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^tffgineon. 
 
 A PRINCESS OF JAVA. i2mo, $1.50. 
 
 JAVA: The Pearl of the East. In Riverside 
 Library for Young People. With Map. i6mo, 
 73 cents. 
 
 HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO. 
 
 Boston and New York. 
 
KibersiiDp ilibrar^ for l^oung people 
 
 Number 7 
 
 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 By S. J. HIGGINSON 
 

JAVA 
 
 THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 S. J.‘^IGGINSON 
 
 WITH A MAP OF THE ISLAND 
 
 BOSTON AND NEW YORK 
 HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY 
 (StK Eitiersitie pmiii, ^Tambritige 
 1893 
 
Copyright, 1890, 
 Br S. J. HIGCmSON. 
 
 All rights reserved. 
 
 The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., U. S. A. 
 Electrotyped and Friuted by H. O. Houghton & Company. 
 
©fbicattU to 
 
 MY LITTLE SON, 
 
 S. H. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The object of this little volume, wi'itten by 
 request, is to give to tbe young people of this 
 country, in as concise and complete a manner as 
 possible, some trustworthy information in regard 
 to the people, the wealth, and the resources of the 
 island of Java, together with a brief outline of its 
 history. To do this accurately and intelligently, 
 the best authorities have been consulted, not only 
 to verify the author’s own experience, but to ob- 
 tain all possible items of interest bearing upon 
 the purpose in view. 
 
 To the work of Sir Stamford Raffles, an ac- 
 knowledged authority on Java, the author is much 
 indebted. 
 
 S. J. H. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 I. Eastward Bound 
 
 II. The Straits of Sunda 
 
 III. The First Visits of Europeans 
 
 IV. Volcanoes, Rivers, and General Aspects . 
 
 V. Pheno.mena 
 
 VI. Kr-\katoa 
 
 VII. Soil and Cldiate 
 
 VIII. Vegetation 
 
 IX. Vegetable Fibres and Dyes 
 
 X. Woods and Trees 
 
 XI- Useful Animals 
 
 XII. Wild Animals and Game . . . . 
 
 XIII. Feathered Game 
 
 XIV. Reptiles 
 
 XV. The Population 
 
 XVI. Houses and Dress 
 
 XVII. Food and Cooking 
 
 XVIII. Agriculture 
 
 XIX. Coffee, Tobacco, Pepper, Cotton, Indigo 
 XX Land and Government . . . . . 
 
 XXI. Manufactures and Industries . 
 
 XXII. The Character of the People 
 XXIII. Religion and Rank 
 
 PAGE 
 
 9 
 
 15 
 
 21 
 
 28 
 
 36 
 
 41 
 
 46 
 
 50 
 
 54 
 
 57 
 
 63 
 
 67 
 
 75 
 
 81 
 
 87 
 
 91 
 
 98 
 
 101 
 
 106 
 
 112 
 
 117 
 
 120 
 
 125 
 
CONTEXTS 
 
 viii 
 
 XXIV. Some Customs and Amusements . . 131 
 
 XXV. The Language 138 
 
 XXVI. Ancient Tejeples and Palaces . . 144 
 
 XXVII. Early Inhabitants 154 
 
 XXVIII. Introduction of Mohammedanism . . 159 
 
 XXIX. The Fall of Modjopahit . . . 163 
 
 XXX. Establishment of the New Faith . . 170 
 
 XXXI. Usurpation by the Dutch . . . 173 
 
 XXXII. The Empire of the Dutch .... 178 
 
 XXXIII. The Dutch East Indies .... 183 
 
 XXXIV. Life in Batavia 188 
 
 XXXV. Traveling in Java 195 
 
JAVA : THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 EASTWARD BOUND. 
 
 Among the many lovely islands that seem to 
 float like gardens of perpetual bloom on the 
 glassy seas beneath the equator, none are so re- 
 splendent in wealth and beauty as the island of 
 Java. To distinguish it, and in allusion to its 
 superiority, it has long been termed in the Malay 
 Archipelago the “ Pearl of the East,” an appel- 
 lation which its rich and varied resources amply 
 justify. 
 
 To reach this land where nature revels in one 
 eternal summer, it is necessary to make a journey 
 half-way round the globe. When one has de- 
 cided to undergo the wear and tear of such an 
 extended trip, one of the four usual routes, each 
 covering about equal distances from New York, 
 and requiring about the same number of days to 
 accomplish, can be selected. Perhaps the most in- 
 teresting is by way of San Francisco, and thence 
 by steamer across the Pacific to Japan, China, and 
 
10 .JAVA; THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 Singapore, the Lion City, situated on an island 
 of the same name at the southern extremity of 
 the Malay Peninsula. Here the English vessel 
 is left, and the traveler commits himself to the 
 care of one of the Dutch or French steamers 
 which ply the Java Sea between this port and 
 Bata\4a, the capital of the Netherlands Indies, on 
 the island of Java. 
 
 Another desirable route is by what is termed 
 the “ French Mail ” — 3fessageries JIaritimes — 
 from Marseilles, every fortnight, for the French 
 colonies in the East, and China and Japan, which 
 also puts one down at Singapore. The mail 
 steamers known as those of the Peninsular and 
 Oriental Company, sailing every alternate week 
 from England, vie with the French steamers in 
 offering agreeable, if not luxurious, accommoda- 
 tions, and, like the others, abandon the passenger 
 for Java at Singapore. 
 
 The Dutch vessels, leaving Amsterdam thrice 
 monthly, present the fourth route, and, as is 
 usual with eastward-bound steamers, go through 
 the Suez Canal ; instead of touching at Colombo, 
 on the island of Ceylon, as do the others named, 
 they call at Padang, a Dutch settlement on the 
 west coast of Sumatra. The Dutch government 
 functionaries are sent to the Netherlands Indies 
 by these steamers, which land their passengers at 
 Batavia. This route gives the tourist the chance 
 to pick up a little Dutch and Malay, the two Ian- 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 11 
 
 guages most prevalent in the strange countries 
 whither he is going ; an advantage not to be 
 slighted by one who has ever experienced the 
 utter bewilderment that seizes the stranger sud- 
 denly set down in a country and climate that 
 makes demands entirely new, among a people 
 whose language he has never heard, and whose 
 ideas and habits of life are so utterly at variance 
 with his own that by no chance can they make 
 a guess at what he desires. A few words, suffi- 
 cient to enable him to call a carriage, order a 
 I meal, and insist upon a good bed, — the first in- 
 dispensable under the equator, — will prove of in- 
 calculable service to one accustomed to the snip 
 and snap of Western energy, when forced to de- 
 pend upon the languor and indifference of the 
 I Oriental. 
 
 Let us suppose ourselves on board the Dutch 
 steamer en route for Java ; the Suez Canal, the 
 ; swarthy Arabs trotting its banks to keep pace 
 i with the steamers, and the intolerable heat of the 
 I Red Sea behind us, and we traversing the track- 
 
 i less path of the Indian Ocean to reach the spicy 
 isles on the other side. With what surprised ad- 
 [. miration we gaze on the endless waste of shining 
 I water, and the gigantic fish sporting beneath its 
 glittering surface ! How we struggle through 
 I the sweltering days, wait for the gorgeous sunsets 
 ; piling the horizon with mountains of golden glory, 
 ' and enjoy the silvery nights, sheeny with a bril- 
 
12 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 liant softness that makes us feel it a sin to go 
 below and shut ouv eyes in sleep ! At the end of 
 three weeks we come into the region of storms 
 and cyclones, where we are treated to claps of 
 thunder, gales of wind, and forked streaks of 
 livid flame to which former experiences of that 
 nature were mere play. Early in the morning we 
 hear a Dutch sailor shouting “ Land ! ” followed 
 by a rush of feet, — every one is running up on 
 deck. “ Land ! land ! ” continues the cry, and we 
 follow the crowd to get our first view of the moun- 
 tains of Sumatra, far away, hut rising green and 
 conical into a heaven of purest blue. While we 
 are making inquiries of our nearest neighbor, 
 more than half of the passengers hurry below, 
 to appear again shortly, equipped with bonnets, 
 hats, gloves, parasols, and umbrellas. A sudden 
 plunge — whir-r-r-r — the anchor is overboard, 
 and they are going ashore. 
 
 Men, naked except a fragment of cloth drawn 
 around the loins, with lithe, supple bodies and 
 brown skins, and heads wrapped in bright-colored 
 handkerchiefs, paddle towards us in small boats 
 packed with oranges, bananas, strange fruits, 
 cages of brilliant parrots and other birds, and 
 little blue monkeys. “ Will Xonya ^ buy ? ” 
 “ Will Tuan ^ go ashore? ” is the burden of their 
 query, in soft voices, and with words that aU the 
 Malayu we have learned does not enable us to in- 
 
 ' Lady. * Gentleman. 
 
EASTWARD BOUND 
 
 13 
 
 terpret. Soon the sales are all made, and the pas- 
 sengers who wish to spend a day on shore manage 
 to get safely down the side of the ship into the 
 little boats, and are rowed into the harbor of Pa- 
 dang, beyond which the town looks like a speck 
 of white against the dark green sloping from the 
 plain that borders the coast, upwards and back- 
 wards to the towering summit of Indrapoera. 
 
 The heat of that day, on the steamer rocking 
 gently in the water off the coast of Sumatra, is 
 something to think about mth tears in one’s eyes. 
 Not a breath of wind disturbs the air, and the 
 sun pours down his glaring streams of fire, like de- 
 vouring blasts from an overcharged furnace. In 
 vain an extra force is ordered to the punkahs, 
 and claret with seltzer drunk by the gallon. The 
 stifling atmosphere will not be cooled, nor the 
 human frame persuaded uncomplainingly to ac- 
 cept the intolerable heat. When the day is over 
 and we are again under way, threading our course 
 clear of the islands that skirt the west coast of 
 Sumatra, what thankfulness fills our hearts ! A 
 sudden storm sending us out to sea, our captain 
 heads his vessel for what he terms the southern 
 passage, and the next welcome shout that comes 
 dovm from above is “ Java ! ” and, as before, 
 everybody hurries on deck, to gaze delightedly 
 on the distant outline of a mountain cone, and 
 later a high black rock called Java Head. We 
 are approaching the entrance to the Straits of 
 
14 JAVA; THE EEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 Sunda, through which it is necessary to pass to 
 reach the Java Sea, and finally arrive at the port 
 of Batavia, whither our stanch steamer is bound. 
 
 As the white line of sandy beach becomes more 
 distinct, the air grows gradually hotter, a level 
 foreground defines itself, tall palms with bare 
 brown trunks wave feathery tops over the edge of 
 the shining sea, the mountain cone looms clear and 
 distinct above a silvery belt of dissolving cloud, 
 and the dark background changes into a bright 
 and brilliant green. Brown - haired cocoanuts, 
 which we mistake for human heads, bob up and 
 doum on the undulating water ; branches of pahns 
 float past us, and rocks and stones, swimming as 
 airily as empty casks. “ IVhat phenomenon is 
 this ? ” we exclaim, gazing in wonder on the float- 
 ing lava. “ Pumice, Mevrouw, pumice I ” answers 
 a voice near us, afterwards explaining how the 
 current in the straits is constantly bearing away 
 fragments of the masses throwm out of the late- 
 belching crater of Krakatoa. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE STRAITS OF SUNDA. 
 
 Fairly within the straits, we feel the newness, 
 so to speak, of everything within the range of our 
 vision. We have just passed the low, flat fore- 
 ground of Sumatra, which stretches away to the 
 left, gradually rising till it is lost in the clouds ; 
 and now, our captain liaving taken what the Dutch 
 call the Behouden, or secured passage, we have 
 the white pebbly beach, waving palms, and occa- 
 sional glimpses of the rice sawahs ^ of cTava on 
 one side, and the rugged luxuriance of Prince’s 
 Island on the other. 
 
 The latter, lying in the entrance of the straits, 
 forms tw'o passages to the harrow channel. One, 
 the Behouden, running between the island and 
 Java, is used by vessels during the southeast mon- 
 soon, when, getting close to the Java shore, safe 
 anchorage can be found, and they are not carried 
 back to sea by the strong currents setting to the 
 westward at this time of the year. The other 
 passage, on the Sumatra side, called Het Groote 
 Gat, or the great channel, is much wider, and is 
 difficult to pass during the southeast monsoon. 
 
 ^ Rice fields capable of inundation. 
 
16 
 
 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 Sailing-vessels, however, coming from the north 
 and west during this season, are compelled to 
 enter the straits by the Het Groote Gat, as it is 
 considered almost impossible to gain the opposite 
 or sheltered side in the face of the determined 
 opposition of wind and current. 
 
 In this part of the world the year is divided 
 into two seasons, termed the east and west mon- 
 soons, or, in other words, the wet and dry. The 
 southeast monsoon sets in about the latter part of 
 November, when the trade-winds blow steadily 
 from the west with great violence ; these winds 
 are attended with heavy rains, and continue till 
 March, then they gradually become more pacific, 
 turning in April, and blowing as steadily from 
 the east, bringing dry weather, brilliant skies, and 
 constant sunshine, which last till October. The 
 unsettled intervals between the monsoons are 
 termed the “ bantering ” or shifting months, dur- 
 ing which the monsoons break uj} and the winds 
 change. 
 
 To return to our passage through the channel. 
 As we proceed, with Java on our right and Su- 
 matra on our left, the balmiest of balmy breezes 
 salutes our cheeks, bearing odors sweet and deli- 
 cate from the blooming groves on either side. As 
 twilight comes on, jaunty little green, cone-shaped 
 isles rise out of the water, with long, undidating 
 streams of fire gliding away from their symmet- 
 rical base, as the phosphorescent waves, washing 
 
THE STRAITS OF SUNDA 
 
 17 
 
 lightly against them, break, separate, and recede, 
 to swell the glittering surface of the placid blue. 
 Gigantic flies hover about our decks, and curious 
 birds follow in the wake of our vessel and perch 
 upon the masts. Southward, long, dark belts 
 of wavy clouds, which we afterwards learn are 
 composed of millions of small blue rice-birds, 
 sail swiftly towards the mountains, the coming 
 gloom speeding them homeward from the rice 
 plantations ; while masses of inky blackness 
 gathering around the towering peaks presently 
 burst asunder, revealing streaks of flame, and 
 emptying torrents of rain, which we can dis- 
 tinctly see through the clear atmosphere, though 
 so far away that we are unable to catch an echo 
 from the terrific thunder peals by which they are 
 accompanied. 
 
 Soon the spiry summit of Emperor’s Island 
 shoots up and is left behind ; also the desolate re- 
 mains of Krakatoa, the precision and correctness 
 of its sliced-off rock looking as if the stroke of 
 a mighty cleaver had split away the absent half, 
 when, with thunderous cannonading, it disap- 
 peared, a few years ago, under the water, where 
 we will leave it at present, retirrning for com- 
 ment hereafter. 
 
 The next island of any importance is “ Dwars 
 in den AVeg,” — thwart the way, — situated in the 
 middle of the channel, and so called because, as 
 approached, it seems to block up the passage, 
 
18 J.ITM.- THE PEAIIL OF THE EAST 
 
 here fourteen miles wide, between Varken’s 
 Hoek, the most extended point of Sumatra, and 
 the opposite coast of Java. “ Dwars in den 
 Weg ” lies flat on the water, is covered with 
 green, that shines and glitters in the moonlight, 
 and is said to be uninhabited. 
 
 The softness and brilliancy increase as day- 
 light entirely fades away, and we seem further 
 to penetrate the apparently enchanted regions 
 whither we are hurrying, while bright points of 
 light beginning to twinkle in the green beyond 
 the white beach line, and the dull, leaden patches 
 clearly discernible among the cocoas and palms, 
 disclose the' gray palm-thatch of the Javanese vil- 
 lages, with the fm-ther information that we are 
 passing the division of Java still knowTi as the 
 Kingdom of Bantam, celebrated in modern times 
 for the size and ferocity of its tigers, and the per- 
 sistently rebellious tendencies of its hadjis and 
 princes. 
 
 Point St. Nicholas rounded and the Bay of 
 Bantam in our rear, we are traversing the mirror- 
 like surface of the Java Sea, enraptured with the 
 beauty of the scene around us, as we glide past, 
 one by one, the lovely little specks known as the 
 “ Thousand Isles ” that dot its unbroken calm, 
 and inhale the spicy perfumes w^afted tow'ards us 
 from their mysterious depths. On our right, the 
 thread of silvery beach is still clearly visible ; 
 beyond it is a flat foreground, which forms a bor- 
 
THE STRAITS OF SUN DA 
 
 19 
 
 der two or three miles in width along the coast, 
 and gradually rises to the crests of a mountain 
 chain, extending east and west as far as we can 
 discern, presenting a succession of symmetrical 
 cones, rising as we speed along, one beyond the 
 other, into the clear moonlit blue. Spiral columns 
 of cloud or smoke curl heavenward from the apex 
 of one or two, which leads to a discussion between 
 two Dutchmen as to whether it proceeds from the 
 crater of a volcano, or is the accumulated vapor 
 from clouds invisible behind the towering crests. 
 
 A long train of watery fire boils and bubbles in 
 our wake, and the little black dots of islands still 
 come into view and pass out of sight, while the 
 moon, seemiugly multiplied a hundredfold in size 
 and brilliancy, sails above our heads in a sky of 
 deepest sapphire and with the stars, also fabu- 
 lously resplendent, bestows a light so lucid and 
 luminous that we test it by reading with ease a 
 page of medium print in a book. Huge turtles 
 float like cheese-boxes on the shining surface of 
 the water. Serpents, many yards in length, swim 
 with heads erect ; silvery fish spring out of the 
 depths to skim over the glassy wave, then sink 
 again out of sight ; and night - birds suddenly 
 swoop down upon us, and, circling round our 
 decks, sail away towards the black shores with an 
 unfamiliar cry. 
 
 Still speeding forward, and sometimes getting 
 near the shore, we catch faint strains of soft, 
 
20 JAVA; THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 melancholy fnusic, and can distinguish the long 
 lines of cocoanut- trees, leaning their bunchy tops 
 out over the water, with huge fireflies spasmodi- 
 cally lighting up the black shadows on the brink 
 beneath. Enveloped, as it were, in magical 
 beauty, we determine, with several others, to get 
 all w^e can of the glory by passing this, the last 
 and most lovely night of our voyage, in great arm- 
 chairs on deck ; allowing, in our dreamy enjoy- 
 ment, the perfumed breeze to fan our faces, and, 
 contrary to our intention, beguile us into sleep. 
 
 A second whir-r-r-r harshly breaks in upon our 
 slumbers, when, hastily springing to our feet, we 
 are amazed to find, instead of the silvery softness 
 of the brilliant moon, the first streaks of early 
 dawn, and close beside us a guard-ship with the 
 Dutch ensign floating from her mast. With re- 
 gret we perceive that our long voyage is over, — 
 our anchor has dropped in the roads of Batavia. 
 In the distance, catching the first rays of the early 
 sun, we see some long, low white buildings, the 
 outposts, we are told, of the beautiful capital of 
 Java, acknowledged by all who have ever visited 
 her to be justly entitled tocher ancient cognomen 
 of “ Queen of the East.” 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE FIRST VISITS OF EUROPEANS. 
 
 Some geographers tell us that Java is one of 
 the Sunda Islands, others that it forms one of the 
 Malayan group. In either case, it belongs to the 
 East Indian Archipelago, lying in that distant 
 and mysterious part of the world called Oceania, 
 and is one of the largest, and by far the richest, 
 the most beautiful, the most highly cultivated, and 
 the most improved, among all the dots of per- 
 petual verdure that comprise the Asiatic isles. 
 
 The natives call it “ Jawa ” instead of Java, a 
 name supposed by some to be taken from that of 
 a grain called Jawa-woet, which grew plentifully 
 upon the island in earlier times. Others assert 
 that the word Jawa is a perversion of the Sanscrit 
 word Yava, — barley, — because Java has some- 
 times been termed the land of barley ; and again, 
 that it is derived from tjie word Jau, — the land 
 beyond or veiy distant. 
 
 It is situated south of the equator, between 105° 
 10' and 114° 34' E. long, and 5° 52' and 8° 46' S. 
 lat. Its length from Java Head on the Straits 
 of Sunda to East Point on the Strait of Bali 
 is 666 statute miles. Its greatest width is 135 
 
22 
 
 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 )uiles, its narrowest limit 56, and its area 51,350 
 square miles. On the east it is separated by the 
 Strait of Bali (ten miles wide) from the island 
 of the same name, and on the west the Straits of 
 Sunda flow between it and the island of Sumatra. 
 The placid waters of the Java Sea lave its palm- 
 fringed coast on the north, while the high cliffs 
 that guard the south coast are ever washed by a 
 long line of dangerous breakers, formed by the 
 inrolling waves of the Indian Ocean. The popu- 
 lation is 22,000,000. 
 
 Before the Mohammedan conquest of Java, in 
 1400 of the Javan era, ^ the whole island was un- 
 der the dominion of one sovereign. It was subse- 
 quently divided between two independent nations, 
 and later into several distinct kingdoms. After 
 the Europeans came into power, the northern half 
 of the island was divided into fifteen residencies, 
 which have been added to, tiU at present there are 
 twenty-five, each having a separate administration, 
 but aU subject to the government of one central 
 authority. 
 
 In the year 1510 of the Christian era, the 
 Portusfuese first arrived in the East Indian Ar- 
 chipelago. In the following year their chief, 
 Alphonzo d’ Albuquerque, subjugating the city of 
 Malacca, invited the trade of the surrounding 
 islands, promising them protection, and opened 
 an intercourse with Java. Xakoda Ismael, a 
 
 1 About seventy-five years later than the Christian era. See 
 page 157. 
 
THE FIBST VISITS OF EUBOPEANS' 23 
 
 Moor, who had trading relations wdth Malacca, in 
 returning from the Moluccas with a cargo of nut- 
 inesfs was wrecked on the coast of Java; but sue- 
 ceeding in saving his cargo of spices, the governor 
 of Malacca, in the year 1513, sent a commander 
 j with four vessels to obtain it. This little fleet 
 was well received by the Javanese, and the Portu- 
 i guese, continuing to trade with the spice islands, 
 generally touched at the ports of Java, which led 
 to a treaty of friendship between the governor 
 of Malacca and the king of Sunda (a western di- 
 vision of Java), on account of the pepper pro- 
 duced in that kingdom. The advantages of trad- 
 ing in the East soon attracted the attention of 
 other European powers, and the Dutch and Eng- 
 lish soon followed the Portuguese. Accounts of 
 the first two, as given by Sir Stamford Raffles, 
 governor-general of Java under the English ad- 
 ministration, read as follows : — 
 
 “ The first voyage made by the Dutch was in 
 1595, in which year their first fleet, under the 
 command of Houtman (who had been previously 
 employed by the Portuguese in the East India 
 service), sailed direct to Bantam. At this period 
 the Portuguese were at war with the king of Ban- 
 tam, to whom Houtman offered assistance, in re- 
 turn for which he obtained permission to build a 
 factory ^ at Bantam, which was the first settlement 
 by the Dutch in the East Indies. 
 
 ^ Trading station. 
 
24 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 “ Following the example of the Dutch, the Eng- 
 lish East India Company, immediate!}' after their 
 incorporation by Queen Elizabeth in 1601, fitted 
 out a fleet of four ships, the command of which 
 was intrusted to Captain Lancaster, who sailed 
 from London in 1602, first to Acheen (Ache), 
 on Sumatra, where he procured part of his cargo, 
 and entered into a treaty with the king, of which 
 a copy is yet in existence. From Acheen he went 
 to Bantam, and settled a factory there, which was 
 the first possession of the English in the East In- 
 dies. Captain Lancaster brought home a letter 
 from the king of Bantam to Queen Elizabeth in 
 1602, which is still in the State Paper Office. In 
 1610, the first Dutch governor-general. Bolt, ar- 
 rived at Bantam, and, finding the situation of his 
 countrymen in that pro^dnce not favorable to the 
 establishment of a permanent settlement, removed 
 to Jakatra. On the fourth of March, 1621, the 
 name of Batavia was conferred upon the new 
 establishment of the Dutch in Jakatra, which 
 from that period became the capital of their East 
 Indian Empire. In 1683, the English, who had 
 maintained a successful rivalry with the Dutch, 
 withdrew their establishment from Bantam. 
 
