BAT 



Pinos iflcs, and about 50 milei fouth-wcft from the Ha- 

 vaunah. 



RATABLE Land. See Battable. 



liATACALO, 01 Batacolo Bay, in Geography, lies on 

 the caft coail of the ifland of Ct-ylon, in N. lat. 7° ^^'. 

 E. loi;g. 81° 3'. It extends to tlie foiith between the main 

 ifland and a narrow track of land on the eaft fide of it, and 

 is wtll (hc-hercd from molt winds. The Port town, fo caDul, 

 is on the weft fide of this bay or gnlf, ^^i leagues N. E. of 

 Cohimbo. The bay is about 20 leagues to the S. S. E. of 

 Trincotnalc. Batacolo is a place of comparatively fmall 

 in\portance ; but the furrounding country, and the bold gro- 

 tefqiie rocks which flcirt its (hores, have dcfervedly attrafted 

 particular attention. 



BATACARANG Point, lies on the eaft coaft of the 

 iflatid of Sumatra. 



BATALHA, a monaftery in Poitugncfe Eftremadura, 

 ab'jut 60 miles to the north of Lifbon, founded by John L 

 at the clofe of the fourteenth century, in confequence of the 

 great viflory over the king of Cadile, and reckoned one of 

 the moil noble monuments of what is called the Gothic 

 llyle of arcliitedlure. It has been particularly d;.fcribed by 

 Mr. James Murphy. 



BATAN, a town of Afialic Turkey, in the province of 

 Natolia, 20 miles fouth of Kutaia. 



BATARDIERE, a place in a garden, prepared for 

 the planting of truit-trees, which being tranfphinttd thither 

 from the nurfery, are to be placed in efpalicrs, or tUewliere, 

 to lupply the place of dead trees. 



BA I'ATAS, in Botdiiy. See Convolvulus. 



Batatas. See Potato. 



Batatas, in Entomology, a fpecies of Acarus, found on 

 the potatoe in Surinam and feme other parts of South Ame- 

 rica. It is rather rough and fanguineous ; anterior legs as 

 long as the body. Fabricius. 



BATAVI, in ylnc'tcnl Geography, arc fuppofcd to have 

 been originally the fame people with the Catti or Cattans, 

 w ho dwelt beyond the Rhine ; and being driven from their 

 country by a domellic infurreflion, they fettled at the ex- 

 treme borders of Gaul, in an ifland called " Infula Bata- 

 vorum," formed by the mouths of the Rhine and the ocean. 

 Atcording to this defcription, the Batavians pofTefred South 

 Holland, part of the country of Utrecht, and the ifland of 

 Iktdw in the dukedom of Giielderland. The early hiftory 

 ol the Batavi is involved in confideraMe obfcurity. It is 

 certain, however, that about 54 years before the Chri(li;in 

 a-ra they were dilUnguiflitd by their valour, and attra£led 

 the attention of Cxfar, \\ho formed an alliance with them. 

 He encouraged them to ferve in the Roman armies ; and 

 they appear to have fought with him againft: Pompey at 

 Pharfah:i, and to have allilled Auguftus in the battle of 

 Adium. l'h(?y aflilled Crefar in his attacks upon the 

 Gauls, and they every where ro\!tcd and dilperfed that fero- 

 cious and warlike people. The Batavian cavalry' bore the 

 highell reputation, and the infantry fought with the fame 

 order, dileipline, and intrepiditv in the marlhes anel waters 

 as upon the lirm land ; and even the Romans dreaded their 

 rele.itment. They became the body-guard of the emperors, 

 who repofed equal confidence in their fidelity and courage ; 

 and they retained this honourable truil till they were dif- 

 milied by Galba, though with tokens of favour and elleem. 

