Increase of population
mithqr is the nautical population, ybfeh cannot be, estimate«,}. at Iqsa- thai^
30.QQ.Q §ouIs; so, that the whole population pf,these t\?,o islands, may, per-
haps, be taken in round numbers at not much les$ than fiye miflfejPSr. Of
thesft.not lcs^ than throe millions am, in the provippea impied^t^ty Subject
to European authority., and ppwat^a of a million and a h,alf iu the ^rpvincps
of the, native princes. .
> While the British wpfp. in pp^es^pn. of Java, there is re^op to, bpjievp
that the panulatirai. pf tij*,e islapd, y?as rapidly ippreaaing j that of ttyp prp^
yincy^s, immpdiatety un«fer, the European authority was certapjly augj^enjtpd,
bvthe, return qf numprpj^s ^mijfes, froxn, eipig^ation:, bgf previously to that
period, no simh authentic, regj,§ter^\yere kept as might, enable ys to a^prtaiui
wpth pgp^lpp th.!| st h1 PwWs- ° f hfhabitan|4
Dutch goyernmeph
IfofMqg pap fWSC? cpipplefejy. shey? Qq vsgijfl. an^ defecriye ipfcymaf.inp
formerly attainable on this subject, thag tbplop^. and gontr^diptpyv statement
published by thoap. who, tpojf most pains, to, be, wellfnfprmed, and
Who felt it their dirty to, opllqiri ^ d?e 1/gfet thatpould, be attained. In
spine, accounts whfeh l^vg^.inet the public, eye, the. population,q£, Java, is
pia,cpd on a level lyith that of the most powerful European, states, and-
a^supi^d: as high as thirty millions, while in others, wberp pM.wQuld qxppqt^
ipore accuracy,* it is rated at only a million. TJhe. most rpspectahJe. apthp-
ritiest state the.pppulation about a century ago at three millions ; bpt the
slightest reflection will convince us, that 'such an estimate, mpst haye proceeded
upon d ^ ^lerely conjectural, for from our knowledge of the rhprh
maxims of administration \ye may s,afely say, that until, vpry lately, they
neyer thought it an object tp.prosecute statistic^ enquiries, and,tijat, "lfepver
they had. done so, under the old system, they could, haye obtained up .results,
d^prving of confidence, or ejeedit»,
A-bopt the ypar a, certain.nnraber of, farpjlies-were assigped-by the
s^ptfl^ions of a. treaty tp.one(.of the native prices, and.on,his,dea.th about,
thirty, years. afterwards, when an aepount w.as taken of ppppl^ipn, if
appeared ti\at tfie ,nq|nbe£Qf..f|^ But, tli|s.;increase
canpo^bp. taken,ajs(the average., i^ct^se; of the: island, .
n^|jye p r ^ i ^ c ^ *p^iv;e^ a cpniic^r^e acegsrioa tp their, numbers, in
consequence, of .the, emigrations from. the. Dutch territpries.
I f
* QoJ^ho“^s,Statisti^.A^cpimtfof Great,Britain, -j- Vrieetyn.
t The granomther of'the present frince Prang Wed6no. *
IFahy inference can be clrîtwn frbrti this and Other ctiriêïpohding circriffi-
Stdhbfe's, ffc wdiild" SeêHï, thkt hdtWithstândifig tiië tlrâiris on tîie exîsiing racé;
and tlife1 preventive ‘che'cks tp ân increase,. which were experienced during
fhe-letter years df the Dutch atufriniâtiâtîira,ibhë iêlaffÛ" was actually mere
populous in 1811, when it ^as' suri-'ëhdfere^th tiîh Ëritish1, than inf
when1; at the tefmifiàtioft of ' a Jûdstréc^B^:v/ai-^Ai^e Dufch' acqùifecl thé
greatest pfortion of it froth the fiafHeâ.
Td s (import tiid' pp'midtf df afi ihcfeaâè hdtiim thë iaàt liaffl'ücèhtury (which
i'S dvery wHëfe aèàfeftëd) ftàfe the assurance, that during tifat perfect the
greatest ihtefhail tranquillity pfëvailed' ifi ^Ke provinces subject £o native
admihistràtrôTÏ ; that*rfcfyeslrs o f sdàlcitÿ and feiù’me were e^iti'enced; and
th’i l fife- isl^ndJ wad Médsèd f â oe genial sëâséhs arid abundance o f ;shbsis-
fêhfeê.- But; t6: ' plate in' the'1; opposite scale; we 'nave* me1- gôvérhmenî
dppre'ssi-cM'S ’to1 which wé fo'riùerîy alluded, arid which1 one woufd suppose1
shteeient -to71 ' eOUn^eraef the natural feht^eh'cv'iSf’ tnese advantages. '' As
demonstrative'16f the stréhgth o f tha£ p r ih e i^ o f ^ ‘^pulaînm^ ’^whicti' could
even! maintain- its’ statidfiaiy àmôhut ih' cdhflict with political' drains and'
discbuiàgéihhnts;' it may bé pïô^'éf fô mention cursorily a few o f them.;
Great demands wérè^’ht all tim'es,' lÜà'de on tiie' peasantry ô f 'fhe isl'and*, to
recruit ffie iaukf o f tfth’ Dutch army, aW to* supply thé many other wdii^
o f the public service-; thé severities1 ahd coflsè’q^fehti mortality to which*
thé-'tri)b^##hre' liable, may be calculated, fiom tWe linfo^
tuhate wretches;' selected a‘s victiihs o f fnilitary con^nptron, to engage irr
thé duti'ès: of r a'military Éfé.- Cohfliihdf in" dnhfe'ailïhy ^arasons, ’ éxpôsëd' to
unnecessary hardships and priVatitîhs; éxtradidinary casualties' took place
among- tiïëm; and'ffeqhent new lêv’ie’s'becamë nëcésSàry,' fVfiile thé anticipa-
tibfe of darigei* îdfil! Süflfering- prôflücèd' an aVeisidn" td' ^ r v i'^ ,iwhichL
vrzs only aggravated' by tfife ^ibs'equentifeèâSüfes’ ôf pràeîty and oppression?
The conscripts raised in the provinces wérè tfsdâlly serif to lthe metropolis
bÿ wafer ; arid though^ th e distance' be'butish'dfP bë-tfw'ëeh' âny- two points o f'
tiië islârid;' a rifeftality; sihiikl'td’thatiof â SÏaVe^ship in thë’mîaclïé^pàssage^
took place on board these receptacles o f reluctant recruits. They were
generally confined' iri; the stocks till’ their afrivril' a f Batavia, and’ ifc is circulated
that-fdr evëry man'thât'éntered- thfe army aud^perforiried' the dhries o f
a soldieri' several1-lives1 wérë lost; Besides ffctè sSpply o f the aririy, one half
d f the male population o f the'country Was cori'stântly held' in readiness fo^-
K 2 other