 “ In the year 1811, Holland having become a 
 province of France, the French flag was hoisted 
 at Batavia ; and on the 11th of September, in 
 the same year, the British government was de- 
 clared supreme in Java, by a proclamation of 
 
THE FIRST VISITS OF EUROPEANS 25 
 
 that date signed by the Earl of Minto, governor- 
 general of Bengal. On the 17th of the same 
 month, a capitulation was entered into, by which 
 all the dependencies feU into the hands of Great 
 Britain. On the 13th of August, 1814, a conven- 
 tion was entered into by Viscount Castlereagh, 
 on the part of his Britannic Majesty, restoring to 
 the Dutch the whole of their former possessions 
 in the Eastern Islands ; and on the 19th of Au- 
 gust, 1816, the flag of the Netherlands was again 
 hoisted at Batavia.” 
 
 The loss of Java at that time was not consid- 
 ered a calamity by the Dutch, for the previous 
 ruin of the Dutch East India Company had ren- 
 dered it a burden to Holland. In short, the 
 Dutch possessions in the East had such an un- 
 toward financial and commercial outlook that 
 I their conquest by England, although very morti- 
 ! fying, could scarcely be regarded as a national 
 I misfortune. The transfer, however, was only 
 I temporary. Since the 19th of August, 1816, the 
 j possession of the island has remained with the 
 Dutch. In 1619, a succeeding governor-general, 
 
 , John Pietersen Coen, quite destroyed the town 
 I of Jakatra, and established another city on the 
 i inland site of the old foundation, on a spot which 
 ) he considered more healthy, and proposed to call 
 [ it New Horn, after the town of his birth, in Hol- 
 ' land ; but it was christened Batavia, March 4, 
 
 ' 1621, and became the capital of the Dutch East 
 
26 JAVA; THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 Indian Empire. The southern half of the island 
 passed under the Dutch Protectorate in 1749, 
 according to a treaty bearing that date, and was 
 divided into the two native kingdoms Soerakarta 
 and Djokjokarta, both governed by native sover- 
 eigns, under the espionage of the Dutch. 
 
 The principal cities and seaports are those of 
 Batavia, Saraarang, and Soerabaja on the Java 
 Sea. The two last-named cities are handsome 
 and well laid out in clean wide streets and fine 
 squares, and are adorned ndth many spacious and 
 imposing buildings. They possess a number of 
 sumptuous private dwellings surrounded with 
 beautiful grounds, the homes of high Dutch func- 
 tionaries and rich merchants who are fond of the 
 Oriental luxury of the East. Batavia, how’ever, 
 the seat of government, far exceeds the others in 
 grandeur and magnificence, and is, in truth, one 
 of the most beautiful cities in the world. Here 
 the successful European, attended by a retinue 
 of servants, dwells in a degTee of splendor that 
 w'ould dazzle the eyes of his poorer relatives at 
 home. 
 
 Buitenzorg — meaning wdthout care, and thus 
 named by a Dutch governor-general — is a lovely 
 suburb some thirty-six miles south of Batavia. It 
 is celebrated for its magnificent botanical garden, 
 and for being the country-seat of the Governor- 
 Generals of Java. The garden is said to be the 
 
THE FIRST VISITS OF EUROPEANS 27 
 
 finest and largest botanical inclosure in the world, 
 and contains specimens of every known variety and 
 species of tropical plant. It quite surrounds the 
 palace of the Governor-General, which with its 
 dependencies and a number of handsome private 
 residences comprise a town beautifully situated on 
 the side of one of the sloping spurs of the Gedeh. 
 A short distance below the village the descent 
 meets the base of the Salak, which slowly rises 
 opposite till its battered rim is capped by the 
 gathering clouds. The fires of the last-named 
 volcano have long been dormant, but the Gedeh 
 gives notice of its ceaseless activity by mighty 
 tremors and thunderous rumblings at short inter- 
 vals. The government cinchona nurseries are at 
 Buitenzorg. 
 
 There, are many other pretty towns in Java, 
 especially on the northern coast, where are also 
 I excellent harbors. Notwithstanding the danger- 
 j ous swell that breaks on the southern coast, it 
 I possesses two or three points, for instance Patji- 
 ! tan, Tjilatjap, and Wynkoops Bay, where good 
 ' anchorage might be obtained if the government 
 1 deemed it advisable to attract to that exposed 
 i side of the island the enterprising and adventur- 
 I ous spirits who seek fortune in Eastern seas. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 VOLCAJfOES, RIVERS, AND GENERAL ASPECTS. 
 
 As we ascend towards the interior of Java the 
 scenery is lovely and majestic beyond description. 
 An unbroken chain of pyramidal cones, ranging 
 from three to thirteen thousand feet in height, ex- 
 tends through the centre of the whole length of 
 the island. There are forty-seven distinct moun- 
 tains, each rising from a round and separate base, 
 seventeen of which are active volcanoes. 
 
 The Karang, which we saw while far out at sea 
 and as we approached Java Head, is the first of 
 the series on the west. Then follow the Salak, the 
 Gedeh, the Sindoro, the Tankoeban-Prahoe, the 
 Oengarang, Merbaboe, Merapi, Arjuna, Sermiroe, 
 and Tagal, succeeded by many others. Those 
 named are some of the volcanoes, varying in ele- 
 vation from eight to thirteen thousand feet, the 
 Sermiroe being the highest. The bases of these 
 gigantic and symmetrical elevations are almost 
 level with the sea ; their sides, sloping upwards 
 to their pointed summits, are covered with rich 
 plantations and forest jungles nearly to the 
 throats of their gaping craters, some of which 
 
VOLCANOliS, RIVEES, GENERAL ASPECTS 29 
 
 continually send forth smoke and sulphurous va- 
 pors, while others are supposed to be extinct. 
 
 Eruptions in these regions, where the earth’s 
 crust is so thin that it cracks and splits with- 
 out apparent effort, cause but little alarm, unless 
 attended with copious and violent expulsions of 
 ashes, stones, boiling water, and lava, which sud- 
 denly overwhelm and submerge the surrounding 
 districts. The inhabitants, always apprehensive, 
 take the precaution of erecting their dwellings 
 with one story, to avoid any unpleasant toppling 
 of their domiciles about their ears. Some of the 
 craters are filled with water, which constantly 
 boils up from below. One especially, the Bromo 
 on the Teng’gers, has a lake of boiling sulphur- 
 ous mud. 
 
 I Thousands and thousands of human beings 
 i have perished by earthquakes in Java, but where 
 I the population is so dense, life is held very cheap, 
 and as long as only natives or native villages are 
 destroyed, very little is said. It appears to be the 
 policy of the government to suppress the circula- 
 tion of disturbing news. The Papandajung, a 
 mud volcano, situated in the district of Cheri- 
 bon, was formerly one of the largest volcanoes on 
 the island ; but in the last century more than one 
 half of it, covering an area fifteen miles long 
 and six broad, was suddenly swallowed in a stu- 
 pendous combustion, which at the same time 
 gulped down and otherwise annihilated some 
 
30 JAVA: THE PEABL OF THE EAST 
 
 forty native villages, with many valuable coffee, 
 cotton, and indigo plantations in its adjacent 
 neighborhood, and a corresponding number of 
 cattle. 
 
 The summits of these cones are composed of 
 naked rock or ice, or they are covered with vege- 
 tation, the jungle often reaching to the very 
 brim of the crater. Boiling streams, which have 
 their origin in the fiery depths of the craters, or 
 apertures that gape on their tops, rush down their 
 teeming declivities, not infrequently side by side 
 wdth streams that are clear and icy cold, bearing 
 the drainings of the hail and snow above. Nearly 
 aU the volcanoes are striped with vertical ridges, 
 which become beds of rivers during the rainy 
 seasons. 
 
 Besides the high mountains just mentioned, 
 there are many chains of smaller elevations, ex- 
 tending in various directions, and forming low, 
 separate, and independent ranges, some of which 
 bear evidences of volcanic origin and others of 
 submarine construction. Many are covered with 
 large rocks of basalt ; some are of calcareous 
 constitution, and in the beds of the rivers about 
 their base flint, jasper, agate, carnelian, and por- 
 phyry are found. 
 
 The limited area of the island does not admit 
 of any long or very powerful water-courses, yet, 
 such as they are, they are abundant, and very re- 
 spectable in length, depth, and width ; aU flowing 
 
VOLCANOES, EIVEES, GENEEAL ASPECTS 31 
 
 from tlie mountains towards the sea on both sides 
 of the high central volcanic crest, and each in- 
 creasing fabulously in strength and volume dur- 
 ing the wet monsoon. The Solo is the largest 
 and most important river on the island. It has 
 its source among the hills in the interior district 
 of Kadawang, and flows in an eastei’ly direction 
 before emptying itself into the sea near Soera- 
 baja. Its length, owing to its extraordinary 
 doubling upon itself, is about 360 miles, while the 
 actual distance from its source to the sea is not 
 over 140. Soerakarta, the capital of the Soe- 
 soenan (highest native sovereign), is situated on 
 the Solo Kiver. , 
 
 The na^^gation of the Solo is of the utmost 
 importance to the inland trade, which depends 
 upon its waters to float the industry of the vil- 
 lages aiid the produce of the country to the sea- 
 port. During the rainy season the boats that ply 
 the stream are of a considerable size, but have to 
 give place to those of much smaller dimensions 
 when the swollen stream shrinks during the dry 
 monsoon to less than one half its former propor- 
 tions. Vessels float with the current from Soe- 
 rakarta down to Gresek, on the east coast, in seven 
 or eight days, carrying the spices and coffees of 
 the interior, which are exchanged for salt and 
 various desirable articles of foreign importation 
 to transport inland. This sort of trade may 
 appear very profitable, but as it requires four 
 
32 JAVA: TUE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 months to beat up the stream again to Soerakarta, 
 only one voyage can be made in a season ; there- 
 fore all the profit goes to pay for the time spent I 
 
 All the rivers in Java partake of the general 
 characteristics of the Solo, each rising somewhere 
 in the mountains in the middle of the island, and 
 flowing either on one side or the other, to the sea, 
 bearing the products of the interior. Some of 
 those that seek the coast on the southern side 
 are choked up at the mouth with banks of sand, 
 forced therein by the hea^’7 surf of the Indian 
 Ocean. On the northern coast, the mud and soil 
 are carried dowm from the rice districts, and are 
 arrested at their debouchure by the opposing 
 w’aters of the Java Sea, forming a bar, which 
 is overcome by projecting piers, built to facili- 
 tate easy entrance. 
 
 Extensive swamps spread over large districts in 
 various parts of the lowlands of Java, and are 
 utilized by being converted into rice sawahs, 
 where an abundance of mud and W'ater is ne- 
 cessary. These mud flats are drained, culti- 
 vated, and inundated at will, and thus ren- 
 dered useful and absolutely indispensable to the 
 support of the millions that crowd the island and 
 subsist entirely on rice. The country is almost 
 destitute of lakes of any size, though there are 
 several small bodies of fresh or sidphurous water 
 shining here and there among the mountains, that 
 are generally supposed to be the depressions of 
 
VOLCANOES, RIVERS, GENERAL ASPECTS 33 
 
 extinct volcanoes since filled up with water from 
 beneath. Some have no apparent outlet, neither 
 do they receive the accumulations of any visible 
 stream. 
 
 As we descend the mountains towards the Java 
 Sea on the northern coast, the aspect of the coun- 
 try, as we approach the water, is low and fiat, 
 but to reach it we must pass through some of the 
 most romantic and magnificent scenery in the 
 world. Waving forests, cloud-capped mountains, 
 rushing streams, silvery cataracts, sparkling pools, 
 and shady groves alternate wth teeming plan- 
 tations of rice, coffee, tea, cinchona, cocoanut, 
 banaua, orange, lime, and pineapple, which are 
 presided over by the sovereign planter, who lives 
 as a prince in a palace-like bungalow, with hun- 
 dreds or thousands of humble natives who are 
 willing to kneel at his nod. Add to the fore- 
 going the inspiring delights of the pure atmos- 
 phere, the brilliant tints of the tropical sky, the 
 glowing warmth, the redundant life, perpetual 
 bloom, and unfailing perfumes saturating the 
 ceaselessly soft and balmy breeze, with its seduc- 
 tive and intoxicating influences, and we have a 
 condition of life not easily described, and one 
 that is particularly charming to the visitor from 
 colder zones, when contrasted with the stunted 
 growths and, by comparison, barren fields of 
 northern latitudes. With what wonder, delight, 
 and admiration the traveler from hardier climes 
 
34 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 regards this palpitating, voluptuous beauty ! How 
 he longs with all his heart to transport it, with its 
 brilliant life, warmth, and dreamy glory, to the 
 less inspiring but more energetic regions that form 
 his own temperate home ! 
 
 Tobacco, tea, coffee, and various luscious fruits 
 that require a colder climate than prevails in the 
 low regions near the coast, are extensively culti- 
 vated on the broad plains and plateaux dis- 
 covered far up on the mountain sides, between 
 the vast forests that cover the uniform declines. 
 Jungles of rank and impenetrable growth are 
 found everywhere : on the mountains they are 
 coverts for wild beasts ; on the plains, the abode 
 of dreaded reptiles and noxious insects, their mo- 
 rassy foundations furnishing the most prolific 
 propagating grounds. 
 
 Elce, sugar, and cocoanuts are the principal 
 important productions cultivated on the lowlands 
 skirting: the sea-coast. Advancing from the lat- 
 ter towards the interior, the heat and sultriness are 
 gradually exchanged for the bracing and refresh- 
 ing currents of mountain air, which grow more 
 cool and invigorating every step we take, till at last 
 we encounter the cold winds of the north, and see 
 around, us the rugged oaks -and stunted and mea- 
 gre shrubbery of a northern clime. In a few 
 hours’ travel, a climate of any temperature may 
 be found. If we continue our journey and* reach 
 the summits of the highest peaks, the cutting 
 
T'OiC.l*VO£'S, BIVEES, GENERAL ASPECTS 35 
 
 blasts of Arctic regions will make us wish for 
 furs and blankets, while we shiver around a blaz- 
 ing forest fire, or thankfully cuddle up in a well- 
 warnied mountain hut, escaping the gales outside 
 with infinite relief and satisfaction. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 PHENOMENA. 
 
 Among the endless varieties of phenomena that 
 hourly meet the astonished gaze of the ti’aveler 
 in Java, the hot wells may be mentioned as one 
 of the most singular. Those that are most ac- 
 cessible and most frequented by tourists in search 
 of the curious are situated in the province of 
 Cheribon, in the midst of a plain that is per- 
 fectly white from the coating laid on by the sul- 
 phurous vapor constantly rising from its porous 
 surface. The water in these wells maintains difEer- 
 ent degi’ees of heat below boiling, and their sides 
 are white with chalkstone incrustations, wliich 
 also extend over the trees in their vicinity, 
 from the branches of which they are often sus- 
 pended in the form of snowy stalactites. Calca- 
 reous formations abound throughout this region, 
 and rocks covered with beautiful crystals of 
 calc-spar are sprinkled over the plains and val- 
 leys. Petroleum is likewise abundant in this 
 district in depressed spots, where the oil floats 
 in patches upon the water, emitting its unmis- 
 takable odor. The ground about these depres- 
 
PHENOMENA 37 
 
 sions is thoroughly impregnated wnth oil, which 
 can be jjressed fi-oin the earth with the hand. 
 
 In certain vicinities in the eastern interior of 
 the island there are a series of mud wells, termed 
 Bledeg. The mud is warm, but not hot, and is 
 frequently mixed with salt, which causes the 
 Bledeg to be sometimes spoken of as salt wells. 
 In some cases salt water alone is forced up 
 through the apertures in the rocks, with consider- 
 able violence, but generally the term Bledeg is 
 applied to salt mud, sometimes in wells or sepa- 
 rate masses. In one instance the mud forced up 
 by the gas underneath rises regularly at short in- 
 tervals in a spherical mass, which explodes, spread- 
 ing itself in all directions. These warm and pal- 
 pitating mud hills are distributed in a circular 
 plain impregnated with oil and salt, and their ex- 
 plosions are said to increase in frequency and vio- 
 lence during the rainy periods. They are said to 
 owe their origin to the general volcanic proclivi- 
 ties that distinguish Java and the surrounding 
 islands. Gaseous mud and gaseous wells of dif- 
 ferent kinds are quite common. In one locality 
 there are gas fountains, which shoot their blazing 
 vapor far up into the air, and are regarded with 
 reverence by the natives, who give them the name 
 of Holy Fires. 
 
 In no part of the world are volcanic forma- 
 tions more apparent than in the Sunda Isles, 
 which continually present the most curious erup- 
 
38 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 tive phenomena. The volcanoes of Java and 
 those of her neighbors display the most vindictive 
 spirit, and seem to delight in venting their ire 
 in frequent earthquakes, and, at intervals, vio- 
 lent expulsions, spreading terror, death, and de- 
 struction for miles around ; such was the charac- 
 ter of the outburst of the Tambora in 1815, on 
 the island of Sumbawa, which is very close to 
 Java. Such, also, was the recent eruption of 
 Krakatoa, in the Straits of Sunda, and the out- 
 break, in 1886, of the Sermiroe. The Sermiroe 
 exhibits an extremely singular phenomenon. It 
 is high, narrow, and very pointed towards the top, 
 from which smoke issues all the time, and every 
 morning, at about eight o’clock, it shoots upward 
 with great force an immense quantity of smoke 
 and ashes, sometimes accompanied with stones 
 and rocks, which fall back, and roll down the 
 mountain side. 
 
 The Bromo, or Brama (from the god of fire), 
 on the Teng’gers mountain range, is the most in- 
 teresting volcano in Java. It is situated in the 
 centre of what is known as the Sandy Sea, which 
 is simply the denuded bottom of an extinct crater, 
 the sand of which, when blown by the vind, takes 
 the appearance of rippling ocean waves. The 
 Sandy Sea is eight hundred feet below the sur- 
 roimding brim, and five miles in diameter, and is 
 supposed to be the largest crater in the world. 
 Three separate cones rise from its centre, one of 
 
PHENOMENA 
 
 39 
 
 which is covered with vegetation around its base. 
 The central cone is destitute of everything green, 
 and has a black and burned appearance. This is 
 the Bromo, from which volumes of smoke con- 
 stantly issue with considerable noise. 
 
 After descending into the Sandy Sea, which 
 appears to be hollow beneath, and, when stepped 
 on, emits a sound similar to that which one might 
 expect to hear from footsteps on the head of a 
 gigantic drum, the base of the Bromo is ap- 
 proached with some apprehension. A little 
 courage, however, and the charred sides can be 
 climbed, and a look down into the boiling crater, 
 whence the noise and smoke proceed, be obtained. 
 As the cone is ascended one can feel the ground 
 tremble, and the noise becomes terrific, while the 
 smoke and sulphurous odors, forcing their way 
 through the fissures, accompanied with threaten- 
 ing roars, seem to warn the curious investigator 
 away. From the brim of the crater one can look 
 down some two hvmdred feet on the boiling mass 
 filling the bottom below, which is about four hun- 
 dred feet in diameter. It is yellow and thick, and 
 boils up constantly in huge bubbles, which rise 
 like domes some thirty or forty feet in circumfer- 
 ence, and then explode, scattering the yellow liq- 
 uid in every direction. This continues without in- 
 termission. The venturesome sometimes descend 
 towards the bottom on the windward side, with 
 the assistance of a rope, and let a flask attached 
 
40 JAVA; THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 to a string down into the seething fluid ; when •' 
 this is carefully di-awn up again, and allowed to j 
 cool, they have a souvenir enameled with a vivid • 
 yellow substance, which retains its color and will ! 
 
 not wear off. To descend into the crater of the j 
 
 Bromo, however, is very dangerous. Many of the | 
 natives on the Teng’gers still retain some of their | 
 ancient Hindu superstitions, and go down into the 
 Sandy Sea, spread their mats on the sand, kneel, 
 and worship the fiery Bromo. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 KRAKATOA. 
 
 The bursting of Krakatoa, August 26-27, 1883, 
 was one of the most gigantically disastrous events 
 in its results that has ever been recorded in the 
 history of our globe. It was not only appalling 
 in its immediate neighborhood, where it caused a 
 thick and terrible darkness to obscure the sun, 
 but on the adjacent shores of Java and Sumatra 
 36,500 souls perished in the inundation or tidal 
 wave forced up on the coasts, and originated by 
 the submarine upheavals. The phenomena of its 
 effects are alleged to have extended to all parts 
 of the world. The brilliant tints and glowing 
 hues seen in the skies at sunrise and sunset, in 
 both hemispheres, during the following year, were 
 imputed to the eruptions of Krakatoa. To give 
 to the world an intellig^ent imderstanding^ of the 
 phenomena scattered broadcast by the shock of 
 Krakatoa, the records of magnetic needles, barom- 
 eters, thermometers, and ship captains’ logs were 
 sought for all round the earth, the laws of optics 
 and acoustics tested, the sciences of astronomy 
 and meteorology considered, the effects of light. 
 
42 
 
 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 shade, and color applied, the invisible attractions 
 of magnetism and the imseen forces of electricity 
 conceded, the laws of hydrography harmonized, 
 and a book of nearly five hundred pages was 
 written in elucidating and pro^•ing the magnitude 
 of the tremendous outbreak. 
 
 Krakatoa, as has already been stated, is a small 
 island situated in the middle of the Straits of 
 Sunda. Before the eruiition, it was about 3000 
 feet high, and covered with vegetation ; its coasts 
 were a resort for fishermen, otherwise it was said 
 to be uninhabited. It is an old offender. Ac- 
 counts are not wanting, though meagre, of erup- 
 tions which destroyed its forests some two centu- 
 ries ago, and covered the surrounding seas with 
 shoals of floating pumice ; since which period, till 
 the recent outburst, its fires had slumbered in 
 peace, and the repose of its rocky crests remained 
 undisturbed. 
 
 Krakatoa threw out premonitory warnings for 
 several months before engaging in its late effec- 
 tive work : rumblings were heard a hundred miles 
 distant, columns of steam were projected from its 
 summit with great noise, and vast quantities of 
 dust were expelled and carried by the wind be- 
 yond the coasts of Java and Sumatra. In a 
 country, however, where the internal machinery 
 of the volcanoes is always complaining, and where 
 convulsions in nature are common occurrences, 
 these preparations received little serious attention. 
 
KRAKATOA 
 
 43 
 
 So the commotion on Krakatoa continued without 
 causing alarm till near the 26th of August, when 
 the detonations became louder and more rapid, 
 and the showers of ashes heavier and more fre- 
 quent, while the heavens gradually grew black 
 and overcast. At last, profound darkness settled 
 down upon the adjacent waters, and enveloped 
 the surrounding islands at noonday, while the 
 agitated waves suddenly piled themselves into 
 stupendous perpendicular banks, which rolled in 
 upon the neighboring coasts, destroying and 
 sweeping away the villages and towns, with all 
 their inhabitants. 
 
 On the morning of August 26, 1883, the cap- 
 tain of a ship, some seventy-five miles distant, 
 measured the columns of smoke and steam issu- 
 ing from Krakatoa, and found them (at that dis- 
 tance) to be seventeen miles high. As the day 
 wore on, the reports of the explosions were heard 
 aU over Java, and on the surrounding islands as 
 far as Macassar and Acheen, about one thousand 
 miles away. The captain of a British vessel that 
 was compelled to cast anchor in the Straits of 
 Sunda the preceding night, about ten miles from 
 the upheaving volcano, gave a thrilling account 
 of the fearfid experiences on his ship. Warm 
 pumice-stone rained down upon the terrified sail- 
 ors, and the air was hot and heavy with sulphur- 
 ous odors, and thick with dust and ashes. The 
 plummets cast overboard came up hot from the 
 
44 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 bottom of tbe sea, and columns of black smoke, 
 illumined by flashing sheets of electricity, shot 
 upward from the angry mountain and assumed 
 gigantic proportions in the weighted air, while the 
 concussions followed each other so rapidly that 
 the noise was a continuous and deafening roar. 
 
