The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-09 00:00:00

The fair comparison, therefore, is between Java and :Madura
on the one side, with 10,800,000 of population, yielding
nearly the whole revenue of Netherlands InJi,t, and on
the other side, the English territory in India, with 132
millions of population, yielding nearly the whole revenue of
British India. The Indian area is 16 times larger than
Java and Madura. The Indian population is 12 times that
of Java and Madura. The Anglo-Indian revenue is only
four times that of Netherlands India. The land tax per
head in India is one-third heavier than in Java, and forms
three-fifths instead of only one• tenth of the revenue.
Revenue without taxation gives in Java, per head, 13 times
as much as in India. The Java revenue per head is three
times that of British India, with one-third less pressure on
the people. Unproductive expenditure in India absorbs
over two. thirds, instead of one-third of the revenues as in
Java. One-fourth of the revenue in Java is employed in
reproductive works, instead of only one. ninth as in India,
giving a beneficial expenditure per head at least seven times
greater. The whole Java expenditure is per head double
that of India, and yet :eaves a yearly net surplus of one-
fourth of the revenue instead of a yearly deficit. On two
heads only is the comparison apparently against Java.
The home charges in Holland are heavier per head
than the home charges in England, which is but
natural with the smaller country. The former only come,
however, to one-seventeenth of the Java revenue, while the
latter absorb one. twelfth of the Indian receipts. The in-
terest on the debt in Java is three times as much per head
as the interest on the Indian debt before-the mutiny. But
the Dutch East Indian debt is not a proper charge on
Netherlands India, and the interest on that debt, being a
mere reduction of the Java surplus revenue paid to Holland
ar tribute, makes the amount of the debt, principal and in-
terest, immaterial to either the rulers or people of Java."
The discontent of our Indian subjects, notwith-
standing the disinterested principles of justice on
which we endeavour to rule them, should also, he
thinks, weigh in the balance. He attributes this,
in a great measure, to our having applied the
systems and theories of advanced civilisa-
tion to semi-barbarism, thereby suddenly pass-
ing over the gradual progress of five or
six centuries. Our refusal to recognise
the native prejudices of rank and caste he depre-
cates, thinking the interference with that which
they hold so sacred to be premature and impolitic.
He was the more disposed to institute comparisons
between our East Indian possessions and
Netherlands India, from the fact of having tra-
velled dii ect from the one to the other. He had
resided for some years in Calcutta, and had been in
the habit of inquiring into the native ideas, wishes,
and grievances, while the discussion which our sys-
tem of government underwent at the time of the
transfer had familiarised him with its principles.
A trip being advised for health he quitted Calcutta
in 1858 and visited Java, knowing at that time
nothing of its government, and having no idea of
studying it. Before leaving India he made in-
quiries and found that the English information on
the subject of the Dutch East Indies was generally
limited to Sir Stamford Railies's account, written in
1815. " The impression seemed to be that the pro-
duce of the island, beyond what was necessary for
the consumption of the people, was still taken by
Government under severe penalties, that such por-
tions of the spices as exceeded the demand were
still destroyed by the Dutch to maintain a higher
price for the remainder; that no trade with
foreigners was allowed, and that the natives were
oppressed by forced labour and other hardships and
exactions." All these impressions he found, on per-
sonal acquaintance with the colony, to be mistaken,
and it must be remembered that he consulted
not only the Dutch authorities, but
the English Consul long resident there,
and the merchants of various nations resident
in Batavia, among whom he found a singular coin-
cidence of opinion, both of praise and blame, regard-
ing the policy of the Government. The charge of
secresy brought against the Dutch is altogether
unfounded, as ample details and full particulars of
the state of the colony are yearly published officially
in Holland, and as the mother-country has the satis-
faction of receiving a yearly contribution of about
£3,000,000 from the colony, the statement of the
Colonial Arinister to the States-General is a matter
of great interest, and much attention is paid to the
internal welfare of the islands. The Home Govern
ment has to present a full account of the agricul-
tural, commercial, industrial, and social statistics of
the colony. Any idea of secresy was universally
scouted by the inhabitants, and they remarked that
they could not be expected to publish their
documents in English, and consequently but
few of us know any thing of their proceed-
iegs. Mr. Fraser, the resident British Consul,
assured the writer soon after his arrival that how-
ever true the general English idea of the Dutch
Colonial Government might be of the old Dutch
East India's Company's system, it is perfectly false
with regard to the present administration of Java
and its dependencies. The complaints with regard
to the treatment of foreigners, the refusal of all
civilising tendencies to the native, the discourage-
ment of his education, and the actual prohibition of
any attempt unconnected with Government to con
vert him from his debasing creed, are all well
founded, and mar the general character of the
Government. The great feature of the present rule
is the culture system, which was introduced by
General Van Deu Brosch, who was Governor-Gene-
ral of the colony from 1830 to 1834, and converted
it from a state of discontent and bankruptcy to its
present flourishing condition. He made large ad-
vances to contractors on most favourable terms, on
condition that they should build the mills and pro-
cure the necessary machinery for manufacture,
undertaking to have a sufficient amount of the
requisite raw material ready for them. The rent
for the Crown lands, which occupy nine-tenths of the
island, is paid by labour—one day in seven—and
this system the author considers much the most
profitable and easiest to enforce when dealing with
Orientals. The tenants were ordered to plant
one-fifth of their lands with the necessary crop
according to the old Eastern custom, by right
of which the landlord directs his tenants' crop.
