Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 3.djvu/159

COMMERCE OF THE ARCHIPELAGO. 143 As in rude and unsettled states of society every- where, mercantile profits are exorbitant, and the rate of interest high in proportion to this profit, and to the risk of lending. No attempt, that I am aware of, has ever been made to determine, by law, the rate of interest. In the rude period of society which preceded the modern intercourse with stran- gers, commerce had not assumed, among the In- dian islanders, that regular and systematic charac- ter which would lead to such a measure, and it is probable that the interdiction of interest, from reli- gious motives, has since hindered it from being openly declared. Among the natives themselves, trading on large capitals is a thing unknown. Every merchant is a petty retailer, or shopkeeper. The natural rate of interest may be ascertained from a view of the character of the transactions of such dealers. The Chinese of Java will occasionally lend, on good security, at twelve per cent., but double this amount is more frequent. The rate in this case, however, is greatly reduced from the con- fidence and security which any form of European government, however imperfect, naturally confers. Under the native governments, it is probable that not less than fifty per cent, is paid by the borrower in one form or another for a loan. The women, especially in Java, are almost the sole merchants and brokers, the men hardly ever interfering, at least in matters of retail. Ihe