228 COO K.’s VO Y A G E. 
before the door of their mailer’s houfe ; but women within 
The punifhment is by {Iripe^, the number being proportioned 
to the offence ; and they are given with rods made of ratans, 
which are fplit into flender twigs for the purpofe, and fetch 
blood at every ftroke. A common punifhment cods the maf- 
ter a rixdollar, and a fevere one a ducatoon, about fix fhiliings 
and eight pence. The mailer is alfo obliged to allow the 
flave three dubblecheys, equal to about feven pence half-pen- 
ny a week, as an encouragement, and to prevent his being 
under temptations to fleal too ilrong not to be refilled. 
Concerning the government of this^place I can fay but 
little. We obferved however a remar able fiibordination 
among the people. Every man who is able to keep houfe has 
a certain fpecific rank acquired by the length of his fervices 
to the company; the different ranks which are thus acquired are 
diilinguiihed by the ornaments cf the coaches and the dreffes of 
the coachmen: fome are obliged to ride in plain coaches, fome 
are allowed to paint them in different manners and degrees, 
and fome to gild them. The coachman alfo appears in clothes 
that are quite plain, or more or lefs adorned with lace. 
The officer who prefides here has the title of Governor Gene- 
ral of the Indies, and the Dutch Governors of all the other 
fettlements are fubordinate to him, and obliged to repair to 
Batavia that he may pafs their accounts. Jf they appear to 
have been criminal, or even negligent, he puniihes them by 
delay, and detains them during pleafure, fometimes one year, 
fometimes two years, and fometimes three ; for they cannot quit 
the place till he gives them a difmiifion. Next to the Governor 
are the members of the council, called here Ed. le Hecren, and 
by the corruption of the Engliih Idolcers. Theie Idoleers take 
upon them fo much ilate that whoever meets them in a carriage, 
is expefled to rife up and bow, then to drive on one fide of the 
road, and there flop till they are pail: the fame homage is re- 
quired alfo to their wives and even their children ; and it is 
commonly paid them by the inhabitants. But fome of our Cap- 
tains have thought fo flaviih a mark of refpedt beneath the dig- 
nity which they derived from the fervice of his Britannic Ma- 
jeflv, and have refufed to pay it; yet, if they were in a hired 
carriage, nothing could deter the coachman from honouring the 
Dutch Grandee at their expence, but the moll peremptory 
menace of immediate death. 
Jullice is a.dminillered here by a body of lawyers, who have 
•ranks of dillindlion jimong themfelves. Concerning their pro- 
ceedings in queftions of property, I know nothing; but their 
decifions in criminal cafes teem to be fevere with tefpedl to the 
natives, and lenient with refpefl to their own people, in a 
criminal degree. A C hr i Ilian always is indulged with an op- 
portunity of efcaping before he is brought to a trial, whatever 
may 
