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BANTAM

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Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 356 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BANTAM , the westernmost residency of the See also:

island of See also:Java, Dutch See also:East Indies, bounded W. by the Strait of Sunda, N. by the Java See also:sea, E. by the residencies of See also:Batavia and See also:Preanger, and S. by the See also:Indian Ocean. It also includes Princes Island and See also:Dwars-in-den-weg (" right-in-the-way ") Island in Sunda Strait, as well as several smaller islands along the coasts. Bantam had a See also:population in 1897 of 709,339, including 302 Europeans, 1959 See also:Chinese and 89 See also:Arabs and other See also:Asiatic foreigners. The natives are Sundanese, except in the See also:northern or Serang See also:division, where they are Javanese. The See also:coast is See also:low-lying and frequently marshy. The northern portion of the residency constitutes the most fertile portion, is generally See also:flat with a hilly See also:group in the See also:middle, where the two inactive volcanoes, Karang and Pulosari, are found, while the See also:north-western corner is occupied by the isolated Gede See also:Mountain. The See also:southern portion is covered by the Kendang (See also:Malay for " range ") Mountains extending into the Preanger. The See also:rivers are only navigable at their mouths. Various geysers and See also:cold and warm See also:sulphur springs are found in the centre of the residency, and on a See also:ridge of the Karang Mountain is the large See also:crater-See also:lake Dano, a See also:great See also:part of which was drained by the See also:government in 1835 for See also:rice cultivation. See also:Pulse (kachang), rice and See also:coffee are the See also:principal products of cultivation; but in the days of government culture See also:sugar, See also:indigo and especially See also:pepper were also largely grown. The former considerable fishing and See also:coasting See also:trade was ruined by the eruption of See also:Krakatoa in 1883, a large stretch of coast See also:line and the seaport towns of Charingin and Anjer being destroyed by the inundation. The prosperity of the residency was further affected by a See also:cattle See also:plague in 1879, followed by a See also:fever epidemic which carried off 50,000 See also:people, and except in the rice See also:season there is a considerable See also:emigration of natives.

Bantam contains five native regencies or territorial divisions, namely, Serang, Anjer, Pandeglang, Charingin, Lebak. The principal towns are Serang, the See also:

capital of the residency, Chilegon, Pandeglang, See also:Menes and Rangkas Betug. The See also:chief See also:town, Serang, is situated 22 M. from Bantam See also:Bay on the high road from Batavia. The See also:port of Serang is Karangantu, on Bantam Bay, and See also:close by is the old ruined town of Bantam, once the capital of the See also:kingdom of Bantam, and before the See also:foundation of Batavia the principal commercial port of the Dutch East See also:India See also:Company. The ruins include the remains of the former pepper warehouses, the old factory, called Fort Speelwijk, belonging to the company, the fortified See also:palace of the former sultans and a well-preserved See also:mosque thought to have been built by the third See also:Mahommedan ruler of Bantam about 1562-1576, and containing the tombs of various princes of Bantam. Before the Dutch See also:conquest Bantam was a powerful Mahommedan See also:state, whose See also:sovereign extended his conquests in the neighbouring islands of See also:Borneo and See also:Sumatra. In 1595 the Dutch expelled the Portuguese and formed their first See also:settlement. A See also:British factory was established in 1603 and continued to exist till the See also:staff was expelled in 1682. In 1683 the Dutch reduced the See also:sultan to vassalage, built the fort of Speelwijk and monopolized the port, which had previously been See also:free to all corners; and for more than a See also:century afterwards Bantam was one of the most important seats of See also:commerce in the East Indies. In 1811 after Batavia had surrendered to the British, Bantam soon followed; but it was restored to the Dutch in 1814. Two years later, however, they removed their chief settlement to the more elevated station of Serang, or See also:Ceram, 7 M. inland, and in 1817 the ruin of Bantam was hastened by a See also:fire. • For " Bantam " fowls see POULTRY.

End of Article: BANTAM

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