The Malays Are
The Original Natives; But Besides These And The Dutch, Who Are The
Masters, It Is Inhabited By
Portuguese, Chinese, Persians, and negroes.
The town is large and handsome, having seven churches, belonging to the
Dutch, Portuguese, Malays,
And Chinese.[213] The town has many spacious
houses built in the European manner, and is walled and moated all round,
the ramparts being well provided with cannon. In the middle of the city
there is a spacious square, in which is the stadt-house, where all
public matters are transacted. This city is usually governed by a member
of the States-General of the United Netherlands, with the title of
Governor-General of India, all other governors of the possessions
belonging to the Dutch Company being subordinate to his authority. The
inhabitants are well pleased in the governor-general being often
changed, as all prisoners are released at the installation of a new one,
except those charged with murder. He has twelve counsellors to assist
him, who are called the rads, or lords of India, and are mostly such
as have formerly been governors in other places, as in Ceylon, Amboina,
Malacca, &c.
[Footnote 213: This seems to indicate that, of the seven churches,
some belong to the Dutch Calvinists and Portuguese Roman Catholics,
while others are Mahometan places of worship for the Malays, and idol
temples, or pagodas, frequented by the Chinese. - E]
The city is divided by many canals, over which there are bridges almost
at the end of every street, together with booms to lay across, that no
boats may go in or out after sunset. The chief product of the adjoining
country is pepper, of which the Dutch export great quantities every
year; and there are also some few diamonds and other precious stones.
The chief fruits here are plantains, bananas, oranges, lemons,
mangostans, and rumbostans. The mangostan is about the size of a
golden rennet, quite round, and resembling a small pomegranate, the
outer rind being like that of the pomegranate, but of a darker colour,
but the inside of the rind of a fine red. The fruit lies within the
rind, commonly in four or five cloves, of a fine white, very soft and
juicy, within each clove having a small black stone or pip. The pulp is
very delicious, but the stone is very bitter, and is therefore thrown
away, after sucking the fruit The rumbostan is about the size of a
walnut after the green outside peel is off, and is nearly of the shape
of a walnut, having a thick tough outer rind of a deep red colour, full
of red knobs, within which is a white jelly-like pulp, and within that
is a large stone. The pulp is very delicate, and never does any harm,
however much of it a man may eat, providing he swallow the stones; but
otherwise they are said to produce fevers.
This island of Java, on the north side of which Batavia is situated,
extends about ten degrees from east to west, or nearly 700 English
miles. The weather is here extremely regular, and the inhabitants know
how to use it to the best advantage. During the eastern monsoon, the
land-winds are at S.E. Sometimes more southerly; and the sea-winds blow
from the N.E. fine pleasant gales. This easterly monsoon is accounted
the good monsoon, being fine clear and fair weather, and begins in
April, ending in October. The other, or westerly, is called the bad
monsoon, consisting of blustering rainy weather, accompanied with much
thunder and lightning, especially in December, January, and February.
This bad monsoon begins in November and ends in March or the beginning
of April; during which the land-winds are W.S.W. or S.W. and the
sea-winds at N.W. and W.N.W.
The anchoring ground all along the north side of Java, from Madura to
Batavia, is a fine oozy bottom, free from rocks. The principal places on
this side of the island are Batavia, Bantam, Japara, Samarang, Surabon,
Taggal, Quale, and Rambang; all of which are possessed by the Dutch.
These settlements afford abundance of rice, with which the Dutch supply
all their out-factories near Java, and also produce excellent plank for
ship-building. The principal place for ship-building is Rambang, where
the free burgesses of Batavia usually go to build their small vessels,
as sloops and brigs. Ships of five, six, and seven hundred tons, often
load with timber at Rambang, Quale, Japara, and other places; and each
ship, after being fully laden, takes a great raft or float of the
largest timber, which she tows along with her to Batavia. Some of these
rafts are said to be thirty feet square, and draw twenty feet water.
There are commonly six ships employed in this timber trade, and they
usually make four voyages yearly in the good monsoon, for in the bad
they cannot do any thing. Ail this timber is for the most part landed on
the island of Ormrust, between four and five leagues from Batavia,
where there are about 200 ship-carpenters, who are constantly in full
employ, and here the Dutch careen their ships. This island is well
fortified, being, to use a sea phrase, all round a bed of guns.
We had notice on the 2d December, 1705, that all of us who wished to
return to England should immediately go on board the homeward-bound
Dutch East India fleet, which we did accordingly, and sailed next day.
This fleet consisted of twelve ships, as well provided in all respects
as any I had ever seen, and we made the voyage in good order. We arrived
at the Cape of Good Hope on the 3d February, 1706. The Dutch have here a
strong fortress, and about half a mile from this is a fine town of 150
houses, with a small church. The country in the neighbourhood is very
high, and the mountains are mostly barren, producing only a few shrubs;
but the country is full of lions, tigers, elephants, and other wild
beasts, which give great disturbance to the settlers, for which reason
the government gives a reward of fifty-two guilders for killing a lion,
equal to four pounds six and eight-pence, and twenty-four guilders, or
forty shillings, for killing a tiger.
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