merchant fills up his own division as they please. They come here with
the easterly monsoon, usually arriving in November or December, and go
away again for China in the beginning of June. By means of these junks
the Dutch have all kinds of Chinese commodities brought to them, and at
a cheaper rate than they could bring them in their own vessels.

Batavia is the metropolis of the Dutch trade and settlements in India,
and is well situated for the spice trade, which they have entirely in
their own hands. There are seldom less than twenty sail of Dutch ships
at Batavia, carrying from thirty to fifty and sixty guns each. Abraham
van Ribeck was governor-general when we were there. His predecessor, as
I was informed, had war with the natives of the island, who had like to
have ruined the settlement; but, by sowing divisions among the native
princes, he at length procured peace upon advantageous conditions. This
is one of the pleasantest cities I ever saw, being more populous than
Bristol, but not so large. They have schools for teaching all necessary
education, even for Latin and Greek, and have a printing-house. There
are many pleasant villas, or country seats, about the city; and the
adjacent country abounds in rice, sugar-plantations, gardens, and
orchards, with corn and sugar-mills, and mills for making gunpowder.
They have also begun to plant coffee, which thrives well, so that they
will shortly be able to load a ship or two; but I was told it is not so
good as what comes from Arabia.

We sailed from Batavia on the 11th October, 1710, and on the 19th came
to anchor in a bay about a league W. from Java head, and remained till
the 28th, laying in wood and water. The 15th December we made the land
of southern Africa, in lat 34 deg. 2' S. And on the 18th we anchored in
Table Bay in six fathoms, about a mile from shore. We remained here
till the 5th April, waiting to go home with the Dutch fleet, and on that
day fell down to Penguin Island, whence we sailed on the 5th for Europe.
On the 14th July we spoke a Dane bound for Ireland, who informed us that
a Dutch fleet of ten sail was cruizing for us off Shetland, which
squadron we joined next day. On the 28d we got sight of the coast of
Holland, and about eight p. m. came all safe to anchor in the Texel, in
six fathoms, about two miles off shore. In the afternoon of the 24th I
went up to Amsterdam, where I found letters from our owners, directing
us how to act as to our passag