NETHERLANDS. 



589 



ers, whose estates have increased from 4,460 to 

 25,948 bahus. The production of sugar in 1886 

 on the Government estates in Java was 1,287,067 

 pikols or 171,608,900 pounds. The production 

 of coffee, including the growths of Sumatra and 

 Celebes, was 1,244,107 pikols, of which over three 

 quarters was raised on Governments lands, more 

 than one fifth on lands held on hereditary lease, 

 called emphyteusis, and small quantities on pri- 

 vate and leasehold estates. In 1890 the coffee 

 harvest was almost a total failure in Java. On 

 the Government plantations, which used to pro- 

 duce between 500,000 and 600,000 pikols, a crop 

 of only 95,000 pikols was expected, causing a 

 loss of some 15,000,000 guilders. In 1886 on the 

 8 Government plantations 262,849 kilogrammes 

 of cinchona were gathered ; on 57 plantations 

 held on emphyteusis, 633,882 kilogrammes ; on 

 5 private estates, 138,797 kilogrammes. There 

 were 148 tobacco plantations in 1886, producing 

 12,611,868 kilogrammes ; 41 tea plantations, pro- 

 ducing 3,351,627 kilogrammes; and 154 indi- 

 go plantations, producing 700,000 kilogrammes. 

 The output of the 418 tin mines of Banca and 

 Billiton, employing 14,870 men, was 162,237 

 pikols of mineral in 1888. 



Since 1883 a disease called sereh has attacked 

 the sugar-cane, preventing the healthy develop- 

 ment of the plant. It is probably due to a mi- 

 croscopic worm which is found in the roots. At- 

 tempts have been made, with promising results, 

 to kill the parasites with sour sugar sirup. 

 Plantations have been kept up by obtaining new 

 cuttings from districts not yet infected, but the 

 disease has now spread to nearly all parts of the 

 island. A large extent of ground has been 

 planted out in Borneo in the hope that the cane 

 in new soil would not be affected. This hope 

 proved illusory, for the germs of the disease soon 

 appeared. Cuttings imported from the Straits 

 Settlements were found to be infected with this 

 and with other diseases as well. Plants grown in 

 the hilly districts for cuttings have been able to 

 withstand infection better than others. 



The number of steamers that called at the 

 ports of East India during 1887 was 2,506, with 

 a capacity of 2,125,000 cubic metres, and the 

 number of sailing ships was 365, of 683,000 met- 

 ric tons. The colonial merchant fleet in 1888 

 numbered 1,694 vessels, of 227,391 tons. 



The railroads of Java in 1890 had a length of 

 1,228 kilometres, and 155 kilometres of new rail- 

 road were building. In Sumatra there were 

 55 kilometres completed and 212 kilometres un- 

 der construction. Railroads are being extended 

 on the system of concessions with state guaran- 

 tees. In Sumatra the Government has under- 

 taken to build a line to the coal beds at Ombiles. 



The post-office of Dutch India transmitted in 

 1888 for the interior 4,913,000 letters, 1,001,000 

 postal cards, 3,249,000 printed inclosures, and 

 128,000 money letters and postal orders of the 

 declared value of 10,904,000 guilders, and in the 

 international service 1,152,000 letters, 79,000 

 postal cards, 4,260,000 papers, circulars, and other 

 articles, and 27,000 money letters and orders rep- 

 resenting 2,690,000 guilders. 



The length of the state telegraph lines in 1889 

 was 7,750 kilometres, with 10,023 kilometres of 

 wire, and of private lines 985 kilometres, with 

 1,151 kilometres of wire. The number of dis- 



patches was 476,664, of which 345,181 were in- 

 ternal, 118,192 international, and 13,291 con- 

 nected with the service. 



The army of East India is recruited solely by 

 enlistment from both Europeans and native 

 races, and is officered by Europeans. The effect- 

 ive on Jan. 1, 1889, was 1,406 officers and 33,169 

 men, of whom 14,984 were Europeans, 77 Afri- 

 cans, and 18,108 natives. The staff and special 

 services numbered 526 officers and 2,458 men ; 

 the infantry, 729 officers and 26,482 men ; the 

 cavalry, 30 officers and 851 men ; the artillery, 110 

 officers and 2,815 men ; and the engineers, 11 offi- 

 cers and 563 men. There are besides the civic 

 guards or Schutteryen and various volunteer 

 bodies, having on their rolls 3,968 Europeans 

 and 5,128 natives. For -purposes of police and 

 defense against internal dangers a force of steam- 

 ers and armed sailing vessels is maintained, in 

 part by the mother country, which in the begin- 

 ' ning of 1888 had 26 vessels in India manned by 

 2,595 Europeans and 1,002 natives, while the 

 colonial navy consisted of 88 vessels manned by 

 116 Europeans and 941 natives. The army de- 

 pends for its discipline and efficiency mainly on 

 Dutch soldiers, who are allowed to enlist* for 

 colonial service. The cavalry is composed of 

 both Europeans and natives. The artillery con- 

 sists of European gunners and native riders. 

 The infantry is divided into field, garrison, and 

 depot battalions. Each battalion is formed of 

 two companies of Europeans and two of native 

 soldiers, in which latter at least one half of the 

 under officers must be Europeans. 



A great sacrifice of human life and expendi- 

 ture of 200,000,000 guilders have brought the 

 Dutch Government scarcely nearer than in the 

 beginning to the subjugation of Atcheen. In 

 1878 the oujtposts extended over a radius of 25 

 kilometres from the port of Oleh Le. In 1890 

 the distance had shrunk to 10 kilometres, and 

 even within the fortified lines there was no 

 longer security. The mild and conciliatory ad- 

 ministration of the civil governors has been mis- 

 taken for weakness by the Atcheenese, and the 

 respect that they formerly showed for an ener- 

 getic military rule has been dissipated by a hu- 

 mane policy. Negotiations with rebel leaders 

 and even bribes have availed nothing, for the 

 rule of the strongest has always governed this 

 barbarous people. The Sultan has never pos- 

 sessed much authority, the real rulers being the 

 priests and the Kampbng chiefs. The Dutch Gov- 

 ernment can not afford to retire, for the loss of 

 Atcheen would give the hadjis or Mussulman 

 priests a welcomeopportunityto proclaim through 

 the entire archipelago that the power of the " great 

 lord " is broken, and perhaps to give the watch- 

 word for a fanatical uprising. The Liberals in 

 the Dutch Chamber, in their attack on Minister 

 Keuchenius, charged him with rashly incurring 

 the danger, in order to please his Calvinistic and 

 Ultramontane colleagues, of fomenting religious 

 strife, from which Dutch India has happily been 

 free, by taking measures for the protection of 

 the Christian population, which has never asked 

 for such protection, by restricting the liberty of 

 Mohammedan religious teachers. In January, 

 1890, the blockade of Atcheen was extended over 

 the entire north coast to prevent the introduc- 

 tion of arms and ammunition, with which the 



