a statement of the mortality that prevailed ia an Indiaman, a part of the erew of
which landed at Batavia, he thus proceeds.
“ ;Such is the;-melancholy instance of the noxious climate of Batavia;.whioh came
« within my own-observation.; That it was not epidemic is.clearly, evinced*fronuts*
. “ not extending its influence to those who attended the.sick nor to the rest'of the. crew,
“ all-of whom escaped its attack and remained healthy. Among the Dutch-who,remain
“ in the town, fevers are, I undestand, very prevalent at all-seasons, -notwithstanding
“ their being i'nr a manner inured to the climate, and most of them have a sallow,
<t .sickly appearance. It is not uncommon, in riding through the streets, to meet
“ three or four funerals daily. ;
r a ipbe Chinese, however, who are very -numerous, suffer more • than any «class
« of the people; perhaps from the worse .situations of their houses, , the-manner
4 in which these' are crowded,’ the closeness of their apartments, and, their, gross
“ manner of living. The number of casualties among.th‘em,;ij,am told, is-incredible,
“ especially during the dry season; and if one- may-judge from the-extent of their-
“ burial ground and the number of their tumuli, it .cannot admit of a-doubt. „-The
“ preceding facts aTe,. I conclude, suflicient to establish the truth ofrthe ,nox-ihv^
“ character the climate of Batavia has so long obtained, and,! shall- nqwproceed.to
“ the causes which have been often invesfigated, and seem, well 'ascertained, though
“ the knowledge of them has led to little exertion for their removal.
« The baneful effects of marsh miasmata on the human systemjgjg^well; known,
« engendering intermittent and remittent fevers, dysenteries,. apd^yi'scer^o^strUA-
Sstions. Batavia" built almost in a swamp, surrounded by.mar.shes;
“ trees and'jungles which prevent the exhalations being carrietLoff by p-^e^cip
“ culation of air, is peculiarly- obnoxious from this cause. Opposite the mouth' of the
I Sariver, and extending a great way to the westward, is a mrid-Jbank; whfrhto many
ff, parts at low water is uncovered by the sea,'and is dai^ecunjulating from the
« quantities of mud and animal and vegetable matter carried^dojmtoy
“ during its reflux. Again, the sea often at spring tides -overflows ^the; ^ a e g n t
«country, and on its receding leaves the soil covered wi,th^i2aei.and-.pmd, which
“ exposed to the action of; the sun soon suffers decomposition, and impregnates, the
atmosphere with its noxious exhalations, which are carried by the-sea bpeeze^yer
“ Batavia, where the trees and jungles surrounding the houses-prevent-Aheiri-toerag
« dissipated. During the heat of the day, these exhalations are more diffused.-and
“ comparatively innoxious, but when the. sun withdraws its ^influence, they .become
« more condensed, and amalgamating with, the descending evening;dews form,a
fc morbid atmosphere around the houses of the.inhabitants. | K | S will
I readiiy account for a fact well known, that people whose commei;cial concerns
1 require their presence in Batavia-during the day, and who retire .during the night
« into the country, escape this endemic, • while scarcely any who sleep in the town,
I even for a night, unless those who by a long residence are inured to it, escape* M
1 the ingenious and sensible work formerly alluded to (Mr. Johnson’s).I find-tbw
° «hypothesis
b- hypothesis so cleanly’and- perspicuously expounded, that I must take the liberty
“ of 'quoting it«, Vui »• •- < ■1 1 ' !
