BAT 



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BAT 



ployed by Agricola in his war* in Britain. (Tacit. Agric. 

 \\\vi.) In tome inscription* they are called ' friend* and 

 brothers of the Roman people,' or of the ' Roman emperor*.' 

 The date of one of these inscription* it determined by the 

 name of the Emperor Aurelius. (Gruter. Ixxi.) 



In the latter part of tho third century, during the civ d 

 war which desolated the empire, the Saliun Franks invaded 

 tho country of tho BaUvi, and established themselves in it 

 They armed pirate vessel*, which were encountered and 

 defeated at sea by Carausius. Constantiu* and Constantino 

 waged war against the Franks of the Batavmn island, but 

 could not drive them out of it. Tho Frank* lost it, how cv cr, 

 under Julian, by an irruption of Frisians, who came from 

 the northern country near the Zuiderzee, and drove the 

 Salian Frank* beyond the Maas. After this the Insula 

 Batavorum formed part of the country called Frcsia, whi.-b, 

 in tlie time of the Merovingians, extended southward as 

 far as the Scheldt. Under Charlemagne it formed a duchy 

 bearing allegiance to the empire, ' Ducatus Fresim usque ad 

 Mosam.' It afterward* became divided into Western Frisia, 

 called Fresia Hwreditaria, which was subject to hereditary 

 counts ; anil Eastern Frisia, or Fresia Libera, which remained 

 independent. The Yssel formed the division between the 

 two. About the eleventh century we first finil \Yestern 

 Frisia called by the name of Holland, some say from hohi 

 land, ' a low hollow land,' and it* count* took the name of 

 Counts of Holland. The country of the antient Batavi 

 formed the southern part of their dominions ; but the islands 

 at the mouth of the Maas, and between it and the Scheldc, 

 were the subject of frequent contentions and wars between 

 them and the Counts of Flanders. (D' Anville, Etats formes 

 en Europe aprct la Chute de I Empire Romain; Meyer, 

 Res Flandricie.) Although the name Batavi has fallen into 

 di-use, it has always been employed by modern authors 

 writing in Latin to signify the Dutch or Hollanders generally. 



BATA'VI A, one of the districts, or residenees.of the island 

 of Java. It is bounded on the north by the Java Sea, on the 

 west by the regency of Bantam, from which it is divided by 

 the river Tjikande, on the south by the residence of Buiten- 

 zorg, and on the east by the river Tjitarum, which forms 

 the western boundary of the district of Crawang. The di- 

 mensions of the district of Batavia are about twenty-four 

 leagues from exst to west, and about six anil a half leagues 

 from north to south, the capital being situated nearly in the 

 middle of the northern boundary. 



The district of Batavia is divided politically into four de- 

 partments, one of whii-h consists of the city and its suburbs. 

 Near to the sea-shore the country is Hat, but rises with a 

 gentle acclivity towards the south to the mountain-range, 

 which intersects the island from the western to the eastern ex- 

 tremity. This district is well watered. The river Jaccatra, 

 which joins the sea at the town of Batavia, dividing it into 

 nearly equal parts, has a bank or bar at its month which 

 prevents tho entrance of any but the smallest boats. This 

 disadvantage generally attends all the rivers on the north 

 coast of Java, which, as they have their sources on the 

 north side of the mountain- range, and How in a pretty- 

 direct line to the sea, are not of great length. They serve, 

 however, together with numerous rivulets, to irrigate the 

 lands, and this is of the greater benefit, as one of the chiel 

 productions of the district is rice. There are many sugar 

 plantations in the district of Batavia, and their number lias 

 been very greatly increased of late years since the island was 

 restored to the Dutch. This species of cultivation has been 

 encouraged by the local government, as affording the mean* 

 of remitting to the parent state the surplus revenue of the 

 colony. Cotton, pepper, and coffee (the last to a considerable 

 extent), arc likewise produced in thi* district. The popula- 

 tion, according to the census taken in 1821, was 182,651. 



Stavorinus's Jjiyages ; Count Hogendorp's Coup dtXil 

 tur [lie de Java, $c., 1830.) 



