136 TEMMINClvS GENERAL VIEW OF THE BUTCH 
stitutbnal State in Europe, in submitting- to the military service re¬ 
quired by the law. 
No, it is not just to say that the Javanese does not obtain any share 
in the direction of public affairs. The internal organization, established 
by his former sovereigns have been preserved to him in a manner intact. 
The uninterrupted hierarchy of Javanese functionaries descends from 
superior chief or regent (Adkipati), to chief of the village (Petinggi 
or Behcl ), and this last with the tjatjak and the elders, enjoy a liber¬ 
ty of action which we vainly seek for in countries better endowed in 
relation to public liberties. We shall be able to judge of this more 
completely when mention shall he made of the judicial institutions. 
We now pass to the superior direction of our possessions in India. 
It is confided to a Governor General, Lieutenant of the King; 
he is furnished with very extensive powers, and is invested with 
the command in chief of the army and marine, in all parts of the 
Netherlands possessions. He alone deckles on the measures to be 
taken; for experience has shewn that interests so important and so 
varied as those of which he ought to take cognizance, demand the 
most perfect unity of will and action. At his side is placed the 
Council of the Indies fllaad van Indie) composed of a vice-presi¬ 
dent and four members nominated by the king. The Governor Ge¬ 
neral is required to consult this assembly iu all important cases. 1 lie 
title of laws and regulations ought to mention that this formality has 
been observed. In certain cases the Governor General is required 
to communicate to the Government of the king the dissentient advice 
of the Council of the Indies. The Governor General is in direct 
correspondence with the residents of provinces and the governors of 
the great dependencies. These great dependencies are Sumatra, Bor¬ 
neo and Celebes; * in these three principal Islands as well as in Am- 
boyna, there are Governors charged with special interests, and under 
the orders of whom the Residents exercise their functions. All these 
functionaries are, in their quality of Lieutenant of the Governor Ge¬ 
neral, invested with the necessary powers to act in all urgent cases 
which arise, and which cannot admit of the delay of a reference. 
When the king* judges it convenient to name a Lieutenant Governor, 
he has the precedence of the members of council. The king can also 
delegate powers to one or more Commissaries-General, but these 
cases are extraordinary. 
* M. Temminck of course alludes to the Dutch possessions in these great 
Islands.— Ed, 
