the state (he exclusive. mfmop(oly,p4 the spices. >I«.m#y perhaps haveb^ea deemed
p f f i V t e S f f i * of fiyp
1^ ^ ^ m y ^ n ,''A m boiW 'V e^r£s^1^QW ed:i?rV i^es; 011 Bandi
sh&ldiSave-been'ciiliivatda ^'slave's. Therem a^h itv eih ee^relt'o rriilso which mdttedd-her to.
cdhtfee'ti&sysitein q^ (lxt^atipniu't^Mne%tbourjhg<islands, and to act tip to, those'stipulations
for depressing,thwe Unhappy WM **
;'M E h W / ' But now that-S i g o y ^ eig p ,:. tAl^hpn^th.gy^fe
m m m m m m m b m i m w than m i i i M m f6r the
test two centuries, -itd s to be- hoped that the p r o f i ts ^ tw^fenual -eargaeS. o f spices, whatever
they may nmnimt to, will nem? he .considered, of sufficient, injportanqe ta tempt a great
magnanimous nation-langep^tq trample, on the h a llo e d an^: tyPgrs ^.efr
i^ ^M tem . which, while i t ,maslhavf.afforded
depopulate,’ S l M M K I fa lre s ff^ n to ie s j p S « ,
w e allowed to grow
CQursqthey shaul'd,’ aM jh is'trad e were o p ^ e d
Itt^oogE ed
' I I n t l J s p i c e Islands,” o b s k v ^ A d a m , S m & s a i d tobim iaU the spice-,
ries whieh a fertile season p'roduce^eyqnd'what Europe, with
m such a profit as, they t h i f sufficient.: ILgive a siSWIm wh p ,cq ik |t K B SiBSHHHgiHttH trees M B K grow,them ..bvtowluch t ^ . ^ v a g e ^ p l i ^ has n ow^ it^ -sa-id, m m
T-Bietely e x te rm im it^
r; ^ d u c e d , i t is said, the numher of.those .tp e ^ .' j f t ^ ^ a ^ ? : * e1r- 16-1?“ds'JJ'as