hing committed to their
charge. He has the supreme direction of every thing relative to the
trade and commerce of the Company, both at Batavia and all other
places; and the members of all the factories belonging to the Company
are accountable to him for their conduct.

The third person in the government is the Major-general, who has the
command of all the forces under the governor-general. The number of
regular troops in the service of the Company throughout the Indies may
be about 12,000 men, exclusive of the militia, which amount to about
100,000 more, and are well disciplined, and always called out in time
of danger. The entire military and naval strength of the Company by
land and sea is about 25,000 men, including officers, soldiers,
and sailors. For the support of its commerce, the Company keeps
in constant employment about 180 ships, of from 30 to 60 pieces of
cannon, and in cases of emergency are able at any time to fit out
forty of the largest size.

The ecclesiastical government at Batavia, or consistory, consists of
eleven persons; viz. the five ministers of the two Dutch churches in
the city, and that in the citadel, besides the minister who resides
in the island of _Ourust_, together with the three ministers of the
Portuguese churches, and the two belonging to the Malay church. These
last five are all Dutchmen-born, though they preach in the Portuguese
and Malay languages. As it is deemed necessary that the state should
be informed of all that passes among their clergy, the eleventh person
is nominated by the government, whose especial business is to see
that they do nothing contrary to the laws or to the regulations of the
Company. Besides these, the consistory also consists of eight elders
and twenty deacons. One principal branch of business confided to the
consistory, is to provide ministers for the subordinate governments;
where they are relieved after a certain term of years, and either
return to Batavia or to Holland, to enjoy the fruits of their labours.
Our author relates that one of these ministers went home in the same
ship with him, who had made such good use of his time, that he bought
a _noble fief_ on his return, and became a man of quality. In
the smaller places belonging to the Company, where there are no
established ministers, an itinerant is sent once in three or four
years, to marry, baptize, and dispense the communion; which is
necessary, since the synods do not permit the propagation