 In all important expeditions, in every dangerous enterprife, 

 and where obftinate boldneis wasrccpiircd,lhc Batavians were 

 feletled. They generally compofed the forlorn hope of the 

 Roman army, fuilained the lirll Ihock of the enemy, and 

 made the iirit attack with an impetuol'ity pecviliar to them- 

 ielvts. They were not only honoured by the title of allies 



BAT 



to the empire, but diftinguiflied by the appellation of the 

 friends and brethren of the Romans; which denomination 

 was particularly applicable to the inhabitants of Betaw, an 

 ifland formed by the Rhine and Vahal or Waal. Their 

 government feem.s to have been monarchical, and it is con- 

 jeilured that Claudius CiviHs was dcrccndc-d from their 

 kings. But though the Romans indulged them in an ex- 

 emption from tributes and taxes, it was not confiftcnt with 

 the views they had adopted of univerfal dommion to allow 

 them the enjoyment of their liberty. They built towns, 

 and made eltablifliments in their territories ; and this rude 

 people, flattered by the luxury and the amufements which 

 they introduced among them, did not immediately perceive 

 the dangerous policy which dircfted them. They were 

 foon, however, informed of the treachery of their allies, by 

 the opprefiion and injiiftice which they began to exercile. 

 AVhen Vitellius and Otho difputed the empire, and the 

 German nations attempted to recover their liberty, the Ba- 

 ta\ians followed their example. Alarmed for tiie intereft 

 and the rights of their nation, Julius Paulas and Claudius 

 Civilis fct themfclves to oppol'e the pradices of the Romans, 

 and to emancipate tlieinfelves from their dominion. Bnt 

 Fonteius Capito, the Roman commander, confidering them 

 as rebels, made himfilf n:aller of their perfons ; and having 

 beheaded the former, he loaded the latter with chains, and 

 fent him to Rome. The death of Nero, however, which 

 happened about this time, delivered Civilis from the danger 

 which threatened him ; and the weak and impolitic Ga'ba 

 fuficred him to return to his country, without inquiring into 

 his crime, or into his merit. This lUuftrious chief then 

 prepared to gratify his refentment, and to recover and vin- 

 dicate the liberty and honour of his nation. He called an 

 aflembly of his community, and reprefenting the evils of 

 tyranny, inculcated a dildain of fubmiflion and fervitude. 

 His countrymen fuhmitted themfelves without referve to his 

 condufl ; and uniting with the Frilii and the Coninefates, 

 he declared war againlt the Romans. Gaining an aceeflionof 

 ftrengtii from the Tungrians, who dcferted the Romans, and 

 from fome natives of Batavia, who ferved as rowers in the Ro- 

 man fleet, hew as enabled to defeat the Romansand put them to 

 flight. He was afterwards joined by eight Batavian cohort?, 

 who abandoned VitcUius, by whofe orders they were march- 

 ing to Rome, and alfo by fome other German tribes ; and 

 thus aided and encouraged, he obtained fome further fuc- 

 cefs. But upon the arrival of Cerealis, the Roman general, 

 he received a total overthrow, and was at length obliged to 

 abandon his own illand, whither he had retreated, to retire 

 beyond the Rhine, and to fubmit to the Romans. A con- 

 ference taking place between Cerealis and Civilis, the iflue 

 of it was an entire fubmiflion on one flde, and an unreferved 

 pardon on the other. The Batavians remained in the fame 

 condition in which they were before the war broke out ; 

 that is, exempt from all'tributes, and only obliged to fupply 

 the Romans with troops when required. We know little 

 more of the ancient hiilory of the Batavians than that the 

 fierce and warlike fpirit of the people obliged the Romans 

 to maintain ft:rong garrifons on the banks of the Rhine ; 

 that they revolted againll Conllantine ; that they performed 

 fignal fcrvices to Tlieodofius in Britain ; and that, with the 

 rclt of the empire, they fell under the power of the Franks ; 

 and were governed by Charlemagne, and his defcendants, 

 until, upon the decline of that houfe, the great lords and 

 officers of the crown, taking advantage of the weaknefs of 

 the reigning princes, rendered their governments hereditary 

 in their famines. From the Batavi, the fevcn united pro- 

 \inces derived the name of Batavia, which lince the French 

 revolution La^ been recognized in the appellation of the 



5F2 



Batavian 



