The governor of Bantam having revolted from the Emperor of Java, assumed the title of king, and was supported in this quality of an independent prince by the government of Batavia. Two separate interests being thus formed in the empire, the Dutch, by dex trously playing the one against the other, were en abled not only to maintain their own power, but con siderably to extend their territory ; and though both sovereigns bore an invincible hatred to the colony, yet by taking advantage of their mutual animosity, they soon became so formidable as to defy the re sentment of either. Not contented, however, with this precarious security, which the united efforts of .the empire might annihilate, they contrived a scheme of freeing themselves entirely from future apprehen sions, by getting into their hands the persons of the two sovereigns of the island. This scheme, the off spring of the most refined policy, was prosecuted by means the most deceitful and unjustifiable, and in the space of a few years was actually accomplished. A Dutch fort, manned with a strong garrison, and well fortified with cannon, overawes the capitals of Ban .tam and Java. A European guard even resides in the palace of their sovereigns, out of pure tenderness and respect ; and they are made to believe, that these evidences of their subjection are solely for their ho nour and defence. The Dutch, however, have not been able to keep the emperor of Java in entire and strict submission. Wars have frequently arisen from a disputed succession to the throne ; and they are constantly obliged to cajole him by splendid embas sies, and costly presents. But they have no appre hension from his power. They have, in a manner, the absolute direction of his affairs, and are in possession of almost the whole trade of his dominions. As for the king of Bantam, he is as completely at their de votion, as the king of the Hottentots was at the Cape of Good Hope. The colony had thus become in a great measure masters of the island. Batavia had yearly increased in strength, beauty, and opulence, and could vie in splendour and power with the chief settlements in India. All fears of foreign hostility were now allayed, and they began to indulge the hope of domestic peace and settled security. But the na tives were far from being reconciled to their autho rity. They made repeated efforts to drive them from the island, and to restore their sovereigns to inde pendence. The avarice and injustice of the Dutch had sown the seeds of disaffection, and had excited even the hatred of their own subjects. And at a time when seeming tranquillity reigned around, they were upon the very brink of destruction, and thousands waited only the signal to take. vengeance on their op.
pressors. A conspiracy of a most daring and dan ' gerous nature had been for four years forming in the very heart of the settlement. It had been carried on •with such determined perseverance, and managed with •such amazing secresy, and so great was the number concerned in it,•that its authors had reason to expect •the most complete success. Catadia, a Javanese, and Peter Erberfeldt, a burgess of Batavia, were the ori ginal contrivers of this diabolical design, which was ?to surprise the city, and to put every European and ..Christian to the sword. The execution.oltheir pur pose was fixed for the first morning of 1722. The order of attack was prepared and delivered to the chiefs of•the conspiracy ; 17,000 men•were engaged to insure its accomplishment.; and they waited only .the signal for striking the final blow, when on the -day preceding this intended massacre the-conspiracy •was divulged, jest in time to prevent the dreadful -catastrophe. Twenty of the principal conspirators were seized without anymoise, and all necessary pre .cautionsstaken in case of any ,commotion in the city ; but the confederates were so thunderstruck at-the .discovery, that not the least attempt was made for their rescue. The Batavian government, that they .might not drive these people to desperation, prudently •cleclined proceeding against the other accomplices, but were contented with.the traitors, whom they had already in their power. Upon -these, however, they took the most exemplary vengeance, and inflicted such a punishment as should deter all others from imitat ing their crimes. Erberfeldt and Catadia were con demned, " to.be extended and bound each of them upon a cross, to have their right hands cut off, and their arms, legs, and breasts pinched with red hot pincers, :till pieces of the flesh should be torn away. Their bellies were then to be ripped from bottom to top, and their hearts thrown in their faces ; after which their heads were to be cut off, and fixed upon a post ; and their bodies, torn in pieces, were to be exposed to the fowls of the air without the city, in whatever place the government should please to di rect." Sentence contre Pierre Erberfeldt, et sescompli •ses, prononck a Batavia en 1722.
