Nuhou, Volume I, Number 22, 9 Mei 1873 — The Dutch Achinese War. [ARTICLE]

The Dutch Achinese War.

] Lwcr>o.v, April disi>ateh from reiinuj Straits of Malaeea. datc|l to-day, eajs ihe latcsi. I newfe from Sumatm is tliUt thc Dutcli forecs La\>: |retrptcd to tlie eea Knieh, \vhcre thej liavo iu trenched tliemselvcs. It, i- doubtful wl.eUioi- they oanihoM thcir position; therc long, as t!iej aiv vast(ly outmiiubercd by| tliosc. of tho" Sultau of Atcfiin, whoee forcce ah constaiuly increasiK Thc of the Dutcli in |kilicd and \vounded sin(!i ihe bc i i,iuning ol' tho rebellion is esiiniatcvl ;it ">OO. | Th(S iiulUui'e- is uuknown;, but must bc verv li„avy I Aeliin. oi' as the Du(cb epell tlie name Aiehiu. I aud Atjien, is a vory pitcrcsting ev>uiitiv. aui I woilthv of our espo«ial aueiui..'ii at this time. It i is sjtuated on the northern enu ol ihe islauu of j and constitutcs about one-£fth ūie j au * 1 ■" that. »i«i( island ; and I.:>d i\ccordin- ti> j the; historian Cra\vfurdi some i\\ciuy \c;\rs a-i. | a population of- 450,0|)0 souls. U \\as onie i mueh niorc cxtcn-n O , a|id cur'i\Kvd otuer >t;ui=s. j and territones orbunuUra. a«J or ti;o ) Pontinent. In 1002. Qneon El'uoKnh 0 r | scub her anib a ssadof Si|- Jauios Laucasier, u» ai(licit tho ā\vov of the £ing of Aohin, thcn i>:g\iLled as tho iuost iv\vciful uionan/h in uio r<a, in belialf of seven|l ofller Majesty's •• jvor that- they may'freoly cstablis!i a >e;clc.'. Jhot:«ooffactory ia youf v,!uv!> factv-tr j ?hall lcaru tlie ;\nd cu?tonis of your suh - | jtvis, whcreby Uie bettjcr aud uiore loviu£ly t.) j convcwc Vflth Ihom." | | Jvuch \vas the fīrst I.uui'mo ■. f | lani in Indi;\. And .iA>uwuud i\u;;uks. •• t\v.< 1 lmndrv%l and fif>y luwe \\roi.-lit a w. uae!.' 1 ful chnngo. Thc H;OvV.wr 0 f Quo.hi i:'ise''etb i iI Mi>trcss ofull hhlia wi;t!i i;> •JV , .»HH > ,OOO ,>f j s \>- 1K Wiil.O t;H Kii' T '( Ael.ī*' w . ;.

Miehhipman in fehe British East Inelia Company scrvlcc aini rcccived his cducation in the British jechools of Borahay. Sir Jamcs Lancastcr mentions a curious Bcenc attending hisdeparture from theCourt of Aehin. The King on leavc taking, .cnquired if anv qf thc strangers knew the Psaims of David. The Am~ ]>assador replied, " yea, and we singthcm daily." c< Then, , ' said the King, " 1 and the nobles around me will sing a psalm to God for your prosperity," and eo they very solemnly did." And after it was ended, the King said, <( I would havo you sing one together in your own languago." " So therc being twelve of us we sang as dēsirccl.* 5 " And the King parted with them in a jiiost allcctionatc manner. The convcrsatio« was carried on in Arabic hy means of a Jewish interprcter. In thc course of our advcntures in Sumatra, we liave met with Maliometans, and in a Mahomctan mosquc who Enrprised us with a knowledgo of the Psalms of David. Another anecdotc we must. īnenlion in eonneetion with anothcr embaesy to Aehin, when a Quccn w 7 as on the throne. The diplomat on this occasion wore a wig; and after pre|jpting his credentials he delivered a labored harague to Her Sarcna. The Ambassador wae tlelighted at the fised attention of the Royal Lady upon his e person, and at the cohclusion of his specch, shc desired him to draw near, and as he approached cxpecting to receive some mark of Royal oriental iavor shc simply gratificd lier fcminine curiosity ; by lifting up his wig. | We lea.rncd from a distinguishcd ītalian travolcr ; Cesare Morcno, whoip we met in Washington in 1869, that the Sulktn of Aehin, whose Court he had rccenfly lcft, had a naval force of eight gun boats and twenty-five thousand troops ; butasno doubt other Malay Statos, the neighboriiig oncs of Siak and Indraghiri would join \vith the Aehinese in makmg war on their eommon enemy the Dutch, this forces will be greatiy increased. The Achinesc havc sustained some ternble wars with hoth "thc Portuguese and Dutch forces. Tho jving v Qf Aehin went to raise thc siege of Malaeea, \vith §00 war veseels, and 60,000 troops on board. And although the power of the prcsen't Sultan is far inferior to tliat of his aneestors, yct lus people are proud, warlike and patriotic, and as the ncws by telegram to London informs ue, they iuWe given to thc arrogant, domincering j Dutch their lirst serious eheek in the East Indics ( . Ti)eir eountry will be easily defcnded by resoulute men, and we sh'ali look with great interesfc for additiQnal news from the seat of in Aehin, We sec it stated that the war is m &ocounfc of piracies against English coinmerec, whieh HollaiKl is bound by treaty to protcctin Sumatran waters, The l)atch were not M amon<*-thc iirst Kuropeaw 1 natious to gain. a in the EastUuVj \vore thc very last; and did fiot eflbet any settlement m Sumatra tili long after ihe Portuguese and Knglish had heen there. But as regard?? the ahsurdity of t lie Dutch proteetion of English eommeree in those seas ; w'e have belbre us a eopy t»f a treaty betwecn thc British Uovermnent and j llk Ilighness Sri Sultan Allah lddien Auluni 1 Shah tbc King of Aehin, in the sisth artielc of| whieh trealy, il.ie Sultan agrees to exelude thc j subjeetß of everv other Eurojcan powei% !tk i % <iH Amtrkūn* from a lixed habitation ov reai kihi in his douuuions/' Now as thc Dutch cngagcd \ m a war wiih our old aequaintanee, the Sultan i oi'.hunhee* another Sumatrau prolen(ate. in onui ;* lewilni'ia? I■■.loīholu iii ihecoumilrv m

are 6atisfied that this war with Aehin is in ! qucncc'of her indcpendcnfc attitude, and .heeauee! she prefecnte the only barrier to the. supvemacy of| the Dutch over the whole ißland of Suniatra. ! Signor Moreno was the hearer ef a proposition ■ to cede a emall irfand on the coast of Aehin toi thc Aiberican Governmcnfc as a naval etation,) inueh nceded hy the United Shites Navv in East| Indian watere ; but the gentleinan received s!ight t encourtigement from Amenean Senatorfi, and he! supposed that the British trcatv etou*l in hiß. waj i at the State Department; This gentleman who| waS'in the service df the King of Aehin suhse- j quently discussed the probahilities of an allianee j between a member of the Royal Family of Aehin! and the King of the Hawaiian īslands ; and thc i subjcct as discussad by Mr, Moreno was prescntcd i to the bonsideration of llislate M{vjcsty, to whom I however, it had been suggested as carly as 1867, as we havc will show, 311« Majesty's viets f s were at one timc favovab!e,'but ile ultimately permitted various influcnces to ovcr\vcigh this coiitemplated allianee, whieh might have done more for the strengthening of tlic llawaiian and thc pcrpetuatioi> of the Hawaiian people than any other rueasure that has eome under our observatiou.