BATAVIA
Batavia, the residence of the Government of Netherlands India, is situated in 106^ 48 E. longitude and 67 S. latitude. The old city is built in the ancient Dutch style and was till the beginning of this century surrounded by fortifications, which have since been demolished. It has always been unhealthy, but in 1699 the unfavourable conditions were greatly increased by an eruption of Mount Salak, masses of mud and sand being washed up by the river Tjiliwong, so that drainage became very difficult. On account of this unhealthy condition only very few Europeans remain day and night in the old city. The fine large houses are employed for offices and godowns, and in the afternoon, when business is finished, most of the Europeans retire to the new town, which is situated south of the old city and built in modern style. Broad roads and spacious squares and nice bungalows surrounded by gardens form there a healthy place. It was Marshall Daendels who in the first years of this century began to build the new town with the construction of barracks and the palace that was designel to be the residence of the Governor-General, but has never been used as It is now utilised for Government offices. It contains the large assembly room for the Governor-General and the Council for India, which room contains the portraits of all the Governors-General of Netherlands India. The palace is situated on the west side of the Waterloo Square, where are to be seen a monument of the battle of Waterloo, another monument to General Michiels, and a bronze statue of Jan Pieterszoon Coen, which was unveiled when the 250 years' existence of Batavia was celebrated. On the right and left of the palace are the Supreme Court and the Military Club Concordia. At a short distance from the Waterlooplein is another and larger square, the Koningsplein, each side of which is nearly one mile long. The square is surrounded by elegant comfortable houses, the residences of the higher officials and wealthy merchants. There is also a fine church, Willemskerk, near the railway station, and the museum of the Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences.
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The old city and the new are connected by two railways, two tramways, and wide roads for carriages. Different Banks and Banking Corporations have agencies at Batavia, viz:--The Netherlands Trading Society (Nederlandsche Handel Maatschappij), with a capital of f.35,783,000, and a reserve capital of f.2,536,444.12 gave a dividend of 6 per cent, in 1897. The Netherlands Indian Mercantile Bank (Nederlandsch Indische Handelsbank), with a capital of £.7,200,000 and a reserve capital of £.1,373,528'70 promotes trade, industry, and agriculture in Netherlands India, ad- vances money to agricultural estates and for the trade in produce. The Colonial Bank, capital f.10,000,000, also supplies capital to estates and promotes agricultural enterprise. The Netherlands Indian Escompto Company, with a capital of f.3,000,000 and a reserve capital of f.167,000, does general banking business, advances money on shares, etc. There are also agencies of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corpora- tion and of the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China.
The port of Tandjong Priok is in communication with Batavia by railway and by a canal. The outer harbour is formed by two piers 1,850 metres long; the entrance is 125 metres wide, and the depth is 8 metres. The inner harbour has a quay 1,100 metres long and 175 metres wide; the water has a depth of 7:50 metres. There is extensive accommodation for coaling and in the docks and workshops all kinds of repairs to vessels can be made. The expenses for the construction of the harbour and annexed works amounted to 265 millions of guilders.
The harbour was visited in 1890 by 647 steamers and 53 sailing ships
1895 825
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1897 876 1899 968 1900 995 1901 1,0.7
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The population of Batavia consisted on the 31st December, 1900, of 8,893 Europeans, 26,817 Chinese, 2,245 Arabs, 232 other foreign Orientals, and 77,700 natives ; total, 115.887
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