Chap. II. between the Inhabitants of Great-Britain 5 ^r 9 
and that they do not content themfelves with barely qua- 
lifying their Under-officers for the Difcharge of the Places 
they are in, but oblige them likewife to take Pains to fit 
themfelves for more important Services. It is one Thing 
to read News-papers for Amufement, and another Thing 
quite to oblige People to read them for InftrUction ; and 
it is very eafy to conceive, that a Perfon in the Indies , 
who has a good general Notion of the Affairs of Europe , 
and of the Situation Things are in there, will have vaft 
Advantages over another Perfon of equal Abilities, who 
has never turned' his Thoughts that Way, but has lived 
all along in an Opinion, that if he did his Bufinefs in the 
Counting-houfe, his Superiors had no farther Title to the 
Difpofal of his Time, but that he was at full Liberty to 
employ it in fuch Amufements or Diverfions as bell fuited 
his Humour or Difpofition. 
But to bring thefe Reflections to a Point, and not to 
detain the Reader too long Upon fo grave a Subject, I 
lhall finiffi them with obferving, that whatfoever Compa- 
ny takes Care to give its Servants true Notions of Merit, 
rewards and encourages Merit, and leaves no other Road 
open to Preferment ; but Merit will be always hire to have 
more capable Servants, and will confequently have itsAffairs 
better carried on than any other Company, in the Manage- 
ment of whofe Concerns Inclination, Intereft, or Chance, 
governs all Preferments. It may be faid that thefe are juft 
and -general Obfervations, very eafily made, and which 
never will be difputed. The Queftion however is not 
where thefe Rules are owned and admitted, but where 
they are recommended and praftifed. Since we tookOcca- 
fion to enter upon thefe Remarks, not from the general 
Principles of the Dutch Nation, but from the fettled and 
invariable Regulations of their Eaft - India Company, 
which have the Force of Laws to thofe in their Service. 
19. The Government, Order, and Provifion for their 
Ships and Fleets runs thus, viz. all their Ships are the 
Company’s own, and the Men belonging to them are all 
in their Pay, fworn to ferve them either by Sea or Land, 
as Occafion ffiall require. They have two Perfons, who 
■have the Stile of Admirals, and are of the ordinary Coun- 
cil of India. For the Care of their Shipping at Batavia , 
they have one called Equipage-mafter, who is of the 
Quality and Pay of an Upper-copeman, a feafaring Man, 
and vulgarly called a Commandore : He hath the Care of 
fitting all their Ships, and is continually vifiting them 
in the Road, if Occafion requires, and fupplying them 
with what they want. 
There is a fmall Ifland, about three Miles from Bat avia , 
where they have a Fort, which ferves them as a Store- 
houfe for all Manner of Neceffaries for Ships, under the 
Charge of a Mafter - Shipwright, who has alfo Com- 
mand of the Fort and Hand. He is of the Quality of 
Upper-Copeman, and has large Pay and Allowances. 
When they fend out a Fleet of War on any Expedition, 
they make a Merchant of the Quality of Upper-Copeman, 
and fometimes of the extraordinary Council Admiral or 
General, who has a Council of Merchants and military 
Officers to affift him, as Occafion requires. The Admi- 
rals of the Fleet that go from Batavia to Europe , are 
fuch as have ferved the Company as Governors, Directors, 
Commanders, or Upper- copemen, and are willing to go 
home, they have their Salaries allowed them till their Dif- 
charge in Europe *, and if there be none that return of their 
own Choice, they appoint at leaft a Copeman to command, 
who comes back again, if he thinks convenient. 
As to their Admirals out of Europe , the Flag is worn 
by Turns ; Amsterdam Squadron carries it three Years, and 
the Zealand Squadron every fourth Year. The Amfier- 
t dam having two Parts of the Stock, the other leffer Cham- 
bers add theirs to it, and the Zealanders have one Quarter 
of their own. The Merchant who is fent Admiral, muft 
either take his Paffage on the Amfierdam or Zealand Squa- 
dron. If a Copeman, or Under-copeman goes from Port 
to Port on any Ship, they have the Command of her, and 
alfo of the Fleet or all Ships in Company, by the Com- 
pany’s fettled Order in their Articles. When there is a 
Fleet together under the Command of a Commandore, 
the Council is to confift of Copemen and Skippers. When 
943 
a Ship is Angle, the Council is to be of Copemen* Skeeper, 
Under-copeman*, Book-keeper, and Steerftnen , and they 
are always to fteer their Collide by the printed Directions, 
and to fet off' their Work every Day upon Charts, which, 
are delivered up the very Day when they come to Batavia 
or Holland . 