 The residents of Batavia, ninety-six miles dis- 
 tant, were kept awake that night by the thunder- 
 ous cannonading from the volcano, the rattling of 
 their windows, and the breaking of glass. The 
 vibrations of the air and the tremblings of the 
 earth knocked down some of the stone pillars 
 that supported their verandas. The next morning 
 (Monda}'), four explosions, more violent and ter- 
 rific than had yet been heard, succeeded each 
 other, with ejections of vast quantities of dust and 
 ashes from the mountain, which reached Batavia, 
 and spread a mantle of gray over the streets, pro- 
 ducing darkness tUl three o’clock in the after- 
 noon, when the tremendous detonations gradually 
 became lighter, ceasing altogether at two o’clock 
 on Tuesday morning. 
 
 The gigantic tidal wave extended to Bata^^a, 
 submerging the streets in the low part of the 
 city, near the coast, and backing up the rivers for 
 some distance. When all w'as over, it was dis- 
 covered that one half of Krakatoa had disap- 
 peared ; the surrounding coasts were completely 
 devastated, and the destruction of human life, 
 property, and cattle was enormous. Vessels had 
 
KRAKATOA 
 
 45 
 
 been lifted by the mighty tidal wave, transported 
 some three miles inland, and left, as the waters 
 receded, high and dry on the mountain side, where 
 one man-of-war remains to this day. 
 
 According to authentic records, the horrors of 
 the bursting of Krakatoa, aside from the destruc- 
 tion by the tidal wave, were surpassed by the com- 
 bustion of the Papandajung, on Java, in 1772, and 
 also by the eruption of the Tambora, on Soem- 
 bawa, in 1815. We have no accoimt, however, in 
 the history of the world, of such mighty throes, 
 terrific sounds, and stupendous sea waves as were 
 originated by the late convulsions of Krakatoa. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 SOIL AND CLIMATE. 
 
 In a country like J ava, so amply provided with 
 rivers, mountains, and volcanoes, the mineralogist 
 might reasonably expect to find rich deposits in 
 metals, minerals, and precious stones. With the 
 exception of coal, this has not been the experience 
 of the ambitious prospector in Java. In vain has 
 he penetrated the rugged seams and flinty chasms 
 that scar the mountain side, searched the deep 
 caverns and gaping crevices that appear to speak 
 of hidden wealth, and dredged the beds of the 
 yellow rivers, forever washing down the crum- 
 bling rock and soft earth from the promising 
 heights above. Neither gold, nor silver, nor rare 
 crystals, to any appreciable extent, have ever been 
 found, nor mineral deposits, except coal, dis- 
 covered, that seem to warrant the expense of 
 organized excavation for the sake of profit. 
 The wonderfid fertility of the soil may afford 
 compensation for the deficiency of Java in this 
 direction. Her preeminent growths and rapid- 
 ity of production may perhaps be regarded as 
 nature’s requital for treasures wanting in less 
 bulky form. 
 
SOIL AND CLIMATE 
 
 47 - 
 
 That everything will grow on this beautiful isl- 
 and is considered an established truth. A seed, 
 slip, or branch, dropped carelessly on the ground, 
 will take root, and soon shoot into flower or fruit. 
 The fructifying black loam, resembling rich gar- 
 den mould, only waits the opportunity of showing 
 its power to renew and increase. It is well 
 known that the rich products of Java are distrib- 
 uted in aU the markets of the world. Her cof- 
 fees, sugars, and spices float on every sea, and 
 neither their superior quality nor their abundance 
 can be disputed. 
 
 The unexampled prodigality of nature in Java, 
 in which we include the productiveness of the soil, 
 deprives the native of an incentive to industry, 
 by relieving him of the necessity of exertion to 
 assure himself of a future subsistence, and has 
 perhaps more to do with his natural indolence 
 than the climate to which it is imputed. He 
 leaves to the generous soil and perpetual warmth 
 the drudgery that falls to the lot of the success- 
 ful husbandman in less favored climes, knowing, 
 from his own experience and the records of ages 
 that have gone before him, that he will not be 
 disappointed. His seed once cast upon the soil, 
 he looks confidently forward to teeming planta- 
 tions, reckoning without fail the product of his 
 paddy fields, the juice from his sugar-canes, and 
 the coffees and spices from his shrubbery. 
 
 From April to October he revels in perpetual 
 
48 
 
 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 sunshine, with occasional light showers, which re- 
 fresh and invigorate his fields and insure him 
 abundant crops. From October to April, when 
 the gates of heaven open and seem to let down 
 avalanches of water, vegetation runs wild, and if 
 he then labors in the field it is to keep down the 
 rampant growths. During this period (the rainy 
 season), the sim shines always during a portion 
 of the day, generally in the morning ; and this, 
 with the porous nature of the soil, prevents the 
 fields from becoming pools of mud, preserves the 
 roads in good condition for travel, and keeps the 
 villages and plantations on the plains from being 
 submerged. The otherwise excessive heat at this 
 season of the year is modified by the daily doum- 
 pour, which, with the cooling showers in the dry 
 monsoon, and the alternate land and sea breezes 
 which succeed each other with unfailing regiilar- 
 ity, renders life comfortable the year round. 
 
 The sea breeze sets in about eleven o’clock in 
 the morning, gently increasing tUl late in the af- 
 ternoon, when it dies away, and a perfect calm 
 succeeds, which lasts till nearly midnight, w'hen 
 the land breeze gradually comes on, and continues 
 tiU about eight o’clock the next morning, to be re- 
 placed by the repose of the night before, which is 
 again succeeded by the sea breeze at its appointed 
 hour. This perpetual exchange of cool and fra- 
 grant air from the mountains, with refreshing 
 draughts impregnated with salty moisture from 
 
SOIL AND CLIMATE 
 
 49 
 
 the sea, promotes health and relieves the intense 
 heat. 
 
 Violent winds, hurricanes, or storms partaking 
 of that character, are unknown in Java. In the 
 vicinity of the mountain tops, however, rains at- 
 tended with terrific peals of thunder and blinding 
 bursts of lightning are frequent, and are sometimes 
 accompanied with light tremors of the earth, pro- 
 ceeding from some internal disturbance of the 
 nearest volcano, which goes for nothing unless it 
 increases till the chandeliers begin to swing, when 
 the inhabitants immediately rush out of their 
 dwellings, fearing the latter may be demolished by 
 a sudden tilt or see-saw of the ground beneath. 
 
 It is alleged that there are few countries more 
 salubrious than Java. For those who avoid ex- 
 cess in eating and drinking, and refrain from 
 exposure after sunset to the noxious exhalations 
 from the salt marshes near the sea, there is noth- 
 ing to fear from climate or seasons. During the 
 heat of the day, the European is compelled to 
 avoid the direct rays of the sun, though the native 
 trots all day long under its scorching rays, with 
 his head protected only by the folds of a cotton 
 handkerchief, without experiencing any deleteri- 
 ous effects whatever, while to the European sun- 
 stroke, insanity, or death would be the conse- 
 quence. 
 
CHAPTER Vm. 
 
 VEGETATION. 
 
 The diversity of climate in Java produces a 
 ricliness and abundance in tlie vegetable kingdom 
 that is unequaled in any other part of the world 
 within an area so limited. As we advance inland 
 from the coast, the temperature changes at the 
 rate of three or four degrees for every ten or 
 eleven miles, producing six different climates be- 
 tween the sea and the summits of the mountains, 
 each presenting its own peculiar type of verdure 
 in various stages of development, also its di- 
 verse degrees of developed luxuriance ; plainly 
 showing that every herb, shrub, plant, or tree that 
 ever pushed its head above ground finds a w'el- 
 come and nourishing home on some part of the 
 island. 
 
 When we behold the profuse variety and mar- 
 velous exuberance and redundancy of verdure 
 forcing itself into the persuasive and invigorat- 
 ing sunshine, we believe the statement that no- 
 where on the face of the earth can we find 
 such glowing, drooping beauty in foliage, such 
 magnitude in leaf and flower, such delicacy in 
 vine and stem, such diversity and brilliancy in 
 
VEGETATION 
 
 51 
 
 green, such multiplicity and extension in shoot 
 and branch, such height and symmetry in trunk 
 and top, such variety and abundance in size and 
 species, as are presented in the plains and forests 
 of Java, a description of which would prove an 
 endless if not an impossible undertaking. 
 
 Here the delicate cobwebby fern attains the 
 proportions of a gigantic tree ; the orange, lime, 
 banana, cocoanut, clove, allspice, cinnamon, nut- 
 meg, pepper, tea, and coffee luxuriate in groves 
 of incomparable beauty ; and the beautiful palm 
 is divided into dozens of varieties, of which the 
 cocoa-palm, the plantain, the betel-palm, the sugar- 
 palm, the fan-palm, the wax-palm, are the most 
 valued. Then we have the crowded forests of 
 teak, the tall mahogany-tree, the sandalwood, 
 rubber, and camphor trees, the creeping rattans, 
 the spreading thickets of bamboo, with the hun- 
 dreds of fancy woods both rare and valuable, and 
 the numberless varieties of fruit-bearing trees, 
 besides the illimitable species of vines, vegetables, 
 and flowering shrubs, to be named by thousands 
 and requiring volumes of description. 
 
 The cultivation of rice, sugar, tobacco, cinchona, 
 and coffee is the principal agricultural occupation, 
 though the spice productions make a most impor- 
 tant factor in commerce and furnish a large rev- 
 enue. Of fruits there is also a great variety, 
 many of them unknown beyond the archipelago, 
 and some of them truly delicious, such as the 
 
52 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 orange, cocoanut, banana, durion, rambutan, blini- 
 bing, guava, mango, custard apple, pomplemoes, 
 and manggistan, the latter usually esteemed the 
 most luscious of all. From fruits we naturally 
 come to the fragrant grasses that sometimes cover 
 the ground on which they fall, and the lovely 
 blossoms that brighten the dark green lustre of 
 the foliage that conceals the branches whereon 
 they hang, and bring out in richer tints the 
 yellows, pale greens, glowing browms, bright 
 purples, reds, and crimsons, pale golden and 
 delicate straw colors, by wliich their juicy ripe- 
 ness is distinguished. The aromatic grasses of 
 Java are famous, especially one species called 
 “bintara,” which is much liked by the Javanese, 
 and in great demand for perfuming their clothes, 
 couches, and apartments. 
 
 It is impossible for any one but an accom- 
 plished botanist to dilate upon the brilliancy and 
 diversified redundancy of the flowers with even a 
 shadow of justice. Some are so soft and delicate 
 in color and texture that one cannot breathe upon 
 them without destroying their airy loveliness ; 
 others are so gorgeous and gigantic that it quite 
 dazzles the vision to look at them ; some b^oom 
 during the day, some only at night, some in the 
 morning, others in the evening, and many bloom 
 perpetually, the blossom continually succeeding 
 the bud, and the bud the blossom. Many are 
 entirely devoid of pei-fume, and nixmbers saturate 
 
VEGETATION 
 
 53 
 
 the surrounding air with their delightful fra- 
 grance, and make their presence known by the 
 delicious odors that pervade the neighborhood. 
 
 Those most prized for their perfumes bloom 
 throughout the year, among which the double 
 tuberose, the Arabian jasmine, and those known 
 by the Javanese names of “ nagasari,” “ tenyong,” 
 and “ champaka,” are the most noticeable favor- 
 ites. The Javanese strew these beautiful blossoms 
 about their rooms, and over their beds and fm-- 
 niture, and throw them in the water stored for 
 bathing, thus exti’acting their sweetness, and 
 scenting everything with their exquisite perfume. 
 
 The colors of these treasures, made cheap in 
 Java by their abundance, are as varied as their 
 size and habits. The rose-white blossom of the 
 Victoria regia here attains a diameter of two 
 and three feet, and its great round leaves measure 
 five feet across their centre, with a turned-up brim 
 of five inches. The waxy magnolia reaches cor- 
 respondingly gigantic proportions, as do many 
 others, like the oleander, which becomes a tree, 
 waving its clusters of pink and white flowers be- 
 side the public highway. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 VEGETABLE FIBRES AND DYES. 
 
 The Javanese manufacture several kinds of 
 cord and cloth from various fibrous substances, 
 which they call “ loeloeb,” obtained from the inter- 
 nal bark of several species of trees, and from the 
 tendinous element in numerous vegetable leaves ; 
 the leaves especially of the banana and pineapple 
 are valuable for these purposes ; the rope termed 
 “ coir,” admitted to possess superior strength and 
 durability, is made from the wiry tissue that sur- 
 rounds the cocoanut, whose fibre is celebrated for 
 its toughness and adaptability. 
 
 Loeloeb is also procured from several species 
 of the palm. It is collected from trees in their 
 wild state, and prepared by first beating and 
 poimding the original substance, then separating 
 it from the adhering particles, after wliich it is 
 twisted by the hands into thread, cord, and rope. 
 An extremely strong and thin gossamer fabric, 
 which is very pretty, and much used by the na- 
 tives throughout the archipelago, is made from 
 the delicate fibre of the pineapple leaf. 
 
 Before the importation of European manufac- 
 tures, and even yet in the interior districts, the 
 
VEGETABLE FIBRES AND DYES 
 
 65 
 
 Javanese made their paper from the paper-tree, 
 which they cultivate. The bark is peeled from 
 the tree when it is about three years old, cut into 
 pieces the size of the sheets required, and soaked 
 in water till the outside bark easily separates 
 from the inner fibre, when the latter is again 
 soaked, pounded, re-soaked, and beaten with a 
 piece of wood, till it is soft and pliable, after 
 which it is deposited in troughs of cold water and 
 freed from all loose fragments. The pieces are 
 then stretched on a smooth surface, the thin 
 places covered with fresh layers, and the whole 
 pounded into a consistent thickness. If large 
 sheets are desired, the edges are overlapped and 
 beaten till they adhere. The quality of this 
 paper depends upon the care and the abundance 
 of water used in its preparation. It is strong, 
 soft, and silky to the touch, and when intended 
 for writing is made smooth and glossy by being 
 dipped into a thin rice-water liquid and rubbed 
 till it attains a polished smoothness. 
 
 The long slender leaves of the palm and the 
 lengthened blades of several species of grass and 
 of rattan furnish the material for weaving and 
 plaiting mats (always by hand), which are so ex- 
 tensively used by all classes that they may be 
 named as a necessity of the country. The grass 
 called “ mendong ” is used for the coarser kind of 
 mats, and is woven into bags and sacks used for 
 transporting coffee, rice, etc. 
 
56 JAVA: THE PEABL OF THE EAST 
 
 AVe may say here that the handsomest mats, 
 and those of finest quality, are made in the Soera- 
 baja district. A mat made in Pesantran is higldy 
 prized, and among the upper classes a couch or 
 bed, soft and springy wdth repeated layers of the 
 Kloso-Pesantran, is deemed an enviable luxury, 
 the possession of which enters largely into the re- 
 quirements of a well-furnished Javanese house. 
 
 The native hats, resembling in size and shape 
 a reversed umbrella, are plaited from thiu, trac- 
 table slats of the universally applied bamboo. 
 Bright and permanent dyes of varied colors are 
 obtained from an admixture and infusion of cer- 
 tain kinds of bark and fruit, and some from the 
 maceration of partieidar roots with the chaff of 
 rice. The beautiful blue and deep scarlet ob- 
 tained in this manner never fades or washes out. 
 An exquisitely soft and rich color is procui-ed 
 from the mixed bark of the marka and the 
 mango tree, and an infusion of the bark of the 
 tangi with the deep purple rind of the manggi- 
 stan yields a beautiful black dye. A lovely and 
 durable scarlet is also obtained by bruising and 
 boiling down the roots of the wong-koedoe. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 WOODS AND TREES. 
 
 A GREAT many varieties of wood, of which the 
 teak is the most useful and important, are found 
 in Java. Immense tracts in the central interior 
 are covered with dense forests of teak, which are 
 said to produce the hardest and consequently the 
 most valuable timber. Though there is but one 
 species of genuine teak, there are many varieties, 
 recognized by the color, quality, and texture of 
 their grain, each distinguished by a name describ- 
 ing its special peculiarity. There is the chalky 
 teak, its wood presenting a white streaked appear- 
 ance, resembling concretions of lime or chalk ; it 
 is more abundant and less valuable than many of 
 the others. Next comes the scaly teak, so called 
 because its stems are covered with sharp scales. 
 Its wood is hard and firm, and nearest in value 
 to the true teak, noted for its weight and hard, 
 close grain, qualities that render it peculiarly 
 adapted to shipbuilding. Its color includes sev- 
 eral shades of brown, sometimes tinged with pur- 
 ple or black. Then we have the kind usually 
 carved into the intricate designs used in the elab- 
 oration of handsome articles of furniture. The 
 
58 JAVA; THE PEABL OF THE EAST 
 
 Chinese understand the art of dyeing this wood a 
 beautiful shining black, like ebony. This is done 
 after the hard grain is converted into the fanciful 
 patterns just spoken of, which frequently deco- 
 rate the black chah-s, tables, and screens seen in 
 the windows of our modern shops, bearing every 
 appearance of real ebony. 
 
 The teak-tree, like aU close-grained woods, is 
 man}’ years in reaching maturity. A century is 
 not old for teak. In fact, it is said to require that 
 length of time to reach perfection. It is an es- 
 tablished rule not to disturb the teak-tree till 
 after it has flourished at least for a period of forty 
 years. The tree is erect and slender, and soon 
 attains its height, but is a long time in acquiring 
 the desired circumference of trunk. The Dutch 
 government plant and cidtivate extensive forests 
 or plantations of teak, which, while it receives 
 the greatest care and is furnished with the rich- 
 est soil, is said not to attain the hardness and per- 
 fection of the wood that grows on poorer ground, 
 and which is left to the care of nature. 
 
 There are in the forests of Java a number of 
 hard woods beside teak that will take a fine pol- 
 ish, many of which are sought for their close 
 grain and beautiful colors. The wood of the 
 lovely ketangi-tree is finer than that of teak, and 
 is sometimes used in preference to the latter ; 
 when in bloom the ketaugi is considered by many 
 the most exquisitely beautifid tree in existence. 
 
WOODS AND TREES 
 
 59 
 
 The soeren is another wood which is very much 
 like the true teak. It is hard and close in tex- 
 ture, yellow in color, takes an equally fine polish, 
 and its bark furnishes a yellow dye. Some of 
 these woods resemble mahogany, some are a deep 
 brown color, some a beautiful red, others pure 
 white, and some are white shot with fine black 
 hair stripes. Some are so hard that they are cut 
 with great difficulty, others so tough that they 
 can scarcely be split, and some as soft and mal- 
 leable as wax. They are all used for special pur- 
 poses. 
 
 The wood that is in greatest demand in Java 
 is the bamboo. Deprived of it, the native woiild 
 lose his greatest convenience. It is light, strong, 
 durable, and abundant, and applied to every im- 
 aginable purpose. Rice and bamboo supply the 
 necessities of the simple Javanese. The latter 
 costs him nothing, and the former only a little 
 labor. With bamboo he constructs his chairs, 
 benches, tables, beds, houses, bridges, and fences : 
 nearly everything he uses or takes hold of is made 
 of bamboo, and its young shoots furnish him with 
 an article of diet. With a little plot of ground 
 and a bamboo thicket, the poor native feels him- 
 self well provided for. Another useful tree in 
 Java is the soap-tree, which yields a fruit with 
 which the natives wash their clothes. Then there 
 is the wax-tree, that supplies them with an oil 
 which, when exposed to the air, hardens into the 
 
60 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 resemblance of wax, and is made into candles 
 that, when burning, exhale a most agreeable per- 
 fume ; the cotton-tree, which produces a soft, 
 silky, short-fibred substance that takes the place 
 of feathers in pillows, and gives equal satisfac- 
 tion ; the tallow-tree, and the bread-fruit tree, 
 which also supply certain necessities of the native 
 without so much as a thought bestowed by him. 
 
 After the Javanese has put together the frame 
 of his dwelling and hung up his walls of light 
 plaited bamboo, he puts on a roof of thatch, called 
 “ attap,” which is generally made of the long fo- 
 lioles of the sago or nipa palm. These slender, 
 sword-like leaves are doubled upon each other 
 over long sticks, which are laid on the supports 
 and overlap like shingles on a roof. Sometimes 
 the bamboo leaves serve the same purpose. Added 
 to these trees, which so readily supply the wants 
 of the people, are others, such as the kasamok, the 
 bark of which gives a light, impervious varnish 
 used on their paper umbrellas, and the sampong, 
 that yields a resin containing a strong and shiny 
 varnish, especially desirable for such articles as 
 the sheaths of krises. We have already named 
 the trees bearing the principal fruits and spices, 
 nor must we omit mention of the spreading wa^ 
 ringin, ,one of which must be kept growing in 
 front of every Javanese noble’s house, to indicate 
 nobility, and which if permitted will let down its 
 roots and become the far-reaching banyan, mul- 
 
WOODS AND TREES 61 
 
 tiplying upon itself until an extended grove is 
 formed. 
 
 But among the many remarkable trees of Java 
 none has gathered to itself the interesting ro- 
 mance that attaches to the pohon upas, or cele- 
 brated poison-tree, fabled to spread death over a 
 circumference extending for miles around it. It 
 has been cormnonly rejiorted that neither animal 
 nor vegetable life could exist in the vicinity 
 of the upas, all of which is now regarded as a 
 romantic fiction. It is well known, however, that 
 there is a tree in Java, containing a sap of a 
 milky appearance, which, when taken into the 
 stomach or injected into the blood, acts as an im- 
 mediate and deadly poison ; but it grows in the 
 forests, and has no deleterious effects whatever on 
 the surrounding shrubbery, not even on the leaves 
 and vines which in some instances cling to its 
 trunk and branches. An ancient tradition exists 
 among the natives in regard to the supposed poi- 
 sonous vicinity encircling the upas-tree, which is 
 recorded as follows : — 
 
 “ Some two hundred years ago, the country 
 surrounding the upas-tree was inhabited by a 
 people so wicked that the prophet Mohammed 
 applied to God to punish them, and God caused 
 the upas-tree to grow out of the earth, which de- 
 stroyed them, and rendered the country ever after 
 uninhabitable. But one must observe,” continues 
 the recorder, “ that all Malayans consider the 
 
62 JAVAf THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 tree as a holy instrument of the great God to 
 jn;nish the sins of mankind, and therefore to die 
 from the poison of the upas is generally consid- 
 ered an honorable death,” 
 
 The valley of poison, called the Guwa Upas, 
 in the centre of which the poison tree was for- 
 merly supposed to grow, is now known to be 
 nothing more nor less than the porous bottom of 
 an extinct crater, which still emits large quanti- 
 ties of carbonic gas, destructive to both animal 
 and vegetable life, and there is actually no tree 
 or herbage of any kind growing on its bleak and 
 sandy surface. It is an oblong plain, in the 
 Dieng Mountains, perhaps twenty miles in length 
 and eight to ten in width, surrounded by a chain 
 of green hills. The poisonous gas or vapor con- 
 stantly forced up through the porous sand, and 
 retained in the stagnant atmosphere above by the 
 combined influence of the encircling hills and ab- 
 sence of winds, is fatal to everything that depends 
 upon pure and healthy air for existence. Ani- 
 mals naturally come down the hills and try to 
 cross this plain, where they quickly suffocate and 
 die. Birds also attempt to fly over it from the 
 neighboring mountains, but soon drop upon its 
 sandy waste, which is covered with scattered 
 spots of bleaching bones and other reminiscences 
 of its deadly character.^ 
 
 1 A fuller description of the Guwa Upas is g^ven by the au- 
 thor in A Princess of Java, pp. 152, 153 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 USEFUL ANIMALS. 
 
