382 



MY LIFE 



[Chap. 



potatoes. They were a bad lot a few years ago, but the 

 Dutch have brought them into order by their admirable 

 system of supervision and government. By-the-by, I hope 

 you have read Mr. Money's book on Java. It is well worth 

 while, and you will see that I had come to the same conclu- 

 sions as to Dutch colonial government from what I saw in 

 Menado. Nothing is worse and more absurd than the sneer- 

 ing prejudiced tone in which almost all English writers speak 

 of the Dutch government in the East. It never has been 

 worse than ours has been, and it is now very much better ; 

 and what is greatly to their credit and not generally known, 

 they take nearly the same pains to establish order and good 

 government in those islands and possessions which are an 

 annual loss to them, as in those which yield them a revenue. 

 I am convinced that their system is right in principle, and 

 ours wrong, though, of course, in the practical working there 

 may and must be defects ; and among the Dutch themselves, 

 both in Europe and the Indies, there is a strong party 

 against the present system, but that party consists mostly of 

 merchants and planters, who want to get the trade and 

 commerce of the country made free, which in my opinion 

 would be an act of suicidal madness, and would, moreover, 

 seriously injure instead of benefiting the natives. 



" Personally, I do not much like the Dutch out here, or the 

 Dutch officials ; but I cannot help bearing witness to the 

 excellence of their government of native races, gentle yet 

 firm, respecting their manners, customs, and prejudices, yet 

 introducing everywhere European law, order, and industry." 



" Singapore, January 20, 1862. 



" I cannot write more now. I do not know how long I 

 shall be here ; perhaps a month. Then, ho I for England ! " 



When I was at Sarawak in 1855 I engaged a Malay boy 

 named Ali as a personal servant, and also to help me to 

 learn the Malay language by the necessity of constant com- 

 munication with him. He was attentive and clean, and 

 could cook very well. He soon learnt to shoot birds, to skin 



