596

THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF

going and returning. The supplying of those ships withevery sort of fresh provisions, with fruit and sometimes withwine, affords alone a very extensive market for the surplus pro-duce of the colonist. What the Cape of Good Hope is be-tween Europe and every part of the East Indies, Batavia isbetween the principal countries of the East Indies. It liesupon the most frequented road from Indostan to China andJapan , and is nearly about midway upon that road. Almostall the ships too that sail between Europe and China touchat Batavia ; and it is, over and above all this, the centre andprincipal mart of what is called the country trade of the EastIndies ; not only of that part of itwhich is carried on by Eu-ropeans, but of that which is carried on by the native In-dians; and vessels navigated by the inhabitants of China andJapan , of Tonquin, Malacca , Cochin-China , and the islandof Celebes , are frequently to be seen in its port. Such ad-vantageous situations have enabled those two colonies to sur-mount all the obstacles which the oppressive genius of anexclusive company may have occasionally opposed to theirgrowth. They have enabled Batavia to surmount the addi-tional disadvantage of perhaps the most unwholesome climatein the world.

The English and Dutch companies, though they have esta-blished no considerable colonies, except the two above-men-tioned, have both made considerable conquests in the EastIndies. But in the manner in which they both govern theirnew subjects, the natural genius of an exclusive company hasshewn itself most distinctly. In the spice islands the Dutch are said to burn all the spiceries which a fertile season pro-duces beyond what they expect to dispose of in Europe withsuch a profit as they think sufficient. In the islands wherethey have no settlements, they give a premium to those whocollect the young blossoms and green leaves of the clove andnutmeg trees which naturally grow there, but which thisstvage policy has now, it is said, almost completely ex-tirpated. Even in the islands where they have settlementsthey have very much reduced, it is said, the number ofthose trees. If the produce even ot their own islands wasmuch greater than what suited their markets, the natives,they suspect, might find means to convey some part ot it toother nations ; and the best way, they imagine, to securetheir own monopoly, is to take care that no more shall growthan what they themselves carry to market. By different