mangostans, and rumbostans.  The mangostan is about the size of a golden rennet, quite round, and resembling a small pomegranate, the outer rind being like that of the pomegranate, but of a darker colour, but the inside of the rind of a fine red.  The fruit lies within the rind, commonly in four or five cloves, of a fine white, very soft and juicy, within each clove having a small black stone or pip.  The pulp is very delicious, but the stone is very bitter, and is therefore thrown away, after sucking the fruit The rumbostan is about the size of a walnut after the green outside peel is off, and is nearly of the shape of a walnut, having a thick tough outer rind of a deep red colour, full of red knobs, within which is a white jelly-like pulp, and within that is a large stone.  The pulp is very delicate, and never does any harm, however much of it a man may eat, providing he swallow the stones; but otherwise they are said to produce fevers.

This island of Java, on the north side of which Batavia is situated, extends about ten degrees from east to west, or nearly 700 English miles.  The weather is here extremely regular, and the inhabitants know how to use it to the best advantage.  During the eastern monsoon, the land-winds are at S.E.  Sometimes more southerly; and the sea-winds blow from the N.E. fine pleasant gales.  This easterly monsoon is accounted the good monsoon, being fine clear and fair weather, and begins in April, ending in October.  The other, or westerly, is called the bad monsoon, consisting of blustering rainy weather, accompanied with much thunder and lightning, especially in December, January, and February.  This bad monsoon begins in November and ends in March or the beginning of April; during which the land-winds are W.S.W. or S.W. and the sea-winds at N.W. and W.N.W.

The anchoring ground all along the north side of Java, from Madura to Batavia, is a fine oozy bottom, free from rocks.  The principal places on this side of the island are Batavia, Bantam, Japara, Samarang, Surabon, Taggal, Quale, and Rambang; all of which are possessed by the Dutch.  These settlements afford abundance of rice, with which the Dutch supply all their out-factories near Java, and also produce excellent plank for ship-building.  The principal place for ship-building is Rambang, where the free burgesses of Batavia usually go to build their small vessels, as sloops and brigs.  Ships of five, six, and seven hundred tons, often load with timber at Rambang, Quale, Japara, and other places; and each ship, after being fully laden, takes a great raft or float of the largest timber, which she tows along with her to Batavia.  Some of these rafts are said to be thirty feet square, and draw twenty feet water.  There are commonly six ships employed in this timber trade, and they usually make four voyages yearly in the good monsoon, for in the bad they cannot do any thing.  Ail this timber is for the most part landed on the island of Ormrust, between four and five leagues from Batavia, where there are about 200 ship-carpenters, who are constantly in full employ, and here the Dutch careen their ships.  This island is well fortified, being, to use a sea phrase, all round a bed of guns.