Stere

Liter

Hektoliter

=

===

1,093 yards, or nearly 5 furlongs. 119.6 sq. yards, or 024-6 sq. acre. 2.47 acres.

35.31 cubic feet.

1.76 imperial pints.

22 imperial gallons, or 2.75 bushe's.

All the other metric denominations are adopted, with trifling changes.

Diplomatic and Consular Representatives.

1. OF THE NETHERLANDS IN GREAT BRITAIN.

Envoy and Minister.-C. M. E. G Count de Bylandt'; appointed June 23, 1871.

Secretary of Legation.-W. F. A. Baron Gevers.
Chancellor.-J. van den Berg.

Dutch Consular representatives are located at the following places in the United Kingdom :-

2. OF GREAT BRITAIN IN THE NETHERLANDS.

Envoy and Minister.-Sir Horace Rumbold, Bart., K.C.M.G.; accredited February 1, 1888.

Secretary.-Henry Philip Fenton.

British Consular representatives are located in the following places in the Netherlands or in the colonies:

Connected with the kingdom in the person of the sovereign, though possessed of a separate administration, is the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, included from 1815 to 1866 in the dissolved Germanic Confederation.

The King of the Netherlands is Grand Duke of Luxemburg, and nominates the Government. There is a Chamber of Deputies in the Grand Duchy of 42 members, elected directly by the cantons for six years. By the Treaty of London, 1867, Luxemburg is declared neutral territory. It has an area of 998 square miles, and a population (Dec. 1, 1883) of 213,283, of whom 211,077 were Catholics. The chief town, Luxemburg, has 17,964 inhabitants. In the budget estimates for 1889 the gross revenue is set down at 7,794,100 francs, and the expenditure at 7,511,334 franes. There is a debt of about 16,170,000 francs, contracted mainly for the construction of railways. For commercial purposes Luxemburg is included in the German Zollverein. There are 320 miles of railway, and 1,653 miles of telegraph lines.

Colonies.

The colonial possessions of the Netherlands, situated in the East Indies and the West Indies, embrace an area of 766,137

English square miles. The total population, according to the last returns, was 29,009,267, or more than six times as large as that of the mother country.

DUTCH EAST INDIES.

The Dutch possessions in Asia, forming the territory of Dutch East India (Nederlandsch Oost Indie), are situated between 6° N. and 11 S.o latitude, and between 95° and 141° E. longitude.

In 1602 the Dutch created their East India Company. This Company slowly conquered the Dutch East Indies, and ruled them during nearly two centuries. After the dissolution of the Company in 1798 the Dutch possessions were governed by the mother-country.

Government and Constitution.

Politically the territory, which is under the sovereignty of the Netherlands, is divided in (1) Lands under direct government, (2) Vassal lands, (3) Confederated lands.

With regard to administration, the Dutch possessions in the East Indies are divided into residencies, divisions, regencies, districts, and dessas (villages). They are also very often divided into (1) Java and Madura, (2) the Outposts-Sumatra, Borneo, Riau-Lingga Archipelago, Banca, Billiton, Celebes, Molucca Archipelago, and the small Sunda Islands.

Java, the most important of the colonial possessions of the Netherlands, was formerly administered, politically and socially, on a system established by General Johannes Van den Bosch, in 1832, and known as the 'culture system.' It was based in principle on the officially superintended labour of the natives, directed so as to produce not only a sufficiency of food for themselves, but a large quantity of colonial produce best suited for the European market: That culture system' comprised the forced labour of the natives employed in the cultivation of coffee, sugar, indigo, pepper, tea, tobacco, and other articles. At present, the labour of the natives is only required for the produce of coffee. By the terms of a bill which passed the Legislature of the Netherlands in 1870, the forced cultivation of the sugar-cane will be totally abolished in 1890.

The whole of Java-including the neighbouring island of Madura-is divided into twenty-two provinces, or residencies, each governed by a Resident, who has under him several Assistant Residents (except the Resident of one of these provinces, Krawang, who has no Assistant Resident under him), and a number of subordinate officials called Contrôleurs. All these functionaries must have gone through an examination previous to their appointment by the Government. The Resident and his assistants exercise almost absolute control over the province in their charge; not, however, directly, but by means of a vast hierarchy of native officials. There is a regular and unceasing personal intercourse between the native chiefs and the Contrôleurs, who act as the immediate agents of the Resident. The native officials receive either salaries or percentages on the amount of the taxes gathered from the natives. In the 'Outposts' the 'culture system' has never been introduced, except in the province of Sumatra, west coast, and in the Residency of Menado (island of Celebes), where also the labour of the natives is required for the produce of coffee.

These Outposts are administered by functionaries with the titles Governor,'' Resident,' Assistant-Resident,' 'Contrôleur,' &c.

