BAT 



quarter, called " Amba^tflc wartier," in which all the work^ 

 men and labourers employed by the company refide. Be- 

 fides a great number ot Europeans, there are more than a 

 thouiiind Haves who belong to this quarter. 



Belides the public buildings already mentioned, Batavia 

 has a town-hall, which is wtll lituated ; two large and con- 

 venient hofpitals, and feveral churches ; three c;f which, 

 within the city, are appropriited to the reformed religion, 

 in which fervice is performed in the Dutch, Portugnefe, ard 

 Malay languages ; and one without the gates, called the 

 outer Portuguefe church. Th^re is alfo a Lutheran chir.ch 

 not far from the caftle, provided with a fine organ and a 

 very handfome pulpit. Thefe churches are fupplied every 

 Sunday by twelve clergymen of the reformed religion, and 

 three Lutheran minillers. One of thefe clergymen is de- 

 puted, once every year, or fometimes only once in two years, 

 upon a vifitation to the company's poff-ffions on theweft coaft 

 of Sumatra ; and to the individuals thus employed, the vifita- 

 tion is rendered lucrative by the merchandife which thevtake 

 with them for fale. Tiie Chinefe have alfo feveral tem- 

 ples, which are tolerated by government ; but the cx- 

 ercile of the Roman Catholic rehgiou is obilinately pro- 

 hibited. 



In tlie diftrifts round Batavia, immediately fubjett to the 

 Dutch, it is calculated, fays Sir George Staunton, that near 

 50,000 Javanefe families are fettled, containing upon an ave- 

 rage fix perfons to a family, or 300,000 perfor.s in the whole. 

 The city of Batavia, including the luburbs, contains near 

 8000 houfcs. Valentyn (cited in the Mod. Un. Hilt.) llates 

 the number of houfes in the city and fuburbs at 4,770. 

 Huyfers, a more recent Dutch writer, who was long reii- 

 dent at Batavia, and who publifhed his account in 1778, 

 elUmates the number of houfes in Batavia at 3,500 ; but he 

 does not fay whether he included the luburbs. The num- 

 ber and defcription of inhabitants in 1778, according to this 

 writer, were as follow : vi^. 468 European burghers, 5,582 

 native Chrillians, 4,873 Mardykers or manumitted flaves of 

 all nations, 23,309 Chinefe, 2S9 Amboynefe, 278 Banda- 

 mefc, 966 Moors, 254 Gcntoos, 1,852 Malays, 324 Bou- 

 tanners, 1,983 MacaiTers, 3,707 Bougintfe, 104 Timorefe, 

 189 Mandiiartfe, 85 Sumbauwcrs, 13,073 Baliers, 33,408 

 Javans, and 20,072 flaves; making in all 110,816, exclu- 

 fively of women and children, and of the company's fcrvants. 

 The company's eftablifhnient conlilled, in 1776 — 1777, of 

 613 perfons in civil, and 35 in ecclefiaftical employments, 

 99 furgeons and affillants, 125 belonging to the artillery, 

 875 feameii and marines, 1,571 foldiers, and 903 mecha- 

 nics; in all, 4,221 Europeans, bcfides 703 natives in tlieir 

 fervice. 



The houfes at Batavia, belonging to the Dutch, arc well 

 built, chiefly of brick, clean and fpacious, and their con- 

 ftruttion is, for the mofl part, well adapted to the climate. 

 The doors and windows are widL- and lofty ; the ground- 

 floors are covered with flags of marble, which bving fprinkkd 

 frequently with water, give a plcafant coolnefs to the apart- 

 ment ; but when Sir George Staunton vilitcd the place, a 

 confiderable proportion of the houfes was untenanted ; a 

 circurallance which indicated a declining fettlement. The 

 houfes of the Chinefe are low, and crammed with people. 

