Z8z The VOYAGES of 
a whole Month. During this time, they do nothing but 
divert themfelves principally in Dancing, which they do 
in an odd Way, running round to the Sound of Bafons-, 
• Flutes, and Trumpets, which ‘makes -none of the moft 
agreeable Concerts. They make ufe ’of t he fame Muficat 
their Comedies, and other theatrical Diverfions-, of which 
they are very fond. Vet there is no great Matter in this 
Comedy of theirs, which -is, in Fadl, a Mixture of Play, 
Opera, and Pantomine •, -for they fometimes fpeak, fome- 
times ring, and fometimes the whole Bufinefs of the Scene 
is performed by Geft-ure only. They have none but Wo- 
men-players-, who are bred up to this Trade from their 
Infancy. •, but many of them a£l the Parts of Men, and, 
for that Purpofe, change their Drefs, and d-ifguife them- 
felves. Whenever a Comedy is adted, the City receives 
the Sum of fifty Crowns for a Licence. They eredt their 
Theatres in the Streets, before the Houfe of him who is 
at the Expence of the Play, which turns in tirely on the 
Exploits of their alntient Heroes, and the auftere Lives of 
their old Saints-. The Funerals of the Chinefe are Very 
remarkable, as well as very rich, and very pompous. 
Their Tombs are very magnificent, and the funeral Pro- 
ceffions very folemn and grand, at which fometimes no 
lefs than 500 Perfons of both Sexes aflift. The Women, 
upon fuch Occafions, are all clad in White. At their Fu- 
nerals they not only make ufe of mufical Inftruments 
to heighten the Shew, but alfo of coloured Umbrellas 
h'nd Canopies : It is under one of thefe Canopies their 
principal Idol is placed, whom they call Joojlje de Ba- 
tavia , of which we fhall have Occafion to give a large 
Account. 
The Chinefe here follow the Religion of their Country, 
and have, at a Place about a League’s Diftance from the 
City, a Pagoda, where they affemble for the Exercife of their 
Religion. They are, perhaps, the greateft Idolaters, and 
the rneft ridiculous in their Opinions, of all the Indian 
Pagans, fince they openly profefs, that they worfhip and 
adore the Devil. This does not proceed from their not 
knowing, or not believing in, a God, but rather from 
miftaken Notions in their Belief about him. They fay 
that God is infinitely merciful and good 5 that he gives 
Men all they poffefs out of his mere Mercy, but that he 
never does them any Hurt ; and that, therefore, there is 
no need of worfhipping or praying to him, but to the 
Devil, who is the Author of all Mifchief, and with whom 
they are willing to live upon good Terms, and to omit 
nothing that may intitle them to his good Graces. Such 
are the fundamental Principles of their Religion at Batavia: 
How they refine or difguife them at home, falls not under 
our Confideration here. It is the Devil they endeavour to 
reprefent by the Idol we have before-mentioned , in whofe 
Honour they have frequently great Feafts and Rejoicings. 
The Chinefe , like the Javanefe , are extravagantly addicted 
to Gaming, and laying of Wagers ; and this Humour 
drives them fometimes, efpecially at the Cock-matches on 
the new Year’s Feaft, into downright Madnefs : They 
will then not only lofe all their Money, Houfes, and Goods, 
at Play, but will likewife flake their Wives and Children •, 
and, after thefe are loft, their Beards, their Nails, and the 
Winds , that is to fay, they bind themfelves not to lliave 
their Beards, to cut their Nails, or to go on board of any 
Ship to trade, till they have paid what they have loft. They 
become by this means the moft miferable Creatures in the 
“World ; and, when in this Condition, are forced to let 
themfelves out to hire, as the Slaves of fome other Chinefe. 
Under fuch Misfortunes, they have but one Refource, 
which is this •, that fome of their Relations, either here, or 
in China , will, out of mere Tendernefs and Compaffion, 
pay what they have loft: j and then they enter into Poflfeffion 
as before. The Malayans that live at Batavia , employ 
themfelves chiefly in Fifning : Their Veffels are very neat 
and fliewy, and their Sails very ingenioufly made of Straw. 
They are a moft wicked and profligate People, and one often 
hears of their committing Murders, for very trifling Gains. 
