remittance of money . It therefore follows, that i f any perfon.
at BataVia remits money by bills o f exchange to Europe,
they lofe by the difeount and the exchange 49 £ per cent. •
Thofe who have accounts to pay, and can, give unexceptionable
hills on Europe, will find a confiderable laving
by iiegOcMting their bills with private, people; who are
glad to give for them a premium of 20 per cent, at the leaft.
This difcovery, I made fomewhat too late to profit by.
One of the greateft difficulties that ftrangers have to encounter,'
is* their being obliged to live at the hotel. 1 This
hotel was formerly two houfes, which by doors of communication
have been made one. It is in tlie middle; of a
range o f buildings, moire calculated for a cold country than
for fuch a climate as Batavia. There is no free circulation
o f air, and what is equally bad, it is always very dirty;
and there is great Want of attendance. What they , call
cleaning the houfe, is another nuifance; for they neyer
ufe any water to cool it or to lay the duft, but Tweep daily
with brooms, in fuch a manner, that thofe in the houfe are
almoft fuffocated by a cloud of duft.
The months o f December and January are reckoned the
moft unhealthy of the year, the heavy rains being then iet
in.— -T h e account of the feafons, as given to me here, I
believe may be relied on.
The middle of November, the weft monlbon begins,
and rain.
December and January.' Continual fain with ftrong
wefterly wind.
February. Wefterly wind. Towards the end of this
month the rain begins to abate. -
March. Intervals of fine weather. Wind Wefterly.
April. In this month the eaft monfoon begins. Wea-.
ther generally fine with fhowers o f rain.
May.
May. Eaft monfoon fixed. Showery.
June and July.. Clear weather. Strong eaft wind.
Auguft and September. , Wind more moderate.
O(5tober. In this month, the wind begins to be variable,
with Ihowers of rain. It
3 The current is faid always to run with the wind. Never-
thelefs, I found the reverfe in failing from Timor to Java.
Between the end o f Q&ober and the beginning, of the.en-
fuing year,mo Dutchftiip bound for Europe is- allowed to .
fail from Batavia, for fear o f being- near the Mauritius, at
the time of .the hurricanes,, whii^hj are frequent there in
December and January.
My illnefs prevented me from ga.jning.much knowledge
o f Batavia. Of thejr public ;buildjiigs, I ,%w nothing that
gave me fo much fatisfa&ion as their country hpfpital for
feamesn I f isi a large commodious, and/ifry building* about .
jTpur iniles from-the town, clofe to the fide of the river, or
father in the river: for the.grqpnd on which it’ ftands has,
Jbylahour, been made an iflandpf, and th^fick are carried
thgre X a-boat:; each ward is a feparate dwelling, and the
different difeafes are properly daffed., .They have fo r e times
1400 patients ip i t : at this time there were 800, bu£
jaaor# than half o f thefe were recovered, and fit for fepvice, |
pf whom 300 were -deftined. for the fleet that .was to fail for
Europe-. 1 went through moft of th|: wards, and there
appeared great care and attention. The fheets,. beddipg,
and linep, of -the, fi^fo were perfe&ly nea,t an<l jdean.
The hoBfe of the phyfieian, Mr.. Sperling, who has, the
management of the, hofpital, is,at one'extremity of the
building: and here f t was that I refided. _ To, the attention
and care of this gdntieman, for ;which he would receive no"
payment, I am probably indebted for my life.
U -2 The
17819.
0CTO^E
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