384 DESCRIPTION OF BATAVIA CHAP. XVII 
The next island, which is indeed of more consequence 
to the Dutch than all the rest, is Onrust ; here they heave 
down and repair all their shipping, and consequently keep a 
large quantity of naval stores. On this island are artificers 
of almost all kinds employed in the shipbuilding way, and 
very clever ones, so at least all our most experienced seamen 
allowed, who said they had seen ships hove down in most 
parts of the world, but never saw that business so cleverly 
done as here. The Dutch do not seem to think this island 
of so much consequence as they perhaps would do if all 
their naval stores were here (the greater part are at Batavia) ; 
it seems to be so ill defended, that one 60-gun ship would 
blow it up without a possibility of failure, as she might go 
alongside the wharfs as near as she pleased. 
It is generally said in Europe that the Dutch keep a strong 
fleet in the East Indies, ready and able to cope with any Euro- 
pean Power which might attack them there. This is true thus 
far and no farther: their Indiamen, which are very large ships, 
are pierced for 50 or 60 guns each. Should they be attacked 
when all these were in India, or indeed a little before the 
sailing of the Europe fleet, they might, if they had sufficient 
warning to get in their guns, etc. raise 40 or 50 sail; but 
how it would be possible for them to man this fleet, if they 
kept anybody at all on shore, is to me a mystery. Again, 
should they be attacked after the fleet had sailed, they have 
very few ships, and those terribly out of condition ; for they 
keep no ships even in tolerable repair in India, except those 
employed to go to Ceylon and the coast, which places indeed 
are generally taken in the way to or from Europe. As for 
the eastern islands, no ships of any force are employed 
there; but all the trade is carried on in small vessels, many 
of which are brigs and sloops. 
The country round about Batavia for some miles is one 
continued range of country houses and gardens, some of 
which are very large, and all universally planted with trees 
as close as they can stand by each other, so that the country 
enjoys little benefit from being cleared, the woods standing 
now nearly as thick as when they grew there originally, 
