1771. ROUND THE WORLD. 357 



inconvenient and dangerous. The streets are broad 

 and commodious, all crossing each other at right 

 angles. In the principal street, there is a canal, on 

 each side of which is planted a row of oaks, that 

 have flourished tolerably well, and yield an agreeable 

 shade : there is a canal also in one other part of the 

 town, but the slope of the ground in the course of 

 both is so great, that they are furnished with flood- 

 gates, or locks, at intervals of little more than fifty yards. 



A much greater proportion of the inhabitants are 

 Dutch in this place than in Batavia ; and as the town 

 is supported principally by entertaining strangers, 

 and supplying them with necessaries, every man, to 

 a certain degree, imitates the manners and customs 

 of the nation with which he is chiefly concerned. 

 The ladies, however, are so faithful to the mode of 

 their country, that not one of them will stir without 

 a chaudpied or chauffet, which is carried by a ser- 

 vant, that it may be ready to place under her feet 

 whenever she shall sit down. This practice is the 

 more remarkable, as very few of these chauffets have 

 fire in them, which indeed the climate renders un- 

 necessary. 



The women, in general, are very handsome ; they 

 have fine clear skins, and a bloom of colour that 

 indicates a purity of constitution, and high health. 

 They make the best wives in the world, both as 

 mistresses of a family and mothers ; and there is 

 scarcely a house that does not swarm with children. 



The air is salutary in a high degree ; so that 

 those who bring diseases hither from Europe, gene- 

 rally recover perfect health in a short time ; but the 

 diseases that are brought from India are not so cer- 

 tainly cured. 



Notwithstanding the natural sterility of the climate, 

 industry has supplied this place with all the neces- 

 saries, and even the luxuries of life, in the greatest 

 profusion. The beef and mutton are excellent, 

 though the cattle and sheep are natives of the 

 country ; the cattle are lighter than ours, more 



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