ACCOUNT* OF JAVA AND BATAVIA.
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thoufand one hundred, and, finally, they are delivered for confumption for threethoufand pounds at the out-factories, namely, thofe that receive their rice from Batavia,as Malacca, the Cape of Good Hope, Ceylon, Sumatra ’s weft coaft, &c. thus everycoyang lofes five hundred pounds in weight *.
Sugar is taken by canaflers of three picols, or three hundred and feventy-fivepounds, neat, each : the grofs weight is about four hundred or four hundred and fivepounds.
The ganting is a fmall rice meafure, of thirteen pounds and a half in weight.
Every bag of coffee, which is fhipped from Batavia to Holland, weighs two hun-dred and fifty-two, and a bale of cinnamon, eighty pounds.
CHAP. V. — Mode of Living of the Europeans at Batavia. — Women. — Their earlyMarriages. — Complexion. — Temper. — Manner of Life. — Education of Children.
— Bathing. — Excsffive Jealoufy of the Indian Ladies - Cruelty to their Female
Slaves. — Short Widowhoods. — Their Drefs. — Diverfions. — Carriages. — Nori-mons. — Carts drawn by Buffaloes. — Further Particulars of the Management of theCompany ’s Trade. — Senior Merchants of the Caftle. — Adminiftrators, or Warehoufe-keepers. — Commiffaries at the Warehouses. — Exportation of Gold and Silver to India .
EUROPEANS, whether Dutch or of any other nation, and in whatever ftation theyare, live at Batavia nearly in the fame manner. In the morning at five o’clock, orearlier, when the day breaks, they get up. Many of them then go and fit at theirdoors; but others ftay in the houfe, with nothing but a light gown, in which theyfleep, thrown over their naked limbs; they then breakfaft upon coffee or tea; after-wards they drefs, and go out to attend to the bufinefs they may have. Almoft all,who have any place or employment, muft be at their proper ftation at or before eighto’clock, and they remain at work till eleven, or half paft. At twelve o’clock theydine ; take an afternoon’s nap till four, and attend to their bufinefs again till fix, ortake a tour out of the city in a carriage. At fix o’clock they affemble in companies,and play or converfe till nine, when they return home j whoever choofes to ftay tofupper is welcome ; and eleven o’clock is the ufual hour of retiring to reft. Convi-vial gaiety feems to reign among them, and yet it is linked with a kind of fufpiciousreferve, which pervades all ftations and all companies, and is the confequence of anarbitrary and jealous government. The leaft word, that may be wrefted to an evilmeaning, may bring on very ferious confequences, if it reach the ears of the perfonwho is aggrieved either in fact or imagination. I have heard many people affert, thatthey would not confide in their own brothers, in this country.
No women are prefent at thefe affemblies, they have their own feparate com-panies.
Married men neither give themfelves much concern about their wives, nor /hewthem much regard. They feldom converfe with them, at leaft not on ufefulfubjedts, or fuch as concern fociety. After having been married for years, the ladies
* This deficiency is an allowance which is made to the Company’s fervants who refpeftively have themanagement of the rice, for inftance, for every 3,300 received at Batavia, the warehoufe-keepers are onlybound to deliver 3,2oo,&c. Out of this difference they mull make good all lofsby dull, &c. and what theycan keep over is a perquilite to themfelves. Similar allowances are made on moll of the goods in which theCompany trade, and they are all very particularly fixed by a refolution of the council. They form a verymaterial part of the income of the Company’s fervants; who, however, are bound to fell again to theCompany what they have gained in this way of all fpices, coffee, faltpetre, japan copper, and tin ; theother articles they are allowed to difpofe of as they pleafe. Tr.
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