WAR THAT HAS LASTED OVER THIRTY YEARS.

Lake County Press, Issue 2136, 20 September 1906, Page 7

WAR THAT HAS LASTED OVER THIRTY YEARS.

It may not be geuerally known Hint thf little kingdom of Holland is still engaged in u war which was begun 32 years ago. In IHT.'i Holla inifdcclared war against the Sultan i>i Aehin. The steps leaning tip to their action are of considerable interest. For live years during the NaI>oleonic wars, from 1811, ;i good portion of Insulinde came under British rule. In 181(3, because say some. lingland luts not properly realized its value, it has given bade to the Netherlands, with a provision, however, in respect to Sumatra, ratified by subsequent treaties and conventions, open and secret, that (he Dutch were not to cross the borders of the independent territories in the far north corner of the island. Hut for this explicit provision, Aehin, no doubt, would have fallen to the Dutch halt a century earlier. It is easier to steal a country than a mill, as Max llavelaas said of this very matter. On the- other hand England's care for the independence of the Achinesa was not disinterested. The provision embodying it, however, was removed in the con\ention of 1871, and within a few months Holland and Achitl were at loggerheads, and have been ever since. The provocations to war alleged by the Dutch were the depredations of I he Aehin pirates. It is not for us to decide the pretext. When in 187:2, matters came to a crisis between the Sultan and the Netherlands, offers were made to the latter by English (!o\ eminent to mediate with u View to getting A ell in to agree to the Dutch terms. It has been stated recently that a peaceful settlement thus in sight was thwarted by the Herman (!o\ eminent , who represented that such British interference might justify intervention on the part of other Powers, which Germany could not allow. By those who believe that pan-Herinaiiism is an imminent danger to England this is added to the proof of its sinister designs. Be that as it may, the wisdom of the expedition of 187.'! has been doubted by many people in Holland iIM.-lf: but it was easy for them to be knowing after the event, for the conquest of Aehin lias been notoriously an unfortunate enterprise for thn Initch. Entered upon with a light heart, it was not followed up with vigour. and though the Sultanate fell iii IH7 1. the country has never really been brought under subjection. The climate in Sumatra is most unhealthy for Europeans. Hying under the equator, the fierce rays of a. blistering sun are only'.made more distressing by the frequent torrential rains. The interior of the country, especially in Aehin, is a tropical district. Here the luxuriance of East Indian vegetation rims riot, in a labyrinth of morasses and undergrowth. There are forts throughout the A Chinese territory, and for the purpose of warfare the Achinese have divided their Sultanate into small Stales. The northern part of Sumatra is probably the worst in the world for a foreign army to invade. It is full of pitfalls and there are tremendous river beds. Only the native knows the country, and it is small wonder the Dutch have been unsuccessful, and have made little, .headway" in their campaign. Following a costly attack on the town of Aehin in April, 1873, the Dutch troops made another attempt in .June, the same year, and after numerous sanguinary attacks. in which they lost heavily, they succeeded in capturing the Grand Mosque and the citadel. Subsequently they re duced the whole town. lii December 157."., an expedition was sent out from Holland to complete the work of subjection. For five years it conslant war was continued, at the end of which time the natives had retired from the coast towns. General Karel vim der I fey-den was in command, and by the sternest measures he apparently had accomplished the impossible. The coast was cleared of Achinese : not a native appeared to disturb the peaceful I ness of the towns now in possession of the Dutch, consequently there was great joy in Holland. The general was re-called, feted, and compelled to listen to the most complimentary speeches. Then, considering the time was ripe, a civil Governor was sent out to take over the government of Sumatra, and military rule was withdrawn. HOST HOLLAND £20,000,000. But the Dutch reckoned without their host. The Achinese were only preparing for another conflict. The Sultan wtis by no means subdued, Seeing stern military power abandoned, the artless Achinese mind interpreted the charge us a sign of weakness, and one line day a large party of "conquered" Achinese ambushed and massacred a Dutch command which had carelessly wandered into the interior. More troops were sent out from the Netherlands. Every week the Dutch Batavian steamship takes out from 50 to GO recruits for the Achinese War, and they now have a ♦saying in Holland that "an Aehin soldier never comes back." While this is not strictly true, it is a fair commentary on the slide of affairs. The Dutch colonel records show that during the last ;i0 years from JO,OOO to 12,000 soldiers and native allies have lost then lives either in battle or from disease. Dp to the present the conflict has cost Holland about £20,000,000. GENERALS DEFEATED AND HUMILIATED. .Nearly, v\ovy general sent out Ittake command returns to Europe do feated and humiliated. Holland ii compelled to keep in her East Indiai possessions an army of about 40,001 men. Most of these are mercenaries and but for the trouble in Aehin hnl of the fore would be ample to keeping order. The Achinese are good fighters, am being Moslems, arc fearless in battle Death under these circumstances the: are told is but a translation iron this world into Paradise. they are fanatics, and carry on i guerilla warfare. Aside from thesi secret, attacks, the Achinese ligh fairly , and when they capture Dutcl soldiers trout them humanly and us ually send them back to their owi camp under escort. A WAR OF EXTERMINATION. Still the war conl iuues. The Ado •jiese are no nearer subjugation thai the} were thirty years ago. In ad diti'on to the army constantly kep in the Dutch East Indies, the Wilier lands Government maintains a speci al fleet of warships to patrol Hi Aehin musts. I'iracy bus, indeed 1,,.,.,, ,-,. healed by the Achinese to th limbo of lost arts, but iudepeudenc

is still theirs. The war in Achitl l* no longer a war of conquest ; it is a war of extermination. For 110 years the Portuguese struggled to overthrow the Sultan of Aehin. but those were the days of splendour and power of the Sultanate. The Sultan carried the war into Malacca, and although he accompanied an armada of 500 ships, carrying 00,000 warriors, to the neighbouring state, the Dons were able to defeat the Moslem chieftain in Malacca. In his own strongholds in Aehin they were not so successful, and retired after an intermittent warfare lasting close; on a century. In the days of its magnificence the Court of Aehin was one of the most opulent and splendid in the gorgeous East. I'or wealth, the Sultan had not only as much gold as a monarch could desire, but more than 900 elephants which were kept only for show on ceremonial occasions. The King of Siam might have been proud to call the Su'ltan of Aehin cousin ; the greatest rajah of India could not marshal so many stately pachyderms bedecked with the rarest, of costly fabrics and glittering with golden embroideries. The hist of the Portuguese had departed 100 years before the advance party of the Dutch made its appearance. —"Weekly Budget."