S cook's first voyage dec 



CHAP. XII. 



SOME ACCOUNT OF THE INHABITANTS OF BATAV1A, AND THE 

 ADJACENT COUNTItY, THEIR MANNERS, CUSTOMS, AND 

 MANNER OF LIFE. 



I he town of Batavia, although, as I have already 

 observed, it is the capital of the Dutch dominions 

 in India, is so far from being peopled with Dutch- 

 men, that not one-fifth part, even of the European 

 inhabitants of the town, and its environs, are natives 

 of Holland, or of Dutch extraction : the greater 

 part are Portuguese, and besides Europeans, there 

 are Indians of various nations, and Chinese, besides 

 a great number of negro slaves. In the troops, 

 there are natives of almost every country in Europe, 

 but the Germans are more than all the rest put 

 together ; there are some English and French, but 

 the Dutch, though other Europeans are permitted 

 to get money here, keep all the power in their own 

 hands, and consequently possess all public employ- 

 ments. No man, of whatever nation, can come 

 hither to settle, in any other character than that of 

 a soldier in the Company's service, in which, before 

 they are accepted, they must covenant to remain 

 rive years. As soon however as this form has been 

 complied with, they are allowed, upon application 

 to the council, to absent themselves from their 

 corps, and enter immediately into any branch of 

 trade, which their money or credit will enable them 

 to carry on ; and by this means it is that all the 

 white inhabitants of the place are soldiers. 



Women, however, of all nations, are permitted 

 to settle here, without coming under any restric- 







