EXPEDITION TO MOLUCCA ISLANDS. 60 



from Madras. However, as there has been a sort of interregnum 

 with regard to the Administration of Justice, it was judged neces- 

 sary to continue in office the Members of the former Court of Judi- 

 cature, which some of them seemed not over willing to comply 

 with, until they were given to understand, that the alternative 

 was being sent to Madras : accordingly a commission of justice was 

 made out and issued. The Fiscal is the Acting Member upon all 

 occasions of small import, and in the Dutch Government, his fees 

 always bore proportion to the rigour of the punishment. This 

 stimulus to cruelty neither the general disposition of the Dutch, 

 nor the particular temper of Mr. Ehude required, and it was but 

 a short time before our arrival that a young woman with child was 

 whipped so unmercifully that she died in a short time. They 

 sometimes proportion the punishment to the time of smoking their 

 pipes ; and it is not uncommon to say give him one or two pipes, 

 according to the magnitude of the offence ; meaning that the cri- 

 minal is to be flogged during the time that the phlegmatic Fiscal 

 smokes one or two pipes of tobacco. 



The investigation of the public accounts and revenue has been a 

 source of great trouble, and until the determination to send away 

 Mr. Coupeuus and the Dutch soldiers was understood, every pos- 

 sible difficulty was thrown in the way- It now appears that sev- 

 eral things were omitted in the statement of public property first 

 sent. The account of the salaries and emoluments of the Dutch 

 servants seem to be loaded with a great many more charges than 

 is natural to conceive would be allowed ; but there seems to have 

 been a great deal of peculation in practice, particularly in one 

 article, the share of 25 per cent, on the revenue, that was allowed 

 to the Civil Servants : the consequence of which was, that the 

 Government tempted the Chinese farmers of the revenue, to bid 

 a vast deal more than they were really worth, from the first fruits 

 of which their share were regularly paid ; but the balance was 

 more than could be collected ; and they were therefore obliged to 

 write to Batavia for a remission of it altogether, which I am un- 

 formed was never refused. After the resignation of Major Brown, 

 the Admiral found himself freed from the promise he had made 

 to continue the monopoly, and therefore the public sale of the 

 revenue ; some days ago advertised for this day. is on the principle 



