354 CITY OF BATAVIA. 



pestilential a place as could be met with between 

 the tropics. During the brief period the island 

 was under the British government, the canals 

 were filled up ; the main stream of the " Grand 

 River," and its tributaries, alone remaining. 



The houses in the city are spacious, but only 

 used as offices and stores by merchants and 

 others, on account of the insalubrity of the city 

 during the night ; having concluded business 

 by four or five o'clock, p. m. they drive to their 

 residences in the vicinity. On the afternoon of 

 my arrival I drove out with Mr. Vidal, (a mer- 

 cantile gentleman, resident in Batavia,) to 

 Moolenfleet, about two miles from the city, 

 passing on the road some mansions in the usual 

 style of Dutch architecture, having gardens be- 

 fore them filled with various flowering shrubs 

 and plants, among which the Hibiscus rosa chi- 

 nensis, Poinciana pulcherrima, and Ixora, in 

 full blossom, were conspicuous from the bril- 

 liancy of their colours. 



We arrived at a tavern kept by a Monsieur 

 Choulan, pleasantly situated at this place, but 

 it is ill-conducted, (although the best and most 

 respectable,) the proprietor having realized a 

 fortune, does not consider it requisite to devote 

 any further attention on those by whom he 

 acquired it. Our after dinner display disap- 



