Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1871.djvu/723

 TRADE AND COMMERCE. 687

The exports from Java to the United Kingdom in each of the years 18(58 and 18G9 were as follows : —

Exports from Java to Great Britain

1868

1869

£

2,248

40

3,378

45,233

140,352

8,216

Canes : rattans, not ground.

Coffee

Gum, dammar .... Rice, not in the husk Sugar, unrefined .... All other articles ....

Total

£

846 19,443

540

14,683

37,101

2,677

75,290 I 199,467

The whole of the exports from Java to the Netherlands are carried by and the property of, the ' Nederlandsche Handel Maatschappij.' This trading society was established at Amsterdam in 1824, with a capital of 37,000,000 guilders, or upwards of three millions sterling, but which was subsequently reduced to 24,000,000 guilders, or 2,000,000?. The King of the Netherlands, Willem I., was one of the principal shareholders, and to create confidence in the company, he promised % a guarantee of i\ per cent, per annum to his associates. His Majesty had to pay this interest from his own purse up to the year 1832 when the introduction of the ' culture system ' in Java laid the foundation for the prosperity of the company, which has since been

at the same time, was appointed sole agent in buying and importing into Java all Government supplies, and in exporting ail produced and selling it in Europe.

Money, Weights, and Measures.

The money, weights, and measures of Java, and the British equivalents, are : —

Monet.

The Guilder, or Florin =100 Centen = Is. 8d.

Weights and Measures.

The Amsterdam Pond. = 1-09 lbs. avoirdupois.

,, Pecul. . . = 133 lbs.

„ Catty. . ■ -" l£ ,,

„ Chang. . . = 4 yards.

The only legal coins, as well as weights and ' measures, of Java are those of the Netherlands.