Governor of Java,) who is also commander of the troops, judge, jury, magistrate, and, in short, possesses power almost absolute. The present Resident, however, who has held the appointment for a long time, exercises his authority with so much mildness, that the inhabitants have but little reason to complain.
Fort Concordia is garrisoned by a handful of Amboynese troops, who have a very soldier-like appearance; their athletic forms, and healthy aspects, indicating them to be far better adapted for service in this climate, than the miserable squalid-looking troops from Batavia, who are sent here in charge of prisoners[1]. Such troops, however, are not allowed to remain long here, being, it is supposed from motives of jealousy, sent back to Batavia by the first opportunity.
The Resident has a salary of about 600l. a year; it is hinted, however, that his salary forms only a small part of his income, but I have no doubt that this is only mercantile scandal. He informed me, that he was about to undertake an expedition into the interior, in search of gold mines, with Mr. Macleod, a Dutch mineralogist sent from Batavia for that purpose; and, in order to repel any hostile attacks of the fierce mountaineers, he would take a cortége of at least 1000 men. I was astonished at his being able to maintain so large a number; but, on inquiry, I learned that such an armament could be put in motion without any expense to
- ↑ The Dutch make this a place of banishment from their other settlements.