 The Javanese buffalo is, next to the native 
 pony, the most useful animal on the island. It 
 is generally employed for agricultural purposes 
 throughout Java, and its flesh, in the majority of 
 instances, takes the place of beef. The ox is 
 used occasionally for ploughing, but the buffalo 
 is preferred for its strength, docility of disposi- 
 tion, and long endurance, although it is incapa- 
 ble of supporting the heats of midday, for which 
 reason both it and its master take that period 
 for resting in the shade. The buffalo is a dingy 
 light mouse color. Sometimes a black or brown 
 buffalo is seen, but the mouse-colored is the larg- 
 est and considered the best animal. It is not as 
 large as the American buffalo ; in truth, bears lit- 
 tle resemblance, either in character or appearance, 
 to the fierce bovine quadruped knowm by the same 
 name on our Western plains. The head is smaller, 
 the horns are longer and spread far apart, and 
 they carry a considerable elevation of flesh be- 
 tween the shoulders. In Java, this latter orna- 
 ment is not confined to the buffalo, but appears in 
 the form of a disfiguring hump on the shoulders 
 
64 JAVA: THE PEAEL OF THE EAST 
 
 of the J avan ox and milch cow, neither of which 
 is a very handsome animal. The cow, like the ox 
 and buffalo, is small, and is used in some parts of 
 Java for ploughing. It is milked once a day, 
 yielding about one quart of milk. 
 
 Camels and elephants, used so extensively in 
 British India, are unknown in Java ; neither is 
 there such an animal as a donkey or mule. The 
 Java horses, a small breed of ponies, hardy, snift, 
 and compact in build, meet the demands of the 
 country, traveling in the mountain districts as 
 pack-horses, in long strings, one behind the other, 
 loaded with coffees and spices for the coast. In 
 the more level localities, buffaloes are used in two- 
 wheeled carts for the same purpose. 
 
 The finest horses are brought from Macassar 
 and the islands of Sumatra and Sandalwood 
 (Soemba). Each variety is a favorite, and, 
 except in size, might be taken for the blooded 
 Arab. The horses from Sandalwood are from 
 thirteen to fifteen hands high, and are the largest 
 and the most beautiful of any on the Sunda 
 Islands. They have fine heads, large, lively eyes, 
 thin nostrils, muscular necks well covered with 
 short, heavy manes, straight backs, neat, slender 
 limbs, and long, flovdng tails. They are re- 
 garded as trusty, sm-e-footed, and able to endure 
 exposure ; and are light, strong, swift, and vigor- 
 ous, displaying much boldness and ambition in 
 getting rapidly over the ground. In character they 
 
USEFUL ANIMALS 
 
 65 
 
 are tractable, affectionate, and intelligent. Their 
 color is usually bay or dark roan, and sometimes 
 what is termed piebald. 
 
 The Macassar horses are smaller than the San- 
 dalwood animals, but equally well shaped, have 
 large, soft eyes and less fiery temper, and are 
 preferred by many for this latter quality. 
 
 In what is called the Preanger district, in the 
 interior of Java, horses of a fine breed, larger 
 than either the Macassar or Sandalwood, are 
 owned by the native regents. What is known as 
 the Java horse has greatly degenerated. In 
 1887-88, the Dutch government made an effort to 
 improve the race by importing, at state expense, 
 the Macassar and Sandalwood horse into the Pre- 
 anger district. 
 
 In view of the enormous population of 22,000,- 
 000 of human beings in Java, the number of 
 horses, alleged to be 600,000 on the whole island, 
 is extremely small. To the European, enervated 
 by the languor of the climate, and unable to 
 endure exposure to the rain or sun, horses and 
 carriages are an absolute necessity ; but to the 
 native they are an unnecessary burden, unless 
 he be a rich noble, willing and able to swell his 
 grandeur by their possession. The easy condi- 
 tions of life for the common Javanese, where the 
 abundant bamboo supplies him with a house for 
 twenty-five florins, and, if he can do no better, a 
 tiker mat laid upon the soft, warm earth offers 
 
66 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 him a comfortable bed, and the prolific paddi- 
 fields afford him excellent food, render a horse 
 a needless and expensive luxury. He trots his 
 twenty-five miles a day on unshod feet, indiffer- 
 ent to fatigue, and, if he owns a docile buffalo to 
 drag his cart and plough his jjaddock, he pos- 
 sesses all the aid required. 
 
 There is no scarcity on the island of such 
 domestic animals as swine, goats, and cows. 
 There are also a few sheep. They are all much 
 below the ordinary size, and the wool of the sheep 
 is coarse, and considered hardly worth the shear- 
 
CHAPTER Xn. 
 
 WILD ANIMALS AND GAME. 
 
 In the vast forests, extended plains, high moun- 
 tains, immense jungles, swamps, and numerous 
 streams of Java, the sportsman wiU find a great 
 diversity and abundance of game, the largest and 
 most dangerous of which are wild bulls, stags, 
 roebucks, wild boars, tigers, panthers, rhinoce- 
 roses, and crocodiles. Large birds are repre- 
 sented by the peacock, pelican, and flying-fox. 
 The smaller game includes the wild dog, tiger-cat, 
 a diminutive deer called “ kantjil,” the otter, hare, 
 flying-squirrel, porcupine, woodcock, jungle-fowl, 
 teal, quail, and a multifold variety of pigeons, 
 partridges, rails, water-birds, grebes, snipe, wild 
 ducks, grallae, parrots, paroquets, larks, thrush, 
 and myriads of smaller species quite impossible 
 to name. 
 
 There are two species of wild boar, inhabiting 
 the plains, forests, and jungles that are not above 
 an altitude of 7000 feet. They sally forth at 
 night in droves to attack the plantations, where 
 they make desperate havoc in the rich feeding- 
 grounds. The royal tiger, the most formidable 
 antagonist of the hunter and his dogs, renders 
 
68 .y.lT’-l; THE PEABL OF THE EAST 
 
 important ser\’ice in preventing the increase of 
 the wild boar, stag, and roebuck, which do much 
 damage to agriculture, and whose nocturnal ‘vdsits 
 are greatly dreaded by the careful planter. 
 
 The tiger delights in bamboo thickets. Here, 
 or in the mountain jungles and isolated recesses 
 of the vast plains, he conceals himself during the 
 day, coming out under cover of the darkness to 
 procure something to eat. It is said that he pre- 
 fers hiunan flesh, and when he has once tasted its 
 dainty flavor he is ever after ferociously anxious 
 to repeat the experience. He is- solitary and un- 
 social in his habits, always going alone, and is not 
 partial to the smooth and unobstructed forest 
 floor, which deprives him of the stealthy seclu- 
 sion where he loves to crouch, and spring una- 
 wares upon his luckless Hctim. To extirpate this 
 dangerous beast the government pays the native 
 t«’o himdred florins for every tiger he destroys, 
 or for every pair of tiger’s ears he can secure. A 
 smaller sum is paid for a panther. 
 
 The modern Javanese are all Mohammedans, 
 but still nourish many of the ancient Hindu super- 
 stitions, and believe, according to the law of me- 
 tempsychosis, that the tigers, panthers, and croco- 
 diles that attack them are the reincarnated spirits 
 of their enemies. Sometimes, instead of trying to 
 destroy a crocodile, they will attempt to conciliate 
 the malignant spirit, by placing rice on the edge 
 of the streams which the reptile frequents, to 
 
WILD ANIMALS AND GAME 
 
 69 
 
 make it easy and convenient for him to satisfy 
 his appetite. The native that destroys a croco- 
 dile six feet m length receives from the govern- 
 ment twenty-five florins, and less for a shorter one. 
 Ten florins is also paid for a crocodile egg. 
 
 Like the tiger, the stag and the roebuck gen- 
 erally go alone. They frequent the wastes and 
 plains covered with tall grass and rich herbage. 
 The wild bull dwells on the elevated mountain 
 sides, and frequently descends to the* borders of 
 the sea in search of salt. He is wary and fero- 
 cious, avoiding the approach of man. He is 
 endowed with wonderfidly keen olfactory nerves, 
 and scents the approach of an enemy at an incred- 
 ibly long distance. He is more alert and nimble- 
 footed than the rhinoceros, and when wounded 
 much more to be dreaded. The female is smaller 
 and more active than the male, beside being ag- 
 gressive and wicked. She is red in color, and 
 not as large as the ordinary milch cow, while the 
 male is generally brown or black. The wild bulls 
 march in companies of from six to twenty, an old 
 and experienced leader going before the herd, to 
 warn away the wild dogs, panthers, and tigers 
 that may threaten attack. 
 
 The rhinoceros roams through the forests and 
 jungles on the highest mountains, often descend- 
 ing to the salt swamps and flats skirting the sea 
 for salt water. He is generally unaccompanied, 
 is unsocial and fierce, but flies from man ; when 
 
70 JAVA; THE PEABL OF THE EAST 
 
 wounded or a female with a calf, the rhinoceros 
 is dangerous and hard to kill. Sometimes seven 
 or eight assemble and visit a colfee or cinchona 
 plantation, where they commit serious depreda- 
 tions by eating the tender shoots and uprooting 
 the young trees. The carcass of the rhinoceros 
 is prized by the natives, especially by the Javan 
 Chinese, who use even the skin in preparations of 
 food. The hide resembles that of the hippopota- 
 mus. The rhinoceros of Java has but one horn, 
 and this is highly valued by the natives, who 
 believe it will extract the poison, if applied to the 
 bite of a serpent or scorpion. They claim that it 
 will adhere to the wound till it absorbs all the 
 venom, and that one piece can be used several 
 times. It is also very desirable for the handles 
 of knives and krises. One fine horn sells for 
 from forty to one hundred and fifty florins. 
 
 The panther is more addicted to the forest than 
 the tiger, and, instead of concealing himself in a 
 jungle thicket, prefers to lie bidden by the green 
 leaves on the branches of the trees, whence he 
 can suddenly drop down on his prey. The leop- 
 ard is also an inhabitant of Java. It resembles' 
 the panther in its habits and haunts, and is easily 
 distinguished from the latter by its velvety black 
 spots on a light yellow ground. 
 
 The crocodile lives in the water, and infests the 
 banks of rivers, the borders of swamps and low 
 watery regions, and the sea-coasts near the mouths 
 
WILD AS’niALS AND GAME 
 
 71 
 
 of rivers. These creatures are from twenty to 
 thirty feet in length, and are always ravenous 
 and dangerous. The Chinese in Java consider 
 the fat of the crocodile a most efficient remedy, if 
 applied externally, in cases of rheumatism. Its 
 hide is very hard, and not infrequently it remains 
 a long time on the spot where it has been struck 
 by the ball of the hunter. When wounded in a 
 vital part, such as the head, heart, or spine, it 
 plunges into the water instantly, and dies in 
 about two hours. It reigns supreme over the 
 smaller denizens of the deep. 
 
 Tlie wild dog inhabits the forests, jungles, and 
 localities covered with tall gTass and low bushes, 
 roaming from the edges of the sea to the summits 
 of the highest mountains. Wild dogs are gener- 
 ally seen in large troops, and will attack horses, 
 deer, or sheep, but fly from the more savage and 
 ferocious animals. Their fine sense of smell ren- 
 ders it almost impossible for the hunter to gain a 
 near approach. Gangs of wolves are numerous, 
 and scour the mountains and plains in pursuit of 
 the wild boar. 
 
 The tiger-cat dwells in the same localities as 
 the panther, hiding in the branches of the trees, 
 and seldom falls when shot by the sportsman. It 
 lives on small birds and small animals. The 
 hamits of the civet are similar to those of the 
 tiger-cat, but it is not carnivorous, like the latter, 
 and feeds on fruits, such as bananas, pineapples. 
 
72 JAVA: THE PEAEL OF THE EAST 
 
 etc. It is sought by the natives for a musk which 
 it furnishes, and which they mix with their cigar- 
 ette tobacco. The odor of this perfume is very 
 strong and agreeable. The wild-cat is found in 
 the forests and jungles, like its cousin the tiger- 
 cat, though more frequently seen on the plains 
 covered with high grass and low shrubbery. It 
 is not confined, however, to any particular local- 
 ity either in plain, mountain, or forest. It is sim- 
 ilar to the jackal in color and conformation, and 
 is shy and cautious, rarely ever allowing itself to 
 be caught or shot by the sportsman. After de- 
 strojdng nearly all the small game in one locality, 
 the wild- cat suddenly disappears, to turn up unex- 
 pectedly in a new quarter, and begin again the 
 work of destruction. 
 
 The otter inhabit swamps and the streams that 
 descend from the mountains. They are gifted 
 with discerning instincts, concealing themselves 
 during the day in holes and thickets in great 
 numbers, and are seldom to be caught. The lit- 
 tle animals the natives call “ kantjil,” resembling 
 tiny roebucks about fourteen or eighteen inches 
 high, wth brilliant eyes, live in grassy and bushy 
 districts, and bound swftly over the ground in a 
 zigzag course. They are sought for, like the 
 civet, for the musk they produce, which is the 
 same as that furnished by their kind on the high 
 mountains of Thibet. The porcu2)ine is found 
 on the level grounds, hiding about the hedges 
 
WILD ANIMALS AND GAME 
 
 73 
 
 that inclose the plantations, and comes out to feed 
 ’during the night. The hare, very small and harm- 
 less, is attracted to the same places, but runs about 
 the gardens at all hours. 
 
 The ichneumon is a little animal that darts 
 about over ground well covered with herbage, and 
 lives by sucking the blood of rats, mice, chickens, 
 and ducks, also eating eggs and insects. It is the 
 avowed enemy of snakes of all sizes and species. 
 At the sight of a serpent its eyes will blaze like 
 coals of fire, and it attacks the reptile with the 
 most vehement ardor and seemingly concentrated 
 spite, dexterously renewing the combat until it 
 conquers, which it does generally. When bit- 
 ten, it desists a moment to run into a neighboring 
 thicket for what is supposed to be an antidote, 
 and returns to continue the attack with increased 
 vigor. 
 
 The flying-squirrel and the flying-cat dwell in 
 the forest, hiding among the leaves during the 
 day, to fly or jump from tree to tree at night. 
 The former is sought for its fur, and the latter 
 is studiously avoided by the superstitious native, 
 who accredits it with possessing strange and fatal 
 powers of fascination. 
 
 There is another busy animal that makes itself 
 very conspicuous in Java, which cannot be teimied 
 game, neither can it be termed useful, domestic, 
 nor wild. That is the monkey. Three colonies 
 of these half-human creatures live on the island. 
 
74 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 two of which occupy the ends and one the centre. 
 They never associate or intermarry, each keeping* 
 to its own tribe and its own dominions, and re- 
 taining its own distinctive features. One colony 
 comprises the little blue species ; another, the 
 large yellow monkey, with white face and curled 
 tail ; the third presents the big black monkey, 
 with prehensile tail, by w^hich he swings himself 
 in sportive moments from the limbs of the trees. 
 Their numbers cannot be computed : in some of 
 the forests they seem fairly to cover the branches 
 of the trees, chattering incessantly. They are 
 very mischievous, and there have been several in- 
 stances where hunters, coming across a pool of 
 water, and undressing to bathe, came out of the 
 pool to see the monkeys scampering off with their 
 clothes. When brought into a house or a village, 
 the thieving propensity of the monkey increases, 
 and unless it is secured to one spot the small ar- 
 ticles in the rooms are carried off. The habits of 
 these creatures are amusing, particularly in the 
 management of their young. The mother will 
 take the baby to the stream, walk into the shal- 
 low edge, bathe it, and correct it for disobedience ; 
 compelling it to stand up or be dipped under, 
 rubbed or rinsed, according to her will. The na- 
 tives consider it a sure omen of impending calam- 
 ity to shoot a monkey. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 FEATHERED GAME. 
 
 The peacock and the pelican are the largest 
 birds in Java. The former inhabits the groves 
 and forests, and passes the night sitting in the 
 branches of the highest trees.. Peacocks are gen- 
 erally found in flocks, and leave their lodgings at 
 the first peep of dawn to go in search of grain, 
 herbs,, paddy, and insects for food. The early 
 mornings and evenings they devote to procuring 
 a livelihood, preferring to avoid observation by 
 remaining in the depths of the forest during the 
 day, — a custom peculiar to the birds and animals 
 of the tropics. Sometimes these gorgeous birds 
 are seen under a brilliant moon, when the splendor 
 of their colors confers upon them a mysterious 
 and imposing grandeur. Of all birds, excepting 
 the bird of paradise, the peacock is certainly the 
 most magnificent. Where there is so much beauty 
 one might expect to find some melody of voice, but 
 the harsh cry of the peacock, always heard in the 
 morning before sunrise, dissipates all such fan- 
 cies in connection with its rich coloring. It is ex- 
 tremely shy, and gets away as fast as possible 
 from everything new or strange, but flies heavily 
 
76 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 imless there is a strong wind to assist its at- 
 tempts. The mountain forests and wooded dis- 
 tricts along the sea-coasts are its favorite places 
 of abode. 
 
 The pelican is found in the low, swampy flats 
 and along the borders of the seas, where it spends 
 its time in standing on one leg, in deep medita- 
 tion, or in Ashing with its long bill in the shallow 
 water. It is a gloomy, unsocial bird, neither 
 pleasant to look at nor good for food. 
 
 The flying-fox, a species of bat, is the next 
 largest flying animal, and by far the most inter- 
 esting. When dawn appears these strange crea^ 
 tures seek the darkest recesses of the forest, where 
 they hang from the trees by their feet in silent and 
 motionless black masses till darkness approaches, 
 when they awake, and come forth to sail around 
 above the trees in the moonlight, and to feed on 
 the tender sprouts and fruit of the palm groves. 
 
 Among the large feathered game, the heron, 
 the stork, the falcon, and the marabout take an 
 important place. The first two frequent the 
 mountain forests bordering on the sea, but not 
 above an elevation of three or four thousand feet. 
 They fly much higher, however, making a noise 
 with their wings like the puffs of slowl}’ escaping 
 steam. 
 
 The wild cock, though not magnificent like the 
 peacock, is a very handsome bird. It has a beauti- 
 ful red comb, red and brown plumage, with blue- 
 
FEATHERED GAME 
 
 77 
 
 black wings. It inhabits the jungles and thickets, 
 and its capture is exceedingly difficult. Pigeons 
 of many species and brilliant colors, especially 
 the numerous green varieties, abound in the for- 
 ests and jungles, and vie in prodigious numbers 
 with green and red paroquets ; both ambling all 
 day long like swarms of insects over the forest 
 trees and jungle vines, making the woods ring 
 with their incessant coo-o-o-o. Myriads of par- 
 tridges congregate on the vast plains on the high 
 mountains, where they allow themselves easily to' 
 be captured. They are migratory, coming in mil- 
 lions, and staying only a short tim6 on the dry 
 lands covered wdth grass and rich vegetation ; but 
 where larger and more exciting game is so abund- 
 ant, the sportsman considers time wasted that is 
 given to the insignificant partridge. Quail is very 
 plentiful, also, but very little cared for. Birds 
 in Java are generally sought for their beautiful 
 plumage, and the poor, duU little quail, having 
 no brilliancy to boast of, passes unnoticed, unless, 
 as sometimes happens, an indolent hunter follows 
 it merely for the excitement of the chase. 
 
 The peacock, wild fowl, and partridge are 
 kindly regarded for their important services in 
 devouring the bugs and insects that destroy the 
 tender twigs and foliage of the coffee, indigo, and 
 cinchona plantations. The mountain ducks con- 
 gregate about the small lakes and sheets of water 
 that frequently rise in the bottom of extinct era- 
 
78 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 ters, and in the fissures opened by former erup- 
 tions. They are shy and wild, and not often seen 
 below an elevation of 4000 feet from sea level. 
 The woodcock and wild goose frequent the paddy 
 fields and swampy flats during the wet monsoon, 
 where the ambitious sportsman may secure in- 
 credible numbers in one day. Plover appear in 
 multitudes a short time before the arrival of the 
 woodcock, and remain till after the latter has 
 departed. Some localities are literally alive with 
 plover during the rainy season. The turtle-dove 
 attracts more interest, perhaps, than any other 
 species of small bird. It dwells in the groves, 
 gardens, and plantations, where its plaintive call is 
 heard in the evening, and generally for a few mo- 
 ments once every hour during the night, awaken- 
 ing a sentiment of sadness in the bosom of the 
 listener. The natives are extremely fond of ring- 
 doves, which they confine in cages about their vil- 
 lages. The ring-doves of Java are pinkish-gray 
 in color, with necks encircled with shining black 
 rings. The Javanese attach much importance to 
 their song, if their triU is even and sonorous, be- 
 lieving it to be a forerunner of happiness. They 
 also believe the presence of the ring-dove in their 
 dwellings to be a charm against loss by fire. 
 Many other kinds of dove, shading in color from 
 yellow to white and black, are found in the forests 
 and jungles, and form an acceptable and common 
 article of diet on the tables of the Europeans. 
 
FEATHERED GAME 
 
 79 
 
 In addition to the comparatively few birds we 
 have named are the almost interminable species 
 of very small birds, which collect in cloud-like 
 groujis, and sail through the air, towards evening, 
 in long, dark, wavy bands, stretching a mile or 
 more in length. 
 
 The small birds called the esculent swallows, 
 which furnish the edible birds’ nests so much 
 prized by the Chinese for their supposed property 
 of renewing vigor and vitality of blood, inhabit 
 the deep caverns and fissures in cliffs on the 
 coasts, particularly on the south side of the island, 
 where the high, overhanging rocks render their 
 abodes secret and inaccessible, except by descend- 
 ing ropes let down over the boiling surf from the 
 projecting precipices above. Occasionally, these 
 birds and their nests are found in the remote re- 
 cesses of gloomy caves a little distance from the 
 sea ; but generally the swallows prefer those re- 
 treats where they can attach their nests to cliffs 
 whose base is washed by the foaming breakers. 
 Several opinions have been advanced in regard to 
 the tenacious substance of which the edible birds’ 
 nests are composed. The theory now established 
 is, that it consists of a glutinous vegetable matter, 
 gathered from the rocks and swallowed by the 
 birds, to be disgorged and employed in building 
 the nests. Those of best quality are white, and 
 about the size of tea-cups. The nests are made 
 into a soup, and are eaten only by the rich 
 
80 JAVA: THE PEABL OF THE EAST 
 
 Chinese, who do not hesitate to give thirty-five or 
 forty dollars for a kati of them, equal to about 
 one and one third English pounds. The excel- 
 lence of the nests de])ends upon their situation. 
 Those that are found in the dampest and deepest 
 recesses are esteemed as possessing more of the 
 glutinous and transparent quality that makes the 
 nest valuable than those that cling to the rocks 
 near the entrance of the caves, where there is a 
 drier and freer circulation of air. 
 
 The proprietor of a bird’s-nest rock is very 
 careful in his management of the birds. If the 
 nests are gathered too often or in too great num- 
 bers, the birds will emigrate to a more inacces- 
 sible retreat. It is customary to fumigate the 
 caverns at intervals, and to destroy aU the old 
 and worthless nests ; after which the birds are 
 sometimes allowed to remain undisturbed for two 
 or three years, during which time they multiply, 
 and the nests greatly increase, to the future ad- 
 vantage of the proprietor. As the best nests are 
 the most difficult to obtain, the nest-gatherer’s 
 task is beset with imminent danger. A false 
 move, a weak section in the rope, or an insecure 
 fastening above, and he is dashed to pieces on the 
 rocks hidden in the surf boiling and foaming be- 
 low. After the nests are collected, and the sea- 
 son for gathering has passed, it is quite common 
 to celebrate the event by giving a buffalo feast. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 KEPTILES. 
 
