h every argument
he could employ, urged the British Government, both for the sake of the
natives, and for Great Britain herself, not again to abandon it to the
Dutch. His advice was not attended to; and a country which would have
proved of equal value to any of our possessions, was totally excluded
from commercial intercourse with us. It runs east and west, being in
length about seven hundred miles, and varying in width from thirty to a
hundred miles.

Batavia is the capital of the west end, and the largest town in the
island; while Sourabaya is next in size, and may be looked upon as the
capital of the east. A glance at the map will show its shape and
position better than can any description of mine. A small part of Java
still belongs to some of the native princes; the rest is governed under
a very despotic system by the Dutch. The natives are said to look back
with affection to the English rule under Sir Stamford Raffles, and often
express a wish that the country again belonged to Great Britain. In the
centre of the south side of the island is a tract of country nominally
ruled by two native princes, with the high-sounding titles of Emperor or
Sunan of Surakerta, and the Sultan of Yugyakerta. Madura is also
divided between the Sultan of Bankalang and the Panambehan of Sumanap.
But these princes, potent as from their titles they may be supposed to
be, are completely under the influence of Dutch viceroys, or residents
as they are called; and I doubt if even they can have the satisfaction
of cutting off the heads of any of their subjects without leave. The
remainder of the island is divided into about twenty districts, each of
which is called a Residency, from being governed by an officer called a
Resident. His residency is again divided into districts, over each of
which is placed a native chief, called a Regent, and a European officer,
called an Assistant-Resident, who has under him other Europeans, called
Controllers. Each Resident has under him officers, called Widono or
Demang, whose deputies are called Bukkel; while every village, or
Kampong as it is called, has its little chief, styled Kapella Kampong,
or head of the village.

In this way, like an army, the whole population is arranged under a
series of officers, the inferiors being answerable to those above them
for the conduct of those whom they govern. The people live in
communities, every man being obliged to belong to and reside in one
particular