New-York tribune., 1901-03-10
4 HUNDRED YEARS WAR ENDED.
VICTORY FOR THE DUTCH IN ACHIN At
HAND-A ONCE GREAT NATION.
From The London Mail.

from The London Mall
South Africa, China and the Philippines are
not the only countries where war is in progress
In different parts of the world campaigns of
long standing are being carried on daily. Some
OF them have never been heard of in this coun-
try; others have been forgotten.
Under the latter mead comes Achin, where for
years the Dutch have been striving to subjugate
the natives race 50 important that at one
time its rulers received embassies from the
greatest potentates IN Europe, that of England
included.
Achin is probably the most war ridden State
in the world. For Il hundred years it has known
but little peace, first with one lard then with
another, but principally with the Dutch. The
end of this protraCted war is however, believed
to be within sight At last. During the last three
years the Dutch have won repeated victories.
Batoeilik. the strongest fortified garrison of the
Achnese, is hard pressed, and its fall is
pected to result in the surrender of the natives
race that can resist for a number Of years
a we'll organized invasion Of European troops IS
worthy of some attention. The country is situ-
ateG in the north of Sumatra. 1t is the only
state in the island that still remains indepen-
dent of the Dutch, but as already foreshadowed,
its Independence appears to he now doomed.
The population numbers about ,'2S,tsD.
Before its decline. which commenced early in
the eighteenth century, Achin in close touch
commercially with England. 1t was to the port
of Achin that I4ondCn merchants directed their
first efforts toward securing trade in the Indies
Queen Elizabeth sent confidential comuunica-
tions To the King of Achin by special envoy, and
James also correSpondcd with the reigninS
mOrarch. who lived in such luxurious style that
he had nine hundred state elephants To this
day there stand near the gate OF the Kings
palace a couple Of brass cannon of extraOrdi-
nary size They were present from James
To the ruler Of Achin. They still bear the found
cr's name and the date legibly inscribed upon
them
50 considerable. in fact was Achin's one time
power that 10 reduce Malacca il fitted out an
armada of no fever than five hundred ships
hundred OF which Werc larger than any then
used in Europe The ships carried sixty thou
ID men. vita the King himself in command.
Moreover. At one time, Achin produced more
gold than any other country IN the East,
..ptinE perhaps Japan one chroncler fixes the
annual output at 5l2UD ounces. For fifty
-i-ht years female SnvcreiSns rrigned. and the
foreign residents IL Achin believe though er-
ot AChiu
The Achintsr employ mintcd money. including
gold coin stamped with Arabic characters
called mas
Great stretches Of the interior have not Yet
been explored. hut from seaward two gigantic
volcanic mountains rising 70 - height OF about
HOBO feet visible.
Little also is known Of the language. This,
perhaps. is not strange, notwithstanding the
er, IT career which Achin once had Languages,
Il, peoples and Ike greatness. Wifher away
and ar. forgotten where there Is a diminution
in national viEor. else they change COM
Ilctely that they are unreC SniZahle- We ar D.,
however. able to give the following numerI
table ~ the Achiuese from one to ten:
one Sah. =. Qua =. Thu: I. Pot; >, LimunG;
6 Nam: l. Tuju. =, Dlappan; :? SakuranS. and
To SaPIu.
Though ono, powerful enough to drive the
Portuguese out of the island and 20 have
fleet and army that the envy OF lalrer
countries Achin has slowly driftcd into the
limbo Of forgotten states. and now appears deS-
: timed to disappear from the map altogether