but, excepting a few officers and a few other Europeans, the rest are slaves.  The baas, or master carpenter, is the commandant of the island:  an under merchant is also resident here, to receive and take care of the tin, pepper, and coffee, which is brought into the company’s stores here, from Sumatra and different parts of Borneo and Java.  Onrust is surrounded by guns, and there is a kind of citadel on it; but as no troops are kept there, in the war, the carpenters were trained to the use of great guns.

It is supposed that Onrust is more healthy than Batavia, and it may be so; but when I say that twenty men are constantly employed in making coffins for those who die on this island, it cannot be supposed to have a very healthy scite.

During my stay at Batavia, I lived at the hotel, which was the governor-general’s house at the time Captain Cooke was here:  it is a large and spacious building, divided into two parts, one of which is occupied by strangers, and the other by Dutch.  Every person, who is a stranger, is obliged to live at this hotel:  the terms are three rix-dollars a day, for which you have good lodging, and a well furnished table is provided.  Gratitude induces me to say, that I received the greatest attention and civility from many of the first people at Batavia, who, not content with showing me every politeness in their power during my stay there, extended their good offices to me after my departure.

On the 21st of July, the Snelheid, a packet of 140 tons, belonging to the company, arrived at Onrust, and I made application to the governor and council for a passage to Europe in that vessel:  on this, the captain of the packet was ordered to receive me, for which I paid 190 rix-dollars into the company’s chest.  The order to the captain specified, that in consideration of that sum being paid, I was to have a passage to Europe in the Snelheid, and to be accommodated and victualled as a sailor:  I therefore found myself necessitated to make a further agreement with the captain for the use of half of his cabin, (Mr. Andrew Millar, late commissary of stores and provisions at Port Jackson having the other half) for which I was to pay him 300 rix-dollars, and my proportion of what provisions were laid in by him, above what the company allowed.

Being informed that the packet would be dispatched in a few days, I went to Onrust on the 31st, in order to be in readiness.  Lieutenant Ball expected to sail for Port Jackson on the 8th of August, and the snow which he had taken up was to be dispatched on the 24th.

The captain of the packet having received his final orders, we sailed from Onrust on the 4th of August; and in the evening of the 5th, were clear of the streights of Sunda.

It was now that the pestiferous air of Batavia began to show itself; for the vessel had not been five days at sea before six men were taken ill with the putrid fever; and very soon afterwards, the captain, his two mates, and all the sailors, except four, were incapable of getting out of their beds; and what aggravated the horror of this situation was, that the surgeon, who indeed knew very little of his profession, was so ill that he could not even help himself.