ACCOUNT OF JAVA AND BATAVIA.

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who was deputed thither from Batavia, to reprefent the united Dutch Eaft India Com-pany, as lord paramount, appeared to me, from its peculiarity, well worthy of beingliterally inferted in this place, as tranflated out of the Malay, which was the language in which it was delivered, as follows :

“ His Excellency the Governor-general and the Honourable the Council ofIndia, having thought fit and refolved to appoint me as their commiffary plenipotentiaryto the court of Bantam, in order, at the requeft of the King, to propofe and appoint HisMajefty’s eldeft fon Pangorang (Prince) Gufti, as hereditary Prince, arid fucceffor tothe empire of Bantam ; and this defirable period being now arrived, in confequence I,the commiffary aforefaid, in the name and behalf of the general Eafl India Company ofthe Netherlands , appointthe faid Pangorang to bePangorangRatoo, or hereditary Prince,and heir to the crown and the whole empire of Bantam, by the title of Abul MofagirMohamed Ali Joudeen.

“ The commiffary expefts that the faid Pangorang Ratoo will, at. all times, confiderthis his important promotion as a peculiar favour, and a great benefit conferred upon himby the Honourable Company, being adopted from this moment as the grandfon of theEafl India Company of the Netherlands ; and that he will henceforward, on alloccafions and in all times, behave with integrity and gratitude towards them, obeyingthe commands of the Honourable Company, and of the King his father, during hiswhole life.”

After the appointment this harangue was again read, by order of the commiffary,m the Malay language, in the prefence of the King his father, of all the grandees ofhis court, and a number of the Company’s fervants, who had come from Batavia, andbelonged to the retinue of the commiffary; and the ceremony concluded with theplaying of gomgoms and other demonflrations of joy.

The fecond empire in Java is that of Jaccatra, which is bounded to the eafl by thatof Cheribon, and to the weft by the kingdom of Bantam. Jaccatra was formerlygoverned by its own Kings, but the laft of thefe, having been fubdued by the arms ofthe Company in the year 1619, they have ever fince poffeffed it, by the right of conqueft,as fovereigns. It is under the immediate government of the governor general and thecouncil of India , and all the Javanefe of Jaccatra are therefore bom the Company’sfubjects. Before this revolution Jaccatra was the capital of the empire, but Batavia,which is built very near the former, is now the chief place.

The third empire is that of Cheribon. This is at prefent under the dominion ofthree different Princes, who are independent of the Company, and fovereigns in theirJ'efpedive diftricls. Yet they are their allies, and, in the fame manner as the King ofEaritam, they are bound, by treaty, to fell all the produce of their territories exclufivelyt0 the Company, and not to permit' any other nation than the Dutch to enter theirdominions ; for the due maintenance of which conditions the Company likewife takecare to guard and garrifon their fea-ports.

Thefe Princes would be the only ones in Java who poffeffed not only nominal, butfo real fovereignty, were itmot for the fituation of their dominions, which lie betweenJaccatra and the empire of the Soefoehoenam, or Emperor of Java, who is alfo adependent on the Company, of whom they mull of courfe Hand in awe, and whofeWifhes they mud in every refpedt obferve ; for if they do not, the Company make noCr BP^ e dethroning one Prince, and eftablilhing another in his Head.

The Company exercifed their power in this refpedl, in the commencement of theY e ar 1769. One of thefe Cheribon Princes, not treating his fubjecls well, was putunder arreft, by orders from the council of India , and banilhed to the caftle Victoria inhe tfland of Amboyna; while another Prince of the Blood was elevated to the vacant

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