The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-10 00:00:00

JAVA,

(From the Hull Packet.)
We have been favoured, by a merchant of this port,
with a copy of the Singapore Free Press of the 7th ult.,
from which we extract the following highly important

announcement:—
"THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF NETHERLANDS INDIA, &C.
Makes known—Wishing to promote the trade and in-
dustry of the manifold islands and possessions of Nether-
lands India, by the establishment of a main central point
suited for trade by barter, where the different articles of
produce from the said islands and possessions can be
readily realised, and where, on the other hand, all their
wants may be supplied in sufficient quantity and variety.
Considering that the capital of Macassar, from its excel-
lent geographical position, good roadstead, and the com-
mercial spirit of its inhabitants, appears destined, in pre-
ference to any possession in Netherlands India, to become
a great central point of trade between those possessions
and the neighbouring countries ; and wishing to remove
all the obstacles precluding the full enjoyment of the
natural advantages which Macassar offers, and by which
trade and navigation are impeded and obstructed, has
thought fit to decide—
" 1. That from and after the Ist of January, 1847, the
town of Macassar shall be a free port, where goods of
every description whatsoever, and without reference to
the flag, may be freely imported and exported without
payment of duties, either on the cargo or of tonnage,
harbour, or anchorage dues on the ships, and without the
traders being subject to any formalities on the score of
import or export duties.
" 2. That therefore the regulations bearing on the
importation, the sale, and possession of fire-arms and
gunpowder, fixed by the decree of Bth August, 1823, No.
26, for the harbour and town of Macassar, are abrogated,
and consequently the free admission and exportation of
munitions of war at the place is granted by these

presents.
" 3. That the importation and exportation of opium
at Macassar will likewise be free, and subject to no
restrictive regulations, with the understanding, however,
that the traders in opium will have to conform to the
local regulations in reference to the opium farm.
"4. That, of the Chinese junks which are discharged
at Macassar, the tax imposed by article 20 of the publi-
cation of 28th August, 1818, and the resolution of the
4th October, 1839, No. 20, will no longer be claimed,
nor that on behalf of the Chinese Hospital prescribed by
resolution of sth March, 1832, No. 1.
" 5. That, on the remaining places, situated in the go-
vernment districts of Macassar, no import or export du-
ties will be levied on goods imported or exported by
native craft from or to Macassar, whilst nu square-
rigg,ed vessels will be admitted at those ports.
" 6. That the governor of Macast,ar will be at liberty
to admit foreigners, and to allow them to establish them-
selves temporarily at the said place for the purposes of
trade. Arid that no one should pretend ignorance on
this score, the present will be published and pasted up
wherever it is customary.

" Ordain, &c., &c. -
" Given at Buitenzorg, Sept. 9, 1846."
This is regarded as one of the most important steps
taken by the government of Netherlands India for many
years, and with good reason ; for the decision shows
what active and energetic measures are being' taken by
that government to compete with us in that quarter of
the globe, and to dimilish our commercial operations
there. Considering the vast population of the Indian
Archipelago and the peninsula of Malaya, forming one
of the richest and most extraordinary divisions of Asia,
it is a matter of great surprise t hat so little public con-
sideration has been bestowed in that direction. Until
within the last few months, indeed, when the publication
of Mr. Brooks's extraordinary adventures in the island
of Borneo attracted general attention, the Indian Ar-
chipelago was seldom alluded to except as the scene of
some extraordinary act of piracy ; and our commercial
relations with that quarter of the globe were seldom
heard of.
And yet there can be no doubt that the subject is one
of vast importance, and entitled to grave consideration.
Here is a cluster of about 12,000 islands, with a popula•
tion roughly estimated at 40,000,000, nearly all of whom
are addicted to commerce, and are desirous of obtaining,
and are in a condition to consume and pay for British
manufactures. Hire are we in England anxious to find
markets for our cotton, woollen, and hardware manufac-
tures. How is it, then, that we do not carry on there
a far more extensive trade than now ? Nearly the whole
Archipelago is abandoned to us and the Dutch ; and to
our shame it must be said that the latter have quietly
and unenostentatiously, yet industriously and gradually
outstripped us in commercial opera'ions in that quarter.
And tbeir superiority is entirely attributable to ourselves.
As we have said, the natives are willing and anxious to
accept of our woollens and cottons, and hardware goods,
in exchange for their rice, coffee, palm-sugar, antimony,
camphor, gold, pearls, diamonds, gums, spices, shells,
mother of pearl, and the thousand other useful and beau-
tiful prodactions of these highly-favoured islands ; and
yet we have taken no pains to cultivate this extensive
market, and to avail ourselves of this predilection in our

