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350 
lous people affeét great fecrecy in regard 
to their tranfactions in that quarter, I 
tranfmit to you, for your ufeful and en- 
tertaining publication, the following 
fhort account of the productions of the 
different Indian colonies fubjeét to Hol- 
land *, together with an abftraét of the 
ftate of their India company, the whole 
of which has never before appeared in 
the Englifh language. 
London, Cat. 
E4, £797- 
HiIsTORICUS. 
THE ifland of Java, of which Batavia 
isthe capital, is the principal fettlement 
of the Dutch in India, and the feat of 
government. Its chief produétion is 
pepper, which, for the moft part, is pro- 
cured on the wef fide of the ifland, in 
the kingdom of Bantam. Of this arti- 
cle, Bantam and Lampon deliver annu- 
ally fix millions of pounds, and this pep- 
per, with that of Malabar, is confidered 
as the beft in India. The pepper of Pa- 
lembang. of which a great quantity alfo 
is delivered to the India company, and 
that of Borrico, are not much efteemed. 
In confequence of a treaty, the king of 
Bantam receives for every 125 pounds of 
this produétion of his country, fix rix- 
dollars, or 14 florins, eight ftivers, Dutch 
money fT. ; 
Many believe that the white pepper 
is a fpecies different from the black ; but 
this isa miftake. All pepper is origi- 
nally black ; but, if it be covered with 
lime before it is fully dry, it lofes its ex- 
ternal hufk, and becomes whitifh. 
The fecond chief production of Java 
is rice, which grows here in fuch abun- 
dance, that this ifland is called the Gra- 
nary of the EFaft. All the reft of the 
Dutch Eaft India iflands are deft tute of 
this ufeful production, except Celebes, 
which, from its fuperfluity, fupplies the 
colony of Amboyna. In the year 1767, 
the quantity of rice required for Bata- 
via, Ceylon, and Banda, amounted to 
“oo larts, or twenty-one millions of 
pounds. 
~ Suger alfo is made in great abundance. 
In the year 1768, the kingdom of Jaca- 
tra alone produced thirteen millions of 
pounds. This fugar 1s 
W eft-Indies, to Surat,Malabar, and even 

* Part of thefe colonies, Ceylon, Malacca, 
with fome of the Spice Iflands, and the Cape of 
Good Hope, are at prefent in the hands of the 
Englith. : 
+ About 11. 7s. fterling ; or two-pence half- 
penny per pound. 
z ‘ 
Dutch Eaft India Settlements. 
fent to the - 
[Noy, 
to Europe. The greater part of the fu.’ 
gar mills here belong to the Chinefe. 
The fourth produétion of Java is cof- 
fee; but the plantations of it are con= 
fined entirely to Cheribon and Jaca- 
tra. This plant was firft introduced into 
the ifland in the years 1722 and 1723, 
by the governor-general Swaardekroon. 
So much encouragement has been given 
to the Javanefe, to cultivate it, that) in 
the year 1768, the kingdom of Jaca- 
tra delivered tothe company 4,465,50e 
pounds. for which they paid no more than 
three dollars and a half, or eight florins 
eight ftivers’*, per picol, of 125 pounds. 
The cotton cultivated in Java is a 
very important branch of trade to the 
company. It grows in gréat abundance 
in the higher parts of the country, and 
is pun by the inhabitants. On account 
of a great drought which took place 
in the year 1768, the kingdom of Ja-- 
catra could deliver only 133 pieols, or 
16,225 pounds; fo that, according to an 
eftimate of the inhabitants, the ¢rop 
was fhort 1875 pounds. ‘ 
- Salt, brought chiefly from Rembang 
to Batavia, is another important branch 
of trade for the company, with the weft 
coaft of Sumatra. ; 
Indigo, the greater part of which is 
fent to Europe, is likewife a produétion 
of ‘fava. 
A great quantity of timber for build- 
ing 1s conveyed to Batavia, from the 
north-eait coaft of Jaya; but this is em- 
ployed more for conftruéting fhips and 
houfes than as an article of trade. In. 
this refpeét the ifland, perhaps, is of as 
much importance as it is valuable to the 
company by its other productions, which 
ferve to fupport their ‘trade, and by its 
furnifhing the reft of their Indian colonies 
with provifions. 
The Dutch colonies in India are di- 
vided into the eaftand weft. Qfthofe on 
the eaft from Batavia, Amboyna holds 
the front rank, and the neighbouring 
iflands, with a part of Ceram, are under 
its government. The whole of the com- 
pany’s fervants here are fuppofed to be 
about eight or nine hundred. 
Cloves, the only production of the 
ifland, grow in fuch abundance, that the 
fupreme government fometimes orders a 
great many of the trees to be plucked 
up by the roots, and the new planta- 

*’ Somewhat more than 15s. od. fterling. It 
cofts them no more than about three half-pence 
per_pound. 
tioms 