 Next in size to the crocodile, of which we have 
 already spoken, is a species of lizard, usually 
 called the iguana by the Europeans. It has a 
 wide mouth, crested head, four short feet with 
 hooked claws, a long tail, and attains a length of 
 six or seven feet. Its haunts are similar to those 
 of the crocodile, but, unlike the latter, while it is 
 very ugly and rather startling to look upon, it is 
 not especially dangerous. It lives upon hei’bs and 
 vegetables, and its eggs are eaten by the natives. 
 Its fat is highly esteemed for medicinal purposes. 
 The gheko is another lizard I’egarded with much 
 disfavor by Europeans. It generally lives about 
 ruins and dw^ellings, concealing itself under the 
 eaves of the roof, or behind the pictures or fur- 
 niture against the walls ; in fact, in almost any 
 dark and unfrequented spot. The gheko takes its 
 name from its sharp, hoarse cry, which clearly 
 calls “ gheko,” and may startle one at any mo- 
 ment. It avoids the light, and comes out of its 
 hiding-place at night to seek water. It is harm- 
 less unless attacked ; then its bite is said to be as 
 poisonous as that of a snake. The natives are 
 
82 JAVA: THE PEAKL OF THE EAST 
 
 superstitious about killing the gheko, holding that 
 such an event is an omen of misfortune. There 
 are numerous species of lizards in Java, compris- 
 ing all sorts, sizes, and colors, but the chameleon 
 and the little scincoidian, which scampers across 
 the ceiling, with back downward, like a fly, come 
 most frequently under notice. Both are harmless, 
 and anxious to get out of sight as soon as pos- 
 sible. 
 
 The land and water turtles are abundant and 
 considered excellent food, and both supply the 
 tortoise-shell, used for combs and fancy articles, 
 which is the basis of a petty traffic in the towns 
 about the coasts. Gigantic centipedes, scorpions, 
 toads, and frog-fish may be estimated by the mil- 
 lions in any locality, beside the billions and tril- 
 lions of insects, all colors and shapes, which 
 make the groves and forests jubilant \^’ith their 
 imceasing song. The most formidable and most 
 to be dreaded of animals or reptiles are the 
 stealthy and venomous serpents which glide noise- 
 lessly about in the most frequented places ; silent, 
 subtle, bold, and aggressive, yet seeming to seek 
 concealment, they are objects of terror within 
 and without. They are met in the gardens, where 
 they coil their brilliant colors about the shrub- 
 bery or make bright circles on the dark ground ; 
 also on the verandas and in the bedchambers, 
 even in the beds, where one may find them at 
 any time. In short, there is not a nook, comer. 
 
EEPTILES 
 
 83 
 
 or cranny in all Java where a snake of almost any 
 length or thickness may not suddenly reveal itself. 
 The trees abound with serpents. So numerous 
 are they and so poisonous that the most indiffer- 
 ent native seldom climbs any but the cocoanut- 
 tree, whose tall trunk, destitute of leaf or limb, 
 affords little opportunity for rest or concealment. 
 To wade through the grass or travel at night with- 
 out a flambeau to illuminate his footsteps, is con- 
 sidered by the native rash and dangerous. This 
 perpetual caution becomes second nature to the 
 inhabitant of Java. 
 
 The varieties of snakes are almost countless ; 
 many are much dreaded, and their bite is said 
 to produce almost immediate death. They are 
 beautifully variegated in colors more or less bril- 
 liant, incduding shining white and brightest black, 
 distributed sometimes in stripes, rings, dots, or 
 diamonds, or they display one solid color of red, 
 yeUow, or green. Some are short and very thick ; 
 many both long and thick, measuring easily from 
 twelve to twenty feet. Others are long and slen- 
 der like a whiplash, and hang about the branches 
 of the trees like a supple cord or rope. Some coil 
 in a heap in the path, and instantly prepare for 
 attack by blowdng from the mouth, before they 
 spring, a green vapor, for a distance of fifteen feet 
 or more, on any object that excites their alarm. 
 
 The boa-constrictor and the python are quite 
 common, and generally considered the largest 
 
84 JAVA: THE FEABL OF THE EAST 
 
 species, though the oelar sawah, that infests the 
 rice plantations, is sometimes found to be much 
 larger, and is said to be able to charm its intended 
 victim into tranqnillity. The natives relate hor- 
 rifying tales of another species, how they suspend 
 their bodies by the tail from the limbs of trees 
 above paths in the forest which are traversed 
 by animals going for water ; and thus swinging, ' 
 watch and wait to seize upon any small animal 
 that passes beneath. The cobra, so dreaded in 
 other parts of India, is unknown in Java, though 
 it has a representative equally vicious and poison- 
 ous in the hamadryad. ■ 
 
 It is hardly necessary to state that in a country 
 abounding with rivers of tepid, muddy water, fish ' 
 
 must be wonderfully abundant. There are some i 
 
 thirty-five or forty distinct varieties of river fish, J 
 
 all excellent for food, and quite as many kinds 
 of sea fish. The latter are taken with nets, and 
 with hook and line. The fishing-boats go out to ^ 
 
 sea with the land breeze before daylight, and re- ^ 
 
 turn with the sea breeze after midday. Several '} 
 
 methods are practiced for taking river fish. One 
 is to build a bamboo fence across the streams ; jjj 
 another, to throw intoxicating drugs into the 
 water, after which the fish soon float upon the S 
 surface and are easily secured. I 
 
 Several species of shark infest the seas in the ] 
 archipelago, but the white, or man-eating, shark 
 abounds about the islands. It is always vora- 
 
REPTILES 
 
 85 
 
 cioiis, of great size, and very daring. To bathe 
 in the surf on the coasts of Java is a luxury al- 
 most unknown. 
 
 It is very much easier to name what Java does 
 not possess than to enumerate all that the beauti- 
 ful island can present. Where all climates pre- 
 vail, it is safe to allow that anything partaking 
 of earth, air, and sky can be produced. The most 
 impartial must admit that Java is Nature’s espe- 
 cial pet, upon wliich she has lavished her cher- 
 ished favors. Her beauty and extraordinary fe- 
 cundity rightly entitle her to the eminence that 
 no other country of her size enjoys, but where 
 Nature is in a continual delirium, ever producing, 
 developing, and devouring to produce again, what 
 may we not expect? Here we see a frenzy of 
 supply and waste ; a ceaseless renewal of animal 
 and vegetable life. The first fiery, passionate, 
 and impulsive, concealed under a languid and in- 
 different exterior ; the second glowing, breathing, 
 and palpitating under the forcing heats of an 
 equatorial sun. 
 
 Java, with her extravagant verdure, her moun- 
 tain chains, her assemblage of symmetrical vol- 
 canoes, her numerous rivers, her boiling wells and 
 fountains of fire, her matted jungles and bamboo 
 thickets, her extended plains and vast forests, 
 her lovely groves of perpetual shade, her gigantic 
 trees overflowing with fluids and perfumes, her 
 waving palms and lofty cocoas crowned with 
 
8G JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 bending heads of fruit, her glorious flora, her 
 coffees, spices, odors, and essences, her monstrous 
 tigers, bats, and serpents, her sedate, brown- 
 skinned people, with their soft language and 
 gentle ways, stands before the world without a 
 compeer. Nowhere have we such a variety of 
 contrasts. Here the floods of heaven suddenly 
 deluge the earth, to be immediately absorbed by 
 the fervid sunshine ; electric flames rend the 
 clouds, and terrific thunders shake the air under 
 the bluest skies and most brilliant sun. The 
 mountains spit forth showers of stone and fiery 
 lava on smiling fields and flowering plains ; and 
 the thickets, gorgeous with bloom and jubilant 
 with song, conceal the savage wild beast and 
 deadly serpent. The forests, tingling with low 
 music from millions of tiny insect throats, echo 
 the thunderous roar of the hungry tiger, and 
 birds in brilliant plumage warble unceasingly in 
 the beautiful trees, above spiteful snakes, squirm- 
 ing and hissing in the grass below. The air quiv- 
 ers and trembles with heat, while the sweetest and 
 softest zephyrs rustle among the drooping leaves 
 and shining foliage. Scorching days are followed 
 by refreshing nights moist with copious dew, and 
 months of drought are succeeded by excessive and 
 restoring rains. In Java, Nature delights in dis- 
 playing her eccentricities ; and, go where we may, 
 we turn with wonder to the “ Pearl of the East.” 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE POPULATION. 
 
 The Javanese appear to have descended from 
 the one general race that first peopled all the 
 islands of the East Indian Archipelago ; and, 
 though it cannot be said that they bear anything 
 like a marked resemblance to any one of the 
 present different tribes or peoples that inhabit 
 the above-named islands, they possess sufficient 
 likeness in common to show that they belong to 
 one origin. The Malays, originally from Suma- 
 tra, with a large admixture of Chinese and Arabs, 
 make up the native population on the coasts ; the 
 Javanese proper, being an altogether agricultural 
 people, inhabit the interior. 
 
 In personal appearance, the Javanese is rather 
 small in stature, well shaped, graceful, slender 
 and erect in figure, with small hands and feet, 
 particularly among the upper classes ; and those 
 that are not exposed to the sun and outer air 
 have bright brown complexions, or golden-yellow, 
 which is their standard of beauty. Their hair is 
 unusually long, straight, and very black ; eyes 
 black or very dark, small, short nose, well-formed 
 mouth, broad, full forehead, round, somewhat flat 
 
88 JAVA: THE PEABL OF THE EAST 
 
 face, witli a mild, thoughtful expression, and an 
 air of sedate and respectful deference. There is 
 a very decided difference between the higher and 
 lower classes : the former being much fairer in 
 complexion, and more delicate and refined in fea- 
 ture, than the latter, especially in the case of the 
 women, who are sometimes very pretty, and al- 
 Avays gentle, obliging, and more or less attractive, 
 after the fashion of the Oriental woman. The 
 race matures early, and the sexes marry when 
 very young ; it is not uncommon to see mother 
 and daughter parents of children of the same age. 
 An unmarried man beyond the age of twenty is 
 very rare, and a woman who has never been mar- 
 ried is an absolute curiosity. They are a domes- 
 tic people, regidar in their habits, not given to 
 roaming from one locality to another, fond of 
 their children, and cherishing the female off- 
 spring A\dth as much pride and tenderness as the 
 male. Slavery, which was formerly an institution 
 among them, has been wholly abolished by the 
 Dutch. Altogether, the Javanese are a healthy, 
 moderately good-looking, industrious, and thriv- 
 ing race ; taking life easily, and regarding the 
 future with the utmost indifference. Polygamy 
 is the custom of the countrj^ and divorce is fre- 
 quent, and obtained without difficulty. The first 
 wife aud her children inherit by law ; the second 
 and her children, by courtesy. Some of the re- 
 gents and princes of Java are known to have as 
 many as sixty and seventy children. 
 
THE POPULATION 
 
 89 
 
 The Javanese entertain a profound respect for 
 rank. The inferior classes never dispute the will 
 or wisdom of their superiors. A Javanese be- 
 longing to the common people would not dare to 
 enter the presence of a noble of his own race 
 without assuming a squatting position ; neither is 
 it the custom for a woman to eat with her grown- 
 up sons or husband, nor to sit with them unless 
 requested. 
 
 The Chinese in Java are chiefly found on the 
 coast, in Bata\da, Samarang, and Soerabaja. The 
 Arabs, who are nearly all priests and religious 
 teachers, are scattered over the island. These for- 
 eigners generally marry J avanese wives ; and the 
 mixed races, including half-castes or offspring of 
 the European and Javanese, consequently make 
 a large element in the population, particularly 
 in the cities. The Chinese live in the towns in 
 quarters allotted to them by the government, and 
 have their own laws, administered by their own 
 officers, — a mayor, captain, and lieutenant, — 
 appointed from among their number for that 
 purpose by the government. 
 
 The Chinese are much more enterprising and 
 persevering than the Javanese ; and, although not 
 more intelligent than the latter, are so sprightly 
 and alert, and quick to perceive and appropriate 
 any advantage to their own benefit, that they have 
 the reputation of being roguish and extortionate. 
 They engage in trade of all descriptions, and are 
 
90 JAVA: THE PEABL OF THE EAST 
 
 princes in the commerce of the country. The 
 manipulations of the opium farms, which yield an 
 enormous revenue, are entirely in the hands of 
 the Chinese. The Arabs who are not engaged in 
 the promotion of religion are merchants ; both 
 classes doing an extensive business in their own 
 particular line. 
 
 The Malays composing the population on the 
 coasts are generally confounded wnth the original 
 inhabitants of the island, while they are in real- 
 ity quite another people. They are shorter and 
 broader in stature, with faces more round and 
 flat, and a trifle darker in color. As we have 
 said, they belong to Sumatra ; but, emigrating to 
 the coast towns of Java, and constituting that 
 part of the population generally seen by the pass- 
 ing visitor, they are usually spoken of as being 
 the true Javanese. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 HOUSES AND DRESS. 
 
 The hut or cottage of the Javanese or Malay 
 is very simple in construction, and costs little. 
 Twelve rupees, equal to five dollars, will build 
 what the native considers a most respectable and 
 comfortable bamboo hut, and twenty-five or thirty 
 rupees will procure him a cottage containing two 
 or perhaps three rooms, and ornamented with a 
 veranda. When he becomes tired of his sur- 
 roundings, or prefers a more eligible location 
 within easy distance, he calls in two or three 
 friends, and moves his domicile to the more de- 
 sirable quarter. The walls and inside partitions 
 of his house are made of plaited strips of flat- 
 tened bamboo, hung or nailed on a wooden frame- 
 work, which is roofed with attap or palm thatch. 
 The houses are generally without windows, suf- 
 ficient light being admitted through the door and 
 interstices between the plaited strips of bamboo. 
 Where people pass all their time on their veran- 
 das or in the open air, and the one desire is to 
 keep their dwellings dark and cool, for sleep or 
 retirement, windows are considered superfluous. 
 The dwelling described is occupied by the lower 
 
92 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 classes. The natives sleep on springy bamboo 
 benches, about a foot high and six or eight feet 
 square, called the “ bali-bali.” On these primitive 
 bedsteads they spread the universal mats and pil- 
 lows, making cool and pleasant sleeping -couches. 
 
 The houses of the village chiefs and petty of- 
 fice-holders cost much more than the hut oy cot- 
 tage of the peasant, and are recognized by their 
 increased size and the attap with eight slopes. 
 The largest and best dwellings are those of the 
 nobles. They are large and commodious, built 
 of wood or stone as the owner desires, and are dis- 
 tinguished by the two spreading waringin-trees, 
 indicating nobility, which are always kept grow- 
 ing on the green in front. The house of the 
 noble stands alone, while the cottages of the peas- 
 ants are in groups, and generally quite concealed 
 in masses of luxuriant foliage, surrounded by 
 fences of bamboo, within which each cottage is 
 encircled by its own little inclosure of banana 
 and cocoa-palm. 
 
 The Bopatis — a title given to the Javanese no- 
 bles who govern provinces, and are called Regents 
 by the Dutch, — dwell in handsome palaces, which 
 are beautified with apj^ropriate grounds. The 
 palaces of the Sultan and Soesoenan, the two na- 
 tive sovereigns of Java, are richly furnished, and 
 stand in the midst of extensive inclosures, encir- 
 cled by high fortified walls, and are called “ kra- 
 tons.” The outside wall around the kraton of the 
 
HOUSES AND DRESS 
 
 93 
 
 Soesoenan at Soerakarta is more than three miles 
 in circumference, inside of which are walls within 
 walls and squares within squares, comprising the 
 various apartments used for state purposes, and 
 by the families that attend the sovereign and the 
 royal princes. Within the walls of the kraton 
 and in front of the palace, the great square of 
 superb green is ornamented, like those of the 
 smaller palaces, with two immense waringin-trees. 
 
 The better classes among the Javanese use 
 many handsome and sometimes very expensive 
 articles of European furniture, while the lower 
 classes use neither tables nor chairs, and eat with 
 their fingers from wooden trays. It is the duty 
 of the women of the household to weave the cloth 
 for the dresses of the family, which consist of the 
 sarong and kabaya for the women, and the sarong 
 and bajoe for the men. The sarong is a piece of 
 cotton or silk cloth, some eight feet long and four 
 feet wide, either plain dark blue or in beautiful 
 bright figures and colors, with ends sewed to- 
 gether and top and bottom left open. It is 
 slipped over the body and laid about the waist 
 in plaits, which are held in place by a long sash, 
 allowing the balance of the garment to fall to the 
 ankles. The kabaya is a long, sack-like garment 
 of colored print, silk or white muslin, worn over 
 the upper half of the body, and reaching to the 
 knees. The bajoe is almost the same garment, 
 worn by the men, and reaches a little below the 
 
94 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 waist, the sarong, sash, hajoe, and kabaya varying 
 in richness according to the rank or circiunstances 
 of the wearer. The men wear the sarong very 
 short, and sometimes under it thin cotton trou- 
 sers. In all conditions they fold a bright cotton 
 or silk handkerchief around the head in a peculiar 
 way. In the case of men who are rich and oc- 
 cupy good positions, the dress often presents a 
 little more of the European character, in the ad- 
 dition of real European trousers, with a short 
 jacket resembling a coat, and a white vest but- 
 toned to the throat with diamond buttons. 
 
 The women never cover their heads, and wear 
 the hair combed straight back from the forehead 
 and done up in a round knot at the back of the 
 head, which is adorned by sticking through it 
 long gold or silver pins, ornamented with precious 
 stones, if the o\raer of the head can afford them. 
 The men allow their hair to grow long, and twist 
 it into a flat coll on the top of the head, secure it 
 with a comb, and cover it with the handkerchief. 
 Both sexes use perfumes and dress the hair with 
 cocoanut oil. The peasants when at work in the 
 fields usually have nothing on but the hip cloth 
 and chapeng, the latter a peculiarly shaped, broad, 
 flat hat of plaited bamboo, placed on top of the 
 handkerchief. The court costume and war dress 
 are both elaborate and expensive affairs. On all 
 occasions and in all conditions the J avanese wears 
 a belt, with the kris or short dagger stuck under 
 
HOUSES AND DRESS 95 
 
 it on the right side behind ; also a small knife ; 
 on journeys he adds a cleaver-like weapon. 
 
 They are all fond of jewelry and perfumery, 
 and display a profusion of finger rings, studs, ear- 
 rings, diamond-headed pins, necklaces, and brace- 
 lets ; children wear armlets and anklets of gold 
 or silver. The Javanese consider it “ mean and 
 degrading not to dress according to your circum- 
 stances, or to be seen in low company. They 
 hold it as a rule that a man should robe himself 
 in clothes that accord with his position and con- 
 dition, and scorn to lie or disgrace his family or 
 play the hypocrite,” — maxims that the Western 
 world might adopt with advantage. 
 
 The lower classes go barefooted. The upper 
 classes wear a shoe sole with toe-piece ; if wealthy 
 the toe-piece is richly embroidered or set with dia- 
 monds. The regents, when on journeys or in at- 
 tendance with European officials, frequently wear 
 shoes for the time, with trousers under their sa- 
 rongs, and over their headdress a stiff velvet cap 
 trimmed with gold lace and with a diamond on 
 the crown. The wealthy, when they go abroad, 
 have servants to hold a gigantic umbrella over 
 them. Their dress is rich and in colors denoting 
 their rank, and they preserve a sedate and digni- 
 fied air, accepting without sign of recognition the 
 homage of the poor peasant or laborer, who is 
 taught to fall on his knees as they pass. 
 
 The practice of filing the teeth a little concave 
 
96 
 
 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 in front and dyeing them black by chewing siri is 
 a custom of the Javanese handed down from time 
 immemorial. The operation is performed when 
 the child is about eight years of age. 
 
 It is the custom for all classes to bathe at least 
 once a day, but more generally twice. The poor 
 resort to the nearest river, where they disport 
 themselves in the water a short time, wearing the 
 sarong in which they have been working or have 
 just slept, and dexterously replacing it with an- 
 other that is clean and dry, at the edge of the 
 stream. If a river is not convenient, they bathe 
 at the side of a well, pouring the water on the 
 top of the head and allowing it to run down over 
 the body. The rich have luxurious bath-rooms 
 attached to their dwellings. All classes perfvune 
 their clothes, rub the skin with fragrant oils, and 
 dust it with highly scented powder, which is either 
 white or bright yellow. The aristocracy use the 
 yellow powder, and employ yellow in the silk or 
 satin envelopes in which they send messages to 
 their friends. 
 
 The women are generally intrusted with the 
 pecuniary affairs of the family, buying, selling, 
 and making bargains according to their own 
 judgment ; the males of the family always accept- 
 ing their management, it being quite understood 
 that the latter possess neither the taste nor incli- 
 nation for petty matters relating to money. 
 
 The kris, of which there are many shapes and 
 
HOUSES AND DRESS 
 
 97 
 
 kinds, modeled after the one essential pattern, 
 and the wearing of which is a national institution 
 in Java, seems to be carried quite as much for 
 ornament as for use. Stuck in the belt on the 
 right of the back, it makes a conspicuous feature 
 of the dress. If the owmer is rich the handle and 
 scabbard of the weapon sparkle with brilliants. 
 The ki-is is worn generally by the inhabitants of 
 the surrounding islands, to which fact the Javan- 
 ese refer with much pride, as confirmation of the 
 ancient records relating how Java once governed 
 all those countries. To make the weapon more 
 effective, the blade is often serpentine and poi- 
 soned, so that, should the victim escape death from 
 the wound, he will succumb to the effects of the 
 poison received in the blood. While we cannot 
 call the Javanese a bloodthirsty people, it is cer- 
 tain that they show much fondness for the sight 
 of the crimson fluid, and will stand around a 
 bleeding animal, watching its dying throes with 
 calm satisfaction. In a country where the passions 
 of revenge and jealousy run high, where wrongs 
 and extortions are frequently committed, and 
 where justice is slow, there is a strong incentive 
 for the individual to redress his grievance on the 
 spot. In view of this, the convenient krls is dan- 
 gerous. The higher classes, however, seldom use 
 it as a weapon of defense, and unquestionably not 
 unless the provocation is very great. Silent poi- 
 sons appear to be their favorite mode of wreak- 
 ing vengeance. 
 
CHAPTER XVn. 
 
 FOOD AND COOKING. 
 
 The Javanese, being Mohammedans, avoid eat- 
 ing swine’s flesh and drinking intoxicating bever- 
 ages, Some, who are direct descendants of Hindu 
 ancestors, and still retain their veneration for the 
 sacred bull, abstain from partaking of the flesh 
 of either the cow or her consort. Rice comprises 
 their principal article of diet, to which is added 
 flsh, fowl, and vegetables, of which they have an 
 abundance. The ox, deer, goat, and buffalo are 
 acceptable as food, and cayenne pepper forms a 
 large ingredient in everything prepared for the 
 table. Milk is scarce, and butter is not made by 
 the Javanese. White grubs and a species of 
 worm found in trees are esteemed as articles of 
 food, but rice with curry and red pepper consti- 
 tutes the “ staff of life ” throughout the island, 
 usually accompanied with dried fish, dried buffalo 
 meat, and the fruits of the country. Salted 
 duck’s eggs are largely prepared for table use, to 
 be eaten with the rice and curry, to which are 
 added several highly seasoned preparations called 
 sambels. Sugar manufactured from the sugar- 
 palm is plentiful, and much used in delicacies 
 
FOOD AND COOKING 
 
 99 
 
 made with rice. Tea and coffee are universally 
 drunk when obtainable, and are always served 
 with the two regular meals of the day, beside be- 
 ing taken early in the morning with a little rice, 
 and in the middle of the afternoon. 
 
 Tobacco, the siri leaf, and betel-nut are used by 
 all classes. The two last-named, mashed together 
 with a little lime, compose the siri, which all 
 chew, and carry about with them in siri-boxes. It 
 exudes a blood-red juice, staining the lips and 
 blackening the teeth, which is a mark of beauty 
 in the estimation of the Javanese, who declare 
 that to have “ white teeth like an animal ” is a 
 gi-eat reproach. 
 
 The practice of smoking opium is indulged in 
 to some extent by the Javanese, though not car- 
 ried to the excess that it reaches among the Chi- 
 nese who reside on the island. Its effects are al- 
 ways pernicious and degrading, but as its traffic 
 yields an enormous revenue to the government, 
 no objections are presented. It is not eaten in its 
 crude state, but is boiled down and rolled into 
 piUs, which are inserted in a pipe and smoked. 
 Opium pipes are frequently very elaborate and 
 costly ; an opium smoker is easily recognized by 
 his shattered and haggard appearance, and is 
 despised as a drunkard and a wortldess wretch. 
 The opium smoker is not admitted into decent 
 Javanese society. The effect of the drug in small 
 quantities is said to be pleasant and exhilarating, 
 
100 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 but if used mth immoderation it excites violent 
 passions, or brings on paroxysms of madness. At 
 best it is considered a slow and certain poison, 
 which gradually destroys the body and the mind, 
 and reduces its victim to the level of the brute. 
 An opium smoker is soon lost to every humane 
 and respectable influence, becomes callous to all 
 claims of duty or affection, and gives himself 
 entirely over to the indulgence of his dreadful 
 appetite, speedily sinking into the grave, the 
 most abandoned of abandoned creatures. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 AGRICULTURE. 
 