 Moil of them dwell in the fouthern and weflern fuburbs, 

 which ai-e called the Chinefe *' Cam.pon." Before the re- 

 volt of the year 1740, they had the beft quarter of the city 

 allotted them, to the well of the great river ; but when in 

 that commotion all their houfes were burnt to the ground, 

 the whole quarter was converted into a " pr.ffar," or market, 

 where at prcfent all kinds of provifions are daily expofed to 

 fale. Before the perpetration of this maffacre, feveral thou- 



BAT 



fahd Chinefe adventurers refortcd to Batavia, allured by the 

 profpority of their countrymen already f.ttled there. The 

 number of thefe colonills, together with the robberies and 

 murders committed by them, excited a confiderable degree 

 of apprehrnfion ; which induced Van Imhof, who was at 

 that time a member of the council, to propofe, that thofe 

 who could not prove that they were gaining an honed live- 

 lihood, fliould be feized and tranfported to Ceylon, and 

 there employed in mining and other labour for the fervice of 

 the company. The execution of this order produced a tu- 

 mult and an infurreftion ; and ihoufands of the Chinefe re- 

 tired fnmi the city, and collecting a ftrong force, ravaged 

 the country and affaulted the capital. The civil and mili- 

 tary inhabitants united in repelli:;g them. But a fire tak- 

 ing place foon after among the Chinefe buildings in the city, 

 feveral of the owners were accufed of oppofing with arms 

 the extinguifliment of it, with a view, as it was faid, of allow- 

 ing the conflagration to fpread through the whole town, 

 that in the moment of confufion they might affaflinate the 

 Europeans, and become mafters of the place. The alarm 

 was f',:ch, that the Dutch government gave inllant orders to 

 put all the Chinefe heads of families to death ; and the 

 failors from the veflels in the road were brought afnore, and 

 induced, for the fake of plunder, to fhare in executing the" 

 bloody edift. 7\11 the Chinefe, without diftinftion, men, 

 women, and children, were put to the fword ; and 

 the mnocent and guilty were indifcriminately extermi- 

 nated. Whence this barbarous order iffued has been a 

 fubjett of unfatisfacloi-y inveftigation. The governor-ge- 

 neral Valkenier, and his brother-in-law Helvetius, were ac- 

 cufed by the pubhc voice of direding tlie maffacre ; but 

 their guilt was never proved. The deed itfclf was con- 

 demned by the diieftors of the company in Holland ; and 

 much apprehenfion being entertained that the faft would 

 excite the indignation of the emperor of China, deputies 

 were fent to him in the following year, to apologife for the 

 meafure on account of the necefiity of the cafe. Thefe de- 

 puties were agreeably furprifed to find that the eiriperor 

 calmly anfwered, that " he was little folicitous for the fate 

 of unworthy fubjefts, who, in the purfuit of lucre, had 

 quitted the country, and abandoned the tombs of their an- 

 cellors." The Chinefe, however, are faid to be now as nu- 

 merous as ever in and about Batavia ; and it is acknowledged 

 by the Dutch, that the fettlfment could fcarcely fubfili 

 without their induftry and ingenuity. The quarter of the 

 fuburbs which they occupy is crowded with (hops contain- 

 ing all kinds of goods ; thofe of their own manufafture, 

 and fuch as they receive annually from China, or purchafe 

 from the European importations. The number of Chinefe, 

 who live both within and without the Avails of the city, can- 

 not be precifcly determined ; but it mull be very confider- 

 able, as the company receives a poll-tax from them of more 

 than 40,000 rix-dol'ars. Every Chinefe wdio has a profcf- 

 fion is obliged to pay a monthly poll-tax of half a duccatoon, 

 or 5 s. fterling ; but women, children, and thofe who have 

 no trade, are exempted from this tax. They are under a 

 chief of tiieir own nation, called the Chinefe captain, who 

 lives within the walls, and has under him fix lieutenants in 

 diiTcrent diilritts. A flag is hoifted at his door on the firfl 

 or fecond day in every month, and the Chinefe that are 

 liable to the tax are then obliged to repair to him for the 

 payment of it. Each houfe in Batavia pays annually an 

 affeffment of half a month's rent, which is expended ia 

 dragging and cleanfingthe canals, and in repairing the town- 

 hall and other buildings belonging to the city. The 

 churches are repaired out of the duties levied upon funerals^ 

 At Batavia a bank of circulation has been ellablilTied for 



iomc 



