Geographical Collections. 361 



Civil Administration of Java The rich and fertile island of Java, " one 



of the finest and most precious colonies in the world," is divided into 

 nineteen provinces, or residences, named as follows, from west to east : — 

 1. Bantam; 2. Batavia ; 3. Buitenzorg ; 4. Crawang; 5. The Regencies 

 of Preanger ; 6. Cheribon ; 7. Tagal ; 8. Pekalongan ; 9. Samarang ; 

 10. Kadou; 11. Djocjokarta; 12. Sourakarta; 13. Japara ; 14. Rerabang; 

 15. Grisse ; 16. Surabaya; 17. Passarouang; 18. Besoukie; 19. Ban- 

 jouwangui. To these may be added the neighbouring island of Madura, 

 which forms the residences of Madura and Sumanap. 



The general administration of each of these provinces, most of which are 

 as populous, and some more so than the provinces of the Low Countries, is 

 confided to a civil governor, who has the title of resident, and is assisted 

 by a secretary, and as many sub-residents {assistent residenten) and inferior 

 officers, as are necessary for the public service. Some of these residences have, 

 however, been recently united, with a view to economy. The residences are 

 subdivided into regencies, the administration of which, especially the police, 

 is intrusted to Javanese regents, who have also the rank (better known amongst 

 the Indians) of Tommongon, Adipathi, or even of Panguerang, if they be of 

 high birth, or have performed any great service.* The regents are nominated 

 and paid by government ; they are generally individuals of the highest class, 

 and of the first families in the country ; and, on their death, if there be no 

 particular reason for the contrary, the government generally names one of 

 their children to the vacant place. Under the regents are other Javanese of 

 an inferior rank, as principals of districts, cantons, villages, &c. who have 

 the same relation to the government, and complete the administration of the 

 colony. — Hogendorp, Coup d'ceil sur rile de Java, &c. 



Geography of Siberia M. Hansteen has determined the longitude of 



the town of Yenisseisk in Siberia, by astronomical observations, to be 92° 

 10' 59" east of Greenwich. He has connected, by the transposition of two 

 chronometers, other places with this town, and thus determined their geo- 

 graphical position, of which we give the following ones : — 



Places. Latitude. Longitude. 



Town of Yenisseisk, . . 58° 27' 19'' 92° 10' 59" East. 



Mouth of the Elotchikha, . . 61 29 51 90 11 



Town of Touroukhansk . 65 54 56 87 32 25 



Peter shurgh Transactions, 1831. 



Climate of England. — In a paper recently published in the Transactions 

 of the Horticultural Society of London, Mr Knight says, that he entertains 

 no doubt whatever but that our winters are generally a good deal less severe 

 than formerly, — our springs more cold and ungenial, — our summers, and 

 particularly the latter parts of them, as warm, at least, as they formerly were, 

 — and our autumns considerably warmer. In accounting for these changes, 

 onr author observes, that within the last fifty years, very extensive tracts of 

 ground, which were previously covered with trees, have been cleared, and 

 much waste land has been enclosed and cultivated ; and by means of drains 

 and improvements in agriculture, the water from the clouds has been more 

 rapidly carried off. From these circumstances, the ground becomes more 

 dry in the end of May than it was formerly, and it consequently absorbs and 



* In the residency of Batavia, where, more than a century a^o, all the lands were 

 alienated by government, and where most of the superior proprietors are Europeans, 

 there are no regents or native chiefs ; but the police is superintended by Europeans, who 

 have the title of Schout and Onderschout. In this residency, and in that of Bmtenzorg, 

 which together formerly constituted the Omme and Bavmlanden, (environs of Batavia,) all 

 the lands, constituting about one hundred and sixty estates, belong to individuals; some. of 

 these estates are very extensive, containing a population of from ten to twelve thousand 

 eouls. 



VOL. III. 2 z 



