210

ACCOUNT OF JAVA AND BATAVIA.

Several weeks thus elapfed before he had an audience ; and in the mean time, mattershad taken a ftill more decided afpeft in our favour, fo that the clandefline attempts ofour fecret enemies were, in this inftance, fruflrated.

I was exceedingly furprized when I faw at Batavia, that, although the trade in piece-goods, and in opium, was prohibited to private individuals of our own nation, the Engliffiwere not only allowed to bring whole cargoes to Batavia, and to difpofe of them there,but were facilitated in every refpeft in the difpofal. Thefe indulgences were notconfined to the above, but were extended to all forts of commodities, both Indian andEuropean, to the great detriment of our own {hips’ officers and crews, who were notallowed to import their wares; and they who did bring fome privileged goods wereforced to fell them at a lofs, on account of the glut occafioned by the quantities im-ported by the Engliffi. The exportation of fugar too was likewife prohibited to our ownpeople, but the Engliffi were furniffied with as much as they afked for, out of the Com-pany’s warehoufes. Their ffiips, upon paying for the work done, were allowed to berepaired by the Company’s fervants at the ifland Onruft. In Auguft 1769 I faw eightEngliffi ffiips, lying at that ifland, and three more in the roads of Batavia. In the fol-lowing year, however, the government feemed, in fome meafure, to have a differentopinion; for they then reftricted the Engliffi to the taking in of water and wood,which every one hoped might be of long continuance.

The Company have another objeft of expence, fince the year 1742, which did notperhaps then appear in fo detrimental a light as at prefent. I mean the premiumswhich are given to the ffiips’ crews returning home, and which were allowed as anindemnification for the articles of trade, which, before that time, they were permittedto bring home with them from India ; but this was fo much abufed, that the Com-pany’s ffiips were crammed with the private property of the crews, in fo far that nowand then a ffiip was loft in confequence of being too deeply loaden.

In how far, by putting a flop to this private trade, fuch accidents have in realitybeen prevented, may be beft feen by comparing the number of the ffiips loft for thirtyyears before the year 1742, with thofe loft fince. For my own part, I believe, thatvery little difference would be found. It is of courfe, that the veffels loft in TableBay, or other roads, which cannot be attributed to overloading, muft not be takeninto the account. The Company have already expended the fum of eighteen millionsof gilders in thefe premiums, as will appear from the rough calculation fubjoined, inwhich I have taken rather too little than too much.

The premiums for every ffiip returning home (eftimating the crews, one with an-other, at one hundred and twenty hands for each ffiip) amount to full /. 18,000, asfollows:

1 Captain receives for premium

1 Captain’s mate .

1 Second mate .

1 Surgeon .

2 Other mates, 7.3 00 each

1 Chaplain - .

20 Under officers, one with another f 200 each

24 Seamen, earning upwards of /. 10, monthlywages, fi$o each - .

66 Ditto, and boys, under/. 10, /.100 each

f. 2000

5 °°

400

400

600

30°

4000

3600

6600

117 Men

7.18,400

3 Suppofed