MALAY LAND TENURE. 145 



<( tary rights in the soil, yet in some few instances eonsidera- 

 " ble tracts of crown land wore bestowed by ns on Natives as 

 " private estates. On the return of the Dutch all our grants 

 " and alienations of crown land were recognised, but from that 

 " time the Java crown lands have only been leased out, and 

 " never granted away. The few Natives, whom we thus made 

 " landed proprietors, then entered into the same condition as the 

 " old European and Chinese landed proprietors, and their 

 " estates became liable to sale for arrears of land tax or for 

 " mortgage debt. The reckless and extravagant habits of 

 " these Native landowners have gradually alienated most of 

 11 their properties, and there are now not above half-a-dozen 

 " Natives, out of the Preanger and other Native states, 

 " who are still owners of land. There is no prohibition a- 

 " gainst any Native buying any private estate which is for sale, 

 " but the practice is discouraged by the Dutch Government/'' 

 The culture-system, a description of which does not fall 

 within the scope of this paper, has been founded upon and is 

 in no way inconsistent with the native customary tenure. 



CEYLON. 



The land-revenue system of Ceylon is based upon native 

 custom, which, in this respect, resembles the practice, common 

 to the Malays and other Indo-Chinese peoples, of levying a 

 tenth or other proportionate share of the produce. A. local 

 Ordinance, passed in Ceylon in 1840, gave legislative sanction 

 to a procedure devised for securing the due collection of the 

 Government share of the crops of paddy and dry grain grown 

 in the island. This tax: was a well-recognised impost leviable 

 by custom and continued by Government proclamations issued 

 in the early years of British occupation. * 



The law of 1810, which is still in force, describes the duty 

 leviable to be " a tax of one-tenth or such other proportion 

 c< of the crops of paddy and dry grain grown in and upon all 

 " lands now liable thereto, as by law, custom, or usage is at 

 " present levied or payable." 



* Ordinance XIV of 1810, quoting- in the preamble Proclamations of .Sept. 

 3rd, 1801, and Nov. 21st, 1818. 



