BATAVIA. 



329 



Batata, ance of the Christian powers, he transmitted a singu- 

 * - v ' lar collection of precious relics, along with a certifi- 

 cate respecting them under his own ham!, which we 

 believe is still 'extant. In 1755, the edifice was da- 

 maged by the fatal earthquake which destroyed the 

 capital, and the spire of the founder's mausoleum 

 was overthrown. For a more ample account of this 

 structure, which is considered a model of pure Gothic 

 architecture, see Murphy's Plans, Elevations, Sec- 

 tions; and Views of the Church of lint a: hn ; I 

 de Sousa's History of the Royal Monastery of iia- 

 talha ; and Link's Travels in Portugal, chap. xxv. 

 p. 280. (c) 



BATAVIA, the capital of the Dutch settlements 

 in the East Indies, is situated on the north coast of 

 the island of Java, at the mouth of the river Jacatra. 

 It lies in the bosom of a large and commodious bay, 

 which is so sheltered from the violence of the wind, 

 by eighteen islands scattered along its mouth, that it 

 is considered one of the safest harbours in the world, 

 and so capacious, that a thousand sail of ships may 

 ride there in safety. The city is surrounded with a 

 broad wall, fortified by twenty-two bastions, and a 

 deep moat which can be filled at pleasure with wa- 

 ter from the river. All the avenues on the land side 

 are protected by forts and redoubts, erected at a con- 

 tiderable distance from the town. These are mount- 

 ed with brass cannon, and are built entirely of square 

 atones. The approach by sea is commanded by a 

 horn-work, commonly called the " Water fort," 

 mounting fourteen guns and two howitzers ; and the 

 entrance of the river is defended by the citadel, and 

 several strong batteries of six or seven guns each. 

 There is also a fortification upon Onroost, one of the 

 islands in the mouth of the bay, which completely 

 commands the channel forming the principal passage 

 into the road. Upon this island the Dutch have 

 established extensive dock-yards, where every thing 

 necessary for building, equipping, and preserving the 

 company's ships, is provided in such abundance, that 

 they can build, repair, and refit their vessels, with- 

 out the least loss of time, and in the most complete 

 manner. The citadel, situated on the east bank of 

 the river, is a regular square fortification, built of co- 

 ral rock, and flanked with four bastions. It con- 

 tains the palace of the governor general of the Indies, 

 as also the apartments of the counsellors, and other 

 principal officers of the company. The arsenals and 

 magazines are generally well furnished, and always 

 contain stores and ammunition sufficient for a regular 

 siege. The city itself, though it has been highly ad- 

 mired for the beauty of its buildings, and on account 

 of its immense trade, has acquired the appellation of 

 the " Queen of the East," contains nothing of ele- 

 gance or design particularly worthy of notice. Its town- 

 ball, its hospitals, and its churches, require no de- 

 scription. They are such as we see every day in our 

 own country. The streets are straight and regular, 

 overshadowed and embellished with large trees, 

 which are planted on each side. They are twenty 

 in number, and run from lit to 204 feet in length. 

 The houses, which are chiefly built of brick, are 

 commodious and handsome. The windows and 

 doors are wide and lofty, and the ground floors are 

 laid, with flags of marble, which, being frequently 



VOI.. JI1. PART II, 



sprinkled with water, produce a coolness in that burn- 

 ing climate particularly refreshing. The form of 

 the city is an oblong 6quare, about three quarters of 

 a mile long and halt a mile broad, intersected by the 

 river Jacatra, which runs through the middle ol it, 

 from south to north, and which is crossed by three 

 bridges. In its passage it forms fifteen canals of 

 running water, wIikii are all faced with free stone, 

 and whose banks are beautifully adorned with ever- 

 green shrubs and plants. The breadth of the river 

 within the walls is from 160 to 180 feet. At its 

 mouth are two large piers of wood and brick work, 

 running about half a mile into the sea, between which 

 100 slaves are constantly employed in clearing out 

 the mud which is washed from the town, and which 

 otherwise would choke up the channel of the river. 

 The suburbs are very extensive and populous, and 

 are inhabited chiefly by Chinese, and the natives of 

 the island. 



The environs of Batavia, to a considerable extent, 

 present one universal garden, intersected with rivu- 

 lets and canals, overshadowed with lofty trees, and 

 interspersed with magnificent villas. The Dutch 

 have here indulged their national taste to its full ex- 

 tent. Every spot is covered with verdure, and the 

 most luxuriant foliage. Whatever can satisfy the 

 palate or delight the sense, is produced in abundance. 

 Fruits of every description grow almost spontaneous- 

 ly, and without culture ; and could we but forget 

 the danger which life is every hour exposed to, from 

 the insalubrity of the climate, we might regard this 

 place as the most delightful region in the world. But 

 in the midst of plenty, beauty, and gaiety, every coun- 

 tenance indicates debility and languor. To use a 

 strong expression, it is the work-shop of death. 

 There is pestilence in the air, and poison in the water. 

 The atmosphere is continually infected with delete- 

 rious vapours, which rise from the surrounding 

 swamps and morasses; and the trees, with which the 

 quays and streets are crowded, impede the free cir- 

 culation of the air, and retain the putrid effluvia, 

 which otherwise would in some degree be dissipated. 

 Fevers, which are here the general denomination for 

 all kinds of illness, are continually raging in the co- 

 lony. The disorder at first is a tertian ague, which, 

 after two or three paroxysms, becomes a double ter- 

 tian, and then a continued remittent, that frequently 

 carries o(f the patient in a short time. Hence it 

 happens, that preventive medicines are taken as re- 

 gularly as food, and every one expects the returns 

 of sickness, as we do the seasons of the year. The 

 inhabitants have thus become familiar with death, 

 and hear of the loss of a friend without either sur- 

 prise or concern. Of strangers who come to settle 

 at Batavia, three out of five are reckoned to die the 

 first year;. and it appears, from calculation, that the 

 company lose annually one-fifth of their servants. 

 The climate, however, is not the only enemy to Eu- 

 ropeans : the mortality is greatly increased by the 

 voluptuousness and luxurious effeminacy in which 

 many of them indulge. The change from a life of 

 temperance to that of irregular indulgence, added to 

 the sudden transition from a northern region to the 

 torrid zone, independent of the noxious circumstan- 

 ces which are peculiar to the climate, cannot fail to 

 2x 



Batavia. 



