CHA P. XIII.

Tranfactions at Batavia, and Departure from that Place.

T1

HE next day, which by our account was the 28th,

1765. but by the account of the Dutch at this place, was the November. 29th, we having loft a day by having fteered weftward a Wednef. 28. year, we anchored nearer to the town, and faluted the water fort with eleven guns, which were returned. We found here above a hundred fail great and fmall, and among others, a large English fhip belonging to Bombay, which faluted us with thirteen guns.

There is always lying here a Dutch Commodore belonging to the Company, who, among his countrymen, is a person of very great confequence. This gentleman thought fit to fend his boat on board of me, with only the cockfwain in her, who was a very dirty ragged fellow: as foon as he was brought to me, he asked whence I came, whither I was bound, and many other questions, which I thought equally impertinent, at the fame time pulling out a book, and pen and ink, that he might fet down the anfwers; but as I was impatient to fave him this trouble, he was defired immediately to walk over the fhip's fide, and put off his boat, with which he was graciously pleased to comply.

When we came to this place, we had not one man fick in cither of the fhips; but as I knew it to be more unhealthy than any other part of the Eaft Indies, as the rainy feafon was at hand, and arrack was to be procured in great plenty, I determined to make my ftay here as fhort as poffible. I went on fhore to wait upon the Dutch Governor, but was

1765. November.

told that he was at his country house, about four miles distant from the town. I met however with an officer, called a shebander, who is a kind of master of the ceremonies, and he acquainted me, that if I chose to go to the Governor immediately, rather than wait for his coming to town, he would attend me; I accepted his offer, and we fet out together in his chariot. The Governor received me with great politeness, and told me, that I might either take a house in any part of the city that I should like, or be provided withlodgings at the hotel. This hotel is a licensed lodginghouse, the only one in the place, and kept by a Frenchman, an artful fellow, who is put in by the Governor himself. It has indeed more the appearance of a palace than a house of entertainment, being the most magnificent building in Batavia; nor would a small edifice answer the purpose, for as there is a penalty of five hundred dollars upon any person in the city who shall fuffer a stranger to fleep a fingle night at his house, the strangers who make it their refidence are never few all the houses indeed have a stately appearance on the outfide, and are elegantly fitted up within, and we were told that the Chinese, of whom there are great numbers at this› place, were the architects. The city is large, and the streets. well laid out, but they have greatly the appearance of those in the cities of Holland, for a canal runs through most of them, with a row of trees planted on each fide: this is convenient for the merchants, who have every thing brought up to their own doors by water, but it probably contributes to the unhealthiness of the place; the canal, indeed, as the city is built in a fwamp, might be neceffary as a drain, but the trees, though they have a pleasant appearance, muft certainly prevent the noxious vapours that are perpetually arifing, from being dispersed, by obftructing the circulation of the air.

The

The number of people here is incredible, and they are of almost every nation in the world, Dutch, Portuguese, Chinefe, Perfians, Moors, Malays, Javanese, and many others: the Chinese, however, have a large town to themselves, without the walls, and carry on a confiderable trade, for they have annually ten or twelve large junks from China; and to these the opulence of the Dutch at Batavia is in a great measure owing. The beef here is bad, and the mutton fcarce, but the poultry and fish are excellent and in great plenty. Here are also the greatest variety and abundance of the finest fruit in the world, but the mufquitos, centipieds, fcorpions, and other noxious vermin, which are innumerable, prevent all enjoyment, and even reft, as well by night as by day. The roads, for many miles about the city, are as good as any in England: they are very broad, and by the fide of them runs a canal, fhaded by tall trees, which is navigable for veffels of a very large fize: on the other fide of the canal are gardens, of a very pleasant appearance, and country houses of the citizens, where they fpend as much of their time as poffible, the fituation being lefs unwhole fome than the city; and there are fo few of them who do not keep> a carriage, that it is almost a difgrace to be feen on foot.

December.

At this place I continued from the 28th of November to the 10th of December, when, having procured what refresh- Monday 10. ments I could for my people, and taken on board a fufficient quantity of rice and arrack, to ferve for the rest of the voyage, I weighed anchor and made fail. The fort faluted: me with eleven guns, and the Dutch Commodore with thirwhich I returned; we were faluted alfo by the English: ship We worked down to Prince's Island, in the Streight of Sunda, and came to an anchor there on the 14th. In this Friday 14. paffage, the boats came off to us from the Java fhore, and fupplied us with turtle in fuch plenty, that neither of the

teen,

1765. December.

ships' companies eat any thing elfe. We lay at Prince's Ifland till the 19th, and during all that time we subsisted Wednef. 19. wholly upon the fame food, which was procured from the

inhabitants at a very reasonable rate. Having now taken on board as much wood and water as we could ftow, we weighed, and got without Java Head before night: but by this time a dangerous putrid fever had broken out among us; three of my people had died, and many others now lay in fo dangerous a condition that there were little hopes of their recovery: we did not, however, bury one at Batavia, which, notwithstanding our stay was fo fhort, was thought to be a very extraordinary inftance of good fortune; and our fick gradually recovered after we had been a week or two at fea.

CHAP.

CHAP. XIV.

The Paffage from Batavia to the Cape of Good Hope, and from thence to England.

WE

1766. February.

E continued our courfe, without any event worthy of notice, except that one of my best men unhappily fell overboard and was drowned, till Monday the 10th of February, Monday 10. when, at fix o'clock in the morning, we faw the coaft of Africa, bearing from N. N. W. to N. E. diftant about seven leagues: it made in several high hills, and white fandy cliffs, and its latitude was 34° 15′ S., longitude 21° 45′ E.; the variation here was 22° W. and our depth of water fifty-three fathom, with a bottom of coarfe brown fand.

I flood in for the land, and when I was within about two leagues of it, I saw a great smoke rising from a sandy beach. I imagined the fmoke to be made by the Hottentots; yet I was astonished at their chufing this part of the coast for their refidence, for it confifted of nothing but fand banks as far as we could fee, without the least bush or a single blade of verdure, and fo heavy a fea broke upon the coaft, that it was impoffible to catch any fish.

On Wednesday the 12th, at three o'clock in the afternoon, Wednef. 12. we were abreast of Cape Lagullas, from which the coaft lies

W. N. W. to the Cape of Good Hope, which is diftant about

thirty leagues. The next day, we paffed between Penguin Thursday 13.