734 THE HISTORY AND PRESENT CONDITION OF MALACCA. 
a month, a larger sum of money than the man had ever before pos¬ 
sessed at one time. 
Revenue. —The earliest account of the Revenue and Expendi¬ 
ture of Malacca which 1 have met with is given in a “ Note” in the 
voyages of Stavorinus from which the following is an extract: “ Go¬ 
vernor Messel stated the charges of Malacca in his time at 102,000 
florins, and the Revenue at 89,000 (about 90,000 and 78,000 Rs.) 
In 1779 however, the former amounted to 113,000 florins (99,000 
Rs.) and the latter to 162,000 (142,000 Rs.) leaving a balance of 
49,000 florins (43,000 Rs.) This Revenue proceeds from duties 
on Imports and Exports, a great trade being carried on here by the 
Indians and free European Merchants of all nations, and from the 
profits on goods sold by the Company (Dutch.) Of the Export du¬ 
ty of 6 per cent, -J- is allowed as perquisites to the Company’s ser¬ 
vants, of which the Governor has 40, the second in command 15, 
and the rest is distributed in different proportions to the inferior 
officers. The Governor has also an allowance of one guilder per 
picul on all the tin collected. A large quantity of this article, 3 or 
400,000 lbs is purchased here every year at about 56s. per cwt. 
which is generally disposed of in India. In 1778 however 100,000 
ibs was sold in Holland at 74s. per cwt. 
“ The territorial extent of this Government is not great. It is 
confined to the city of Malacca and the neighbouring small province 
of Pdrah, where the Company have a fort for protecting the collec¬ 
tion of Tin which is dug there.” 
Considering that about 1779, were probably the palmiest days of 
Malacca when she had no rival in the Straits, this amount of Reve¬ 
nue seems very inconsiderable, but probably the Dutch Company’s 
servants, who divided these perquisites among themselves in lieu, no 
doubt, of salary, were, like the servants of a rival Company of those 
days, not very particular in accounting to their hon’ble masters for 
the Revenue that passed through their hands. An Export duty of 6 
per cent (what the Import duty was, is not mentioned, but probably 
it was the same) ought to have realized on the whole trade of the east¬ 
ern seas concentrated in the place, much more than 142,000 Rs. 
even supposing that sum not to include the “ perquisites.” Pro¬ 
bably these sums which are given as the whole Revenue of the place, 
denote merely the amount of customs, for in 1815, long after the es¬ 
tablishment of Pinang had affected the trade of Malacca, the cus¬ 
toms are stated by Newbold to have realized 50,590 Dollars. 
