B a t a v i a ,
Le Brim* vifited this court in 1706, and exhibits a fine picture
o f the effeminacy o f the Oriental monarch, illuftrating it
with a print. All the attendants were females, even his body
guards. One is feen with her muiket on her lhoulder, others
with lances. Dancing girls, and two diminutive dwarfs, performing
before his majefty, fhew the feftivity of the court; let me add
that one of the ladies, officers o f ftate, bore the fword, another
the golden bowl, and fo to the number o f ten, each carrying a
different badge o f ftate. Near this city he alfo faw a miracle
in this climate; a lady o f the age of a hundred-and-thirty.
A f t e r palling fome leagues to the eaft, through the group o f
the Thou/and files, we arrive at the bay o f Batavia, amidff
others equally numerous, each named by the Dutch in memory
o f their own country.. The traveller would imagine himfelf in
Holland, and more fo when he enters the great and magnificent
city o f Batavia, feated in a fwamp, as like as poflible to their
boafted capital Amfterdam; but here, overhung with peftilential
vapors, that would foon by their fatal eftecfts depopulate the native
country, did not the teeming Germany annually pour down
the Rhine its thoufands to fupply the lofs, in a place fo injudici-
oufly fixed on through national prejudice. As to the troops,
they are picked out o f the vagabonds o f Amfterdam, and fent to
certain death, for in the fpace o f three years, not five furvive out
o f a battalion o f an equal number o f hundreds. Let Doftor
TJnd\ S c r ib e the fatal effedts o f the injudicious felecftion o f
fituation of this proud capital, on fome o f the Britijh fubjeits,
who unfortunately put in here : « During the fickly feafon at
* Travels, vol. ii. p. I09. t on Difecf«, p . i 44.
“ Batavia,
“ Batavia, a boat belonging to the Medway, which attended on
“ Ihore every night, was three times fucceffively manned, not
“ one having furvived that fervice. They were all taken ill in
“ the night, when on ihore, or when returning on board, fo
“ that the officers were at length obliged to employ none but
“ the natives o f the country on that bufinefs.”
O n the arrival o f the Europeans in this country, a town then J a c a t r a .
called Calappa, and about the year 1607 changed to that of
Jacatra, flood on the fite o f Batavia. The regulus of the
place had made an alliance with the Englifh, which gave great
umbrage to the Dutch, who had likewife their fettlements here,
tinder the protection of a fort or tw o ; the rivals came to action;
for a time we had the fuperiority, and in the year 1619, after a
fuccefsful battle at fea, compelled the Dutch commodore Iioen, to
retreat to Amboina; but he foon returned in fuch force, as to
oblige the Englijh, by capitulation, totally to evacuate the
place. This was not a national war, but carried on entirely between
the two companies.
Koen utterly deftroyed the town o f Jacatra, and built F o u n d e d i s
in its place the prefent Batavia, on a far more extenfive
fcale. The anniverfary is obferved in honor o f the founder to
this day. The ftreets are regular, each has its canal, which in the
dry feafon emit a moft horrid flench, from the filth flung into
them, and the clofenefs o f the trees planted on the banks prevent
the due circulation. No place could poflibly be felecfted
more unwholefome; fo that what Purchas relates o f Bantam,
mav well be applied to this city, “ that it is not a place to re- S i c k l y
r “ C l i m a t e .
E 2 “ cover