1770 COUNTRY ROUND BATAVIA 385 



with only this difference, that they are now of useful, whereas 

 they were formerly of useless trees. But, useful as these trees 

 are to their respective owners, who enjoy their fruits, to the 

 community they are certainly highly detrimental in prevent- 

 ing the sea breeze from penetrating into the country as it 

 ought ; or at best loading it with unwholesome vapours col- 

 lected and stagnating under their branches. This, according 

 to our modern theory, should be the reason why thunder 

 and lightning are so frequent and mischievous here that 

 scarcely a month passes in which either ships or houses do 

 not feel the effects of it. While we stayed three accidents 

 happened ; the first, a few days after our arrival, dismasted 

 a large Dutch Indiaman which lay next to us, and wounded 

 two or three of her people : nor were we exempt from the 

 consequences of that flash, which, according to the belief of 

 those on board, came down the lightning chain, and certainly 

 struck down the sentry who stood near it. 



Besides these frugiferous forests, the country has all the 

 appearance of unhealthiness imaginable. I may venture to 

 call it for some miles round the town one universal flat, as 

 I know few exceptions to it. This flat is intersected in 

 many directions by rivers, in still more by canals navigable 

 for small vessels ; but worst of all are the ditches, which, 

 as in the marshes of Lincolnshire, are the universal fences 

 of fields and gardens, hedges being almost totally absent. 

 Nor are filthy, fenny bogs and morasses, fresh as well as 

 salt, wanting even in the near neighbourhood of the town 

 to add their baneful influence to the rest, and complete the 

 unhealthiness of the country, which, much as I have said 

 of it, I believe I have not exaggerated. The people them- 

 selves speak of it in as strong terms as I do, while the pale 

 faces and diseased bodies of those who are said to be inured 

 to it, as well as the preventive medicines, etc., and the 

 frequent attacks of disease they are subject to, abundantly 

 testify to the truth of what they assert. The very church- 

 yards show it by the number of graves constantly open in 

 them, far disproportionate to the number of people. The 

 inhabitants themselves talk of death with the same in- 



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