 The soil and its possibilities constitute the 
 great wealth of Java. To agriculture and the 
 product of the crop the peasant, the merchant, 
 the official, and the government look for their 
 revenue. When a tax is to be levied, or a new 
 assessment imposed, or assistance to the treasury 
 is desired, the lands are surveyed, the fields 
 planted, and the harvests estimated in advance. 
 The wealth of a district or a village is computed 
 according to the quality of its soil and the extent 
 of its plantations. 
 
 The soil exacts little care from the cultivator, 
 and returns an enormous interest for every at- 
 tention bestowed upon it. Two and even three 
 crops in a year from the same ground are quite 
 common, and still leave unexhausted the mar- 
 velous fertility of the soil. As we have already 
 said, everything wiU grow in Java ; but rice, 
 sugar-cane, cinchona, coffee, tea, indigo, and cocoa- 
 nut are the great staples of the country, while 
 other tropical products are abundant. 
 
 The rice districts on the low grounds, capable 
 of inundation, are termed “ sawahs ; ” the higher 
 
102 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 culture on the dry grounds, “ tegal.” It is on the 
 sawahs, which are alleged to produce the best 
 article, that the important rice cultivation is pur- 
 sued. The price of rice is of great importance to 
 the laborer, who receives it or its equivalent in 
 money for his work. One kati, or pound and a 
 third, of rice is considered sufficient for the sub- 
 sistence of one person for a day. Eice in the hull 
 or in the field is called “ paddy.” All other grains 
 are cultivated on the high grounds. There are 
 said to be nearly a hundred different kinds of rice 
 on the island. 
 
 A rude wooden plough, a large hoe, and a small 
 reaping-knife are the chief implements of hus- 
 bandry. The plough is made of wood, and is so 
 light that when the work is done the peasant 
 unhooks his buffalo, throws the plough over his 
 shoulder, and carries it home. If a harrow is 
 , used, he sits upon it to assist in leveling the 
 spongy loam. 
 
 The village priest looks after the seasons, and 
 apprises the inhabitants of the approaching time 
 to sow, transplant, irrigate, and reap, giving equal 
 attention to the periods for dry and wet culti- 
 vation. Added to the crops of rice are several 
 species of vegetables, such as beans, cucumbers, 
 maize, etc., the seeds of w'hich are dropped with 
 the rice, and reach maturity after the paddy is 
 harvested, giving a succession of crops from the 
 same ground. Cotton is frequently cultivated in 
 this manner. 
 
AGRICULTURE 
 
 103 
 
 IVIaize roasted in the ear, before all the husk is 
 removed, is a favorite article of subsistence. It 
 is never reduced to a meal and converted into 
 bread. It may be planted at any time of the 
 year, and thrives luxuriantly. There are several 
 kinds : one, especially, bearing a large, full grain, 
 which requires seven months to ripen ; another, 
 having a smaller grain, requires three months ; 
 and one of very inferior quality matures in forty- 
 five days. The yam, plantain, sweet and white 
 potato, various species of beans, and the seed 
 called “ jawa-woet ” are cultivated and used when 
 there is a scarcity of rice. 
 
 A toddy is made from the liquid procured by 
 tapping the aren, or sngar-palm, of which the na- 
 tives are very fond, although intoxication among 
 them is almost unknowm. The pith taken from 
 this tree resembles sago, and mixed with the crude 
 palm sugar makes a popular confection. The 
 soft pulp of the unripe cocoa, used in the same 
 way, is another agreeable pate. 
 
 Oil for lamps is obtained from several plants 
 by grinding and expressing the pulp, but oil from 
 the eocoanut is the most desirable and plentiful. 
 It is used for cooking, and when fresh does not 
 impart a disagreeable flavor. The natives make 
 it for their own use by grating the white meat 
 that lines the inside of the ripe eocoanut, then 
 mixing it with water and boiling it, when the oil 
 comes to the top and is skimmed off. 
 
104 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 Sugar-cane, of which there are numerous vari- 
 eties, is extensively cultivated on the lowlands aU 
 over Java, and is not prized by the natives for its 
 saccharine juice, but is eaten as a sweetmeat. 
 The process of manufacturing sugar is left to the 
 industry and ingenuity of foreigners. Sugar fur- 
 nishes one of the important and profitable articles 
 of export. Before the construction, within the 
 last few years, of railroads on the island, the 
 heavy sugars, rice, and other products that were 
 not conveyed to the coasts by water were carried 
 on the backs of oxen, buffaloes, horses, men, and 
 women. In this manner all the products of the 
 interior reached the seaports. Within a distance 
 of fifty or sixty miles from Bata\ua a clumsy cart, 
 drawn by buffaloes, was, and is still, sometimes 
 used for this purpose. Thirty-one million piculs 
 of sugar were exported from Java during the five 
 years ending 1889. One picul equals one hun- 
 dred and thirty-six English pounds. 
 
 The roads aU over Java are exceptionally good, 
 having been constructed, with much labor and 
 expense, by the government, and by the latter are 
 kept in perfect order. Postal and telegraphic 
 communication is also thorough and complete. 
 There is one principal highway or post road, ex- 
 tending from Anger, on the Straits of Sunda, to 
 Soerabaja, on the Strait of Bali, covering a dis- 
 tance of seven hundred and fifty miles. Post 
 stations, with relays of horses, are established at 
 
AGEICULTUEE 
 
 105 
 
 intervals of five miles along this superb public 
 route, which is crossed from north to south by 
 the high military state road connecting the two 
 native capitals, Soerakarta and Djokjokarta. 
 Other fine roads have been constructed wherever 
 they were demanded by commerce or deemed ad- 
 vantageous. 
 
 Public markets are held twice weekly all over 
 the island. Traffic of nearly every description is 
 carried on at these public sales. Little is needed, 
 from thread and thimbles to silks and satins, that 
 cannot be there procured. The Chinese peddler, 
 with petty trifles, and the great Arab merchant 
 are both in the bazars, plying their respective 
 trades. Another quarter is devoted to the buy- 
 ing, selling, and exchanging of cattle ; another to 
 vegetables, fruit, and cooked native foods. In 
 short, every species of Eastern trade is more or 
 less practiced. These markets, with the petty 
 coasting trade, supply everything that the coun- 
 try produces. 
 
CHAPTER XIX- 
 
 COFFEE, TOBACCO, PEPPER, COTTON, INDIGO. 
 
 The culture of coffee was introduced by the 
 Dutch, and the berry has since become one of the 
 great staple exports of the country. Coffee is 
 regarded as one of the government monopolies. 
 Its production and delivery into the government 
 stores are effected, if need be, by the forced labor 
 of the natives. 
 
 The coffee lands in Java, with the exception of 
 eighteen plantations on eighteen estates owned 
 by private individuals, in freehold, who received 
 their rights during or before the English occupa^ 
 tion, are the property of the government, and are 
 either cultivated by the latter, or sold to planters 
 on leases not exceeding a period of seventy-five 
 years. The natives dwelling on the government 
 lands are compelled to pay to the government a 
 tax of one day of labor out of every seven. At 
 the end of the season, when the coffee is delivered, 
 the chiefs each receive a certain sum per picul 
 for the quantity produced in their district, and 
 the fixed price paid by the government is divided 
 among the workmen. According to government 
 statistics, the cost price of prepared government 
 
COFFEE, TOBACCO, PEPPER, ETC. 107 
 
 coffee delivered at the government warehouses is 
 from fourteen to sixteen rupees per picul ; deliv- 
 ered to the seaport, sixteen to sixteen and one 
 half rupees per picul. The net receipts of the 
 government are about thirty-one and a quarter 
 rupees per picul. One rupee is equal to forty 
 cents in gold. 
 
 Three hundred and fourteen coffee plantations, 
 comprising 126,582 bahoes of land (one bahoe 
 equal to about one and a half acres), are owned 
 by planters on leases, at prices ranging from 
 5,000 to 2,285,350 rupees, according to the size, 
 salubrity, situation, and improvement of the dif- 
 ferent plantations. In the domains of the vas- 
 sal princes of Djokjokarta and Soerakarta, ninety- 
 six coffee plantations, covering 164,422 bahoes of 
 ground, are leased at a yearly rental of from 102 
 to 21,733 rupees, according to their value, the 
 coffee to be delivered to the government at an 
 extremely low figure. Added to the products of 
 the lands named is the coffee from the monosoeko ^ 
 plantations, which also goes to the government, 
 the natives preferring generally to deliver it in 
 the red husk, at from five to seven rupees the picul. 
 The eighteen plantations in freehold comprise 
 572,754 bahoes of land. These estates are im- 
 mense in size, and very valuable. The cultivators 
 of these private plantations and of those held on 
 leases requiring the ground to be cultivated and 
 
 ^ Peasant farming of small portions of land. 
 
108 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 improved can dispose of their products at their 
 owTi option. 
 
 Following the estimates, we learn that 1,081,919 
 piculs of prepared coffee were gathered from 239,- 
 129,453 trees on the government plantations in 
 1883, and 394,113 piculs were produced on the 
 private estates. In 1889 the government yield 
 fell off nearly one half, and the private estates 
 reached 472,194 piculs. The annual export of 
 coffee from Java, during the last twenty years, 
 has varied from 1,000,000 to 1,460,000 picids. 
 About 100,000 piculs are used yearly in Jav^a. 
 The average number of trees required to produce 
 one picul of prepared coffee is 241. One tree 
 yields from a half pound to a pound and a third. 
 
 Considerable discrimination is required in the 
 selection of suitable grounds for the culture of 
 coffee, which requires a much higher altitude than 
 sugar. Situations must be chosen where the soil 
 will not be washed away from the roots of the 
 trees in the rainy seasons, and where the shrivel- 
 ing rays of the sun will not have too powerful an 
 effect on the young plants. The sheltered slopes 
 and valleys on the base of the mountains and the 
 undulating sides of low chains of hills are usually 
 preferred for the successful culture of the coffee 
 berry. The plants raised on the highest eleva- 
 tions generally produce the best quality of fruit, 
 and for the longest period. 
 
 After preparing the groimd for the reception 
 
COFFEE, TOBACCO, PEPPER, ETC. 109 
 
 of the young plants, by clearing it, burning the 
 rubbish, enriching the soil with the ashes, and 
 giving it several ploughings and levelings, dadap 
 and kapok trees are planted to shade them, and 
 ditches are dug in low situations to drain away the 
 water, after which the coffee plants are removed 
 from the nursery into the gardens ; this is man- 
 aged so as to bring the planting time towards the 
 end of the rainy season. When the soil is not 
 very fertile the plants are set about six feet apart, 
 with dadap trees between them. If the soil is rich, 
 a shorter distance is observed and fewer dadaps 
 are required. It is foimd that the dadap affords 
 the most desirable shade for the coffee-tree, and 
 the higher the ground, the fewer dadaps are nec- 
 essary. 
 
 A flourishing plantation on an elevated situa- 
 tion wdU produce the berry for a period of eigh- 
 teen years, while on the lower grounds six or 
 seven years is the allotted time, and the fruit is 
 not so good. The coffee bush seldom exceeds six- 
 teen or seventeen feet in height, and in good sit- 
 uations produces from one to twenty, or per- 
 haps twenty-five pounds during its life. When 
 the berries assume a dark red color they are care- 
 fully picked, one at a time, care being taken not 
 to disturb the blossoms and imripe fruit still on 
 the trees. 
 
 After the picking, the berries are spread on 
 Troad bamboo trays and placed in the drying- 
 
110 JAVA: THE PEABL OF THE EAST 
 
 house, a few feet above low fires, and the sun, 
 prejudicial to the flavor of the coffee, is excluded. 
 Coffee berries dried in the sun are lighter in color 
 and weight than those dried by artificial heat, and 
 the decoction made from the former is weak and 
 insipid. Caution is required not to bruise the 
 beans in separating them from the dried husk, 
 after which they are packed in bags ready for the 
 market. The superiority of the Java coffee is so 
 well known that it is not necessary to speak of it. 
 By many it is considered the best coffee in the 
 world. 
 
 Tobacco is extensively cultivated in some of 
 the higher districts. Tobacco lands must be ex- 
 empt from inundations, and possess the richest 
 soil. In locations especially favorable to the to- 
 bacco plant, it reaches a height of ten feet, and 
 flourishes with a remarkable luxuriance. On the 
 elevated regions in the interior of the island, 
 tegal rice and tobacco are sometimes raised in al- 
 ternate years with advantage on the same groimd. 
 The native is fond of tobacco for smoking, but 
 siri takes its place for other purposes. 
 
 The pepper vine, which requires four or five 
 years to produce fruit, grows luxuriantly in Java, 
 and seems to thrive on almost any kind of soil. 
 Its cultivation was at one time regarded as an 
 important industry, particularly in the western 
 districts of Bantam, but the government monop- 
 oly is said to have become so oppressive in its 
 
COFFEE, TOBACCO, PEFPER, ETC. Ill 
 
 character that it was abandoned, and the produc- 
 tion of pepper is left to Sumatra and other islands 
 in the archipelago. 
 
 Cotton is raised to some extent, but is of infe- 
 rior quality. Neither the soil nor the climate ap- 
 pears to be very favorable to its growth. In some 
 parts of the island the plant flourishes, but yields 
 a meagre product ; in other parts, the lowlands 
 are unfit for it. It does best in localities devoted 
 to mountain rice, but there a supply of cotton 
 sufficient for the population cannot be obtained. 
 The plant grows here about one and a half feet 
 high, and the Javanese regard its cultivation with 
 profound respect. 
 
 Java offers special advantages for the cultiva- 
 tion of indigo. A poor quality is produced as a 
 second crop on the sawahs after the paddy has 
 been harvested. The best quality comes from the 
 highlands, where the plant reaches its greatest 
 luxuriance. With proper selection of ground, it 
 is allowed that indigo can be raised with success 
 in Java the year round. It forms one of the 
 principal dyes in the country, and is extremely 
 cheap. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 LAND AND GOVERNMENT. 
 
 The proprietary rights of land in Java, with 
 the exception of the few private plantations men- 
 tioned in the preceding chapter, are vested exclu- 
 sively in the government. There is no law or 
 custom which entitles the occupant of land, even 
 though said occupant may have reclaimed it from 
 the jungle, to consider it as his own, or as such 
 to sell, will, or give it to any one whom he may 
 desire to have enjoy the fruits of his industry. 
 He can only convey it to another to hold tiU the 
 expiration of his lease, when his plantation, with 
 his seventy-five years’ labor and improvement, re- 
 turns to the general land-owner, the government, 
 from whom it was purchased. The few planters 
 who absolutely own their soil are hut little better 
 situated than the owner of a lease of this descrip- 
 tion. Their taxes are hea^'y, and they pay about 
 as much for reaping from their own land as they 
 would pay as tenants of the government. 
 
 The system of what is known as forced labor 
 may appear to be an oppression or extortion prac- 
 ticed upon the poor native, upon the principle 
 that “ might is right,” hut this view of the matter 
 
LAND AND GOVERNMENT 
 
 113 
 
 is scarcely correct, and it must be admitted that 
 there is not a colony in the East that has been gov- 
 erned with the general residt of peace, prosperity, 
 and happiness which has attended the Dutch rule 
 in Java. The natives are well cared for, enjoy 
 the comfort and security of permanent employ- 
 ment, and are protected from the devastating wars 
 and cruel rapacity of their own princes. It is true 
 that the Dutch govern greatly to their own inter- 
 ests, the island of Java alone yielding an annual 
 revenue, net, to Holland of from 23,000,000 to 
 25,000,000 guilders before the revolt of the na- 
 tives in Acheen, on the north coast of Sumatra, 
 in 1873. The expense of this long-continued re- 
 bellion has reversed the old order, and Holland, 
 instead of receiving the yearly surplus from her 
 colonies, and notwithstanding the increased taxes 
 imposed, has to supply a deficiency counted in 
 millions to meet the drain of the Acheen war, 
 aside from the losses of commercial depression. 
 These adversities, however, do not concern the 
 ti'aveler, who perceives only the general success 
 of the policy of the government, and is surprised 
 to find the same comfort, security, refinement, and 
 cultivation on this distant island that he would 
 enjoy in any capital or country in Europe. 
 
 The Dutch rule in Java requires the exercise 
 of great tact and diplomacy. The old system of 
 native government is retained so far as is possi- 
 ble, and the native rulers are still in power ; at 
 
114 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 the same time they are under surveillance, and 
 transmit their orders as mere mouthpieces of the 
 Europeans. In this way the enormous population 
 is controlled through its own chiefs. Each dis- 
 trict is governed by a native regent, and with 
 him is placed a Dutch resident or assistant resi- 
 dent and a controleur. The resident makes sugges- 
 tions to the regent, and recommends the grounds 
 that are to be cultivated, which friendly advice 
 the regent understands as laws that must be im- 
 plicitly obeyed. The regent in his turn commu- 
 nicates with his officials, and so the desires of the 
 resident are transmitted through aU the grades 
 of office, reaching at last the peasant that plucks 
 the coffee berries. These regents receive ample 
 incomes from the government. 
 
 The controleur assists the resident, inspects the 
 proceedings in the native courts in the district, 
 sees that no wrong or injustice is practiced by the 
 village chief upon the common people and that 
 every man is fairly treated, and looks after the 
 management of the government lands and planta- 
 tions. 
 
 The Soesoenan is the nominal head of his own 
 dominions, the native provinces, but his prime 
 minister, the Raden Adipati, is the actual ruler. 
 The Soesoenan, although a sovereign, with a splen- 
 did court and retinue, has scarcely the liberty 
 of leaving his palace without the consent of his 
 “ elder brother,” the Dutch Resident, and must 
 
LAyD AND GOVERNMENT 
 
 115 
 
 always be attended by Dutch soldiers, under the 
 appearance of an honorable escort. He receives 
 a fabulous revenue from the Dutch, who manage 
 his lands and control their revenues, while he 
 amuses himself with his empty pomp, the flattery 
 of his nobles, and the diversions of his harem. 
 The succession to the throne descends from father 
 to son, although the European government claims 
 the right of deciding who shall reign, but sup- 
 ports as far as is consistent with its own interests 
 and the prosperity of the people, the rights of 
 primogeniture. 
 
 The administration of the general government 
 as a whole is the same as that applied to each 
 province or district ; and, while the J avanese are 
 encouraged in retaining their own laws and cus- 
 toms, the protectorate is careful to observe that 
 those laws and customs are administered accord- 
 ing to the interests of the European rule. The 
 high priests insist upon the practice of the writ- 
 ten law of the Koran, which is observed as modi- 
 fied by necessity. They are generally Mohamme- 
 dan Arabs, and are charged with privately inciting 
 the people to rebellion and discontent, though 
 their ostensible occupation is the sti’ict adminis- 
 tration of justice and religious instruction, with 
 exhortations to duty by precept and fable, some 
 of which are highly instructive and impressive, 
 as we perceive by the following examples, copied 
 from their code of morals • — 
 
116 JAVA: THE PEAEL OF THE EAST 
 
 “ A man who does evil to his companions acts 
 against the sacred writing's and the lessons of his 
 instructor ; he can never enjoy prosperity, but will 
 meet with misfoi’time in all his proceedings. Such 
 a man is like a piece of porcelain, which, when it 
 falls to the ground, breaks into many pieces, and 
 can never be rendered perfect.” 
 
 “ The forest and the tiger lived together in close 
 friendship, so that no one could approach the for- 
 est, for the tiger was always in the way ; nor the 
 tiger, for the forest always ’afforded him shelter. 
 Thus they both remained undisturbed, on account 
 of the mutual security they afforded each other. 
 But when the tiger abandoned the forest and 
 roamed abroad, the people, seeing that the tiger 
 had quitted it, immediately cut down the forest 
 and converted it into plantations ; the tiger, in the 
 mean time, taking shelter in a village, was seen by 
 the people, who soon found means to kill him. In 
 this manner, both parties, by abandoning their 
 mutual duties to each other, were lost.” 
 
 “ These are the qualities necessary to constitute 
 a good housewife : she must be well made and 
 well mannered, gentle, industrious, rich, liberal, 
 charming, of good birth, upright, and humble. 
 A stingy, curious, dirty, foul-mouthed, vulgar, 
 false, intriguing, lazy, or stupid woman is not 
 only entirely unfit for a housewife, but will never 
 be beloved by a husband.” 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 MA^fUFACTURES AND INDUSTRIES. 
 
 The Javanese manufactures are very few and 
 very simple. Where climate and taste render so 
 little necessary for the comfort and happiness of 
 the people, and where every family can supply its 
 own wants within its own immediate vicinity, and 
 without the aid of foreign articles or assistance 
 of any description, there is slight incentive for the 
 development of manufacturing skill, or encourage- 
 ment for invention. Nature truly furnishes every- 
 thing needed or desired by the Javanese. His 
 climate, rice fields, coffee gardens, palm groves, 
 and bamboo thickets supply all that he deems 
 needful. He determines the size and quality of 
 his dwelling to meet his wants and accord with 
 his condition ; for the Javan, more than any other 
 civilized individual, follows the demands of neces- 
 sity, without any regard to art or appearance. 
 He neither makes shawls, silks, gloves, nor beau- 
 tiful china, though he has the materials for each. 
 In his simple bamboo cottage, he would not know 
 what to do with such superfluities, therefore they 
 do not interest him. He is familiar with stone- 
 cutting and brick-making, because he builds the 
 
118 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 dwellings of the nobles, foreign merchants, and 
 rich Chinese with these materials. He under- 
 stands perfectly how to make thatch for his roof, 
 mats for his bed, and cotton for his sarongs. 
 He sijins his yarn, and weaves his cloth without a 
 loom, and paints and dyes the materials for his 
 sarongs with the most beautiful colors. To prepare 
 the white cloth for this purpose, he steeps it in 
 rice-water ; then, with hot wax forced through a 
 short tube, traces or covers the figures he wishes 
 to paint upon it, and dips the article in the dye, 
 which makes no impression on the wax. The lat- 
 ter he removes by soaking the cloth in hot water ; 
 then he traces it again until wax, and dips it in 
 a different dye, and so on till he gets all the colors 
 and fio^ures he desires. If his sarongf is to have red 
 or scarlet on it, he steeps the cloth in oil for sev- 
 eral days before applying the wax and dye. This 
 process imparts to the cloth a pecidiar rich ap- 
 pearance, and a strange but not unpleasant odor, 
 which it retains a long time. Silks are treated in 
 the same manner, the designs and colors indicat- 
 insr the rank of the wearer. To make a sarong 
 as just described requires from ten to seventeen 
 days. The colors in the fine painted sarongs 
 are exquisitely soft and beautiful. 
 
 AVe could add some thirty or more handicrafts 
 to those already named in the preceding chapters, 
 all of which are practiced with more or less merit. 
 The tanner, stone-cutter, carpenter, tinsmith, and 
 iron smith are always the most in demand. The 
 
MANUFACTURES AND INDUSTRIES 119 
 
 well-tempered blade of tbe kris brings a very 
 high jirice, and the manufacture of its sheath is 
 a profession in itself. On the coasts, the making 
 of salt from sea-water, and fishing and the curing 
 of fish, form occupations that employ a fair por- 
 tion of the population. In the three largest cities, 
 the manufacture of a spirit called “ arrack,” from 
 rice and the sugar-palm, is a profitable industry. 
 Foundries for different works in iron and mills 
 for the manufacture of gunpowder have long been 
 established. Tailors, seamstresses, painters, gold- 
 smiths, silver workers, and artisans of many other 
 useful handicrafts find constant occupation in the 
 towns. 
 
