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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