402 DESCRIPTION OF BATAVIA CHAP. XVII 
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 Raads 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 