There is an Under-copeman, or Book-keeper in every 1 
Ship, who keeps an Account of the Ship’s Expences, as 
Stores, Provifions, and Mens Wages, in the Nature oi 
a Purfer, and they are to fee the Provifions fo given ouq 
that none be fpoiled. Thefe take Place as they are capa- 
ble of Pxeferment in their Factories by their Time of Ser- 
vice, and they are often taken out of Factories where 
they are wanted, and others put in their Places. If he 
that is upon a Ship, as a Book-keeper, be but an Affif- 
tant, he takes Place of the Steerftnen, or next to the S kee- 
per, by Reafon of his Office, or, as they in RefpeCl, term 
it, the Pen. All Chiefs of Factories, &c. have free 
Power to difpofe of their Ships and Men, while they are 
under their Chief-ffiip, and, as Occafion requires, in the 
Company’s Service. They may take out Men, Ammu- 
nitions, Provifions and Stores, though fuch Ships come 
there cafually, through Accident or Neceffity. Thus 
every thing relating to this SubjeCt, is fo fully and clearly 
regulated, that Doubts or Difficulties rarely arife. 
20. At Batavia, and all other Governments, they have 
a Chamber of Accounts for Orphans and Overfeers of the 
Poor thus provided : There is a Prefident and Mafter of 
the Chamber of Orphans at Batavia of the ordinary 
Council, who has for his Council half the Companies, Ser- 
vants of the Quality of Copemen, and Upper-cope- 
men, and half of the beft Burghers, befides a Secretary, 
and other Affiftants. They fit once a Week, and order 
the Difpofal of all Orphans and deceafed Mens Eftates, as 
they think fit. At Policat , and all Governments under Ba- 
tavia, they have but two Perfons of the Chamber of Or- 
phans, and a Secretary to them, all Company’s Servants. 
The Chambers in thofe Governments are not accountable 
to Batavia or Europe ; nor do they fend Copies of their 
Books of Accounts to any Place, but always keep them 
at Policat , &c. and the Eftates of Perfons who deceafe 
in any Place under that Government, are under the Charge 
of that Chamber, whofe Wills, Inventories and Accounts, 
are there regiftered ; for which Purpofe they have a parti- 
cular Chamber in the Fort. 
They muft keep plain and fairBooks of Accounts, Jour- 
nals, and Ledgers. At Policat the Mafter of the Or- 
phans Chamber, is every three Months to ffiew the Bal- 
lance of the Books to the Governor. Thofe appointed 
for this Office do continue in it two Years or longer ; and 
and when one goes out the other muft ftay a Year to in- 
ftrucft the next Comer, though his two Years be out. 
They are fworn to deal juftly, and to keep fecret the 
Concerns of the Chamber. 
The Secretary of the Office muft give three thoufand 
Pagodas Security for the Performance of his Truft, and 
and be refponfible for all Goods fold at Outcries, for 
which he receives Three per Cent, upon the Account of the 
Sale ; and by reafon he is refponfible, he may deny any 
Man to bid or buy, whom he thinks not fafe to truft. 
The Secretary alfo enters the Wills, and Inventories, and 
pofts the Journal, which is kept by one of the Mailers, 
and takes Care of the Papers that belong to the, Office. 
The Chamber of Orphans may call whom they will into 
Council to advife with in difficult Matters ; and no Per- 
fon may deny to come and fit with them, though it be 
the Governor himfelf. The Council is allowed Two and 
an Halfprr Cent, out of the Eftates of the Deceafed, for 
what is received upon the Sale of Goods, but nothing on 
Money left in Caffi; which Twq and an Half is equally di- 
vided betwixt the Prefident and all the Matters •, befides 
which they have each Money for a Gown yearly, which is 
charged on the deceafed Perfon’s Eftate. If any Man or 
Woman dies, leaving Children under Age, the Chamber 
of Orphans take Care of the Eftate, and provide for 
their bringing up, till they arife to the Age of Twenty- 
three Years, and then they receive what their Parents left 
them, with Intereft, and the Encreafe thereof. If the 
