ACCOUNT OF JAVA AND BATAVIA.

2°3

The articles of trade

Sadrafpatnam, Palicol, Jagernakpouram, and Bemelipatnam*.which it furnifhes, are all forts of cotton piece-goods.

Ceylon is the eighth government, to which likewife belongs Madura, fituate on theoppofite fhore f.

This

maintaining the garrifan and fortifications. In the war of 1780, it was however taken by the Englilh,and ceded to them by the treaty of peace in 17S3. The ftatements adduced below, both of the ellablilh-rnent on the coaft, and of the revenues and expences, are taken from dates preceding this event; noneCubfequent to it have been attainable; nor has it been poffible to afeertain the ipecific proportion of Ne-gapatnam in either; fo that greater uncertainty muft prevail on this fubjedt than in any of our other ad-ditions. Tr.

* Our author here omits the fettlement of Palliacatta, where the Dutch eftabliflied themfelves as earlyas 1609, when they built a fquare fort, called Geldria, and whither, fince the lofs of Negapatnam , thechief government of their fettlements on the coaft has been tranfpofed. The fort is in thirteen degreesthirty minutes north latitude, the city which adjoins to it lies in the dominions of the Nabob of Arcot.The trade here, and indeed all along the Coromandel coaft, in arrack, fugar, Japan copper, fpices, andother articles, brought from Batavia, is very bride. Sadrafpatnam is a town equally in the dominions ofthe Nabob of Arcot, from whom the Company have farmed it; they have a fortified lodge here, and havefrequented this place fince 1647 • l' es in twelve degrees forty minutes north. Palicol is a village belong-ing to the Company, in fixteen degrees forty minutes north, and in the country of Narfepore; togetherwith the two following places, it is fituated in the kingdom of Golconda. Jagernakpouram, lies in feven-teen degrees twenty minutes north: the territory upon which it Hands, together with the faeftory atDaatijerom, and two villages near it, which are ufed for the bleaching of calicoes and other piece-goods,are the property of the Company; the factory is defended by ramparts of earth. Bemelipatnam, thenorth latitude of which is nearly eighteen degrees, is a place which the Company hold in farm ; they havea new fort here, and the road before it, as well as that at Jagernakpouram, is practicable from Decemberto September. The Dutch Company likewife carry on a confiderable trade at Mafulipatnam, and theyhave a refident at Porto Novo , which is under the Nabob of Arcot for the purchafe of cottons, on whichthey pay an export duty of one per cent. In 1776-1777, their eftablilhment on the coaft of Coromandelconfifted of one thoufand one hundred and feventy-five Europeans : namely, one hundred and forty-twotn civil, and nine in ecclefiallical employments ; fourteen furgeons and afEftants ; feventy-nine belonging tothe artillery; one hundred and eighty-four feamen and marines, employed on fhore; feven hundred andthirty-fix foldiers, and eleven mechanics, befides one hundred and thirty-feven natives. The revenues andthe profits on the merchandize difpofed of, amounted in 1779, for all thefe fettlements, Negapatnam in-cluded, to7.427,131, and the charges to /.4sz,i33. The intelligent Molfel, who was particularly ac-quainted with the local circumftances of this coaft, as he was five years governor of the Company’s Coro-mandel fettlements, calculated that the former might be made to amount to/.5Z0,000, and the latter re-duced to/.260,000. One or two fhips are annually difpatched direft to Europe , with piece-goods, andcaliatour-wood, the reft go firft to Batavia. The value of the piece-goods fold in 1778 in Holland, was/. 2 ,coo,ooo, about 1 81,8181. llerling; and of caliatour-wood 200,000 pounds were fold at f. 20 per 100Pounds. It is computed that twenty-five per cent, is gained on both articles. The whole of the Dutch Settlements on this coaft are now in pofleflion of the Englifh. Tr.

t Ceylon lies between fix degrees and nine and a half degrees north. The ftruggles between the Dutch m>d Portuguefe for this ifland lafted from 1638 to 1655, in which laft year the latter were entirely drivenr °m it, by the lofs of Colombo . This place, which is well fortified, is the chief fettlement, and the re-dence of the governor; it it fituated on the weft fide of the ifland, and at the broadeft part of it. Candy,he metropolis of the ifland, and the feat of the emperor, lies about fixteen Dutch miles inland fromolotubo; it was taken in 1764 by the Dutch, but reftored to the emperor by the fubfequent peace.he diftrift of Colombo extends about twenty leagues in length, and eight in breadth; it abounds in cin-namon groves and rice fields, black cattle and poultry, and is very populous. There is a feminarium atth° °f n ^ 0 ’ propagation of the Chriftian religion ; and it is computed, that there are three hundred

ouland native Chriftians in Ceylon. The road of Colombo is unfafe, and only practicable for a fewc j 0nt ls ln the year. Five leagues north of Colombo is Negombo, a fortrefs of lefs confideration, but theCo 7-n produced in its diftrid is the beft of the ifland ; it likewife yields a large quantity of coir forr ?S e - Jaffnapatnam is a place of confequence, ftrongly fortified, lying oppofite to and not far from thef er ntlnent ' f nfiollan ; it is the capital of what was formerly a kingdom, nearly fixty leagues in circum-

rence; elephants form the only objed of trade of this country for the Company; this* however, yields

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