58 TRAVELS IN THE EAST INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



dwellmg^-liouses, and bordered mth a row of fine 

 sliade-trees. Back of tliese dwellings is the govern- 

 ment dockyard. It is very carefully built, and con- 

 tains a dry-dock, a place to take up skips like our 

 railways, ample work-skops, and large sheds for stor- 

 ing away lumber. Tkey were then building six 

 small steamers and two or three boats, besides a great 

 dry-dock for the largest ships. Here was the Me- 

 dusa, the ship that led the allied Dutch, English, 

 French, and American fl.eet in the attack on Simono- 

 saki, at the entrance of the Inland Sea in Japan. 

 The many scars in her sides showed the dangerous 

 part she had taken in the attack, and I have fre- 

 quently heard the Dutch officers speak mth a just 

 pride of the bravery and skill of her officers in that 

 engagement. Formerly, ships could only be re- 

 paired by being "thrown do^vn" at Onrust, an isl- 

 and six miles west of the road at Batavia ; but now 

 nearly all such work is done in this yard. It was 

 most enlivening to hear the rapid ringing of ham- 

 mers on anvils — a sound one can rarely enjoy in those 

 dull Eastern cities. 



The government machine-shop is another proof 

 of the determination of the Dutch to make for them- 

 selves whatever they need, and to be independent of 

 foreign markets. Here they make many castings, 

 but their chief business is manufacturing steam-boil- 

 ers for the navy. Nine hundred Javanese were then 

 in this establishment, all lalioring voluntarily, and 

 having fall liberty to leave whenever they chose. 

 Most of the overseers even are natives, and but few 

 Eui'opeans are employed in the whole works. They 