They profefs the Mohammedan Religion, but are abso- 
lutely void of Morals ; fo that, inftead of making a Scruple, 
they make a Merit, of cheating of Chriftians. The laft 
Captain or Chief they had, was publicly whipped and 
branded for his Frauds and Villainies ; his Goods were con- 
5 
fi'fcated, and himfelf banifhed to the Eland of Ceylon t 
Since that time they have been afhamed to chufe another 
Chief. The Habits they wear, are either Silk or Cotton- 
ftuff. The Men wear a Piece of Cotton-cloth about their 
Heads, with their black Hair tied up in a Knot behind. 
The Negroes who live at Batavia , are moft of them Mo- 
hammedans. They come moft of them from the Coaft of 
Bengal , drefs in the fame manner as the Malayans , and live 
alfo in the fame Quarter. Some of them work at mechanic 
Trades-, others are a kind of Pedlars : The moft conftder- 
able of them trade in Stone for building, which they bring 
from the neighbouring ifland's. 
The Amboynefe addidt themfelves chiefly to building of 
Ploufes with Bamboos, the Windows of which are made 
of Iplit Cane, very neatly wrought, in different Figures. 
They are a very bold boifterous People^ and fo turbulent, 
that they are not buffered to live in the City* blit have their 
Quarter near the Chinefe Burying-ground; They have a 
Chief, to whom they pay deep Submiflion j and he has- a 
very magnificent Ploufe in their Quarter, and well fur- 
nifhed, after their Manner. Their Arms are, for the moft 
Part, large Sabres, and long Bucklers. The Men wear 
a Piece of Cotton-cloth round their Heads, letting the 
two Corners of it hang down behind, and adorn this kind 
of Turban with abundance of Flowers. The Women wear 
a fort of Habit clofe to their Body, wrapping a Cotton 
Mantle round their Shoulders, which leaves their Arms 
naked. Their Houfes are built of Boards, covered with 
Leaves, are two or three Stories high, and the Ground- 
floors, particularly, divided into feveral Apartments. The 
Mardykers , or Topajfes , are Idolaters, compofed of divers 
Nations of Indians , and are of different Trades and Pro- 
feffrons ; being furnilhed with Paffports from the Com- 
pany, their Merchants carry on a great Commerce in all 
the neighbouring Iflands. Some of them are Gardeners* 
others breed Cattle, and fome Fowls. The Men generally 
drefs after the Butch Falhion , but the Women go like 
other Indians. They dwell both in the City and Country. 
Their Houfes are much better than thofe of the reft of the 
Indians , built, generally fpeaking, either of Stone or 
Brick, feveral Stories high, and very neat. 
There are alfo at Batavia fome of the Macajfars , fo 
famous for their little poifoned Arrows, which they blow 
through a Trunk. This Poifon is made of the Juice of a 
certain Tree which grows in the Ifland of Macajfar , and in 
the Bougi Iflands ; they dip the Points of their Arrows in 
this Juice, and then let them dry ; the Wound they give 
is abfolutely mortal. The Bougis are the Inhabitants of 
three or four Elands near that of Macajfar ; and, fince 
the Conqueft of this laft Eland, have fettled themfelves at 
Batavia. They are very hardy and very bold Fellows, for 
which Reafon the Company ufe them as Soldiers. Their 
Arms are Bows and Arrows, Sabres and Bucklers. The 
Armenians , and fome other Afiatics , that refide in Batavia * 
come thither purely on the fcore of Trade, and flay no 
longer than their Occafions call them. The Natives of the 
Country who are eftablifhed in the Neighbourhood of Ba- 
tavia, and for aTradtof about forty Leagues along the 
Mountains of the Country of Bantam , are immediately 
fubjedl to the Governor-General. The Company fend. 
Droffards or Commiffaries amongft them, who adminifter 
Juftice, and take care of the public Revenues. The 
principal Men amongft them refort at certain times to Ba- 
tavia, in order to give an Account how thefe Commiffaries 
behave. 
27. The City of Batavia , and all the Dominions which 
the Company poffeffes in the Eajl Indies , are governed by 
two fupreme Councils, one ftiled the Council of the In- 
dies, and the other the Council of Juftice. They are both 
of them fixed in this City of Batavia, as the Capital of 
all the Countries under the Dominion of the Company. To 
the firft of thefe Councils belong all Matters of Govern- 
ment, and the Diredtion of public Affairs } and to the lat- 
ter, the Adminiftration of Juftice in all its Branches. The 
Governor-General always prefides in the firft-mentioned 
Council, which is ordinarily compofed of eighteen or 
twenty Perfons, who are called Counfellors of the Indies . 
It very rarely happens, that they are all at Batavia toge- 
ther, becaufe they are ufualiy provided with fome or other 
