judicial to foreigners}; but it muft be allowed, however, that they moilly prove fo
for want of obferving a proper regimen.
The houfes in the city are moftly built of brick, and plaiilered over ; many of
them are very fpacious, and furniihed very fumptuouily, efpecially on the ground-
floor; the bed-chambers, in general, having but little furniture in them. There
are five gates to the city, with draw-bridges to each, which are ihut at night.
The fuburbs, which furround the town, cover a large piece of ground, but are
meanly built. The Campan China, which is largeft, is on the fouth fide.
The public buildings, in this city, arethecaftle, a town-hall, and feveral churches.
The caftle is fquare, furrounded by a ditch, and confifts of feveral fquare
courts, in one of which is depofited a great number ,of warlike inftruments, efpecially
of guns and balls.
The town-hall and the great church are handfome edifices. The church is of
an odtagon figure, having a dome and lanthorn of the fame form, and has a very
fine oro-an.- Ruyter’s kirk, belonging to the Lutherans, is fimall, but a very neat
building. The Portuguefe church is o f an oblong fquare; and the priefis, belonging
to it, preach in the Malayas well as the Portuguefe language.
The ftreetsqf Batavia are paved on bothfides, áre very regular and ftraight, and
a canal runs through the middle of moft of them, both fides of which are planted
with trees, which have a very agreeable effe<£t; and, as all kinds of goods are conveyed
by water, the fireets are in good repair. The bazar, or marketplace, is
large and fquare, interfered by rows of ftalls, and abounds with different fruits
and garden herbage, alfo with poultry, pork, dried,fifh, and a variety of other commodities.
Near it is another fquare bazar, for fiíli, fhell-fiih, and meat; but the
chief market for vegetables is held at aplace, called Tannabank, a little diftance
from the town, on every Saturday morning, where they may be had very cheap.
This city is the feat of the Dutch governor-general and council of the Indies,
and is, with feveral neighbouring fettlements of that nation, immediately under
their direction; and to them all the other governments, belonging to their Ea.filndia
India company, are fubjedh They meet, for the difpatch of bufinefs, feveral
times in a week. There are alfo two fabanders, who, amongft other things,
tranfaft the bufinefs of foreigners with the council; a mayor of the city ; and a
land and water fifchal for criminal affairs.
The Dutch, by their induftfy, have done more here than any other power in Europe
has done in India; and, by means of their policy, have rendered it one of the
moft flouriihing cities in this part of the world, where moft European, as well as
Indian, commodities may be purchafedbut it is not* a good market for Indian
goods; for you meet with but few of them, and thofe few are very dear. This city
is the chief rendezvous of the Dutch trade for the Eaft-Indies, and from this port
the ihips for Europe take their departure. Here is a large houfe, appointed by the
company, as a hotel for the accommodation of all European ftrangers, where they
are obliged to refide, and pay two rix-dollars a day for a maintenance, while the
Dutch may live for twenty-five rix-dollars a month. There is not, perhaps, any
city in the world that contains a greater variety of people. One would imagine
there were affembled, of different human beings, from every nation under heaven,
who, for the moft part, retain their feveral peculiar dreffes, and are allowed to live
after the manner of their refpeftive countries. Of whites, there are Dutch, who
are mafters; but the greater part of the company’s fervants, and of the inhabitants,
are Germans, Danes, Swedes, and Hungarians; with a few Englifb, French, and
Italians; of thefe the foreign merchants are chiefly compofed ; and moft of them
keep their chariots, and live in great luxury and elegance. A great number of
flaves precede and follow their chariots; and, when the women go abroad, the female
Haves fit on the fteps of the chariot. The men are dreffed exceffively gay,
having filk and velvet garments, richly laced and embroidered, with laced hats, and
finely-dreffed wigs. Their waiftcoats have lleeves ; and, when they fit in a houfe,
they always take off their coats. Amongft the middle clafs of people, a pair of
drawers, which have two gold buttons and reach above their breeches, is reckoned
a great piece of finery. The women drefs moftly in chintzes, made generally in
the European, though fometimes in the Malay, fafhion : they are feldom feen walking
in the ftreets, ufually riding in carriages. Both men and women have a fiekly
complexion, without any colour in their cheeks; butpalenefs, itfeems, is reckoned
one mark of beauty among the ladies. Befides chariots, which are open and richly
ornamented,