342 



The statement of 1825 exhibits an increase of 

 about two thousand souls over that of 1824, and 

 1S26, again gives 2,755 over that of 1825, bot it 

 fs to he presumed that the population has sinee 

 declined coniTnensurately with the trade- I have 

 already stated the principal occupations of the 

 inhabitants, and the only point in the foregoing 

 estimate worthy of notice is the sudden decline 

 in the Javanese population. In 1824 tUere was 

 not a single individucil of that nation to be found 

 in the Residency of Hhio, and, in the following 

 year no less than 100 flocked into it, dwindling 

 again in 1826 to sixteen ► Nearly the whole of 

 these were employed in manufactures of art and 

 elegance, and their short residence in the place 

 shews the utter absence of encouragement held 

 cut to them to induce them to prosecute those 

 arts which mig^ht have tended to the establish* 

 Baent of a branch of external commerce. 



i have previously intimated that fish, both 

 salt and fresh^ composes the diet of the principal 

 portion of the inhabitants, Rhio not producing 

 any other article of subsistence in itself. The 

 poultry, consumed by the Europeans, and the 

 pigs, by the Chinese, are to be considered, espe- 

 cially tlie former, more as articles of import, than 

 indigenous productions, A few vegetables are 

 raised, but potatoes are imported from Java and 

 China. Salt is also imported from Siam and 

 Cochin- China. Cofl'ee plantations have also 

 been tried on Biutang, but, although the ptaiits 

 at tirst promised well, they invariably withered 

 away as they advanced to maturity, and the soil 

 would therefore appear to be unfavorable lor its 