favour.
The Dutch, it is evident, are fast arriving at a true
appreciation of the importance •f the matter, and the
vigorous step which they have just taken to divert the
vast traffic carried on by the Booghiese, or Bugis, as
they are usually called in Singapore, is calculated to in-
flict a vital blow on British commerce in that portion of
the globe, unless counteracted by similar determined and
enlightened measures on the part of our own country.
This step of the government of Netherlands India is the
more to be apprehended from its being a total departure
from the commercial policy which the Dutch have
hitherto observed in that quarter. The footing which
they obtained by treachery and violence they have per-
petuated and confirmed by a system of policy rigorously
exclusive. In the hope of enticing the Bugis to their
ports they have recently, in some instances, set aside the
rules of their exclusive commercial policy, yet it was
never thought that they could so speedily throw off the
habits of centuries, and adopt that wise and liberal policy
which has raised Singapore to such great opulence. The
establishment of Macassar as a free port shows, ho never,
that the prejudices in favour of commercial, exclusiveness,
have not been so firmly rooted as not speedily to give
way to a prospect of commercial advantage.
Macassar, a fortified town, favourably situated on the
south-west of the island of Celebes (the country of the
Bugis, whose periodical trading excursions to Singapore
constitute the chief wealth and commercial importance
of that free port), possessing great natural advantages,
watered by tiro rivers, one of which is so broad as to al-
low vessels to sail up within half-cannon-shot of the town
walls, must, ere long become a formidable competitor to
Singapore, unless the British Government take vigorous
counteractive measures. These measures should be the
opening of free commercial ports in various favourable
points. That such ports are a source of gain, the exam
ple of Singapore fully shows. By a statement of the
receipts and disbursements of that flourishing port for the
year ending April, 1846—published in the Singapore
Free Press—we find the gross receipts are 530,040
rupees ; and the disbursements 497,186 rupees, leaving a
nett excess of receipts of 32,854 rupees. By all means,
then, let our British trade have due encouragement there.
Let us have more Singapores. The Sultan of Borneo has
ceded to us recently Labuan, on the north-west coast of
Borneo. It is proposed that it should be a naval station
for this country. Let it also be a free port for our com-
merce. In all likelihood the chief houses of Singapore,
Hong-Kong, and Manilla would establish branches
there ; as also they and others would in other favour-
ably selected free ports. By the vigorous, yet judicious
pursuance of such a system, the commercial interests of
this couutry could not fail to be greatly benefited ; and
our goods would no longer be cot fined to such a limited
portion of the vast market open for their reception, as
can be supplied by the adventurous Bugis, who come
periodically in their prahus to Singapore, and having
obtained commodities as they can purchase, carry them
in their irregular manner to the very eastern extremity
of the Archipelago, where they establish a mart for their
sale. With these few remarks we dismiss the subject
for the present, trusting before long to see it taken up in
better-informed and much more influential quarters.

A new carriage convey ante company is about to be
started, called the Economic Brougham, Cabriolet, and
Carriage Company. The carriages will be of a uniform
colour, and the drivers will wear a respectable livery.
The rate of fares will be sixpence a mile.
FOREIGN CATTLE.—The Sir William Wallace
steamer has made a second voyage from Boulogne, with
a cargo of live cattle, the production of France, having-
-35 cows and heifers, and the very large number of 354
sheep and 242 lambs on board, which were brought to
Blackwall and landed there with dispatch for i:nmediate
delivery to their destination, the vessel taking her de-
parture without delay for the s ime French port, having
been specially chartered to convey another cargo of
cattle from Boulogne to some port on the Sussex coast—
Rye, we believe—in addition to the supplies to the
metropolis, which, in the space of a fortnight, have cm.
prised nearly 3,000 of the various kinds of live stock,
This great influx of cattle from France is, we believe,
attributable to the enterprise of a house in Boulogne,
whose wishes and interests are seconded and attended
to by a London agent, under whose superintendence th,
mana.4ement of the affair has been placed. We under-
stand that these shipments form portions of a parcel of
about 5,000 head for horned cattle, and about as man%
or more she- p and 3 oung stock, which have ben pur-
chased and collected inland, anti brought up and herded
in the neighbourhood of Boulogne, for the purposc., of
being exported to this country ; and as the speculation,
if it may be so termed, or experiment, has been found
fully to answer the expectations of the parties, the stock
will probably be speedily followed by a further supply
from the same quarter. These extensive supplies of
cattle from France, in addition to those frequently al-
luded to and enumerated in our columns,as having taken
place from the numerous other continental states already
more or less concerned in the traffic, which has not until
now been the case, render these details of especial in-
terest, and give them a character of great importance,
both in a commercial and domestic point of view. A
principal feature in these supplies is the large number of
lambs, especially at this very late period of the season.
RAILWAYS V. TURNPIKE ROADS.—SALE OF TOLLS.
—Yesterday, a meeting of the trustees of the New Cross
Turnpike Roads, consisting of Messrs. Jackson (chair
man) Brandram, Lewen, &c., was held at the Green
Man Tavern, Blackheath, for the purpose of disposing
of the same by auction. The road extends from Peck-
ham-lane Gate to Deptford-hill and Bromley-common
Gates, and were let last year for the sum of 12.5301.
above the expense of their collection. They were offered
a few weeks ago at the same price, but, in consequence
of the competition by railways, there was no bidder.
They were now to be let from twelve o'clock at night of
the 31st of December next, for one year. The chairmanproposed to put them up at 12,0001., which was objected
to by Mr. Levy and other trustees ; when, after a con-
sultation among the trustees, they were offered for
11,000/. The biddings were between Mr. Levy and
Mr. Robinson, and they were bought by the former for
11,4704