11* 



My, within a very few years, have been given away, 

 The Malays take the best land first if conveniently 

 situated, but otherwise they Take that which is most 

 parity accessible, if it will yield a return for the labor 

 to he bestowed on it, It wjll not perhaps be until all 

 tin remaining lands yet h ing under jungle shall have 

 been occupied and cultivated that the true value ot 

 grajn oltivation. to the several classes concerned, the 

 landlord, tenant and labourer will be fully ascertained. 



But as advantages might arise to the public, to 

 individuals, and to the revenue, could any thing cer^ 

 tain he known regarding these two important points 

 qf rent and price, it will now be my endeavour to ex, 

 plain how far some of the broad principles of political 

 economy seem to bear on, or to to differ from them, 

 and to what extent inferences for the future may rea-j 

 sonably be drawn. To those who view the science 

 of political economy as only strictly applicable tQ 

 large and populous nations an attempt of this kind may 

 appear superfluous. But in reality, tiie principles of 

 that science, if just, out Id to adapt themselves more or 

 less to all the gradations in the scale of nations. And 

 the very circumstance of a territory being limited in 

 extent, being situated within the range of active trade, 

 yt t having a population of a decidedly agricultural 

 bent, would seem to point it out as a fair test of some 

 at least of these principles, in this rptarter of the globe. 

 Reference is chiefly had here to the doctrines of Adam 

 Smith and Mallhus. 



By tracing their effects on a small scale, we shall al- 

 ways obtain speedier results. England and China 

 arc perhaps ih<- two nations which have pushed culti- 

 vation the farthest with reference tu the powers of 

 the soil. Yet both contain large tracts of waste land. 

 In a small territory with a strong tendency in the 

 people to increase, the cultivation may. in a com pa- 



