ing upon it to make reprisals, by adopting similar measures against France.

On the 17th of October, the new session of the States-general commenced. It was opened by the king in person, accompanied by the crown prince and prince Frederick. In the speech which his majesty delivered on that occasion, after alluding to the marriage of his second son with a princess of Prussia, which had been solemnized since the close of the last session, he gave a very favourable account of the state of the kingdom, and touched lightly upon the various branches of the administration, in which improvements had been made, or were making [see Public Documents p. 89*].

The most important measure, which was brought before the Statesgeneral, was the project of a law for providing for the financial distresses of the East-Indian possessions of the Netherlands, by a loan to the amount of 20,000,000 of florins. For the payment of the interest and for the redemption of the principal, a sum of 1,400,000 florins was to be annually set apart for the colonial service, commencing from the 1st of January, 1826, and this annual sum of 1,400,000 florins was to be guaranteed, as far as necessary, by the state, for the period of thirty years.

The causes of the financial embarrassments of the Indian government were stated to be, the incautious issue of paper-currency, the payment of large sums for goods taken by agreement from the British government, the loss of ships laden with produce, &c., the great expenses incurred by the erection of military works, and the maintenance of a colonial marine; and the serious disturbances in the

Moluccas, Sumatra, Celebes, and elsewhere, rendered military armaments necessary. To these causes were added the failure of the crops, and contagious diseases, which had carried off several thousands of the natives, so that many tracts of land remained uncultivated.

Till 1824, the distress was ascribed in India to temporary causes. Under this idea, every thing was conducted on a large scale, and even considerable domains, alienated in former years, were re-purchased; but, in that year, a considerable fall in the price of coffee taking place, reduced at once the large stock in the hands of government to one half of its value, so that a great embarrassment ensued, which rendered it necessary to issue paper bearing 9 per cent interest. These circumstances induced the government in October, 1824, to make retrenchments; and it was at the same time resolved to negociate a loan in Bengal. The latter project, however, was rejected by the government at home, from an apprehension that one effect of it would be, to cause the produce of the Dutch possessions to be remitted to foreign merchants.

The scheme of raising a loan in Bengal being rejected, the only alternative was, to procure assistance from the mother country; and though her guarantee was required only for the satisfaction of the Indies, yet the government stated that they confidently expected that the Indian treasury would be able to provide the annual sum of 1,400,000 florins for the payment of interest and capital. From 1817 to 1824, the revenues amounted to about 152 millions of florins, and the expenditure to about 151 millions. The

estimate for 1824 was 27 millions for the revenue, and 26 millions for the expenditure; but by the falling of the prices of coffee, there was a deficiency of nearly a million and a half in the first six months of 1824. The revenue exceeded the expenditure till 1819: when the troubles in Palembang, and the prevalence of the cholera morbus had a visible effect, in diminishing the income, at the same time that the establishments remained on too costly a footing, and the expenses became too great. To lessen the expenditure for the future, certain measures were to be adopted. These were, the determination of a quinquennial budget for India, from which no departure should be made; the suspension of public works for five years; the abolition of expensive boards for civil works, &c.; the simplifications of the administration; the diminution of the number of persons employed in many of the offices, and limitations in the number of new appointments.

It was calculated that the board of works alone cost annually 800,000 or 900,000 florins; and that the interest of the public currency, which was to be called in, amounted to 400,000, so that the saving in these two branches would amount nearly to the 1,400,000 required.

But while the government at home were thus devising plans for extricating the Indian administration from its pecuniary embarrassments, events were taking place in Java, which tended to make these embarrassments still more overwhelming. The administration of the Dutch had always been unpopular among the natives: it was accused of being capricious and oppressive; and poverty seldom

renders a colonial council and governor either more forbearing or more scrupulous. The disaffected were numerous; and, in the present year, they proceeded to open war. The first disturbance of much note that broke out was in the residency of Djocjokarta. It had been observed by the Dutch Resident, that a prince, called Dipo Negoro, one of the guardians of the young sultan, who was a minor, had assembled a great number of people at his abode, among whom it was suspected that some insurrectionary movement was in contemplation. The Resident, therefore, requested the prince to explain the motives of this proceeding; and as he, on various pretexts, declined to do so, the Resident, on the 21st of July, thought it his duty to order his appearance, and to send some troops to compel him to obey. Dipo Negoro opposed the armed force sent against him, and made his escape, along with a confederate, called Mankoe Boemie. The two princes, along with their troops, took up a position at a little distance from the residence of the sultan, and were there attacked by a detachment of Dutch troops, on the 27th of July, without any decisive result; though the insurgents were for the time dispersed, and fled whenever the Dutch forces made a demonstration of attacking them. On the receipt of this intelligence, the lieutenant-governor sent orders to the governor of Samarang (the capital of the eastern district of the island) to take all necessary precautions to prevent the evils which might arise from this incipient rebellion. On the 29th, his excellency reached Samarang, and immediately set out for Sourakarta, the capital of what is called the empire or dominions of

the Su-su-hunang of Java, where he procured a reinforcement of native troops to join his own against those of the rebellious governors of the sultan. Detachments of the garrisons of Samarang and Wittevrede likewise marched towards the seat of the insurrection. In the mean time, the insurgents spread themselves over the Dutch province of Kadoe; and, though they were successfully attacked and dispersed, wherever they could be met by a Dutch detachment, they were too numerous, and carried on their operations over too extensive a tract of country to be effectually controlled by the scanty 'army which was opposed to them.