, . a i The cause why the ^tenchj"emitted- by ■roa|shes':aha'i. vegetable- matter in a
instate of,fdeeojnpQSfticfoi&^^ aftg^sun^ji.stootthat
W ‘ tier vapours-are diseng^getoVf&r/ator.Quantities .then ,thanVd.uringV% fray,
fcU but the marshes Vetai^theirlieat for somedimte after the, sun’s, rays arp witbdijayyn,
ft. ‘eandi,'consequently. cofitindQ’fto emit'vapours thro:ugJ&#£;a|mosphere,;, as during
H high, temperature,rof .thp day by;thfe,suri.V*T!?ey therefore meetobe descending
K&wspwondenSingl anduformisg a. thick,fog, whicjh,] hoverstl.q v ^ the„( stamps
,/c « accompanied, fty, a noxious and-frisagreeable odrite The miasmata exhuled'-fruqng
p j the.yday^iinqaU-probabiM%,->dfecendi.wifh#e;d h frs^ th e1 evening, which meeting
&W# ande'combining with-[ those I that I continue*, toabefc-disongagefy from, theirP; spurcK
must.form a concentration .highly icapable.of-aff^iBg^th^Mtituton. Marsh
effluvia become.- at >a -certain, cfo^'pce -from ftheir^jfmicg.^Qdops.,, , Dy. llpnter
“f £ qbserves,- “ a fewfefet in height gives' a.comparative;secra;,fty4n $ k ^ ^ a
I p This will foe ^accounted' fo^.byj.the rsupposition, f exhaled I
CC ( during the dayJdescend in the' evenings* th*-.b^ofoftnrqreQnd m p r f ^ i ^ ^ t e d ,
till. meeting the , exhalations.■ from .th e /re ek in g !]m a rto e§ ,'; a-rfreuse;. stratum
of < highly rimpregnated ^tmospherej ip ffopndc contigu(ms,]to^^^sur&TO^of [|;heJ
« t earth :) 'h e f e ' the salubrity, bfv'ileepfrg!?m ! j u p p e r « ^ ^ ^ ^ |^ , ^fePa.leadg, to
lAvianothV practicable, inference) o fd^^ioe rable 'rimpdrfra^ that-wheni nfocehsityr
‘ compels .exposure to toese 'marshes, ,wet should- select ,t%^ppin^g|J|img; least
“ frilrkely to meet those t miasmata, whetfos^as£ending.or.d^ih d ^ y * )Thi^ pe^Sj-
seems to^extend,from three.to six in, the.afternoon : * , that js,_afte^tb^g^atestt
K'«-n£ heat of the earth and air; and hcms^entl^thft greatest e v a p o ra tiq p ^ n ^ ^ o r e %
£. the.pondensatjonTtapft-i^eturn.o-fjsuch exhalations asjps^during the day^mmltojiich
combine with those still issuiqg-from. the heatfefl’soihfomoj^time after^qnset R
I <« t-A sfecond; r and l think an ..equally,. powerful icause, idsmtlre sta^ghhotj jvater, o f
bj“ , the -canals, which in alfodipsctions intersect"the. city. In the first
“ filled pwjth filth o f every ddscriptiouf;-. thei‘e-ftsjscdrcelyjiat tijop^spy pertsefetible
££,ieurrent ia.them to', carry o ff’that filth; and fo r t ly ^ h ^ s ^ ^ J to e - frequeutl^kppt-
f/rshut, for the purposed of. swellingjitKe -waters .aboye, tl,eini.to .irrigate, tlig flelds,
-"&%while! thosef bdlofry- Irthich ;intetsect. the
« extensive surface»dfrmud,and every kindtofr puttofi^jmatte/^tofre.ac^dQponfoythe
,££*,;sun,-. raising th* most.pestitehtialfvapours; cvrtth w h ith j^ b e fo r e observed,, to®
.“ talmosphere gets thoroughly impregnatedtf^tt.^j] mi* to ^ *
• “ -.As a third cause,mthe.istate ,o£'«^e houses .ir^ay ,beij,cpp^idened, ...apd, jhe-, mode»
Es« oTliving of the Dutdli. Houses "that OUtenanfed are s e f f l^ opgijefl,-and
L«,b thus collect much filth arid fouk d^pnpernicious vapours.' .«-T^p^ap^^iohabitod
« are generally shut up in the day .-time; most'of .themebeingiglazexi, ^hqshpre'ffftllRg
<c, a free circillation Je|^afr| and in.the lqwer story Gf;.rnost ,o| the hojiseSj.the^,walls
; k ^ : ^
• Mr Robertson's observation aud experience led him to give it a greater latitmle, from eight or nine ip the
morniug till tSvclvc, and M m three to six in the afternoon, -
APPENJOIX.
aT