Chap. I. Captain Woodes Rogers. 
frnall Veffels to come into the Canals of the City. It lies 
in a Bay, in which there are feventeen or eighteen Hands, 
which fo break off the Sea, that, tho* the Road is very large, 
yet it is fafe. The Banks of the Canals through the City 
are faced with Stone on both Sides, as far as the Boom, 
which is Unit up every Night at nine o’Clock, and guarded 
by Soldiers. There are Chanels cut out of the main River 
for fmaller Veffels \ and every Boom pays Toll. All the 
Streets run in {trait Lines, moil of them being above thirty 
Feet broad on each Side, clear of the Chanels, and paved 
next the Houles with Bricks. All the Streets are very well 
built and inhabited, fifteen of which have Chanels ; and they 
reckon fifty-fix Bridges on them, molt of them of Stone. 
The Country-feats and Buildings round the City are gene- 
rally neat and well-contrived, with handfome Gardens for 
Fruit and Flowers, Fountains, and Statues. The vaft 
Quantities of Cocoa-nut-trees every-where afford delightful 
Groves. They have fine Structures here ; particularly the 
Crofs Church, built of Stone, and the Infide very neat. 
There are two or three Churches for the Dutch , and two 
for the Portuguefe Proteftants, who are a mixt fort of Peo- 
ple. There is one Church alfo for the Proteftant Malayans. 
The Town-houfe is built of Brick, in a Square, about the 
Centre of the City, two Stories high, and very finely built ; 
where all Courts are held, and all Matters relating to the 
Civil Government of the City are determined ; and the Se- 
nators and Directors of the Military Affairs meet. There is 
an inner Court, inclofed with an high Wall, and a double 
Row of Stone Pillars, where the Officers of Juffice live. 
Here are Hofpitals, Spin-houfes, and Rafp-houfes, the fame 
as in Jmfierdam , with all other public Buildings, equal to 
moil Cities in Europe. The Chinefe have alfo a large Ho- 
fpital in this City for their aged and lick Perfons ; and ma- 
nage their Charity fo well, that you never fee a Chinefe that 
looks defpicable in the Street. The Dutch Women have 
greater Privileges in India, than in Holland . , or any-where 
elfe ; for, on flight Occafions, they are divorced from their 
Hufbands, and ffiare the Eftate betwixt them. A Lawyer 
told me at Batavia , he has known, out of fifty -eight 
Caufes all depending in the Council-chamber, fifty-two of 
them were Divorces. Great Numbers of the Natives, who 
are Criminals, are chained by Pairs, and kept at hard La- 
bour, under a Guard, perpetually clearing the Chanels and 
Moats round the City, or any other Work for the Public. 
Three Leagues Weft from the Town is the Hand Ohrejl , 
where all the Company’s Ships are refitted. There are 
Magazines of naval Stores, defended by Platforms of Guns. 
And the Caftle at Batavia is quadrangular, lies in a Level, 
and has four Baftioias and Curtains, faced with white Stones, 
and provided with Watch-houfes. In this Caftle, or rather 
Citadel, the Dutch Governor General, and moft of the 
Members of the Council of India, with the other Officers 
of Batavia , have their Refidence. The Governor’s Palace 
is of Brick, large and well-built. In this Palace is the 
Council-chamber, the Secretary’s Office, and Chamber of 
Accounts. The General’s Hall is hung with bright Ar- 
mour, Enfigns, Flags, &c. taken by the Dutch here. The 
Governor gives Audience to Strangers, who are introduced 
to him by the Shabander, who is Commiflioner of the Cu- 
ftoms. The Garifon on Duty is generally about 1000 
ftrong ; and all the Outworks are faid to be furniffied with 
Provifions, as well as can be ; but the Soldiers are kept 
much under, except the Governor’s Guards, who have large 
Privileges, and make a fine Appearance. The Governor 
General lives in as great Splendor as a King : He has a 
Train and Guard *, viz. a Troop of Horfe, and. a Company 
of Foot, with Halbards, in Liveries of yellow Sattin, richly 
adorned with Silver-lace and Fringes, to attend his Coach, 
when he goes abroad. The Guards are as well equipped 
as thofe of moft Princes in Europe. His Lady has alfo her 
Guards and Train. He is chofen but for three Years, out 
of the twenty-four Counfellors, called Rads of India , twelve 
of whom muft always reiide in the City. The Chinefe have 
the greateft Trade here, farm moft of the Excife and Cuf- 
toms, live according to their own Laws, and are allowed their 
idolatrous Worffiip ; and have a Chief, that manages their 
Affairs with the Company, who allows them great Privi- 
leges, and particularly a Reprefentative in Council, who has 
a Vote, when any of the Chinefe are tried for Life. But 
