272 Voyage of the Novara. 



amiable companion, we visited the various prisons, and the 

 Loar-Badang,* of evil repute, which will be discussed in the 

 medical section of the Novara publications. 



The prisons of Batavia stand in much need of reform, espe- 

 cially as regards construction^ management, and treatment. 

 The humane sentiments that characterize our century, have 

 more care even for a robber or mm'derer than to load him 

 with chains, and make him still more dangerous to society, 

 by lengthened confinement within the thick lofty walls of a 

 prison. There are two categories, into which all criminals in 

 Java are divided, those who during the entire term of their 

 sentence are to remain within the prison, and those who 

 during the day are employed outside the prison on the public 

 works, most of whom wear an iron ring round their neck, or 

 chains on their hands or feet, whence they are usually termed 

 " chain-gang " prisoners. 



In the city Bridewell, where the criminals serve their sen- 

 tences in cells, there is room for 200, and at the time of our 

 visit there were 70 male and two female prisoners in confine- 

 ment. The disagreeable impression made at finding such an 

 establishment located in an exceedingly unhealthy site, is any- 

 thing but diminished when the visitor perceives that it con- 

 sists mainly of a large number of narrow corridors and high 



* The Loar-Badang (Public Market) is an immense building, a sort of brothel on 

 a large scale, kept by a Frenchman, who pays a handsome annual sum to Government 

 for the privilege of his infamous traffic. Here, among others, are some 40 or 50 

 wretched outcasts, whom he sends off in boats every evening to the merchantmen in 

 the port, for the accoumiodation of their crews ! ! ! 



