hips, by reason of a Mud bank which lines all the
Shore of the Bay. The ground that you Anchor in is of such a nature that
the Anchors buries themselves so deep that it is with difficulty they are
got out; for this reason Ships always lays at Single Anchor, being in no
manner of danger of fouling them. You lay apparently open to the winds
from the North-West to the East-North-East; but the Sea that is caused by
these winds is a good deal broke before it reaches the Road by the small
Islands and Shoals without. These Shoals have all of them either Buoys or
Beacons upon them; but if these Guides should be moved, there is a very
good Chart of this Bay and the Coast of Java as far as the Straits of
Sunda, bound up in the English East India Pilot, sold by Mount & Page. In
this Chart everything seems to be very accurately delineated.

Fresh water and wood for fuel must be purchased here. The water is put on
board the Ship in the Road at a Spanish Dollar, or 5 shillings a Leager,
containing 150 Gallons; but if sent to Onrust, which is one League from
the Road, it cost a Duccatoon, or 6 shillings 8 pence. The supplying
shipping with water, especially Foreigners, is a perquisite of the
Commodore, who is always an Officer in the State's Service, but acts here
under the Company. He takes care to tell you that the Water is very good,
and will keep sweet at Sea; whereas everybody else tells you that it is
not so.

Be this as it will, Batavia is certainly a place that Europeans need not
covet to go to; but if necessity obliges them, they will do well to make
their stay as short as possible, otherwise they will soon feel the
effects of the unwholesome air of Batavia, which, I firmly believe, is
the Death of more Europeans than any other place upon the Globe of the
same extent. Such, at least, is my opinion of it, which is founded on
facts. We came in here with as healthy a Ship's Company as need go to
Sea, and after a stay of not quite 3 months left it in the condition of
an Hospital Ship, besides the loss of 7 men; and yet all the Dutch
Captains I had an opportunity to converse with said that we had been very
lucky, and wondered that we had not lost half our people in that time.*
(* Batavia bears an evil reputation for health to this day; but it must
be remembered that the Endeavour lay there during the rainy or most
unhealthy season.)

CHAPTER 10. BATAVIA TO CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

[December 1770.]

THURSDAY, 27th. Moderate breez