ÖÖI 8x 3 ^c- 0 - Acehbooks.org

ii6 S U M A T R A ,
vice versa. If then this proportion can be known, and the ftate of po-pulation
in a refidency afcertained, it becomes eafy to determine the true
medium number of bearing vines in that refidency.
There are, agreeably to the form of the furvey book, eleven ftages
or claffes of vines, each advanced one year. Of thefe clafies, fix are
bearing, and five young. If therefore the gardens were not liable to
accidents, but paffed on from column to column undiminished, the true
proportion of the bearing vines to the young, would be as fix to five,
or to the total, as fix to eleven. But the various contingencies above
hinted at, muft tend to reduce this proportion; while on the other hand,
if any of the gardens fhould .continue longer than is neceflary to pais
through all the ftages on the furvey book, or fhould remain more than
one year in a prime ftate, thefe circumftances would tend to encreafe the
proportion. What then is the true medium proportion, can only be
determined from experience, and by comparing the ftate of a refidency
at various fucceflive periods. In order to afcertain this point, a very ingenious
gentleman, and able fervant of the Eaft India Company *; to
whom I am indebted for the moft part of what I have laid before the
reader on this fubject; drew out, in the year 1777, a general comparative
view of Manna refidency, from the furveys of twelve years, annexing
the produce of each year. From the ftatement it appeared,
that the proportion of the bearing vines to the whole number, in that
diftridt, was no more than 5,1 to 11, inftead of 6 to 11, which would
be the proportion if not reduced by accidents: and further, that when
.the whole produce of the twelve years was diffufed over the whole num-
.ber of bearing vines during that period, the produce of one thoufand
vines came out to be four hundred and fifty three pounds, which muft
therefore be eftimated as the medium produce of that refidency. The
fame principle of calculation being applied to the other refidencies, it
appeared, that the mean annual produce of one thoufand vines, in all
the various ftages of bearing, taken collectively throughout the country,
(deduced from the experience of twelve years, was four hundred and
• Mr. John Crifp,
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