BAT 



BAT 



who arrived at Batavia in March, informs us, that in the 

 road, Fahrenheit's thermometer, during his continiiance, 

 was from 8fj to 88 degrees ; and in the town, from 88 to 

 92 degrees: but that its variations by no means corre- 

 fpoiided to the fenfations produced by the heat on the hii- 

 man frame ; the latter being tempered by any motion of tlje 

 air, which circum!lance lias little effeft uoon tlie thermo- 

 meter. In the night, the thermometer, in'.lead of finking 

 as it does in colder countries, foniclimes 20', kc-eps gene- 

 rally here within 4 or 5 of what it attains in the (hade when 

 the fun is at its highell elevation. The unhcalthinefs of the 

 place, as Stavorinus juftly obfcrvcs, is owing not lo much to 

 the heat, as to the moraffL's by which the city is furrounclLd, 

 and particularly to the mud which the fta throws up, and 

 which it leaves, at low water, expofed to the fun. With 

 care and attention on the part of the government, it is reafon- 

 able to imagine, that this evil might be greatly din-ir.iilied, 

 if not wholly removed. The general apprehenfion of the lui- 

 healthinefs of Batavia for Europeans, deters moll of thofe 

 who can refide at home with any comfort, from fecking a 

 fettlement tliere, notwithftanding the temptation of fortunes 

 to be quickly amaffcd in this place. From this circumftance 

 it happens, that offices and profcflions are often neceflarily en- 

 trufted with perfons little qualified for occupying them. 

 One of the c!erg)'men, and the principal phyfician of the 

 place, are faid to have originally been barbers. The United 

 Provinces furnilh very few military recruits ; the reft are 

 chiefly Germans, many of whom arc faid to have been kid ■ 

 napped into the fervice. 



All goods which are carried into or out of Batavia, are 

 fubjecl to duties which are levied at the bar at the entrance 

 of the city. Thefe, as well as the oth^r taxes and impofts, 

 are annually farmed out, generally to Chinefe. The whole 

 of them amount together, upon an average, to 32,000 rix- 

 doUars per month, or about 83,800!. ilerling per annum. 

 The important revenues arifing from thefe import and ex- 

 port duties, &c. and the valuable produflions which the 

 country round it affords, the principal of which are pepper, 

 rice, fugar, cotton, and indigo, might lead us to fuppofe, 

 that Batavia, or rather the colony of Jaccatra, for that is 

 the account in the bocks of the company, to which all tliat 

 relates to Batavia is carried, would be adequate to its own 

 fupport; yet this is far from being the cafe. Batavia is the 

 metropoli.; of the Dutch Eaft India pofTeffions ; it is the 

 feat of their government ; a large garrifon is conftantly 

 maintained in it ; moft of the company's (hips touch here, 

 both outward and homeward bound; their cargoes are landed 

 and (hipp-d ; all recruits are received, maintained, and paid 

 here : i:: Ihort, almoft all the charges of the marine and mi- 

 litary eftablifliment of the company are carried to the ac- 

 count of Batavia, and of courfc a confiderable balance ap- 

 pears every year againft it. Formerly there ufed to be a 

 confiderable furplus after defraying all thefe charges ; but 

 in the year 1779, the charges exceeded the receipts by 

 about ^i,T,2^\. 



The coins current at Batavia are the following : viz. the 

 milled Dutch gold ducat, the Japan gold coupangs, the 

 Spanifh dollar or piaftre, the milled filver duccatoon (which 

 is the current coin of the company throughout their pof- 

 feffions, except on the continent of India), theunmilkd duc- 

 catoon, the milled Batavia rupee, other rupees, half and 

 quarter rupees. The fmaller coins are fl<illings, twopenny 

 pieces, and doits. Of the {killings there are two forts : tlie 

 old, worth 6 ftivers; and the new, worth "4. The old two- 

 penny pieces pafs for 2 (livers ; the new, for 2-! : the doils 

 are ftamped with the mark of the Eaft India company, and 

 are equal to a farthing in value. 



