264 TENURE OF LAND IN JAVA. 



of the existence of native princes, nobles, and priests, 

 to whom the people clini;- with rare devotion, much 

 after the fashion of the Asiatic Hyksos of old, the 

 shepherd kings of E<j;'y})t. who some 4,000 years ago 

 governed the latter country through the intervention 

 of the native princes. 



To each province, containing 000,000 to 800,000 

 souls, a European Resident is appointed, who sways 

 the entire military as well as civil ])ower, and in the 

 same town a native official called the '' Reofent," invai'i- 

 ably of princely descent, holds his court with ;dl 

 Asiatic splendour to overawe the population. The two 

 always live in perfect hai-mony ; indeed, policy requires 

 that the real Governor shows ureat deference to the 

 copper-coloured prince, which he can well afford to do, 

 for both know that a complaint on the part of the 

 Resident would speedily result in a Government decree 

 deposing the Regent, and appointing a rival to the 

 vacant post, the latter being always kept in petto, as seen 

 at both the native courts I have been describing ; besides, 

 owing to the system of polygamy, there is little fear of 

 the princely blood dying out. In the provincial Court 

 of Justice it is the Regent who generally presides, 

 surrounded by some of the principal natives, and 

 advised liy the moUah, or priest ; but previous to the 

 opening of the Coui-t the Dutch Resident's pleasure 



