c +* >
The fiiburbs o f Batavia, or, as it is generally called, the Chinefe
town, being moftly inhabited by thofe people, lie on die fouth and
weft fides o f the ditch that furrounds the city wall, and are fcattered
about the country for feveral miles. The houfes are, in general, o f
wood, and have no pretenfions. to elegance or beauty; though their
warehoufes are fitted up with a certain degree o f glare - and gaudi»
nefs. A great variety o f manufactures .are carried on here by the
induftrious Chinamen: indeed, all the artificers and mechanics ia
Batavia are from China; the Europeans, through a foolifh and unpardonable
pride, confidering it a& beneath them to perform any
mechanical operations; and the Malays appear to be curled with a
natural incapacity to be inftrudted in any thing above the drudgery
o f manual labour.
The whole ©f thefe fuburbs forms a fcattered mafs of deformity and
eonfufion; and the horrid ftenches which arife from ftagnant water
and various filthy carries, cannot be ddfcribed. In the furroundi-
jng country there are a great many beautiful feats and villas, with,
fine gardens; but the ground being every where fwampy, the number
o f foaini» with which, i t is neeefforily interfefted, renders it more or
left, unwholefome fo every part.
In paflfog through the fi{h market, I was under the neceffity o f
retiring info a tavern, to get fome Madeira and water, in order to
recover myfelf from' the overcoming effedts,' o f the putrid foxells that
affafted me. There appeared, however, to be a great abundance o f
fi£h in this obnoxious place; but, except turtle, they bore a very exorbitant
price.
The city and fuburbs o f Batavia certainly form one o f the moft
unwholefome fpots in the world, and may he juftly termed the grave
o f Europeans; hut the unfalutary and- infe<ftious nature o f the place
> 4 might
( |
mjgbt be vejy much alleviated by an attention fo cleanlfoefs, whicli , l i fe?
foen>s t© be not,^ ih the lea^canfidered l?y the government or pol&e’
o f the city. % ' ^/fpfopaay o f fcayesgers would pe o f iafinife ufo^a
' t^ 5 ? f/ °^ t 4nd ^habftapts o f Bktayia; But there is n6
fuch eftablimmenf.
The heat of the fun is fp great, that the canals are frequently dried
up, oi their waters renewed putrid : but foi^ifinot fo malignant a
fourceof peMengal naftfo^fs that prevails, amon^the
H W H M P4°^ e> “ d the “ attention to,remove the receptad^
b f putrefadi^ a m o n g . | ^ ^ ^ ; ^dqrs'bfiheiri. Nor is it
eafily tobe reconciled, that the fpirit c le anlfb^ C ^ p re vd en t fo
Holland, ihould fo totally evaporate in a Voyage to the moft important
o f its A fiatio^c^ffiom. Nay, it, has been cbnfideredfoy, political
Writers, that the-inattention to remedy the .eyjls which have been
described,‘ is to be attributed to the commercial policy o f the Dutch, in
order fo difcoufage foreigners from fettlfog/amon^ them, - and fharfog
the grmt, ■ but hazardous ^vantages tobe derived from participating,
m any branch o f commerce’in this oriental emporium: or, in otfc o f a •
fore%fi war, to deter any enemy from invading a place, the very a f e o f
whrdi are more hoftile to - human life, than the weapons o f battle. '
B § n j B add* 'that’ within the laft twenty years, ndSlefs' than ninety-
eight thoufand deaths appear’ 6n theh^frds 1 1 foe" public hofpital
m Batavia.- -’ • > f v
At fix-p’dbek in the morning we weighed anchor and made fail
running between the ifland o f Dnrobff and foe main.
Sunday ij .
^ e middle o f b a y , and about four
mi es. from Batavia. Its length doe's not exceed three quarters Of a
mile, ^nd itus-no more than half a mile%i breadth. It-contains,
neverthelefs, an handfome populous town, with a ftrong fort. In
^ 2 . this