method are, that in this ftate, they are very liable to fail, and require renewal, to the prejudice of the garden; that their fhoots are not fo vigorous as thofe of the short cuttings; and that they frequently grow crooked. The circumstances which render the chinkareen partieularly proper for this purpofe, are, its eafinefs and quickness of growth; and the little thorns or fpines with which it is armed, enabling the vine more firmly to adhere to it. Some, however, prefer the bitter chinkareen, (with a brownish red flower), though smooth, to the prickly (bearing a white), because the elephant, which often proves deftructive to the gardens, avoids the former, on account of its difagreeable tafte, though it is not deterred by the fpines, from devouring the other fpecies. Thefe, however, are more generally in ufe. "When the chinkareen has been fome months planted, the most promifing, perpendicular fhoot, is to be reserved for growth, and the rest to be lopped off; and when it has attained to the height of two, or at moft, two fathoms and a half, it is to be headed or topped; no farther height being required. "It has been often doubted, whether the growth and produce of the pepper vine, is not confiderably injured by the chinkareen, which must rob it of its proper nourishment, by exhaufting the earth. On this principle, the vine, in other of the eastern islands, and particularly at Borneo Proper, is fupported by poles, that do not vegetate, as are hops in England. Yet it is by no means clear to me, that the Sumatran method is fo difadvantageous as it may feem. By reafon of the pepper vine lafting many years, whilst the poles, expofed to the fun and rain, and loaded with a confiderable weight, cannot be fuppofed to laft above two feafons, there must be a frequent fhifting; which, notwithstanding the utmost care, must tear the plants, and often deftroy them. Befides, it may perhaps be the cafe, that the shelter from the violent rays of the fun, afforded by the branches of the chinkareen, to the plants; and which, during the dry monfoon, is of the utmoft confequence, may go near to counterbalance the injury occafioned by their roots : not to infift on the opinion of a celebrated writer, that trees, acting as fyphons, derive from the air, and tranfmit to the earth, as much of the principle of vegetation, as are expended in their nourishment. I believe it is not obferved, that ground, covered with large trees, or other perennials, is much impoverifhed by them; which perhaps may only be the cafe with annuals. Of this, however, I do not pretend to judge. The chinkareens are planted one fathom, or one fathom and a quarter afunder, that they may not impede each other's growth, or keep too much of the air from the vines. The boughs are carefully lopt from the ftem, and the top cut in fuch a manner, as to make it fpread in an umbell, for the purpose of more effectually fhading the garden. The proper feafon for lopping them, is during the rainy months, or November, December, and January, which, befide the view to their shooting forth again towards the dry feafon, prevents the plants from being injured by the dropping from the branches. Great affiduity is required of the planters, to keep the gardens from being over-run with weeds and fhrubs, which would foon choke the plants. Thefe they remove with prang (bill) and hoe; taking care not to injure the roots of the pepper; yet, in the hot months of June, July, and Auguft, they fuffer the ground to remain covered with lallang (long grafs), as it contributes to mitigate the effects of the violent heat upon the earth, and preferves the dews, that at this time fall copiously, a longer time on the ground; which tends much to encourage the growth of the young yines, and thofe newly turned down. "The plants of the pepper are most commonly taken from the fhoots that run along the earth, from the foot of an old vine; and as thefe, from almost every knot or joint, ftrike roots into the ground, and fhoot up perpendicularly, a fingle joint, in this ftate, is a fufficient plant for propagation. It requires at firft fome little affiftance, to train it to the chinkareen; but it will foon fecure its hold, by the fibres that fpread from the joints of its item and branches. "Two vines are ufually planted to one chinkareen. Thefe are fuffered to grow for three years, with only a little occafional attention; by which time they attain, according as the foil is fertile, the heighth of eight to twelve feet, and begin to fhew their fruit. Then the operation of turning down, is performed; for 'which moderate rainy weather is neceffary. They are cut off a bout three feet from the ground, and being loofened from the prop, are bent into the earth, in fuch a manner, that the upper end returns to the roots; the vine lying horizontally, and forming a kind of circle. This, by laying as it were a new foundation, is fuppofed to give fresh vigour to the plants, and they bear plentifully the enfuing feafon; whereas, if permitted to run up in the natural way, they would exhauft themfelves in leaves, and produce but little fruit. The garden fhould be turhed down at the feafon when the clusters begin to ripen; and there is faid to be a great nicety in hitting the exact time; for if it be done too foon, the vines fometimes do not bear for three years afterwards, like fresh plants; and on the other hand alfo, the produce is retarded, when they omit to turn them down till after the fruit is gathered; which, avarice of prefent, at the expence of future advantage, fometimes inclines them to. It is not very material how many ftems the vine may have, in its first growth, but after turning down, two only, (or if very strong, one) must be fuffered to