CLIMATE. 
283 
That the causes of disease are strictly confined to the town of 
Batavia, is proved by the circumstance of our troops having enjoyed 
excellent health at Weltervreden, only three miles beyond it. Here 
too the Embassy resided during seven weeks without experiencing 
any illness of consequence, although they generally entered the town 
two or three times a week. The diseases that fell under my care, 
whilst in Java, generally yielded to the simplest remedies, and never 
required the use of those powerful means which are thought neces- 
sary to combat the disorders of hot climates. Whether the indiscri- 
minate use of mercury in almost every disease that calls for the aid 
of medicine in Java, has not led to much mischief, appears to me 
at least doubtful. As soon as symptoms of fever manifest themselves, 
no attempt seems to be made to analyse its cause ; “ it is the fever, 
and nothing can cure it but mercury.” Mercury is accordingly given 
to an indefinite extent : if the patient live, “ the mercury cured 
him if he die, “ the disease killed him the remedy is never in 
fault. We were glad to leave, however, the vicinity of a place that 
had been the grave to many thousand Europeans, and embarked 
in high spirits on board the Ceesar, a ship taken up for our con- 
veyance to England, on the morning of the 12th of April. 
On leaving Java we carried on board with us two animals of inter- 
esting characters :■ — an immense snake, and an orang-outang. Of 
the one I have already given some account, and shall refer the 
description of the other to the concluding part of this work, as he 
is too important a personage to be hastily dismissed ; and to say all 
that I wish about him in this place, would too long interrupt the 
order of the narrative. 
We left the island with prosperous weather, and had continued 
on our voyage, accompanied by every favourable circumstance till 
the morning of the 5th of May, when being about two hundred 
miles to the south of the Mauritius, we were once more thrown into 
great peril by the ship’s taking fire. About seven in the morning 
we were roused from our cots by violent shrieking, and the cries of 
fire. The whole ship was instantly in dreadful confusion ; the smoke 
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