The natives' inveterate idleness was taken into ac-
count, and great advantages were given to those
who carried out the plan successfully. The supe-
rintendents were, in every case European, of intel-
gence and education, and the result soon exceeded
the hopes of all concerned. We have not space to
give a full account of the working of the system,
which continues with modifications up to the pre-
sent day, but must refer the reader to Mr. Money's
interesting narrative. Some points in it will not
please the English mind, but its striking success,
and the satisfaction of the people show that the
principles on which it is based are congenial to the
Eastern character. It must be observed that the
private trade of Java is unrestricted. With the
exception of opium and salt, the Government mono-
polies, the growth and manufacture of all articles
is free. The cottiers on the Crown lands are for-
bidden to sell their contract crops except
to the contractors of the Government, which
purchases them at a fixed price, and thus repays
itself for its advances. The author writes; as fol-
lows respecting the exports and imports :

" The disproportion in the value af imports and exports
requires remark. Under ordinary circumstances, a country
should no doubt receive back, either in goods or money, the
value of what it senls out, whereas Java only receives back
in goods and money about two-thirds of that amount. The
other one-third is avowedly tribute to Hollandfpaid by Java,
as explained in the preceding chapter on finance. While
admitting the tribute, the Dutch assert that in no other
manner could it be paid so beneficially to Java, which has,:in
fact, enriched itself by the same process that has yielded litis
tribute to Holland. They say that the undeveloped resources
of an Eastern country leave but a small margin of pioduce
for export, beyond the consumption, and that consequently
the imports can only attain to the same figure Las that
margin. This is sonfirmed by the former imports and ex-
ports of Java, and the present trade in and out of India,
all which average from 4s. to ss. per head per annum. The
Dutch say, on the other hand, that the resources of an
Eastern country developed by European capital and skill,
soon produce so ent.rmous a margin beyond consumption,
as t,-) cause the condi ion of the people to be much im-
proved, even where they only receive a portion of the value
of the increase. The present Java exports are the surplus
produce of the country, rased equally by native labour,
worth
ly said t e be made,o f
the one-
third
e ex-
ports.
European skill and Government advances. The return for
thatsutroptluh iv
se
pnraotduece maylpbourer, one-third to the European
remaining
imports
one-third goes to the Dutch Govern-
mentro
u two-thirds
retir n for its advances of capital in
pnJ'oaarvstatse,. irN a TheVoil ift
holoal irubeatiudalin
which the greater portion of such surplus
produce would have remained hidden in the soil."
The great difference it will be seen between the
English and the Dutch systems is that the former
trusts entirely to private capital, and the latter to
Government. Without abandoning our own plans
we might profit by some hints from the Dutch, and
at least carefully study the system which produces
a surplus revenue instead of an Indian loan. It
must be remembered, however, that our system
has not been fairly tried, owing to the dis-
couragement shown by the Company to enter-
prising settlers of every description. In one
respect we are already following the example of
the Dutch,;in employing the native chiefs in posts
of honour and influence. The very last intelli-
gence received by the Overland Mail tells us that
the system which has been tried with success in
the Punjaub and Oude, of entrusting native gen-
tlemen of rank with magisterial and revenue
pewers, has been introduced into the North-West-
ern provinces by the Lieut.-Governor. This will
have the effect, it is said, of restoring the aristo-
cracy to their true position.
When Mr. Money told his Dutch friends, in
answer to some question, that " we did not govern
the people through any native chiefs, but directly
under ourselves, though India was full of native
chiefs of high family and of large fortunes, with
immense local interest, the
conversation usually
ended with a shrug or a polite intimation that our
people must be easier to govern than theirs, or the
rebellion of 1857 would not have been the first
rising of a body of nobles dissatisfied at being de-
prival of all legitimate share in the government of
their own countrymen, but left with large means
of mischief as landowners, and as feudal lords over
numbers devoted vassals and retainers." The
Lengthened accounts which are given of the sys-
' tows of crimmal justice and police, of civil justice;