rife, and cling to the chinkareen: more are fuperfluous, and only weaken the whole. The furplus number may, however, be advantageoufly ufed, by being cut off at the root, on turning down, and tranfplanted either to the chinkareens, whofe vines have failed, or to others, increafing the garden. With these offsets, whole gardens may be at once planted, and the ftem thus removed will bear as foon, or nearly fo, as that from which it has been taken. The chinkareen intended to receive them muft, of courfe,, be proportionably large. Where the plants or offsets of this kind (called lado angore), can be procured in plenty, from gardens that are turning down, they are fometimes planted of the full fize, two fathoms; by which means, fruit may be obtained, at fartheft, by the fecond feafon. The luxuriant fidefhoots from the vines, are to be plucked off; as well as those that creep along the ground, unless where they may be required for plants; and if the head of the vine becomes too bufhy, it must be pruned away. "Befides the method already defcribed, of turning down vines, the planters fometimes practice the fol lowing: lowing. The original vine, when cut fhort, is not bent into the earth, but two or three of the best fhoots from it are turned down, and let to fpring up at fome diftance; being fill brought back,, and trained to the fame chinkareen. By this means the nourishment is collected from a more extenfive circuit of earth, Sometimes the gardens are fuffered to grow without turning down at all; but as the produce is fuppofed to be confiderably injured by the neglect, and doubtlefs with reafon, the contrary is enjoined by the ftrictest orders. "When the vines originally planted to any of the chinkareens, are obferved to fail or mifs, inftead of replacing them with new plants, they conduct one of the fhoots, or fuccours, from a neighbouring vine, to the fpot, through a trench made in the ground, and there fuffer it to rife up anew; often at the distance of twelve or fourteen feet from the parent stock. "This practice of turning down the vines, which appears very fingular, and certainly contributes to the duration, as well as ftrength of the plant, yet probably may a mount to nothing more than a fubftitute for tranfplantation. tranfplantation. The people of Europe obferving that plants often fail to thrive, when permitted to grow up in the fame beds where they were firft fet, found it expedient to remove them, at a certain period of their growth, to fresh fituations. The Sumatrans obferving the fame failure, in the first cafe, had recourfe to the fame alternative; but effected it in a different, and perhaps more advantageous mode. It fhould be remarked that attempts have been made to propagate the pepper by cuttings, or layers, called charrang, inftead of the ufual method; which at firft feemed to promife great fuccefs; but it was found that thefe did not continue to bear for an equal number of years; which was a powerful argument for difcontinuing the experiment. "The vines, as has been obferved, generally begin to bear in three years from the time of planting; but their produce is retarded for one, or perhaps two years, by the procefs of turning them down. This afterwards continues to increase till the feventh or eighth year, when the garden is efteemed in prime; and that ftate it maintains, accord. ing to the goodness of the foil, for one, two or three years, when it gradually declines, till it grows too old to bear. Fruit has been gathered from fome at the age of twenty years; but fuch inftances are very uncommon. "A man and woman, if industrious, may with eafe look after a garden of a thoufand vines; befides raifing paddee fufficient for their fubfiftence or one hard-working man can perform it. In order to lighten the talk, a crop of grain is commonly, and may without detriment, be raised from the garden ground in the first feafon. When cleared, juft before they fow the paddee, the fhort chinkareens are to be planted; and when it is reaped, and the talks of it cleared away, thefe are of proper age to receive the vines. By thus uniting the ob jects of his culture, the planter may have a garden formed, without any other, (for a feafon) than the ufual labour neceffary for railing provifions for his family. "The pepper gardens are plant. ed in even rows, running parallel and at right angles with each other. Their appearance is very beautiful, and rendered more striking by the contrast they exhibit to the wild fcenes of nature which furround them. In highly cultivated countries, fuch as England, where landed property is all lined out, and bounded and interfected with walls and hedges, we endeavour to give our gardens and pleafure grounds the charm of variety and novelty, by imitating the wildneffes of nature in ftudied irregularities. Winding walks, hanging woods, craggy rocks, falls of water, are all looked upon as improvements; and the ftately avenues, the canals, and lawns of our ancestors, which afforded the beauty of contraft, in ruder times, are now exploded. Thefe different taftes are not merely the effect of caprice, nor entirely of refinement, but refult from the change of circumftances. A man who fhould attempt on Sumatra, the modern, or irregular style of laying out grounds, would attract but little attention, as the unimproved fcenes, adjoining on every fide, would probably eclipfe his labours. Could he, on the contrary, raise up, amidst these magnificent wilds, one of the antiquated parterres, with its canals and fountains, whofe fymmetry he has learned to defpife, his work would produce admiration and delight. A pepper garden cultivated in England, would not, in point of external appearance, be confidered as an object of extraordinary