Vol. III. 



The 

 of the 

 pound. 



The 

 The 

 The 

 The 



The 



The 



The 

 Tiie 

 Othe 



following table (hews the value, in fttrling money, 

 above coins, at the llerhng value of 11 francs per 



old Japan gold coupang /. 24 

 new ditto 



milled Dutch ducat 

 filver milled duccatoon 

 unmilled ditto 

 Spanifli dollar, from 

 to - 

 rix-dollar 

 Batavia rupee 

 r rupees, about 



Mo!l merchants' goods are eftimatcd at Batavia by 

 " picols" of 125 pounds; or according to Ricavd, Il8j 

 pounds Amllerdam weight : and thefe picols are fubdivided. 

 into 100 " cattis," each weighing ij pound. Rice and 

 other grain are meafured by " coyangs," which differ 

 in weight ; but whan received by the company at Java, 

 tiicy n-.ull weigh 3,500 pounds. They are (hipped to Ba- 

 tavia for 3,400 pounds, and landed there for 3,300 pounds; 

 for the out-fatlories, they are difpatched for 3,200 pounds, 

 unloaded for 3,100 pounds, and delivered for confumptiou at 

 the out-fadlories for 3,000 pounds : fo that every coyang lofes 

 500 pounds in weight. This deficiency is an allowance xade 

 to the company's fervants who have the management of the 

 rice. Sugar is taken by " canalFers" of 3 picols, or 375 

 pounds neat ; the grofs weight being about 400 or 405 

 pounds. The " ganting" is a fmall rice meafure of 13^ 

 pounds. Ever)- bag of coffee (hipped from Batavia to Hol- 

 land weighs 252, and a bale of cinnamon 80 pounds. 



The bay and harbour of Batavia are excellently adapted 

 to the commercial navigation that is earned on at this 

 place. A circular range of fifteen iflands protefts the road 

 from any heavy fwell, and renders it a fafe place of an- 

 chorage for fhips ; and it is large enough to contain all thofe 

 that double the cape of Good Hope, as well as the Chinefe 

 junks and other trading vtfTels of the country. The names 

 of the iflands ate, Onruft, dc Kuiper, which are the inner- 

 moft, and witliin fight of the city ; Purmerend, Engels 

 Onruft, Rotterdam, Schiedam, Middkburg, Amfterdam, 

 Horn, Harlem, Edam, Enlh.ui/en, Alkmaar, Leydcn, and 

 Vader Smit. The company make ufe only of four of thefe 

 iflands, vi/.. Onruft, de Kuiper or Cooper's ifle, Purmerend, 

 and Edam ; v liich fee. At the boom, which croffes the 

 bay below the town, all vcffels pay toll. The fea-breeze, 

 which rifes every morning at ten, fervcs to bring veffels 

 within the bar, and a land-brcczc at night carries them out. 

 The obfervatory formerly erecltd at Batavia is now ne- 

 glected ; but the Society of Arts and Sciences, founded un- 

 der the adminiftration of the governor-general De Klerk, 

 flill fubfifts. The ill volume of its Memoirs was printed at 

 Batavia in 1779. S. lat. 6° 10'. E. long. 106° 51' 15". 

 Stavorinus's Voyages, vol. i. & vol. iii. Staunton's Ac-- 

 count of Lord Macaitney's Embaffy to China, vol. i. p. 235, 

 Sec. Mod. Un. Hifl. vols, viu Sc ix. See Java. 



Batavia, a Settlement of America, in New Yorfc^ at 

 the head of Schoharie creek, about 39 miles from its mouth, 

 and 38 fouth-wcft from Albany, and as far north-well of 

 Efopu-. 



Batavia, a river of Afia, fo called by the Dutch, fituate 

 in Carpentaria, on the coaft of New Holland. 



BATAVIAN Republic, an appellation given to the 



United Provinces, after the coiiq'jell of them by the Frenoh, 



the exclufion of the uadtbolder, and the change of their form 



5G of 



