A printing-houfe was established in the year 1667, which has met with good encouragement. In the castle, which is a quadrangle lying upon a flat, are apartments for all the members of the council of the Indies, as well as for moft of the company's fervants; fuch as the general book-keeper, the fecretary of the great council, &c. but the palace of the governor, which is within the walls of the caftle, is extreamly magnificent. It is a brick edifice, exceeding in height all the other buildings in this city; and an iron fhip, curioufly wrought, which crowns the turret instead of a weather-cock, may be feen a great way at fea. The great hall is ornamented with bright polifhed armour, befides enfigns, flags, and other fpoils, taken from their enemies by the Dutch, in feveral engagements: it is here that the governor hears and redreffes complaints, and generally attends at prayers, which are faid every night. The government of Batavia is fettled upon the fame bafis as that of Holland, being regulated by fix colleges or councils; in the first of which all matters of state are tranfacted under recognizance of the members of the council of the Indies, over whom the governor-general of the Indies prefides. In the fecond council all matters relating to the public revenue, cuftoms, and the treafury, are debated and decided. The third council confifts of the aldermen and fenators; and herein are determined all difputes arifing between private citizens and the company's fervants. This college alfo takes cognizance of the regulations of public buildings; and the chief justice has herein a decifive fentence in criminal caufes. The fourth council confifts of overfeers of the orphan hospital. In the fifth council prefides a member of the council of juftice, who licenfes marriages, granting none to men under twenty-one years, nor to women under eighteen, neither permitting marriages between Chriftians and Pagans, or Mahometans; nor allowing Hollanders to wed with natives who cannot speak Dutch All matters relative to the foldiery and mi litia are determined in the fixth council of Batavia, which is called the council of war. The ecclefiaftical government of this city is managed by minifters, church-wardens, and overfeers of the parish. There are forts erected all round the city, though at fome distance, to protect the inhabitants of the plain from their neighbouring barbarians; who, before these were erected, used often to come down and plunder their plantations. Befide the foot-garrifon, there is a troop of horse maintained at the company's expence, as a guard to the general. These have great privileges, and make a very handsome appearance on Sundays. The inhabitants of Batavia are a compound of divers nations, among whom the Dutch are the most powerful and wealthy. Next to thefe are the Chinefe, who are perhaps the moft ingenious cheats in the world. They farm excifes and cuftoms, and have a finger in every thing from whence they can derive profit. They live under a governor of their own, and drefs in a filk or calicoe coat, with wide sleeves, as they do in China, with their hair long and neatly twisted; for here they pay no respect to the Tartarian edicts, which in China oblige the natives to cut all their hair off, excepting one lock. The Malayans are next in riches and trade to the Chinese: they alfo live under a governor of their own; their houses being covered with leaves, and planted round with cocotrees. They wear light filks and calicoes, and are continually chewing betel, or fucking tobacco, through lackered fugar-canes. In one part of the fuburbs live many natives of Amboyna, in houses made of wooden planks, not very low, and indifferently carved. Their women wrap a piece of calicoe round their bodies, and another round their shoulders, leaving their arms bare. The natives of Amboyna are ill-looking, daring, and quarrelfome; they have long black hair, and are armed with fcymitars and Hh 4 fhields fhields of an oval figure; they are most of them carpenters, and reckoned very dextrous in their way. The houses of the Javanese are built of bamboecane: they maintain themfelves by husbandry, planting of rice, building of boats, and fifhing: their boats are extreamly fwift, turned up in the manner of horns; and for their expedition, called Flying-boats. The country all about may be laid under water by fluices upon occafion; and its fertility appears by its flourishing rice and fugar-fields, as well as its blooming gardens and fragrant orchards. All forts of vegetables natural to Holland, Perfia, and Surat, thrive extreamly well at Java; with many other kinds natural to the foil: a review of all which would be too tedious. At Batavia you fee often large fcorpions, of a quarter of a yard long; but thofe of a leffer fize are fo frequent, that you can scarce move a ftool, bench, cheft, looking-glafs, or picture, without being in danger of being ftung by them, unless you be very careful to avoid them. The fmall ones are about a finger's length, compofed of many joints, of the thickness of a goofe-quill: they are yellow, fpeckled with brown ftreaks: before, they have two claws with two fharp pincers; their tail is long, and lies turned upon the back, at the end of which is the fting, wherewith they poifon fuch as they touch, They have eight long legs, not unlike thofe of a. cray-fish. The fting of a fcorpion is accounted mortal, unless prevented in a little time; though fome are of opinion, that the fcorpions in the Indies are not fo venemous as thofe of Italy and Spain. A fcorpion bruised to death, or ftifled in oil, and applied to the wound, draws out the poifon. They fay that a radish fliced, and laid upon a fcorpion, kills him in a minute. They have alío another story, viz. that the fcorpion is fometimes fo peftered with pifmires, that he ftings himself to death in the head with his tail; and to becomes a prey to the pifmires, About About Batavia you find a kind of locufts of a finger's length, but no thicker than a pen or goofequill, diftinguished by divers joints: they walk upon fix feet, and have two fmall horns. The locufts here are however of divers kinds; fome are yellow on the belly, and brown wings, and two horns on the head: they can leap a great way, and fly together in great numbers. There is another fort of the fame fhape, but green, and of a finger's length. These come fometimes in fuch prodigious fwarms, that they darken the sky as they país, and devour all in those parts wherever they settle. Of ants or pifmires, there are in Java, and throughout all the Indies, prodigious quantities of divers forts. Some of them are above a finger in length, of a ruddy colour inclining to black; fome with, others without wings. They are very pernicious to the fruits of the earth; and, even in their houses, scarce any thing can be preserved against them without a great deal of care. There are many forts of spiders in the Indies, and of very different fizes: fome are above four inches long, and have very thick legs; others have eight feet, a thick fpeckled body, and round head, with brown eyes: thefe have two teeth bent like hooks, wherewith they bite fiercely. Our author has seen toothpicks that have been made of their teeth. THE H TOWEVER remote the East Indies may be, the voyage thither is fo often undertaken now by the fhips of the several trading companies of Europe; that few occurrences in fo familiar a navigation offer to engage the attention of a curious reader, Hence voyages thither are feldom now publifhed; that of Mr. Grofe at prefent under confideration will nevertheless not only give an idea of the prefent nature of Eaft India voyages, but is farther deferving attention, as containing likewise a defcription of our fettlements there, by an eye witness. Mr. Grofe, having entered into the fervice of the Eaft India company in the character of a writer, embarked on board the Lord Anfon, captain Fowlis, one of the company's fhips, bound for Bombay and China, in March, 1750; and the fame month failed out of the Downs. He had a very profperous voyage of four months, without any material occurrences until the fhip arrived at Johanna, one of the Comro iflands, which are fituated near the coaft of Africa, not far from the island of Madagascar. On approaching this beautiful ifland, after being feveral |