 The care of the teak forests is an employment 
 of some magnitude in Java, and is confined to a 
 part of the population known as the Blandong 
 people. The Blandong dwell in villages in and 
 about the forests, and are occupied during eight 
 months in the year in cutting and dragging the 
 ponderous teak from their innermost recesses ; 
 the other four months are given to the care and 
 watching of the young trees. Many other occu- 
 pations could be named, and much more said 
 about the emplojunent of the people ; but it will 
 be seen that the am])le resources of the fertile 
 plains, the prolific sea, vast forests, and nourishing 
 climate, supply an easy and agreeable livelihood, 
 and the inhabitants of Java have little occasion 
 to trouble their heads about inventions or manu- 
 factures. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE. 
 
 It is difficult to give a just idea of the personal 
 character of the Javanese. Though not advanced 
 in what is termed European learning or know- 
 ledge, they are by no means deficient in intelli- 
 gence, or inapt in comprehending anything they 
 have a strong desire to understand. They have 
 made little progress in the arts and sciences, 
 but they are quick in observing and judging cor- 
 rectly. They are acute and delicate in perception, 
 docile and cheerful in disposition, willing to oblige 
 and be obliged. When compared with the in- 
 habitants of temperate zones, they are, no doubt, 
 lacking in energy and perseverance, deficiencies 
 that generally distinguish the native within the 
 tropics, but which in the Javanese are compen- 
 sated for by their admirable patience and faith- 
 fulness. When incited to action, they are fre- 
 quently capable of great exertion, and wiU labor, 
 for a short period, on a footing with any one. 
 They are quiet, imcomplaining, and affectionate, 
 fond of music, easily" excited to wonder, and given 
 to superstition, especiaDy the lower classes, who 
 recognize omens in every unusual event. They 
 
TUE CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE 121 
 
 are proud and full of religious prejudice, though 
 much more liberal than the Mohammedans on the 
 adjoining islands. 
 
 A somewhat voluminous writer on Java says, 
 “ The inhabitants of Java are proud, brave, lazy, 
 and treacherous.” This statement in reference 
 to the Javanese is probably true if we are to con- 
 sider them as soldiers ; but a Javan seen as an 
 humble, faithful friend and reliable servant, well 
 treated and appreciated, bears a very different 
 character. The sedate and listless appearance of 
 the J avanese resembles stupidity ; but few people 
 possess a more ready apprehension, and they are 
 veritable children in their simple credulousness. 
 No matter how strange the phenomenon or how 
 improbable the tale, they are willing to accept it. 
 They discover signs and prognostications, either 
 lucky or unlucky, in the countenance of a friend, 
 in dreams, in certain occurrences on certain days 
 of the month, in birds flying towards one or other- 
 wise, and especially in taking the life of particular 
 animals. To kill a gheko brings sure disaster 
 to the slayer. To dream of a snake or a tiger 
 foretells certain events, which they look for and 
 speculate upon in advance. A stranger’s taste 
 and mode of dress, and manner of arranging his 
 furniture in his room or dwelling, conveys to the 
 sharp and discriminating eyes of the native a 
 pretty correct idea of his general character. From 
 seemingly the most trivial incidents the old and 
 
122 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 experienced Javanese sometimes predict the great 
 events in one’s career, in a manner which the 
 future proves to have been done with amazing 
 certitude. 
 
 The nobles consider it a reproach to engage in 
 trade, and the common people deem it an honor 
 to follow the pursuit of agriculture. When new 
 rice plantations are to be broken, the highest 
 noblemen accompany their dependents to the 
 grounds and take part in the labor, to do honor 
 to the earth. In connection with this work the 
 buffalo, as chief aid to the husbandman, receives 
 great deference ; so much, indeed, that new-born 
 infants are often carried to the buffalo to be 
 breathed upon by the latter, in the behef that it 
 will bring them good fortune. 
 
 The Javanese are uniformly kind and gentle 
 with each other; receiving the advice of the vil- 
 lage chiefs and priests with the utmost veneration, 
 and seldom refusing relief or assistance when it 
 is needed. They treat children and aged people 
 with extreme kindness, yielding to the counsels 
 of age and experience wdth contented submission, 
 and obeying the commands of their superiors with 
 willing alacrity. 
 
 In the tovms and capitals it is admitted that 
 the natives are influenced by the bad example of 
 the Europeans, and have, to a great extent, lost the 
 simple and unaffected principles that distinguish 
 them in the unoontaminated districts in the in- 
 
THE CHABACTER OF THE PEOPLE 123 
 
 terior. The lower classes are considered more 
 honest, faithful, and ingenuous than the upper 
 classes, among whom jealousy and ambition engen- 
 der deceit, selfishness, and aggression, and the 
 means of gratification encourages bitterness and 
 passion, and promotes rivalries. All classes are 
 imiversally hospitable and strictly temperate, gen- 
 erally living according to their income, never 
 miserly, fond of display of dress and splendor, 
 giving great attention to their persons, and scru- 
 pidously neat in their attire. If rich, their dress 
 and jewels always indicate their wealth. 
 
 Jealousy sometimes urges them to deeds of 
 violence, or a great wrong inflicted prompts in- 
 discriminate destruction, and the indignant suf- 
 ferer, unable to endure the imposition, and less 
 able to avenge it, in a sudden frenzy of madness 
 whips out his kris and runs amok (amuck), cut- 
 ting and slashing at everything till run down and 
 killed by his pursuers. Unprovoked assassina- 
 tions are extremely rare. Petty thefts and rob- 
 beries occur occasionally, but when kindness and 
 confidence are extended they generally meet with 
 commendable fidelity. 
 
 The effects of polygamy are not conducive to 
 the elevation of their character. Among the upper 
 classes its- baneful influences are not difficult to 
 trace ; family ties are not respected, jealousies 
 are aroused, malignant passions often excited, and 
 the active and combined influences of husband 
 
124 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 and wife ignored. The Koran permits the Mo- 
 hammedan to have four wives, and if a noble he 
 is privileged to add as many consorts as he likes. 
 The peasants and poorer people have generally, 
 in a fashion, escaped these pernicious influences, 
 and as a rule confine themselves to one wife at 
 a time, or at most to two, compromising with 
 their moderation by frequent change. 
 
 The Javanese rarely adopt new habits. It is 
 their custom to rise as soon as dajdight appears, 
 bathe, partake of a little rice and coffee, and pro- 
 ceed at once to their fields, where they labor tiU 
 ten o’clock, then return to their dwelling and eat 
 their first hearty meal. From ten to four the 
 heat is intense, during which time they remain in 
 the shade of their huts and verandas, doing such 
 work as their necessities require. At four o’clock 
 they eat rice and di-ink coffee or chocolate, and 
 return to the fields, to remain till six, when they 
 seek their homes and partake of their second sub- 
 stantial meal, and spend the evening sitting to- 
 gether listening to music, or in quiet conversation. 
 
 The Malays living on the island are somewhat 
 different in character from the Javanese. They 
 are more active, show more enterprise, are more 
 fond of trade and bargaining in a small way, 
 more desirous of seeing the world and of adopt- 
 ing the ideas of foreigners, more passionate and 
 vindictive, and although quite as intelligent, are 
 by no means so simple-minded and ingenuous as 
 the gentle Javanese. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 RELIGION AND RANK. 
 
 The faith of Mohammed is the established 
 religion of the country, and came in with the 
 overthrow of the Hindu empire of Modjopahit, 
 in the year 1475. In 1511, when the Portu- 
 guese first arrived on the island, there was a 
 Hindu king in Bantam ; between that date and 
 1620, when the Dutch established a commercial 
 settlement at Bantam, the whole country seems to 
 have accepted Mohammedanism. The Javanese, 
 however, are the least bigoted of the followers of 
 the Prophet, and in this respect are very different 
 from the Mohammedans in other parts of the 
 world. Arab religious teachers are arriving con- 
 stantly, and the Mohammedan law prevails, but 
 in many respects it is blended with the ancient 
 Hindu institutions of the country. 
 
 The Javanese chiefs and nobles make frequent 
 pilgrimages to Mecca, and when they return to 
 Java assume the utmost sanctity, which gives them 
 such extraordinary power in practicing upon the 
 credulity of the lower and uneducated classes that 
 the government has deemed it expedient to dis- 
 conntenance the custom as much as possible. 
 
126 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 The Mohamraetlan priests are credited with 
 being at the bottom of every attempt at rebellion ; 
 and as the rebellions have greatly increased in 
 late years, it may be inferred that the Arab teach- 
 ers are multiplying, and that the Javanese are 
 beginning to entertain a more ready appreciation 
 of their owm power and importance in a recogni- 
 tion of the natural wealth of their country, and in 
 the knowledge of the strength w'hich lies in their 
 rapidly increasing population. 
 
 When the peaceful natives are incited to at- 
 tack and slaughter the European intruders, which 
 sometimes occurs, it is usually attributed to the 
 intrigues and exhortations of the Arab priests, 
 who, as religious teachers, possess an unlimited in- 
 fluence over the people. Every village possesses 
 a mosque and priests, either Arab or their de- 
 scendants, who conduct a ]\Iohammedan service. 
 These spiritual instructors decide everything of 
 importance belonging to the native. In matters 
 of fees, marriage, separation, divorce, inheritance, 
 revenues, and cultivation of the lands, the priest 
 determines. Every large town has a high priest, 
 who presides over all the inferior priests in the 
 siibordinate villages and districts, and holds an 
 ecclesiastical court to settle affairs that are too 
 weighty for his assistants to decide upon. The 
 number of priests in Java is said to reach several 
 hundred thousand. They wear broad white tur- 
 bans, long white gowns, cultivate a lengthy beard 
 
RELIGION AND RANK 127 
 
 on the chin, and affect a grave and dignified 
 manner. 
 
 Circumcision is a religious ceremony with the 
 Javanese, but in many other respects they seem to 
 hold little in common \vith the Mohammedans of 
 Arabia and continental India. For instance, 
 they refrain from everything like noisy demon- 
 stration. They would rather eat pork than drink 
 wine, while the ordinary Mohammedan can become 
 very obstreperous, and, if compelled, would prefer 
 to take wine and abstain from pork. Neither do 
 they indulge that hatred and contempt for Chris- 
 tians as infidels that others of their faith evince. 
 They cling to their ancient Hindu customs and 
 superstitions, where opportunity sanctions the ad- 
 herence, and regard with reverential pride the 
 memorials of their ancient faith and grandeur. 
 
 As we have before observed, the Javanese pay 
 great respect to sanctity, old age, and experience ; 
 and when these are accompanied with rank, there 
 seems to be no limit to the excess to which their 
 deference is carried. In any case, their respect 
 for a superior is unbounded. No native of Java, 
 no matter what his position or condition, would 
 dare to stand in the presence of superior rank. 
 Through all the various grades of title and office, 
 from the Sultan to the peasant, this extreme hom- 
 age is observed 
 
 The princes of the royal family must not stand 
 in the presence of the Soesoenan, and those of a 
 
128 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 lower rank must not stand in the presence of the 
 princes, and so it goes down to the village chief, 
 each exacting the same respect from those below 
 him. "When a petty office-holder goes abroad, 
 the common people sink down upon their heels 
 while he is passing. This position is assumed 
 upon all occasions when deference is demanded. 
 Instead of rising, as Western nations do, to show 
 respect when an important personage enters or 
 approaches, they do the opposite, slowing sinking 
 back and down upon their heels, and remain so 
 till they manage to back out of sight. 
 
 When a native of high rank travels on the 
 highway, the laborers in the fields drop their 
 w’ork, and assume the position described above as 
 he passes along. Neither is an inferior allowed 
 to reply to a superior in the common language of 
 the country; he must reply in the language of 
 honor, the court language. Under no circum- 
 stances can a superior be addressed in anj-thing 
 but the court language ; therefore it is positively 
 necessary for those who expect to communicate 
 with superiors in rank, or with court officers, 
 to possess a knowledge of tliis language. The 
 higher rank, however, is pri sieged to address the 
 lower in the ordinary vernacular. Children of 
 good families are practiced in these distinctions 
 from earliest infancy, and taught to observe them 
 in their intercourse wdth their own parents. To 
 approach a parent, a chief, or a superior in rank or 
 
RELIGION AND RANK 
 
 129 
 
 office without making the sumbah, a form of obei- 
 sance consisting in closing the hands together, 
 raising them to the forehead, and inclining the 
 body forward, is a breach of good manners never 
 committed. Sometimes on great public occasions, 
 where the rank is very exalted on one side, the in- 
 ferior will humbly kiss the sole of the great man’s 
 foot. 
 
 When the Sultan or the Soesoenan leaves his 
 palace, great state and ceremony are observed. 
 An Immense golden umbrella is carried at the 
 head of the procession, followed by a numerous 
 retinue of spearmen guarding the figures of the 
 sacred bull and elephant, which with horses cov- 
 ered with rich trappings, and led behind them, 
 precede the sovereign, who is sheltered by another 
 golden payoeng. Boxes containing everything 
 requisite for the sovereign are sometimes carried 
 in the procession. 
 
 The regalia of state and the royal shield are 
 all wrought of gold inlaid with precious stones. 
 The handle of the kris of a rich noble is gener- 
 ally one blaze of diamonds, and the umbrella car- 
 ried before him is always a costly affair, in yellow, 
 white, gold, green, or red, according to his rank, 
 the sovereign alone using the golden payoeng. 
 Yellow is the royal color. 
 
 Many of their ceremonies have been handed 
 down from the ancient Hindus. Before the Mo- 
 hammedan conquest the sovereign was called the 
 
130 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 Ratoe, instead of the Soesoenan, which title is a 
 little more devout than Sultan. The titles of the 
 royal ])riuces and princesses were also changed 
 after that period; hut to enter into the names 
 and distinctions of all these adjuncts of noble birth 
 woidd create endless repetition and confusion. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 SOME CUSTOMS AND AMUSEMENTS. 
 
 Marriage contracts are made at an early age 
 by the parents or relatives, on the ground that it 
 is their duty to provide well for their children’s 
 future, and that the contracting parties are too 
 young and too inexperienced to exercise prudent 
 judgment. During the period between the ask- 
 ing and the marriage itself presents are made by 
 the families to the bride. When all is ready, the 
 father of the bride, accompanied by the bride- 
 groom, proceeds to the mosque, where the chief 
 priest collects the marriage fees and pronounces 
 the betrothed parties man and wife ; after which 
 the bridegroom returns to the house of his father- 
 in-law, where the bride comes out to meet him 
 with a low obeisance, in token of her submission 
 to him during the remainder of her life. Feasts 
 and festivals celebrate the occasion, and proces- 
 sions, with music, conduct the bride to the house of 
 her father-in-law. If the parties possess exalted 
 rank, sometimes camion are fired and national 
 music is played. 
 
 Divorces are frequent and very easily obtained 
 If the wife is dissatisfied with the husband, she 
 
132 JAVA; THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 can pay a sum in proportion to her rank and be 
 rid of him ; he on his part accepting her decree, 
 considering it a disgrace to be connected with a 
 woman who treats him mth derision and con- 
 tempt. The husband may divorce his wife when- 
 ever he pleases by returning her dower, or by pro- 
 \dding her with a suitable support. 
 
 Some very singular ceremonies are observed 
 when a child is born. As soon as it attains the 
 age of nine months a sort of scenic representation 
 and a festival are given. When a person of good 
 position dies, the relatives meet at the house of 
 death, to express their grief and distribute pres- 
 ents, particularly to the priests. The corpse is 
 wrapped in a white cloth, laid on a bier, and, ac- 
 companied by the friends and relatives, carried to 
 the grave, where, before interment, the priests 
 address a prayer to the soul of the deceased, and 
 after interment resume prayers and pronounce 
 benedictions. The week succeeding the death, 
 the same priests repair to the house of the de- 
 ceased to pray with his relatives ; and at various 
 stated times afterwards prayers are offered for 
 the welfare of the departed soul. Instead of 
 placing the dead body in a coffin, it is wrapped 
 in a mat for committal to the ground. A camboga^ 
 tree is planted by the side of the grave, which is 
 frequently kept strewn ■ndth flowers for years. 
 Some of the cemeteries are very handsome, and 
 the graves of the nobibty are ornamented T^dth 
 
SOME CUSTOMS AND AMUSEMENTS 133 
 
 tombs bearing beautifully sculptured Arabic in- 
 scriptions. Priests are appointed to take partic- 
 ular care of these inclosures. 
 
 The Javanese have two dramatic entertain- 
 ments that are considered somewhat interesting. 
 In one, splendidly attired characters repeat a dia- 
 logue, and perform their parts in a manner simi- 
 lar to that of actors on a European stage, and this 
 is attended with music. The other, often exliib- 
 ited on the streets, is a sort of shadow-pantomime 
 history of the valiant deeds of the heroes in the 
 fictions and fables of ancient Hindu and Javan- 
 ese mythology. The attention with which these 
 performances are watched is inconceivable. The 
 audience will sit silent and immovable a whole 
 night, with their eyes fixed in breathless interest 
 upon the representations. 
 
 The dancing-girls of J ava, called the “ bedaya,” 
 are distinguished by the utmost grace and deco- 
 rum in their behavior. Their performances con- 
 sist of graceful attitudes and convolutions of the 
 body and limbs, and divers jjeculiar motions of the 
 hands and fingers. They are gorgeously dressed, 
 and almost covered with rings, necklaces, armlets, 
 and jewels of the most costly character, and make 
 their face, neck, and arms soft and yellow-looking 
 with perfumed powder. The dance is rather grave 
 than otherwise, and is performed to slow and sol- 
 emn music. The bedaya are seldom above the 
 age of fourteen or fifteen, and perform only in 
 
134 THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 the presence of ro^’alty and persons high in rank 
 and command. 
 
 There is another set of dancing-girls, known as 
 the “ roug'geng,” that make a profession of the art ; 
 they are to be found in all the towns, and hire 
 themselves out on all occasions. The native re- 
 gents frequently keep a coiqjs of the rong’geng 
 for their special festivities. Their songs and ac- 
 tions are lacking in grace, and their conduct is 
 sometimes highly impi’oper. 
 
 ^len execute a sort of posture dance at the 
 court of the sovereign, with the shield and kris, 
 or with the bow and arrow, going through the va- 
 rious exercises to the sound of music. They are 
 naked to the waist, and cover their bodies with 
 5"ellow powder, and assume all kinds of graceful 
 attitudes in handling their shield or bow and 
 arrow while passing in slow procession before the 
 prince. There is another performance by the 
 men, when they cover their bodies with green and 
 yellow powder, and dance ^ith flowers in their 
 hands. On great public occasions the chiefs 
 indulge in a spear exhibition, which consists in 
 throwing the weapon into the air and catching it 
 again with great dexterity. 
 
 Several peculiar amusements take place among 
 the children, with the aid of music, and belong ex- 
 clusively to the domestic circle, such as putting a 
 basket over a child and covering it with a cloth, 
 when singing and clapping of hands is performed 
 
SOME CUSTOMS AND AMUSEMENTS 135 
 
 around the basket in time with music, till the 
 child is regarded as put under a charm, when 
 the basket rises, and the former slips out and 
 dances in a seemingly unconscious frenzy, till it is 
 apparently exhausted and sinks into sleep ; then it 
 awakens, and pretends utter ignorance of what has 
 happened. In a special entertainment for chil- 
 dren, a cocoanut, carved to resemble the face of a 
 human being, is placed imder a tree, where a spirit 
 is supposed to enter it, and is then brought into 
 the house and swung by two dancing children to 
 music. Another popular amusement for children 
 is to dress a number of persons to appear as ani- 
 mals in different attitudes and in combats, which 
 are accompanied with the beating of the drum 
 and gong. 
 
 On Saturday afteimoon, the day on which the 
 Soesoenan appears in public, all the princes, no- 
 bles, and high officers assemble on the great green 
 square in front of the palace, taking places accoird- 
 ing to their respective ranks, to await the appear- 
 ance of their sovereign, who, as soon as he has 
 descended the steps, mounts a horse in waiting and 
 rides aroimd the immense waringin-trees, the no- 
 bles falling in behind him as he makes the circle. 
 Tournaments and other exercises of like character 
 now commence, especially tilting and the use of 
 the spear, for which the Javanese show an inordi- 
 nate fondness. Monday is the day on which the 
 chiefs of the different towns appear, in the after- 
 
136 JAVA; THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 noon, on horses ornamented with rich trappings, 
 when the same entertainments take place among 
 them. 
 
 The combat between the buffalo and the tiger 
 is a favorite amusement. A tiger confined in 
 a cage is placed in the centre of a large circle 
 siu'rounded by spearmen, three or four deep. A 
 buffalo is brought in, and men excite him by prod- 
 ding him with nettles, etc. The cage door is 
 opened and the tiger, enraged by the application 
 of burning straw and maddened wdth pain, springs 
 upon the buffalo, which gores him vnth his horns. 
 The buffalo generally conquers, destroying some- 
 times two or three tigers, and dying himself in a 
 few days from the wounds he has received. If the 
 tiger survives, he rushes toward the wall of spears 
 to make his escape, and is immediately dispatched 
 by the spearmen plunging their weapons into 
 him. 
 
 Stag-hunting is another diversion among the 
 Javanese, but chiefly in the eastern districts. The 
 ram and the wild hog are sometimes brought out 
 on the green to fight, and they furnish an amusing 
 spectacle, the ram retreating, when his antagonist 
 gets the advantage, to a small covering for pro- 
 tection, where he waits for a favorable oppor- 
 tunity to rush out and avenge himself. Cock- 
 fighting, quail-fighting, and cricket-fighting are 
 favorite sports among the common people. 
 
 Dice, chess, and checkers are ordinary pas- 
 
SOME CUSTOMS AND AMUSEMENTS 137 
 
 times, to which are added many other games of 
 chance and skill peculiar to the archipelago. The 
 natives are also very fond of betting, and will 
 lay a wager on any trifling uncertainty, such as 
 the flying of a kite, the number of kernels in a 
 nut, etc. In these games and contests, the pieces 
 or animals, whichever they may be, that are en- 
 gaged generally represent the Javanese on one 
 side, and the foreigners on the other, or the kings, 
 queens, and princes of the former contesting with 
 their enemies. Consequently these performances 
 are watched with the deepest interest, and when 
 the objects representing the Javanese triumph 
 the delight of the people is unbounded. 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THE LANGUAGE. 
 
 The Javanese language is more or less inter- 
 mixed with the various dialects in use in several 
 of the surrounding islands. The characters are 
 the same, and it is the opinion of some learned 
 linguists that one generic language prevails 
 throughout the islands of Java, Bali, and Ma- 
 doera. Four dialects are spoken in Java. Malay, 
 the general language of the archipelago, is spoken 
 in the cities on the coast, where the popidation 
 is either Malay, or mixed Malay and Javanese. 
 In the western districts of Java the Sundanese 
 is spoken, and in the eastern provinces the Javan- 
 ese language is used exclusively. The language 
 of honor is spoken at the native court. The 
 Sunda language is alleged to be the most ancient, 
 and is a simple dialect, meeting all the wants of 
 the simple people that speak it ; many of its 
 words are pure Malayu, some are Sanskrit, and 
 much of it is from the Javanese. 
 
 The Javanese alphabet is composed of twenty 
 consonants ; in addition to which there are twenty 
 auxiliary characters, used in forming the com- 
 pound consonants. In addition to these there are 
 
THE LANGUAGE 
 
 139 
 
 seven characters, consisting of contractions of 
 certain consonants which are used in connection 
 with other consonants. There are five inherent 
 vowel signs, and five signs which supplant the in- 
 herent vowel. 
 
 The Javanese \vrite from right to left, make 
 the letters entirely separate, and leave no space 
 betw'een the words. A comma or a diagonal line 
 at the end of a composition indicates a period, and 
 is the only mark of punctuation used. They have 
 no grammar, but the construction of their lan- 
 guage is regular and extremely simple. It con- 
 tains many synonyms, and is wonderfully profuse 
 in words, expressing the most profound, delicate, 
 and complicated shades of meaning. There is 
 also a great variety of dialects or distinctions 
 between the language of honor and the language 
 of the uneducated, as referred to in a foregoing 
 chapter. 
 
