402 DESCRIPTION OF BATAVIA CHAP, xvn 



respective kings) will not enter either English or Frenchmen 

 into their service, unless they state that they were born in 

 some place out of their own country. This trick, foolish as 

 it is, was played with us in the case of an Irishman, whom we 

 got on board, and whom they demanded as a Dane, offering to 

 prove by their books that he was born at Elsinore ; but our 

 captain, convinced by the man's language, refused to give 

 him up so resolutely, that they soon ceased their demands. 

 Notwithstanding the very great number of other Europeans, 

 the Dutch are politic enough to keep all or nearly all the 

 great posts, as Eaads of India, Governors, etc., in their own 

 hands. Other nations may make fortunes here by traffic if 

 they can, but not by employments. No man can come 

 over here in any other character than that of a soldier in 

 the Company's service ; in which, before he can be accepted, 

 he must agree to remain five years. As soon, however, 

 as ever he arrives at Batavia, he, by applying to the 

 Council, may be allowed to absent himself from his corps, 

 and enter immediately into any vocation in which he 

 has any money or credit to set up in. 



Women may come out without any of these restrictions, 

 be they of what nation they will. We were told that there 

 were not in Batavia twenty women born in Europe ; the rest 

 of the white women, who were not very scarce, were born of 

 white parents, possibly three or four generations distant 

 from their European mothers. These imitate the Indians in 

 every particular ; their dress, except in form, is the same ; 

 their hair is worn in the same manner, and they chew betel 

 as plentifully as any Indian ; notwithstanding which I never 

 saw a white man chew it during my whole stay. 



Trade is carried on in an easier and more indolent 

 way here, I believe, than in any part of the world. The 

 Chinese carry on every manufacture of the place, and sell 

 the produce to the resident merchants ; for, indeed, they dare 

 not sell to any foreigner. Consequently when a ship comes 

 in, and bespeaks 100 leggers of arrack, or anything else, the 

 seller has nothing to do but to send orders to his China- 

 man to deliver them on board such a ship ; which done, the 



