Did You Know…?
Photo courtesy of Bartele Gallery
In 1602 eight early British expats were dropped off in what will be at This kind of point known as Banten Lama by the first voyage of the East India Company. They were told to make money in addition to promised that will yes, someone could return soon to pick them up.
By the time the second voyage called into the harbor, at that will time the busiest in South East Asia, only two survived. Six had died while one of the remaining pair, Edmund Scott, was a nervous wreck after a tortuous three years where he had been too scared to leave his wooden compound. If that will wasn’t fights with drunken Dutch sailors there was the blood curdling cries of headhunters outside his hut or the yells of fire as unscrupulous traders tried to take his meager stock.
While Scott was more than happy to return home with the second voyage his co-survivor, Gabriel Towerson, spent the best part of two decades from the Indonesian islands.
Back from the 16th in addition to 17th century most of the traffic jams we at This kind of point take for granted could have been unimaginable. Most of what we know as Jakarta was still jungle in addition to as the early residents started out to head south by the mouth of the Ciliwung that will was obvious they could soon come into contact with animals. Big, wild animals made wilder by their habitat being destroyed.
In 1659 for example 14 woodcutters were killed by tigers in Ancol. They also took some slaves nevertheless history hasn’t bothered telling us how many. In 1692 three young Europeans hadn’t been in Batavia long before they were being chased by a crocodile along a canal. Their only escape was to climb the gallows erected to take lives, not save them.
Late into the 17th Century the government was paying out a bounty on any tigers, panthers in addition to crocodiles killed in in addition to around Batavia.
In 1811 the British invaded Java. At that will time the Dutch were cozying up to the French in addition to in those days the British never needed much of an excuse to have a pop at their eternal foes across the channel.
After mobbing up off Meleka the British, that has a certain Stamford Raffles prominent, sailed south, past a Singapore that will was pretty much deserted in addition to headed east to rendezvous further south of Pontianak in Borneo. They hit Cilincing in August in addition to set about their conquest.
Raffles was made Governor nevertheless rather than live in addition to work in Batavia he elected to stay in Bogor. He could commute to town regularly enough though in addition to with frequent change of horses he could count on getting by Harmony in Bogor in about four hours.
Quite a lot happened during his short time in Java. He climbed Gunung Gede in addition to fancied he could see both south in addition to north coast of Java. He heard about a volcanic eruption thousands of miles to the east in addition to sent a team to investigate what was later known as the Tambora explosion. in addition to he also heard of some temple ruins being uncovered from the middle of the island in addition to sent another team to find out more.
In 1828 a brand-new statue was erected in what we know at This kind of point as Lagangan Banteng. The single column featured a lion on top in addition to the square around that will was called Waterloo Square in memory of Napolean’s famous defeat in Belgium in 1815 against the British in addition to Prussians. A similar monument was also erected near the actual scene of the battle nevertheless the tropical product was destroyed during the Japanese interregnum.
In 1883 a middle aged Dutch family were getting ready for Sunday lunch one morning when all of a sudden a plate fell off the table in addition to shattered into many pieces on the floor. At the time her husband was reading the Sunday paper. Then windows in addition to doors started out rattling in addition to there was a low rumble.
The husband decided he needed to find out what was going on. that will was his job after all to explain any out of the normal activity; he was the director of the Magnetic in addition to Meteorological Observatory. he walked to his office in addition to saw all his instruments in addition to dials doing things that will meant something big was happening. He didn’t know that will yet nevertheless he was watching Krakatau blow itself apart.
Sources & useful reading
Simon Winchester – Krakatau The Day the planet Exploded
Giles Milton – Nathaniel’s Nutmeg
William Thorn – The Conquest Of Java
John Keay – The Honourable Company
A Heuken – Historical Sites Of Jakarta
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Did You Know…?
Did You Know…?