, from being dispersed, by obstructing the
circulation of the air. The number of people here is incredible, and
they are of almost every nation in the world, Dutch, Portuguese,
Chinese, Persians, Moors, Malays, Javanese, and many others: The
Chinese, however, have a large town to themselves, without the walls,
and carry on a considerable trade, for they have annually ten or twelve
large junks from China; and to these the opulence of the Dutch at
Batavia is in a great measure owing. The beef here is bad, and the
mutton scarce, but the poultry and fish are excellent and in great
plenty. Here are also the greatest variety and abundance of the finest
fruit in the world, but the musquitos, centipedes, scorpions, and other
noxious vermin, which are innumerable, are extremely troublesome,
especially to strangers. The roads, for many miles about the city, are
as good as any in England: They are very broad, and by the side of them
runs a canal, shaded by tall trees, which, is navigable for vessels of a
very large size: On the other side of the canal are gardens of a very
pleasant appearance, and country-houses of the citizens, where they
spend as much of their time as possible, the situation being less
unwholesome than the city; and there are so few of them who do not keep
a carriage, that it is almost a disgrace to be seen on foot.

At this place I continued from the 28th of November to the 10th of
December, when, having procured what refreshments I could for my people,
and taken on board a sufficient quantity of rice and arrack, to serve
for the rest of the voyage, I weighed anchor and made sail. The fort
saluted me with eleven guns, and the Dutch commodore with thirteen,
which I returned; we were saluted also by the English ship. We worked
down to Prince's Island, in the strait of Sunda, and came to an anchor
there on the 14th. In this passage, the boats came off to us from the
Java shore, and supplied us with turtle in such plenty, that neither of
the ship's companies eat any thing else. We lay at Prince's Island till
the 19th, and during all that time we subsisted wholly upon the same
food, which was procured from the inhabitants at a very reasonable rate.
Having now taken on board as much wood and water as we could stow, we
weighed, and got without Java Head before night: But by this time a
dangerous putrid fever had broken out among us; three of my people had
died, and many others now lay in so dangerous a condition that t