■ 4 - 
17 9 
thefe Privileges are allowed only to fuch Chinefe as inhabit 
here ; for others are not permitted to ftay above fix Months 
in the Town, or on the Hand Java. The other Strangers, 
befides Europeans, are Malayans , with fome from moft 
Parts of India. The Javanefe, or antient Natives, are nu- 
merous, and faid to be barbarous and proud, of a dark Co- 
lour, and flat Faces, thin, flhort, black Hair, large Eye- 
brows and Cheeks. The Men are ftrong-lirnbed ; but the 
Women are frnall. The former have a Wrapper of Calico 
three or four times round their Bodies j and the latter from 
their Arm-pits to their Knees. The Men have two or three 
Wives, befides Concubines •, and the Dutch lay, they are 
much addifted to lying and ftealing. Thofe on the Coaft 
are generally Mohammedans •, but the others Pagans. The 
Women are not fo tawny as the Men, and many of them 
handfome *, but, in general, amorous, and unfaithful to 
their Hufbands, being very apt to give Poifon, which they 
do very cunningly. The Town is very populous ; but not 
One-fixth of them Dutch. The Chinefe here go all bare- 
headed, with their Hair rolled up> and long Gowns, car- 
rying Fans in their Hands. The Dutch fay, they are more 
induftrious, and acute in Trade, than themfelves. The 
Difcipline and Order of the Dutch here, both in Civil and' 
Military Affairs, is truly admirable. They have all the 
Neceffaries for building and careening Ships, as well as in 
Europe ; and their Officers as regular as in his Majefty’s 
Yards ; whereas we have nothing like it in India. They 
keep the Natives very much in Awe, being perfeftly de- 
Ipotic in their Government j becaufe, they fay, the Natives 
are naturally fo treacherous, that they are obliged to punifh 
them feverely for frnall Faults : But they are more tender 
to the Chinefe , becaufe of the great Trade they have by 
their Means ; and that they pay great Rents for their Shops, 
befides large Taxes •, and from 16 to 30 per Cent, for Mo- 
ney, which they frequently borrow of the Dutch. I was 
told there are here about 80,000, who pay the Dutch a 
Dollar a Head each Month, for Liberty to wear their Hair, 
which they are not allowed to wear at home, fince they 
were conquered by the Tartars . There come hither from 
China fourteen or fixteen large Junks yearly, being flat- 
bottomed Veffels, from 3 to 500 Tons Burden. The Mer- 
chants come along with their Goods, which are lodged in 
different Partitions in the Veffels, like Warehoufes, for 
which they pay a certain Price, and not for the Weight or 
Meafure of the Cargo, as we do ; fo they fill them with 
what they pleafe. They come in with an Eafterly Monfoon, 
and generally arrive in November or December , and return 
the Beginning of June ; fo that the Dutch have all Chinefe 
Commodities brought to them, cheaper than they can fetch 
them : And, being conveniently fituated for the Spice-trade, 
they have all in their own Hands. Batavia wants no Com- 
modities that India affords. They have feldom lefs than 
twenty Sail of Ships at Java, from thirty to fifty and fixty 
Guns each, with Men enough for them on all Occafions j 
fo that they might eafily drive us out of moft Parts, if not 
all India , fhould we ever have an unfortunate War with 
them. Their Soldiers are very well trained, and there is a 
Company always on Duty at every Gate of the City and 
Citadel ; and they have 7 or 8000 difcipiined Europeans 
in and about the City, who can be affembled and ready for 
A6tion at a very fliort Warning. It is the Metropolis of 
their Indian Settlements, and fends Governors and Officers 
to all the reft. The late General, before we came hither, 
had War with the Indians , which, I was informed, had 
like to have fpoiled their Settlements ; but, at laft, they di- 
vided the Natives amongft themfelves, brought them to a 
Peace on advantageous Conditions, and are now pretty fe- 
cure of the Sea-coafts. There are many pleafant Seats about 
the City , and the adjacent Country abounds with Rice, 
Sugar-cane-fields, Gardens, and Orchards, Mills for Sugar, 
Corn, and Gunpowder •, fothat this is one of the pleafanteft 
Cities in the World. I do not think it fo large as Briftol j 
but it is more populous. They have Schools for Latin , 
Greek , &c. and a Printing-houfe. They have lately begun 
to plant Coffee here, which thrives very well j fo that, in 
a little time, they may be able to load a Ship or two : But 
I am told, it is not fo good as that in Arabia. 
40. On the 17th of October we arrived at the Watering- 
place on the Main, having failed from Batavia on the 14th. 
On 