In August regulations were issued by the government of Batavia, by which all persons between the ages of 16 and 45, foreigners included, were compelled to enrol themselves, and to perform military duty; and soon afterwards many of them were forced to march into the interior, to assist in putting down the insurrection. This proceeding occasioned violent irritation, especially among the English merchants, who were little disposed to risk their lives for a government which they despised. To add to the distress, an expedition which had been sent against Macassar returned with the loss of nearly half their numbers, and without having accomplished any of the objects for which they were sent. The communication by land between the capital and Samarang was cut off, and the despatches were transmitted by sea. General Kock occupied Samarang, where all was tranquil; but the native princes were in force at a distance of not more than 20 miles, and offered large rewards for the head of the Dutch commander. On the 2nd of September, an en

gagement took place about 50 miles S. E. of Samarang: the rebels were about 12,000 strong, and were opposed only by 60 European seamen from the Javan frigate, 100 infantry natives of Madura, 20 gentlemen volunteer cavalry, and 20 native cavalry, with two 1lb. field pieces. The greater part of this force was cut to pieces, all the arms and ammunition captured, and only the officers of the detachment, a few of the volunteer cavalry, and 16 of the European sailors returned in safety. Out of ten English gentlemen employed in commerce in Batavia, who accompanied the troops, seven, it is said, fell in the skirmish. This advantage did not induce the natives to quit the interior and venture upon a decisive engagement. On the contrary, the Dutch having assembled in considerable force at Samarang, the insurgents withdrew from the vicinity. Several unimportant skirmishes took place between small detachments of the Dutch and bands of the natives, in which the former had the advantage. But, though the insurgents dispersed, they soon reunited upon some other point.

About the same time an attempt was made to cut off the Dutch residents in Bencoolen.

Sweden, Denmark, and Germany remained, during the present year, in their usual state, without undergoing any alteration of circumstances worthy of being mentioned. One transaction occurred at Stockholm, which excited some attention in Europe. The government had sold three ships of war: the purchasers were an English mercantile house, who, however, there was every reason to believe, were merely the agents of one of the

South American states. The Spanish ambassador presented remon strances, to which civil, but some what evasive answers were returned; and finally, upon an application made by the nominal purchasers, the contract was rescinded, and the money which they had paid, together with the amount of the expenses which they had incurred in repairing the ships, was refunded to them. An article on the subject of this sale appeared in the Algemeine Zeitung, which was re-published in a newspaper entitled the Argus, printed at Stockholm. The chancellor immediately instituted a prosecution against the Argus, on the ground that this article was a violation of article 10 of the ordinance relative to the liberty of the press, by which the publication of any thing relative to negotiations with foreign powers, or to the resolutions of his majesty respecting them, as well as to the functions of the ministers, councillors, or ambassadors, is prohibited.

The defence which the editor set up was, that the chancellor, according to the ordinance relative to the freedom of the press, was bound to confiscate all writings in foreign languages imported into Sweden, which contain any thing contrary to the 3rd section of article 10 of that ordinance. Now, as the paper from which the article was taken had not been confiscated by the chancellor, the editor of the Argus was entitled to consider this as a proof that the chancellor himself did not look upon the article as illegal, and, consequently, he had a right to insert it in his paper. The result of the trial was, that the defendant was acquitted.

An order of the king of Prussia, directed to the authorities of his

Rhenish provinces, prohibited the Roman Catholic priests from ex. acting, previous to the celebration of marriage between parents of different sects, a promise that the offspring should be brought up in the Roman Catholic system.

Some of the members of the Holy Alliance, who had nearly renounced all intercourse with Wurtemberg, as not sufficiently friendly to their principles, renewed their diplomatic relations with that power. Both Russia and Austria again sent Ambassadors to Stutgard, and professed to have forgiven the constitutional tendency of the feelings and maxims of the king.

Maximilian Joseph, the king of Bavaria, was attacked by apoplexy and died at Munich, on the 13th of October. He was succeeded by the prince royal, Charles Louis Augustus, who was 39 years of age, and married, in 1810, a princess of Saxe Hildeburghausen. Maximilian Joseph was exceedingly popular among his subjects; and he deserved their love. He was free from bigotry and prejudice; a friend to improvement, but not hasty and incautious; shrewd, sagacious, and good tempered; not over-fond of power, and mild and temperate in the exercise of it; most simple and unassuming in his manners, and most economical in his personal expenditure.

The assembly of the states of Baden met on the 24th of February.

The grand duke, in the speech with which he opened the session, alluded, in a manner not unworthy of notice, to the ground of dissention which had arisen two years before, between him and that body.*

"The Constitution," said he,

* See Annual Register, Vol. 65, p. 172.