The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-20 00:00:00

THE PRESENT STATE AND 04PABI"
LITIES OF JAVA.

VIENNA, Jan. 8, 1859.—0ne of the officers be*
longing to the scientific expedition sent out to the
Eastern Archipelago and China, in the Austrian
frigate Novara, has just sent home some interesting
particulars of their visit to Java, from which I am
enabled to communicate to you some part of the
report, which may be interesting to your readers,
as so little of the real state of that important island
is known to the public, through the jealousy of the
Dutch.

The writer was greatly struck, on the arrival (f
the frigate at 'Batavia, to find so few vessels in the
harbour; 'although it is the principal. commercial
mart of the Dutch East India trade, which, from
the various restrictive and illiberal regulation*
amounts very nearly, to a monopoly. About two'
thirds of the whole of the land cultivated in Java be"
longs to the Dutch Government, and its produce i 5
sent home in the ships belonging to the Handcls'
Maatschappy, a company at Amsterdam, in which
the King of Netherlands holds stock to the extent
of 20 millions of florins, as a private shareholder.
The greater part of the produce of Java is, there'
fore, only turned into money on its arrival in
Europe, and after passing through the periodical
sales held by the company, alternately at Amster'
dam, Rotterdam, and Dordrecht.

The population of Java and Madura is composed
as follows :—,
Europeans and their descendants lB,BO
Chinese . 133,655
Other Asiatics 26,099

*
Free natives
**
Slaves

Total 10,916,158
Among this vast population it is striking to nlifi
serve the small number of Europeans, and this std!
more when one finds that the whole number 01
persons born in Holland is only 2,170 (including
women and children) ; other Europeans, 859 ; so
that the great majority (15,829), are born on the
island, and descended from Dutch parents.
The military force is composed of 22,449 men, of
whom 7,863 are Europeans and Africans, and
13,889 natives, and people from Amboyna.
The Dutch naval force in those waters is cons"
posed of 2 frigates, 3 corvettes, 2 brigs, 8 schooners'
one gunboat, and 11 armed steamers ; together 2',
sail, manned by 2,369 Europeans and 583 natives.
The annual mortality in the navy is 2 officers and
53 men. The'average number of sailors on the sia
list is 17 daily.
The general state of the health of the island rnal
be estimated by the following statistics :—During
the year 1855, the number of sick admitted to the
hospitals amounted to 26,115, of whom 20,200 wag
discharged as cured; 2,484 (about nine per cent.),
died, and the rest were still under treatment. 0°
total number of cases of illness in the island is
returned at 40,707. The year 1856 appears te,
have been unhealthy, for we find the number c'
cases 52,923, of whom 4,148 died. Fevers, cholera;
and dysentery, are the prevailing and most fatal
diseases.
Owi4. to the narrow-minded system of comnict
cial policy pursued by the Dutch, and their
jealousy of foreigners, neither the navigation, trade'
nor productions are on a footing commensurate
with such a vast population, and the advantageous
geographical position of Java, surrounded by pr°"l,
lific islands, and enjoying the benefits of a tropics'
camate so fully as they do.
During the year 1855, the whole number of sliir
that arrived was 2,309 of 161,345 tons, and importi
ing goods to the value' of 32,994,263 florins. °,4,
this the Dutch flag obtained the lion's share, beino
2,065 vessels of 125,680 tons;'
The chief articles of import in 1856 were
Linen and cotton goods value 11,1.34,91,
Wine and spirits 137,4•AP
Iron and ironmongery
835
China and earthenware 23,5'3
Copper and copper goods' 31,P014
Provisions
Other articles
7
Total £2,751,1°
Which came from the following countrilsl:7-38,1
Europe; America, and Cap-eland
West Indies, and Bengal 67,11
China, Manilla, and Siam
Japan
The Indian Archipelago
Total ~ £2,751,'
66
The principal exports in the same year COIY
sisted of :

Cochincal• 126,8411bs • value £26,1-53
Indigo 1,093,422 ,?"
Coffee l,lBB,4oBineuls » 2,984,11 q
Rico 1,434,664 ~ )9
650,1.
Sugar ....... 2,001,618 „
Tin (Baum) ...... 108,990 ~
Amongst the productions of the soil, the articl°
of the largest cultivation and of the greatest il'lr;
portance, is rice, as it affords the principal, and, i 4
most cases, only means of subsistence for the largo
o
population of the island. In 1855, there we%
32,905 villages (kampongs) with 1,779,251 bolos:
(a bouw is 500 Dutch square roods) of land eat/.
vated with rice, which produced 29,037,273 piculV
a picul is 1251 b. Dutch, or 133k1b. avoirdupois-
During the last few years great attention ha'
been paid to the cultivation of the palin-trce,.
although it does not thrive so well in Java as
many of the neighbouring islands. The plantatioe'
at present contain 13,005,700 of these trees. Theft
bear fruit after six years, and then generally ft °`.
30 to 60 cocoanuts, which are used for making 0".1
Coffee plantations, however, form the princill,
source of profit' for the Dutch Government ; 1311,1
notwithstanding this, verylittle attention is dirccte
to the improvement either of the cultivation or ti?o
quality of the crop. The number of coffee trees,_ t,
bearing amounted, in 1855. to 228,640,542, which
produced 1,163,085 piculs of berries. From this i
appears that 199 trees are required to produce „
picul of coffee, which is a very low proportion WV;
pared with other countries ; •for in Costa Rica 0.0
produce of a tree is estimated at 1.1 to 21b. ;
Brazil, 3 to 41bs. ; and in Cuba, '5 to 61b. ; where'"
in Java it is considerably less than lib. An oil;
mate may be formed of.thc enormous profit enjoYe.'t
by the Dutch Government on this article, when is known that they bought the above crop (?0
1,165,085 piculs for 10,391,603 florins, which !re
equal to 'Bl florins per picul, whilst the averooA
price at which they sold it that year in HollaT:
was 371 florins per picul. In 1856 no less tin
22,292,889 coffee trees came into bearing, 0%
every year large additional numbers are planted it
s o
different partf the island.--From a Correspendeg
of the China Telegraph.

THIS IM F'S MARKETS.

CORN EXCHANGE.

IMPERIAL WEEKLY AVERAGES. - Wheat, 41s
barley, 32s 7d ; ,eats, 21s 4d ; rye, 27s dd ; beans, 39s ."
and peas, 416 Bd.

TAD Six WEEKS' AVERAGES. Wheat, 408 5(1,1:
barley, 33s 2d ; oats, 21s 10d ; rye, 30s 3d ; beans, 40s °`"
peas, 43s 3d.

Al 4 ;
INGLISH GRAIN SOLD LAST WEEX.--Wheat, 1, 6
barley, 90,879 ; oats, 15,297 ; rye, 46 ; beans, 2,851; Pe"
1,807 quarters.

METROPOLITAN CATTLE MARKET.
To-day's market was rather scantily supplied with 9'jj
breeds of beasts ; nevertheless, the beef trade was in a slur
gish state, at the late decline in value. The extreme cllic
tations for the best Scots was 4s 10d per 81bs. Aithoug
the show of sheep was limiteg, the mutton trade was heap
In prices, however, no change took place. Calves wer°
short supply, and steady request, at fully Monday's Of
rency. Pigs and mulch cows sold slowly, at late rates.