beauty, and would be particularly found fault with for its uniformity; yet, in Sumatra, I never entered one, after travelling many miles, as is fually the cafe, through the woods, that I did not find myself affected with a ftrong fenfation of pleafure. Perhaps the fimple view of human induftry, fo fcantily prefented in that ifland, might contribute to this plea fure, by awakening thofe focial feelings that nature has infpired us with, and which make our breafts glow on the perception of whatever indicates the happiness of our fellow crea tures. "Once in every year, a furvey of all the pepper plantations is taken by the company's European fervants, refident at the various fettlements, in the neighbourhood of which that article is cultivated. The number of vines in each particular garden is counted; accurate observation is inade of its state and condition; orders are given, where neceffary, for farther care, for completion of tipulated quantity, renewals, changes of fituation for better foil; and rewards and punishments are diftri. buted to the planters, as they appear, from the degree of their industry or remiffness, deferving of either. Memorandums of all these are noted in the furvey-book, which, befide giving prefent information to the chief, and to the governor and council, to whom a copy is tranfmitted, ferves as a guide and check for the furvey of the fucceeding year. An abftract of the form of the book is as follows. It is divided into fundry columns, containing the name of the village; the names of the planters; the number of chinkareens planted; the number of vines juft planted; of young vines, not in a bearing ftate, three claffes or years; of young vines not in a bearing state, three claffes; of vines in prime; of those on decline; of thofe that are old, but still productive; the total number; and laftly, the quantity of pepper received during the year. A space is left for occafional remarks, and at the conclufion is fubjoined a comparison of the total of each column, for the whole diftrict or refidency, with those of the preceding year. This bufinefs, the reader will perceive to be attended with confiderable trouble, exclufive of the actual fatigue of the furveys, which from the nature of the country, muft neceffarily neceffarily be performed on foot, in a climate not very favourable to fuch exertions. The journeys in few places can be performed in lefs than a month, and often require a much longer time. "The inhabitants, by the original contracts of the head men with the company, are obliged to plant a certain number of vines: each family one thousand, and each young unmarried man, five hundred; and in order to keep up the fucceffion of produce, fo foon as their gardens attain to their prime state, they are ordered to prepare others, that may begin to bear, as the old ones fall off; but as this can feldom be enforced, till the decline becomes evident, and as young gardens are liable to various accidents, which older ones are exempt from, the fucceffion is rendered incomplete, and the confequence is, that the annual produce of each district fluctuates, and is greater or lefs, in the proportion of the quantity of bearing vines to the whole number. To enter minutely into the detail of this bufinefs, will not afford much information or entertainment to the generality of readers, who will however be furprifed to hear that pepper planting, though fcarcely an art, fo little skill appears to be employed in its cultivation, is nevertheless a very abftrufe fcience. The profoundest in vestigations of very able heads have been bestowed on this fubject, which took their rife from the cenfures naturally expreffed by the directors at home to the fervants abroad, for a fuppofed mifmanagement, when the investment, as it is termed, of pepper, decreased in comparifon with preceding years, and which the unfavourableness of feafons did not by any means account for fatisfactorily. To obviate fuch charges, it became neceffary for the gentlemen who fu perintended the bufinefs, to pay at tention to, and explain the efficient caufes which unavoidably occafioned this fluctuation, and to establish general principles of calculation, by which to determine at any time the probable future produce of the different refidencies. These will depend upon a knowledge of the medium produce of a determinate number of vines, and the medium number to which this produce is to be applied; both of which are to be afcertained only from a ccmprehenfive view of the subject, and a nice difcrimination. Nothing general can be determined from detached inftances. It is not the produce of one particular plantation, in one particular ftage of bearing, and in one particular feafon; but the mean produce of all the various claffes of bearing vines collectively, drawn from the experience of feveral years, that can alone be depended on in calculations of this nature. So in regard to the medium number of vines prefumed to exist at any refidency in a future year, to which the medium produce of a certain number, one thoufand for inftance, is to be applied, the quantity of young vines of the first, fecond and third year, muft not be indifcriminately advanced, in their whole extent, to the next annual stage, but a judicious allowance, founded on experience must be made, for the accidents to which, in fpite of a refident's utmoft care, they will be expofed. Some are loft by neglect or death of the owner; fome are deftroyed by inundations, others by elephants and wild buffaloes, and fome by unfavourable feafons; and from thefe feveral confiderations, the number of vines will ever be found confiderably decreafed, by the time they have arrived at a bearing ftate. Another important ob ject |