BAT 



333 



BAT 



Bst.wia that country and Batavia ; and, in the following year, 

 II sent deputies t< apologise for the measure, on account 

 ' rai '" of the necessity of the case. But the emperor, in- 

 stead of expressing his horror and displeasure at the 



injuries and insults offered to his countrymen, calmly 

 replied, " that he was little solicitous about the fate 

 of unworthy subjects, who, in the pursuit of lucre, had 

 quitted their country, and had abandoned the tombs 

 of their ancestors." The Batavians, having again 

 assumed their ancient dominion, continued to exercise 

 it with more prudence and lenity. Nothing, how- 

 ever, has happened in the settlement worthy of re- 

 cording. From that time it has rather been in a de- 

 clining state, and, especially within these 50 years, 

 has considerably fallen offjxrth in population and 

 opulence. When Sir George Staunton visited this 

 place, many of the houses were untenanted, which by 

 no means indicates a flourishing colony. The obser- 

 vatory formerly erected here is now entirely neglect- 

 ed, but the society of arts and sciences, founded un- 

 der the administration of De Klerk, still subsists. 

 The first volume of its memoirs was printed at Ba- 

 tavia in 1779. As Batavia derived its importance 

 more from being the emporium of the Dutch com- 

 merce in India, than from its own resources, its decay 

 may easily be accounted for by the severe losses which 

 the Dutch have of late sustained in that quarter ; and 

 *e may with safety assert, that as long as Britain 

 maintains her dominion in the east, Batavia will never 

 recover her ancient splendour and mangificence. East 

 Long. 106 51' 15", South Lat. 6 10'. See Mod. 

 Un. Hut. vol. x. p. 301568. Stavorinus' loy- 

 nges, vols. i. and iii. Staunton's Account of Lord 

 Macartney's Embassy to China, vol. i. Voyage* de 

 Nicolas Graaf, a2ix hides Orientates, p. 214, &c. In) 

 BAT AVIAN Rxkobuc. See Holland. 

 BATCHELOR. See Bachelor. 

 BATCHESERAI, more properly Baktchese- 

 rai, or Bacht< hesebia, the ancient residence of the 

 Khans of the Crimea, is situated, like Matlock in 

 Derbyshire, on the rugged flanks of two high moun- 

 tains, and on the interjacent valley, which is watered 

 by the rivulet Dshuruk-su. The hanging gardens, 

 the towers of the mosques, the black Italian poplars, 

 the terraces, and bubbling fountains, contribute to 

 the beauty of this picturesque town. The principal 

 street, which is nearly a mile and a quarter long, con- 

 sists of two rows of miserable wooden shops, which 

 are kept by Karait Jews, who live at Dschoufoulkale, 

 a town about a mile and a half from Batcheserai. 

 They repair to their shops on horseback every morn- 

 ing, and return to their houses in the evening. The 

 palace of the Khan is situated in tlie centre of the 

 town near the Dshuruk-su, on the edge of a quay. 

 A stone bridge across this rivulet conducts the tra- 

 veller to a gate opening into the outer court ; on the 

 left hand is a large and handsome mosque which be- 

 longed to the Khan, and farther on are the .stables, 

 while the palace appears on the right. It Li' only 

 one story high, having several fronts of different alti- 

 tudes, with roofs of various for^is. On the slope 

 near the palace is a fruit garden, divided into fuur 

 terraces. The ceimtery w!i;ch contains the bodies of 

 khans and their families is behind lite mosque. 

 The favourite residence of the khan was a magnifi- 



cent edifice, delightfully situated beneath a mountain 

 on the slope of a beautiful vale ; but the wanton bar- 

 barity of the Russians was fatally displayed in the total 

 destruction of this and the other ornaments of Bat- 

 cheserai. The fountains of this city, which amount 

 to 75, are seen in every part of the town discharging 

 the most limpid water, and the Tartars repair to 

 them four times a day to perform the ablutions which 

 their religion demands. 



Batcheserai contains about 31 mosques, a few cut- 

 lers shops, a manufactory of red and yellow leather, 

 and some of felt carpets. The houses are built of 

 wood and ill-baked bricks, having wooden piazzas 

 and sloping roofs of red tile. Population 5776, con- 

 sisting of Tartars, Jews, and Arminians. A full ac- 

 count of the palace will be found in Dr Clarke's 

 Travels in various countries of Europe, Asia, and 

 Africa, Part i. p. 461 4-85 ; a'woYk full of new and 

 interesting information. See also Travels in the Cri- 

 mea, &c. in 1803, by Reuilly, who visited this coun- 

 try after Dr Clarke ; Pallas's Travels, vol. ii. p. 29. 

 and Dsciioufoclkale'. (?r) 



BATCHIAN, Baciiian, Baki\x, or Baisan, 

 is the largest of the lesser Molucca islands, about 12 

 leagues in circumference. It is under the dominion 

 of a sultan pensioned by the Dutch, who is likewise 

 sovereign of Ouby and Ceram, with Coram, a little 

 isle south-east of Ceram, containing 13 mosques, and 

 reckoned the most eastern boundary of the Mahome- 

 tan faith. This island abounds with all kinds of am- 

 mals, and fruits of every species ; and in tobacco and 

 sago, on the latter of which the inhabitants subsist. 

 The historian of the conquest of the Moluccas de- 

 scribes Batchian as a wild and. desert country, in 

 consequence of the indolence and oppression of the 

 inhabitants, though, at the same time, capable of high 

 cultivation. The cloves of Batchian were once rec- 

 koned the best in the Moluccas ; but they are no 

 longer collected in any quantities. The island con- 

 tains a burning mountain; and immense rocks of co- 

 ral decorate its shores. East Long. 125 5', and S. 

 Lat. 0^25'. 0). 



BATGAN, a city of Hindostan, in the kingdom 

 of Nipal, which forms an immense plain that sepa- 

 rates the mountainous tract called Bindachul from 

 the extensive Alpine region called Hemachul. Bat- 

 gan is the third principal city of this kingdom, and 

 lies about ten miles south of the capital Catmandu. 

 It is 6aid to contain about 12,000 families ; but this 

 estimate is obviously exaggerated. East Long. 85 

 15', and North Lat. 27 20'. See Giuseppi Bernini's 

 Account of the Kingdom of Nipal, in the Asiatic 

 Researches, vol. ii. p. 308. (q) 



BATH, the Aquae Solis of the Romans, is a city 

 of England, in Somersetshire. It is beautifully si- 

 tuated on the river Avon, on the side of a narrow 

 valley, bounded by hills on the north, south, and 

 south-west, and widening on the north-west into rich 

 and extensive meadows. 



After the Romans had reduced to subjection the 

 B^-lgic colonies and the western parts of Britain, 

 they were allured to the spot where Bath now stands 

 by the excellence of its situation, and by the warm 

 springs which spontaneously flowed from the earth. 

 Finding that they could indulge without trouble or 



