20' and the eastern in 114 deg. 48' both E. The
extreme north-west point is in lat. 6 deg., the most southeastern in 8 deg. 45',
both S. It is hard to guess what Mr Scot chose as his first meridian,
giving an error of excess or difference of 30 deg. from the true position;
as the meridian of Ferro would only add about 18 degrees. - E.]
[Footnote 121: The difference of longitude in the preceding note gives
189 leagues, being 43 more than in the text, whereas its greatest
breadth does not exceed 28 leagues, not a third part of what is assigned
in the text. - E.]
The town of Bantam is about three English miles long, and very populous.
It has three markets held every day, one in the forenoon and two in the
afternoon. That especially which is held in the morning abounds as much
in people, and is equally crowded with many of our fairs in England; yet
I never saw any cattle there for sale, as very few are bred or kept in
the country. The food of the people is almost entirely confined to rice,
with some hens and fish, but not in great abundance. All the houses are
built of great canes, with a few small timbers, being very slight
structures; yet in many houses of the principal people there is much
good workmanship, with fine carvings and other embellishments. Some of
the chiefest have a square chamber built of brick, in a quite rude
manner, no better than a brick-kiln; the only use of which is to secure
their household stuff in time of fires, for they seldom or never lodge
or eat in them.
Many small rivers pervade the town, which also has an excellent road for
shipping; so that if the people were of any reasonable capacity, it
could easily be made a goodly city. It is entirely surrounded by a
brick-wall, built in a very warlike manner, with flankers and towers,
scouring in all directions; and I have been told by some that it was
first built by the Chinese. In many places this wall has fallen to ruin.
At one end of the city is the Chinese town, being divided from that of
the Javanese by a narrow river, which, after crossing the end of the
Chinese town, runs past the king's palace, and then through the middle
of the great town, where the tide ebbs and flows, so that at high water
galleys and junks of heavy burden can go into the middle of the city.
The Chinese town is mostly built of brick, every house being square and
flat-roofed, formed of small timbers, split canes, and boards, on which
are laid bricks and sand to defend them from fire. Over these brick
warehouses a shed is placed, constructed of large canes, and thatched;
some being of small timber, but mostly of canes.
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