Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/674

BATAVI. and were permitted to choose their commanders from among themselves. Their cavalry was particularly good, and was often employed by the Romans. The first who terms the insular district inhabited by the Batavi, Batavia, is Zosimus, who also informs us that in the time of Constantius (A.D. 358) it had fallen into the hands of the Salii, a Frankish tribe.

BATA'VIA, Dutch pron., ba-til've-a. Properly the name of the island occupied by the ancient Batavi. At a later date it became the Latin name for Holland. The name was given to the Netherlands on their new organization by the French in May, 1795, and they continued to bear it till they were converted into the Kingdom of Holland, under Louis Bonaparte, in June, 1806.

BATA'VIA (Batavia, 'good land,' the ancient name of modern Holland, the motherland of the city in Java). The capital and chief city of the Dutch East Indies. It is situated on the northern coast of Java, in latitude 6° 7' S. and longitude 106° 50' E. (Map: East India Islands, C 6). It lies on the Bay of Batavia in a low and marshy plain, which is mainly devoted to the cultivation of rice. The temperature is warm and approximately uniform. Like most colonial cities, Batavia consists of two parts, the old and the new city. The former is situated near the water, and is occupied chiefly by business houses and factories, and the residences of the natives and Chinese. In former years the Europeans also lived in the lower part of the city; but the excessive mortality from fever compelled them to remove to the upper and more elevated part. The modern city is built in all essentials after the fashion of Dutch towns, with a few modifications to suit the exigencies of the climate. The houses are spacious and wide apart, and are surrounded by luxurious gardens filled with the choicest plants of the tropics. The Government buildings are of magnificent architecture, and add much to the appearance of the city. The Königs-Plein is a parade-ground one square mile in extent and surrounded by the finest public buildings of the city, including the Governor-General's Palace and the Museum of the Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences. The latter is a beautiful structure in Greek style, and contains, besides an extensive library, the largest collection of representative Javanese art in all its branches. The Batavian Society, in conjunction with the Dutch Government, has contributed considerably to the science of archæology by the excavation of the ancient Javanese temples, carried on under its auspices. The military buildings are on a large scale, and not without regard for the æsthetieal side. In regard to public utilities, Batavia is in no way inferior to any European city of its size. It has good steam tramways, and electric railways, telephones, electric lighting, and all other accessories of a modern city. Of educational and charitable institutions, there are a gymnasium, a number of Government and private high schools, an orphan asylum, a medical school for natives connected with the military hospital, and a number of scientific societies. Commercially, Batavia is the most important city of the East Indies. It is the chief outlet for the numerous products of the Dutch East Indies, of which the most important are coffee, sugar, tea, rice, different spices, minerals, etc. Batavia stands in direct communication with the Netherlands, Great Britain, Germany, and Australia. There is a State railway connecting the old town with the harbor, and a private line running into the interior. About 36 miles south of the city is the delightful health resort of Buitzenzorg, the residence of the Governor-General.

The first European settlement on the site of the present city of Batavia was founded by the Governor-General, Pieter Both, in 1610. Originally only a factory, it became the chief commercial centre of the Dutch East Indies, under the name of Jacatra, during the administration of the Governor-General, Coen (1618-23), who removed his seat from the Moluccas to the new settlement and erected some fortifications. In 1619 it was attacked by the joint forces of the kings of Bantam and Jacatra, assisted by the English, who were defeated, after a siege of five months, by Governor-Genera! Coen. Since then the city has been known by its present name, and has grown ra]iidly, becoming, by the end of the Seventeenth Century, the foremost city of the East Indies. After the earthquake of 1699 it became very unhealthful, and the centre of the European population was gradually shifted southward, where the present modern city of Batavia is situated. The population of Batavia in 1897 was 115,567, of whom 9423 were Europeans, 26,433 Chinese, and 2828 Arabs. Batavia is the seat of a United States consul. Consult Conscience, Batavia (Paris, 1880).

BATA'VIA. The county-seat of Genesee County, N. Y., 36 miles east of Buffalo, on Tonawanda Creek, and on the Erie, the Lehigh Valley, and the New York Central railroads (Map: New York, B 2). It is the seat of the State School for the Blind, and has a public library, a monument to William Morgan, and the Holland Purchase Land Office, which contains relics of the early history of this part of the State. The village is an important manufacturing centre, producing in considerable quantities agricultural implements, firearms, shoes, and wooden-ware. Population, in 1890, 7221; in 1900, 9180. Batavia was founded by Joseph Ellicott in 1801 and incorporated as a village in 1823. Here lived the William Morgan (see ) who is said to have been abducted and probably killed by members of the Masonic Order in 1826, because of his avowed intention to reveal the secrets of Masonry. Consult Seaver, A Historical Sketch of the Village of Batavia (Batavia, 1849).

BATCH'ELLER, (1837—). An American soldier, jurist, and diplomat, born at Batchellerville, N. Y. He graduated in 1857 at the law department of Harvard University, was admitted to the bar in 1858, and was elected a member of the New York State Legislature in 1859, 1873, 1885, and 1889. During the Civil War he served in the Virginia campaigns, and at the siege of Charleston was appointed deputy provost-marshal-general of the Department of the South, and rose to be lieutenant-colonel of volunteers. In 1875 he became judge representing the United States in the international tribunal of Egypt, of which he was elected presiding justice. Having been, in 1889-90, First Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, and in 1890-92, Minister to Portugal, he was, in 1897, reappointed to the international tribunal.