BATA'VIA is a city on the north coast of Java, situated 

 at the bottom of an extensive bay, about 60 miles E.S.K. of 

 the Straits of Sunda. It was formerly a native village called 

 Jaratr.i, and though probably visited by the Portuguese, 

 they did not firm any commercial settlement here. The 

 English and Dutch had factories, the former of which was 

 lished in 1618, and the latter in 1612; hut the Dutch, 

 having conquered the country, founded tho present town 

 unilcr the name of Batavia, and removed the government 

 from li.intam in 1619. It finally became the capital of their 

 East Indian empire, and the residence of the governor 

 ra! ; and the English, having taken part with the natives in 



opposing the Dutch, retired from the place. Being called in 

 to aid various parties in their civil wan, the DuUh obtained 

 still more power on the island, but they ilnl nut enjov undis- 

 turbed possession for several years, and were fiv<|uvnily at- 

 tacked by the natives. The town rose rapidly to import 

 and became the emporium of all ihc produce, t 'India, t'hinn, 

 and Japan, as no ship was allowed to proceed dun t ' II 

 land without first touching at this port, except the euUee 

 ships from Mocha. It remained uninterruptedly in the 

 hands ofthc Dutch till 1811, when Holland having l>eooiue 

 a province of the French empire, Butaviu fell into tlie bund* 

 of the French, from whom it was taken by the English, and 

 by the treaty of 1815 was restored to the Dutch, who relumed 

 to the government in the following year. 



Batavia is an important place, from ite excellent bay and it* 

 advantageous position for European commerce. It stand* at 

 the mouth of the river Jacatra, in the midst of swamps ami 

 marshes, surrounded by trees anil jungle, which prevent the 

 exhalations from being carried oil' by a free circulation of tin' 

 air, and render the town peculiarly obnoxious to marsh mias- 

 mata. Besides this, all the principal streets are trav. 

 by canals, planted on each side with rows of trees, over 

 which there are bridges at the end of almost even street. 

 They have also booms, which are drawn across at sunset to 

 prevent the passage of boats in and out. These canals are 

 the common receptacles for all the filth of the town. In the 

 dry season their stagnant and diminished waters emit a 

 most intolerable stench, while in the wet season they over- 

 ll'iw their banks, and leave a quantity of offensive slime, 

 these united causes it is not surprising that Ba- 

 t.ivia has been considered the most unhealthy spot in the 

 world, and has been designated the storehouse of diea-e. 

 According to Raynal, the number of sailors and soldiers 

 alone who died in the hospitals averaged 1400 annually lor 

 sixty years, and the total amount of deaths in twcniv 

 years exceeded a million of souls : but this looks very hko 

 an exaggeration. During the French occupation, the walls 

 of the town were removed by General Daendels with the 

 view of admitting a freer circulation of air, and with the 

 materials the cantonment of Weltevrceden was built, a short 

 distance from the town inland. , 



The city is about three quarters of a mile in length, north 

 and south, and about half a mile wide. It was enclosed by 

 a wall of coral rock, with a stream of water on each side, 

 within and without. There are now only three churches in 

 the town, and one theatre : at the southern part is a lame 

 square where the stadthaus stands, in which the courts uf 

 law are held, and all public business transacted. Tho 

 streets are generally at right angles to one another, and 

 the houses mostly of brick stuccoed. They are well built, 

 clean, and spacious, and their construction is suited to the 

 country. The doors and windows are lofty, und the ground 

 floors are covered with flags of marble, which are kept con- 

 stantly wet, and impart a coolness to the dwelling. Few 

 Kiirnpeaiis, however, sleep within the town, as the night 

 air is considered very baneful. The inhabitants (pos-ibly 

 as an antidote against the noxious cfUuvia arising from 

 the swamps and canals) continually burn aromatic woods 

 and resins, and scatter about a profusion uf odoriferous 

 flowers, of which there are great abundance and variety. 

 During the prosperity of the Dutch East India Company. 

 Hatuvia obtained the title of Queen of the East, as the re- 

 sources of al| other districts were sacrificed to its excit 

 commerce; but its splendour has greatly decreased, owing 

 chiefly to the increa.se nf the British empire in India. 

 Whole streets also have been pulled down in consoqi. 

 of the European settlers removing their residences from the 

 town to the high grounds in the neighbourhood. 



In tho north-east quarter of the town is the citadel, a 

 largo square inclosure with a bastion at each angle, but 

 without any outworks; within the citadel are residences 

 for tho Governor General and chief olliiers. with warehouses 

 for the most valuable of the Company s goods in case of 

 danger. In addition to these defences there are several 

 small batteries and redoubts in and around the town, besides 

 fortified houses, so placed as to command the navigation of 

 the principal canals. Most of these work* are merely for 

 the purpose of keeping the natives in awe, and are il.-calcu 

 lated to withstand an invading army, as was proved in 181 1. 

 But if the fortifications of Batavia are not formidable in 

 themseher,, they become so from their situation among 

 swamps and morasses, where, by the destruction of a few 

 road* that cross them to the town, the approach of heavy 