The superior administration and executive of Dutch India is in thị hands of a Governor-General. He is assisted by a Council of five m bers, partly of a legislative, partly of an advisory character. The member of the Council, however, have no share in the executive.

Governor-General-Dr. C. Pijnacker Hordijk, appointed June 19, 189 The Governor-General represents not only the executive power government, but he has the right of passing laws and regulations for administration of the colony, so far as the authority is not reserved to: legislature of the mother-country. But he is bound to adhere to th constitutional principles on which the Dutch Indies are governed, which are laid down in the Regulations for the Government of Nethe lands India,' passed by the King and States-General of the mother-court in 1854.

Area and Population.

The following table gives the area and population of Java, includ Madura, and the Outposts: -

* New Guinea belongs to the residency of Ternate, Molucca Islands.

The total number of Europeans and persons assimilated to them! nationality in 1887 was 27,779 males and 23,013 females; of these 25,99 males and 22,594 females were Dutch, of whom 20,301 males and 19,773 females were born in the East Indies; of the remainder, 772 males and 170 females were German, 171 males and 40 females French, 167 males ard 55 females English, the remainder being mostly Jews, Belgians,

Austrians, and Americans. Of the remaining population in 1887, 225,573 were Chinese, 15,463 Arabs and other Orientals, and 21,716,177 natives.

The movement of population between Europeans and persons assimilated with them by marriages, births, and deaths was as follows:

The whole population of Java is legally divided into Europeans and persons assimilated with them, and natives and persons assimilated with them. The former are generally under the same laws as those of the mothercountry, while in the jurisdiction of the latter their own customs and institutions are considered. The division of the whole population into two classes is a fundamental principle in the policy of the administration, and enacted in the code specifying the limits and conditions for legislation in Netherlands India. The Governor-General is, however, in agreement with the Council, authorised to make individual exceptions on this rule.

Religion.

According to the terms of the regulations for the government of Netherlands India, entire liberty is granted to the members of all religious confessions. The Reformed Church counts 39 ministers, the Roman Catholic 21 curates and 15 priests, not salaried out of the public funds. The number of Christians among the natives and foreign Orientals was :

In Java and Madura in 1873. 5,673, and in 1886 11,229

the Outposts

In 1887 there were in Netherlands India 67 missionaries of vario societies.

From 2,500 to over 6,000 natives go to Mecca on pilgrimage each yea

Instruction.

For the education for Europeans and persons assimilated with the there were in 1887 8 middle schools with 490 pupils, as compared with schools and 479 pupils in 1880.

The cost of these schools to the Government in 1886 was 483,000 g ders, and the revenue from school fees 54,607 guilders.

In 1887 there were for Europeans 108 mixed public elementary schoo and 23 for girls, with 17 private schools, or a total of 148 elemet schools.

The 131 public schools have a teaching staff of 424, and an attenda of 11,235 pupils, and the 17 private schools a teaching staff of 95, and attendance of 2,133 pupils.

The costs of the public elementary schools were in 1887 1,807,173, a the income 209,246 guilders.

The following statement relates to schools for natives:—

In 1886 Dutch India had 11 normal schools, with 36 teachers. The were 4 schools for sons of chiefs, with 215 pupils in 1887.

The elementary schools for natives were for Java and Madura in 187 92 Government schools with 11,209 pupils, and 114 private schools 5,873 pupils; and in 1887, 201 Government schools with 31,986 pupils, a 103 private schools with 7,721 pupils. In the outposts in 1873, 173@ vernment schools with 25,793 pupils, and 194 private schools with 146 pupils; and in 1886, 318 Government schools with 30,763 pupils, and private schools with 15,363 pupils. In 1887 there were in Java and Mad 55 private schools subventioned with 4,434 pupils, and ‍75 non-subvention with 3,224 pupils. In 1873 the Government spent 336,444 guilders for th education of natives, and in 1887 1,007,409 guilders.

Of schools for foreign Orientals in 1887 there were 212 with 3,772 puh. The total of Mahomedan schools at Java and Madura was in 1883 12,94 schools with 164,953 pupils, and in 1887 18,608 schools with 291,721 papis

Justice and Crime.

The administration of justice is based on the principle that Europeats and persons assimilated with them are subject to laws nearly similar those of the mother-country, while the natives are subject to their er customs and institutions. The administration of justice for Europears is entrusted to European judges, while for natives their own chiefs have¿ large share in the trial of cases.

There is a High Court of Justice at Batavia-courts of justice Batavia, Samarang, Soerabaya, Padang, and Makassar-Resident Regent courts, courts of circuit, district courts, and courts of priests. The number of natives condemned for serious crimes in 1886 was 19.50 for police offences 10,329, while it was in 1878 17,746 and 10,S36. There are 114 prisons.

The relations of the State to pauperism are limited to subvention, te Protestant and Catholic orphan-houses, 92,708 guilders in 1888.