This terrible sentence, which scarcely the imminence and extent of the danger could justify, was executed without the least mitigation. Its severity, however, had not the desired effect. The growth of the treason was stopped, but the roots still remained ; and eighteen years after the conspiracy of Erberfeldt, the Dutch proceeding upon mere supposition, committed one of the most inhuman massacres that has ever disgraced the annals of any nation. On the memorable morning of the 9th of October 17•1.0, an order was issued by the governor and council, for immediately putting to the sword all the Chinese that could be found in the city. The garrison, and the sailors who were brought from the vessels in the roads, were tempted by the promise of plunder to execute the bloody edict. The houses
were broken open, and the sleeping victims were torn from their beds and killed without distinction. In a short time the streets, rivers, and canals, were cover ed with dead bodies, and in some places the blood ran over the shoes of the murderers. A more shock ing and horrible spectacle was never exhibited to mortal sight ; and in this dismal tragedy there fell, according to the acknowledgment of tilt Dutch, no fewer than 12.000 Chinese ; but according to other accounts, 30,000 men, women, and children. Of -this transaction our limits will not admit of a more detailed account. Indeed no certain information caa be obtained on the subject. The Dutch, it is true, have framed a story full of •rebellion, insurrections, massacres, and fire. They have told us, that the Chinese had entered into a conspiracy to raise their chief to -the government of Batavia, and to mas sacre all,the Europeans in the colony except the go vernor and director-general, whom they intended to •preserve for carrying umbrellas over the heads of the -new governor and his lady ! that the evening before -the massacre 50,000 Chinese had attacked the city, set fire to the suburbs, and endeavoured to excite their countrymen within the walls to rise against the Dutch ; and consequently that they were compelled. by the urgency of the danger, and as the only means left for securing the public safety, to have recourse to this most expeditious and effectual remedy. But though they have been openly charged with false hood and exaggeration, and have even confessed that -in their narrative many particulars were omitted, and promised a more full and distinct relation ; yet these charges were never answered, nor has the promised •relation•ever appeared. All the accounts which have been received of this dismal scene, instead of explain ing, have served only to cloud a transaction, dark and ambiguous, and which we doubt will never be brought to the public view in its true colours. From the sub sequent conduct of the colony, however, we are war ranted by pretty strong evidence to conclude, that they were actuated in this measure by very different mo tives than what they avowed to the world ; and throughout the whole of this transaction we can easily trace the same grovelling spirit and detestable thirst for wealth, which dictated the horrid outrage against our countrymen at Amboyna. But the mas sacre, as soon as it was known in Europe, was also openly ascribed to the avarice of the governor, supported by such as were deeply indebted to the Chinese, who thought that cutting their throats was the easiest and most expeditious method of settling accounts ; and the Dutch, so far from attempting to.. discredit the rumour, rather seemed willing to free themselves, by throwing the odium upon the gover nor. He was seized on his way home with all his effects, amounting to half a million sterling, and car . vied back to Batavia to abide a trial for the shameful abuse of authority, and where he remained a pri soner until his death. The 50,000 Chinese who, it is said, continued to waste with fire and sword what ever they net with on the mountains, so far from be ing objects of terror and alarm to the Batavians, were invited by a general amnesty to return to the settle ment, and in a short time they became as numerous as ever. Order and tranquillity having been restored to the distracted colony by the firm and wise admi nistration of the new governor, the inhabitants soon lost all apprehensions of any future disturbance. The government, however, were afraid lest the perpetra tion of this outrage should excite the indignation of the emperor of China, and interrupt the amicable correspondence which had long subsisted between that country and Batavia ; and, in the following year, sent deputies to apologise for the measure, on account of the necessity of the case. But the emperor, in , stead of expressing his horror and displeasure at the injuries and insults offered to his countrymen, calmly replied, " that he was little solicitous about the fate of unworthy subjects, who, in the pursuit of lucre, had quitted their country, and had abandoned the tombs of their ancestors." The Batavians, having again assumed their ancient dominion, continued to exercise it with more prudence and lenity. Nothing, how ever, has happened in the settlement worthy of re cording. From that time it has rather been in a de clining state, and, especially within these 50 years, has considerably fallen in population and opulence. When Sir George Staunton visited this place, many of the houses were untenanted, which by no means indicates a flourishing colony. The obser vatory formerly erected here is now entirely neglect ed, but the society of arts and sciences, founded un der the administration of De Klerk, still subsists. The first volume of its memoirs was printed at Ba tavia in 1779. As Batavia derived its importance more from being the emporium of the Dutch com merce in India, than from its own resources, its decay may easily be accounted for by the severe losses which the Dutch have of late sustained in that quarter ; and tee may with safety assert, that as long as Britain maintains her dominion in the east, Batavia Nvill never recover her ancient splendour and mangificence. East Long. 106° 51' 15", South Lat. 6° 10'. See Mod. Un. Hist. vol. x. p. 301-568. Stavorinus' Voy ages, vols. i. and iii. Staunton's Account of Lord illacartney's Embassy to China, vol. i. Voyages de Nicolas Graaf, aux lades Orientales, p. 214, &c. (p)