, and besides Europeans,
there are Indians of various nations, and Chinese, besides a great
number of negro slaves.[149] In the troops, there are natives of almost
every country in Europe, but the Germans are more than all the rest put
together; there are some English and French, but the Dutch, though other
Europeans are permitted to get money here, keep all the power in their
own hands, and consequently possess all public employments. No man, of
whatever nation, can come hither to settle, in any other character than
that of a soldier in the Company's service, in which, before they are
accepted, they must covenant to remain five years. As soon, however, as
this form has been complied with, they are allowed, upon application to
the council, to absent themselves from their corps, and enter
immediately into any branch of trade which their money or credit will
enable them to carry on; and by this means it is that all the white
inhabitants of the place are soldiers.

[Footnote 149: Mr Barrow estimates the population of Batavia, and the
adjacent villages, at 116,000, of which only about 8000 are Europeans;
the slaves are supposed 17,000, the Chinese 22,000, and the remainder
consists of free Javanese or Malays. The streets of Batavia, he says,
present a greater variety of races than are almost any where else to be
found together. Among these, however, as is to be expected, the Dutchman
is by much the most consequential, when he condescends, which is not
frequent, to appear amongst the lower species. Mr B.'s description of
this important being may amuse the reader. "The Dutchman, whose
predominant vice in Europe is avarice, rising into affluence in an
unhealthy foreign settlement, almost invariably changes this part of his
character, and, with a thorough contempt of the frugal maxim of Molier's
L'Avare, lives to eat, rather than eats to live. His motto is, 'Let us
eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.' He observes, it is true, the old
maxim of rising at an early hour in the morning, not however for the
sake of enjoying the cool breeze, and of taking moderate exercise, but
rather to begin the day's career of eating and drinking. His first essay
is usually a _sopie_, or glass of gin to which succeed a cup of coffee
and a pipe. His stomach thus fortified, he lounges about the great hall
of the house, or the viranda, if in the country, with a loose
night-gown, carelessly thrown over his shoulders, a night-cap and
slippers, till abou