archive access 1.04.02, inventory number 3497, page 31
Summary (also from the next page)
On 14 February 1777, a report was made about wood being brought across the company's territory to the beaches. The wood came partly from forest people who had to cut and deliver timber for the company's woodworks, similar to the process in Joara. The rest of the wood came from the wood villages. These villages were mostly separate from the forests where cutting was done for the company. In these villages, the local rulers and lesser chiefs rented the forests to the Chinese or let common people use them to make a living.
This practice could harm the company in the future if all forests along the beaches were claimed as company property. The harm would occur especially if no care was taken for forest preservation in general and no young trees were planted to replace cut ones. The problem could only be stopped by:
Strictly forbidding the rulers from renting out wood villages or forests
Forbidding the local people from cutting any wood except for the company
Banning private transport of wood
However, it would be difficult to successfully prevent wood cutting and selling in the vast forests within an area of 18 miles or more than 36 hours of walking. This area covered the districts of Touban, Lassum, Rembang, and Padjankoengang along the coast. To enforce such a ban, a guard or supervisor would need to be placed in every village.
The report raised important objections to these measures:
Forbidding the renting of wood villages and forests would cut off the main source of income for the rulers of these districts, which rarely produced enough rice to feed the inhabitants and had few other products. This would discourage them and possibly turn them against the company.
The common people mainly, if not entirely, made their living from cutting wood and building boats. Forbidding wood cutting would also prevent boat building. This would force people to leave the beaches or company territory and move inland. As a result, these districts would become noticeably depopulated, the small trade that depended on boats would suffer greatly, and the country's income would also decrease.
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Transcription
11 den 14=' Februarij 1777 gekpt, en : zekerlijk om dat ir gien andere wig vooris / over 's compagnies territoir naar de stranden worden gebragt, zoo„ dat dies vervoer ook eer voor- dan nadeelig is, deels van de Bosch-volkeren, die compagnies Houtwerken kappen en Le„ „veren moeten, even als te Joara; worden opgedaan, en v7oor„ de rest worden gehaald, uit de Hout Negorijen, die meest als afgezonderd van de Bosschen, in dewelke, voor de Com„ „pagnie word gekapt, de regenten respective en ook min„ „dere Hoofden, als de Haare considerarende, aan de Chinee„ „sen vverhuuren, of aan den gemeenen man overlaten, om daar uit zijn bestaan te vinden; Dat dit laatste, voor zoo verre, als alle bosschen die langs de stranden leggen, de compagnie toe geeigend worden, ook zeeker in der tijd /: als geen zorge voor de Con„ „cervatie der bosschen in 't gemeen, en voor den aanplant successive van jonge boomen gedragen word:/ nadeelig voor de Maatschappije weezen kan, maar niet kan wor„ „den belet dan door scherpelijk te vverbieden, de Regenten om geene Hout-negorijen of Bosschen te verhuuren, en den Jn„ „lander in het gemeen, om geen ander Hout, als voor de Comp: te kappen, en dan ook nog door daar en boven den particulieren vervoer van Hout te interdiceeren, om dat in een tusschen wijdte van 18. mijlen of ruim 36. uuren-gaans die de districten van Touban, Lassum, Rembang e
Source citation
National Archives / Archives South Holland, archive number 1.04.02, Inventaris van het archief van de Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC), 1602-1795 (1811), inventory number 3497, Heren Zeventien en kamer Amsterdam, INGEKOMEN STUKKEN UIT INDIË, Overgekomen brieven en papieren, Overgekomen brieven en papieren uit Indië aan de Heren XVII en de kamer Amsterdam, Overgekomen brieven en papieren uit Indië aan de Heren XVII en de kamer Amsterdam, 1778. Zevenentwintigste boek: Batavia's ingekomen brievenboek, deel VII: Java's Oostkust
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