Page:Life in Java Volume 1.djvu/21

 CHAPTER I.

days' steaming from Singapore, in the Dutch mail-steamer Padang, brought us safely into the sea-port of Batavia. It is a large bay, studded with a number of islands, some of which are fortified, while others, being found eligible for that purpose, have been converted into docks, partly by Government, and partly by private individuals.

These islets are not large enough to protect the harbour from the violent winds blowing during the east monsoon, but they are sufficiently numerous to make the passage into it intricate and dangerous, requiring great caution on the part of the mariner. The harbour is not so imposing as that of Singapore.

The coast-line is marshy, and covered with