 Children are first taught to draw their let- 
 ters in the sand, and then to follow the word or 
 object in all its ideas and applications, so as to 
 acquire a full understanding of many synonyms 
 belonging to it. The exercise prepares them for 
 an acquaintance with the court language, which 
 contains much of the Malayan and numerous 
 w'ords of Sanskrit origin, mixed with the Ja- 
 vanese and an extensive addition of foreign 
 words. Beside the four languages or dialects in 
 use in Java, there is a classic language, called the 
 
140 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 Kawi, in which the fables, poems, historical rec- 
 ords, and various inscriptions on stone are writ- 
 ten, At what remote period, or how, the Ka\d 
 language was introduced into Java appears to be 
 uncertain ; but it is supposed to be the channel 
 through which the Javanese received their store 
 of Sanskrit words. A Javanese scholar, in writ- 
 ing, uses many words from the Kaw'i, which may 
 have been the one original language employed 
 throughout the archipelago at some earlier and 
 unknown time. The Javanese language is rich, 
 copious, and refined, and suited to an advanced 
 and cidtured people ; it is flexible and easily 
 adapted to aU occasions, and abounds in grace- 
 ful and delicate distinctions. It is soft and 
 hai-monious, readily acquired, and clings to the 
 memory. 
 
 The most important compositions in the ancient 
 literature of Java are written in the Kawi lan- 
 guage, and seem to consist of mythological and 
 fabulous accounts of Hindu and Javanese heroes 
 and their miraculous feats in love, combat, con- 
 quest, and religion. What is termed the modern 
 literature of the Javanese is generally written in 
 verse, and frequently describes the pure character 
 of a beautiful woman, with her virtues and de- 
 votion to God. They possess some Arabic com- 
 positions which relate to religion, and are increas- 
 ing. Their poetry is elevated in sentiment, and 
 seems to take the character of ad\dce and instruc- 
 
THE LANGUAGE 
 
 141 
 
 tion. An epic poem, called the Holy War, is a 
 great favorite, and furnishes the characters for 
 one of the most popular scenic representations of 
 early mythological Javanese history. 
 
 The acting of these poems, when accompanied 
 with the music of the gamalan, possesses great 
 interest for all classes of society. The music 
 of the gamalan salindeo, their largest and most 
 perfect hand of musical instruments, adds much 
 to the impressive representation of the perform- 
 ances of the gods, demigods, and heroes of Hindu 
 and Javanese fictions. The Javanese gamalan is 
 composed of from fifteen to sixty wooden and 
 metal instruments, the most noticeable of which 
 are the gongs and xylophones, which are struck 
 with wooden hammers covered with elastic gum. 
 Some of the instruments are stringed, and played 
 like the harp. The drum is struck with the hand 
 and fingers, and the various bamboo wind instru- 
 ments are played like a flute. The music is rather 
 sad and monotonous, but by no means unpleasant. 
 
 In drawing, painting, sculpture, and astronomy, 
 the Javanese of the present day show little in- 
 terest or proficiency. They are not deficient in 
 proper ideas nor insensible to pleasing propor- 
 tions, and can copy an original fairly well, but 
 they seem indifEerent to knowledge in these direc- 
 tions. The vast and magnificent ruins sprinkled 
 over Java bear testimony to grand conceptions 
 and perfect execution in some of the arts, espe- 
 
142 JAVA : THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 cially in sculpture and literature, but at a period 
 so distant that it is impossible to decide whether 
 they were the work of the Javanese themselves, 
 or of artists brought perhaps from continental 
 India. 
 
 The remains of these wonderful temples and 
 palaces assure us that Brahma, Vishnu, and Bud- 
 dha were once the gods of the people, and that 
 the Hindu Empire was supreme. AVith the de- 
 struction of the latter in 1475, and the estab- 
 lishment of the Mohammedan religion, great 
 changes came in ; and if the arts and sciences 
 were known to any extent by the Javanese them- 
 selves, they have been forgotten. 
 
 They are quite ignorant of astronomy, and 
 when an eclipse of the sun or moon occurs they 
 assemble in affrighted groups, w'atching the phe- 
 nomenon, and attributing the passing shadow to 
 the visible anger of an insulted God. In some 
 districts the common people suppose the invading 
 planet to be a great monster about to swallow the 
 sun or moon, as it may be, and shout, and pound 
 on their tom-toms, to make a terrific noise and 
 scare him off. They di\fide their year into twelve 
 seasons, determined by the course of the sun, and 
 carefully observed upon account of the planting. 
 Their w'eek consists of five days, each day and 
 night divided into five portions, distinguished by 
 a special name. They compute their time by the 
 Arab year, but retain the date of their own era. 
 
THE LANGUAGE 
 
 143 
 
 or the era of Aji Saka, instead of that of the 
 Hegira. Aji Saka was the name of a great re- 
 former, who appeared in Java seventy-four years 
 after the birth of Christ, and the Javanese date 
 their era from the arrival of this prince. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 ANCIENT TEMPLES AND PALACES. 
 
 To attempt a description of the superb archi- 
 tectural ruins and the myriads of fragmentary trea- 
 sures in sculptural art and design, that bespeak a 
 high antiquity for Java, would be a quite impos- 
 sible task. In the vicinity of former cities, the 
 grounds are literally strewn with broken arch, 
 dilapidated column, and decaying statuary, giving 
 ample evidence of the vast and magnificent struc- 
 tures of which they were once a part. 
 
 V ery little that can be deemed reliable is known 
 as to who worshiped in these gorgeous temples 
 and dwelt in these spacious palaces, or by whom 
 they were designed, or constructed. That the 
 people were not only civilized but highly culti- 
 vated is clearly proven by the memorials they 
 have left behind. On what part of the globe 
 this ancient race first had its birth, where it 
 learned the cunning devdce of chisel and hammer, 
 or from whom it received the inspiration so ele- 
 gantly wrought in metal and stone, is left to tradi- 
 tion and conjecture to determine. AVe have the 
 evidences of Hindu worship, but for aught else 
 we can only gaze upon the crumbling monuments 
 
ANCIENT TEMPLES AND PALACES 145 
 
 of their wealth and magnificence in wonder and 
 amazement, and deplore the absence of history to 
 describe the people and the remote period which 
 produced them. The Javanese of to-day cannot 
 tell us anything. The broken images, the fallen 
 idols, the ancient deities and sculptured inscrip- 
 tions, are to them as tales of fiction. The story 
 they relate is wonderful, — too wonderful, — and 
 there they stop. 
 
 For centuries the Javanese have been Moham- 
 medans, and have consequently regarded with dis- 
 taste all vestiges of idol-worship. As the ages 
 rolled away, this sentiment led to indifference and 
 ignorance, superseded by wonder and awe. The 
 stupendous temples appeared to them not made 
 with hands, and, being by nature superstitioiis, 
 they avoided the relics and symbols which seemed 
 to proclaim supernatural work, and allowed their 
 beautiful treasures to become lost to sight, — hid- 
 den and buried, as it might happen, in the dense 
 and luxuriant growths of the country. 
 
 These ancient ruins are thickly strewn through- 
 out whole districts in the interior of Java. They 
 spread over the plains, sprinkle the forests, and 
 climb the mountain sides, especially in the Dieng 
 mountains, where the extensive remains of de- 
 molished structures, in the shape of broken walls, 
 dilapidated steps, crumbling porticoes, deposed 
 idols, and beautiful specimens of sculpture, crown 
 the hills and cover the declivities nearly to the 
 highest summits. 
 
146 JAVA:‘THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 One of these elevations, which is by no means 
 extraordinary, in view of others in the neighbor- 
 hood, is particularly noticeable. It slopes upward 
 to an immense platform or plain, some six or 
 seven hundred feet above the surrounding country 
 which is covered with the debris of temples, and 
 perhaps palaces, that must once have been counted 
 by hundreds. This tableland is reached on its 
 four sides by flights of stone steps, much dilapi- 
 dated, but still of assistance in gaining the high 
 level. An extinct crater and masses of rock and 
 lava seem to indicate an eruj^tion, with a con- 
 cussion. perhaps, which has broken the steps. 
 The walls of some of these structures on the 
 plain were built of smooth blocks of stone, and 
 were about ten feet thick, sometimes inclosing 
 one large square chamber, with a high stone roof 
 arched to a point. Broken pieces of sculpture, 
 images, decaying Hindu gods, and decapitated 
 statuary not only cover the plain, but abound in 
 every direction in this part of Java, showing 
 how extensive and numerous were the temples 
 and edifices they once adorned. 
 
 The country between Djokjokarta and Soera- 
 karta is famous for its remnants of ancient 
 edifices and relics of Hindu worship. In the 
 neighborhood of Brambanan, a town on the road 
 between the two last-named cities, stand the ex- 
 tensive ruins of an ancient temple, which is one 
 of the many in the immediate vicinity that would 
 
ANCIENT TEMPLES AND PALACES 147 
 
 amply repay the traveler’s attention. Although 
 the walls, some twelve feet thick, are broken, the 
 massive blocks and figure^ thrown down, and the 
 great rooms dismantled and fiUed with rubbish, 
 enough remains to show the magnitude of the 
 temple, the size of its doors, the character of its 
 apartments, the number of its figures, and the su- 
 perior execution of its stone lions and elephants. 
 The giant figures of its porters guard the doors, 
 in crumbling dress, with bracelets, beads, ear-rings, 
 plaited hair, waistbands, and daggers still clearly 
 defined ; even the expression of their features 
 can be detected. They have broad heads, wide, 
 full foreheads, and short, square chins, round, 
 full, staring eyes, thick lips, and open mouth, 
 revealing large, long teeth, the whole wearing a 
 mirthfvd and pleased look. The \falls are com- 
 posed of smooth blocks of stone, put together 
 without cement or mortar, and dislodged in many 
 places by trees having forced their growth be- 
 tween them. 
 
 Within a short distance of this ruin is another, 
 or rather a group of ruins, consisting of some 
 twenty or more separate edifices, each furnishing 
 evidences of having been a temple. The rooms 
 are spacious, the buildings apparently having been 
 large and lofty, with terraces and niches contain- 
 ing lions couchant, and pilasters supporting bands 
 of stone, some of which are carved in beautifid 
 running designs and festoons, encircling birds 
 
148 JAVA; THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 with wings outspread. In one instance a string 
 of monkeys is represented in a wood, which might 
 indicate the worship gf Hanuman, the monkey 
 god. In every case the sculptures display beauty 
 and fine workmanship. Some of the stone blocks 
 are immense in size, and, like those in the other 
 temples, shaped with perfect precision, and put 
 together without cement of any kind. Lions, 
 elephants, and the lotus flower were present in the 
 decorations. A portion of the god Genesa shows 
 that he was also represented. There is no other 
 indication, however, that the temple was devoted 
 to the mighty son of Siva. 
 
 Leaving these ruins, we make our way north of 
 the town of Brambanan to another cluster of an- 
 cient structures, the temple Loro Jongrong, which 
 is the Javanese name of the Hindu god Devi. 
 This temple appears to consist of one large build- 
 ing, now in ruins, connected with several smaller 
 ones. After scaling a mound of stones and rub- 
 bish, we reach an entrance with an image of 
 Loro Jongrong, in good preservation, and her buf- 
 falo, still smooth and polished, lying before her. 
 Genesa sits on a polished throne in front of an 
 entrance on the other side, the stones of the in- 
 termediate corner being covered with beautiful 
 designs of running flowers and foliage, also small 
 human figures, and other decorations of the same 
 character, producing an effect w^ouderfully rich 
 and striking. The god is in full dress and elabo- 
 
ANCIENT TEMPLES AND PALACES 149 
 
 rately decorated ; a hooded snake is wound round 
 his body. 
 
 Close to the high road and about half a mile 
 from the Loro Jongrong is another ancient pile, 
 known as the Thousand Temples, beside which 
 those that we have seen sink into insignificance. 
 It consists of two hundred and ninety-six temples, 
 which cover a space said to measure five hundred 
 and forty-five feet by five hundred and ten feet. 
 The buildings are arranged in five parallelograms, 
 one within the other. The outer square comprises 
 eighty-four temples, twenty-two on each front and 
 twenty on the sides. The next square has seventy- 
 six, the third forty-four, the fifth and central 
 twenty-eight. The temples are alike in size and 
 construction, each being about eleven or twelve 
 feet square on the outside, with a vestibule and 
 door opening into a small square room. Op- 
 posite the door is the throne of the idol which 
 once occupied the apartment. The walls of each 
 temple are nearly three feet thick, and are smooth 
 and square to about seven feet in height, when 
 they begin to slope into a pyramidal roof, with 
 square top covered by a single stone. The whole 
 structure forms an immense pyramid, each paral- 
 lelogram receding and apparently making one of 
 five gigantic steps. The roofs are plain, -with run- 
 ning bands that form a sort of crest to each square 
 or step. Two huge and hideous porters guard 
 the principal entrance, with raised clubs, warning 
 
150 JAVA: THE PEABL OF THE EAST 
 
 awa}”^ unlicensed intruders. Each has a ferocious 
 mustache and long curling hair, with chains and 
 snakes twisting diagonally over his body and 
 shoulders and about his arms. Both wear ear- 
 rings, necklaces, and bracelets. A pair of more 
 formidable or repulsive custodians could not be 
 imagined. Streets or spaces about twelve feet 
 wide rim around the squares between the rows of 
 temples. The innermost square was the great 
 temple, or principal shrine. The walls of this 
 building are five or six feet thick, with a terrace 
 surrounding it, reached on each side by flights of 
 dilapidated stone steps. Kiches, vestibules, fig- 
 ures of animals and gods, are abundant and 
 conspicuous in each temple, the gods alone num- 
 bering thirty-four hundred and seventy-eight. All 
 are light, chaste, and, graceful, exhibiting many 
 superb specimens of Hindu sculpture and archi- 
 tecture. Each single building forms a small 
 pyramid. They are aU in a more or less decayed 
 and falling condition, and some are down and 
 quite concealed in the dense shrubbery. A spread- 
 ing banyan-tree has helped the work of destruction, 
 by forcing its trunks through the walls, and then 
 covering them with its branches. 
 
 The holy of holies is in the interior temple, and 
 is reached by ascending the steps to a superb por- 
 tal, which gives entrance to a wide passage through 
 the walls, which are ten feet thick, of solid blocks 
 of gray stone, closely joined together without 
 
ANCIENT TEMPLES AND PALACES 151 
 
 cement. The inside of the chamber is a plain 
 square, the walls rising some forty feet before 
 assuming the pyramidal form, with overhanging 
 stones sloping to the apex of the roof, where a 
 small opening is covered, as usual, with one broad 
 stone. A raised platform, probably the throne of 
 the principal divinity, extends across one side of 
 the chamber ; but there is nothing to indicate 
 which one of the Hindu gods it was that filled 
 the place of honor. Although the inside walls of 
 this great chamber are perfectly plain, the ex- 
 terior walls are decorated with a profusion of or- 
 namental sculptures ; but there are no niches hold- 
 ing images or anything emblematical, as in the 
 smaller temples, each of which is supplied with 
 thirteen niches, containing figures from heathen 
 mythology. 
 
 As the traveler proceeds towards Djokjokarta, 
 the ruins of ancient edifices come into view on 
 every side, some of them the mouldy sites of 
 ancient temples, others pei’haps of palaces. One 
 especially strikes the eye. Great skill, labor, and 
 patience are displayed in this monument of hea- 
 then splendor, which looks more like the residence 
 of an ancient Rajah than a temple of Hindu wor- 
 ship. Its exterior is profusely decorated with 
 delicate and beautiful sculpture, better suited to 
 the inside of a rich and handsome apartment than 
 to the outside walls of a building. 
 
 Before reaching the capital, the crumbling 
 
152 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 structures and heaps of debris, indicating decay- 
 ing ruins, become so numerous that they cease 
 to excite surprise; therefore, leaving them, as well 
 as the many other old emblems of wealth and 
 grandeur that particularly distinguish the country 
 adjacent to the great capital of the ancient Mo- 
 djopahit, we shall make a gigantic leap westward 
 into the province of Kadoe, and inspect the vast 
 and magnificent temple of Boro Bodo. 
 
 This wonderful structure, which is supposed to 
 have been built either in the sixth or tenth cen- 
 tury of the Javan era, and is the largest and most 
 elaborate Hindu temple in the world, covers the 
 crown of a hiU, and presents a square pyramidal 
 building of stone, consisting of seven receding 
 ranges of walls and terraces, terminating in an im- 
 mense dome. A triple row of seventy-two towers 
 encircles the dome, each tower occupied by a 
 figure. Superbly sculptured walls support the 
 terraces which run around the hill itself, each 
 wall surmounted by a parapet carved on both 
 the interior and exterior sides. Niches, at short 
 intervals, each containing a huge naked figiire 
 sitting cross-legged, break the uniformity. Small 
 spires surround the niches, and also dot the top of 
 the parapets at regular distances. The number of 
 niches containing figures is nearly four hundred. 
 The sculptural designs and architectural orna- 
 ments are profuse, and are beautifully wrought ; 
 if placed in a straight line they would reach a dis- 
 tance of five miles. 
 
ANCIENT TEMPLES AND PALACES 153 
 
 The whole building is decorated with bas-re- 
 liefs, and extends over six hundred feet each way. 
 Handsome gateways lead to the successive ter- 
 races, the conical shape of the hill seeming to fill 
 the interior of the temple. The image of Brahma 
 is said to have been found near the temple of 
 Boro Bodo, hut, as iu the case of many others, 
 there is no certainty as to whether the edifice was 
 devoted to the worship of Buddha or Brahma ; 
 several interesting ruins in the vicinity, however, 
 clearly indicate the worship of at least one mem- 
 ber of the Hindu trinity. To describe the relics 
 of antiquity in Java would fill a large volume, 
 therefore, as with many other interesting subjects 
 belonging to this unique island, want of space 
 compels us to leave them with this brief notice. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 EARLY INHABITANTS. 
 
 According to a wTitten tradition, the first in- 
 habitants of Java were supposed to have been a 
 people that were banished in remote ages from 
 Eg\’pt, and, sailing along the southern coasts, 
 came to what is now known as the East Indian 
 Archipelago, but was at that time a part of the 
 unbroken continent of Asia, since divided by 
 some terrible convulsion of nature into the numer- 
 ous islands composing the above-named division. 
 These people, as described, were rude, wandering 
 tribes, consisting of individuals possessing vari- 
 ous religious beliefs and forms of worship, which 
 they set up in the land where they at last found 
 a home. Some of them worshiped the sun, some 
 the moon, others different inanimate objects in 
 nature. They had no form of government, the 
 great respect and obedience that they cherished 
 for the counsels of old age making the oldest 
 man in the tribe or community their chief, whose 
 judgment controlled their movements and ap- 
 pointed the times for moving from one place to 
 another, and was governed by the gyrations and 
 flight of a bird, supposed to be a crow or raven. 
 
EARLY INHABITANTS 
 
 155 
 
 The same custom is still followed by some of the 
 savage tribes in Borneo. These immigrants seem 
 to have been an agricultural people, as the record 
 states that when it was necessary to move to new 
 localities, the crops were gathered, sacrifices made, 
 and feasts given on the plains, from which the 
 participators retired, lea\dng the remnants for the 
 bird. If, after partaking thereof, it flew in the 
 direction in which they wished to go, a young 
 animal was offered to the deity, a second feast 
 was enjoyed, and the community set out with 
 music, shouting, and other demonstrations of joy. 
 If, however, the bird hovered over the plain, or 
 circled around in the air, or sat on a tree, or flew 
 in a direction opposite to the one they proposed 
 to take, they repeated their prayers and renewed 
 the sacrifices, and waited till the favorable omen 
 was bestowed. 
 
 Another traditional account referring to Java, 
 and related by a very ancient author, reads as 
 follows : — 
 
 “ The first inhabitants were Siamese, who, 
 about the year 800 of the Christian era, on their 
 passage from Siam to Macassar, were driven by 
 a great storm on the island. Their junk being 
 wrecked, they escaped in their boat and arrived 
 at Java, until that period undiscovered, but 
 which, on account of its size and fertility, was im- 
 mediately peopled by Passara, son of the king of 
 Siam ; and the city of Passaran, called after his 
 
156 JAVA: THE PEABL OF THE EAST 
 
 own name, was founded at a very good seaport, 
 and was the first settlement on the island.” 
 
 A third record is foimd in ancient Javanese 
 literature, which has been translated thus : — 
 
 “ Praboe Java Baya was a great and powerful 
 ruler of Astina, and the fifth in descent from 
 Arjuna, the son of Pandoe Dewa Xata ; after 
 whom had reigned successively Bimanyoe, Para- 
 kisit, Oedayana, and Gandra Yana. His chief 
 minister, being a man of great enterprise and 
 ability, was sent to visit and civilize foreign coun- 
 tries. In the course of his travels, he landed on 
 Java, then the abode of a race of Kasaka, and 
 known by the name of Noesa Kendang. This 
 happened in the first year of the J avan era, and 
 is distinguished in the Chandra Sangkala by the 
 words ‘ nir, abu, tampo, jaler ; ’ meaning, literally, 
 
 ‘ nothing, dust, not anything [but] man,’ and 
 metaphorically, the figures 0001. 
 
 “ He here discovered the grain called ‘ jawa- 
 woet,’ at that time the principal subsistence of the 
 inhabitants ; and in consequence of this discov- 
 ery he changed the name of the country from 
 Noesa Kendang to Noesa Jawa. In his progress 
 through the island he met with the dead bodies of 
 two Kasaka, each holding a leaf with an inscrip- 
 tion on it, one in ancient, the other in Siamese 
 characters ; these he united, and formed the Javan 
 alphabet of twenty letters. 
 
 “ He had several combats with the Kasaka, 
 
EARLY INHABITANTS 
 
 157 
 
 particularly with one Dewata Chengkar ; and 
 after fixing the date of his different discoveries, 
 and leaving: mementoes of his visit wherever he 
 went, he finally returned to Astina, and delivered 
 a written account of all he had seen and tlone.” 
 
 This traveler is su^jposed to have been Aji 
 Saka, who, it appears, found the island inhabited, 
 and from whose alleged arrival the Javanese date 
 their fii'st era, which corresponds with the seventy- 
 fifth year, though some chroniclers have put it the 
 seventy-fourth, of the Christian era. Aji Saka 
 is represented by some as having been a great and 
 powerfid sovereign, who established the flourish- 
 ing colony of Java ; other accounts speak of him 
 as a deity who sailed over land and seas to get to 
 Java. It is averred, however, that he was the 
 first to introduce regular government and civili- 
 zation. The Javan era is said by some to have 
 commenced with his death. 
 
 Setting aside tradition and the ancient mytho- 
 logical history of Java, we may be fairly justified 
 in regarding the statements of ancient manu- 
 scripts found in eastern Java as a more or less 
 reliable record of actual dates and events. These 
 last accounts relate that at about the period when 
 the government was transferred to Pajajaran, a 
 Brahmin named Tritristra landed on Java, with 
 munerous followers, introduced religion and art 
 and established the era, and is therefore regarded 
 as identical with Aji Saka. The line of Hindu 
 
158 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 sovereigns, dating from that event to the destruc- 
 tion of the Hindu Empire at Modjopahit, on the 
 conquest of the Mohammedans, extends over a 
 period of fourteen hundred years, ending 1475 of 
 the Christian era, and numbers thirty-eight princes 
 who reigned successively in Java and the adjoin- 
 ing islands. Other records, which attempt to draw 
 a distinguishing line between the Hindu princes 
 and the Javanese sovereigns, put the accession of 
 the latter five centuries later. 
 
 Of the high culture, advance, and civilization 
 of ancient Java, however, we have ample evidence 
 in the stupendous ruins and multitudinous relics 
 of refined art to be seen in the decaying remains 
 of the cities, palaces, and temples in the neigh- 
 borhood of Brambanan, to the construction of 
 which different dates have been ascribed, and 
 which settle without question the existence of the 
 worship of the Hindu religion in the early and 
 obscure periods of Javanese history. 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 INTRODUCTION OF MOHAMMEDANISM. 
 
 Omitting the records of many centuries relat- 
 ing to the reigns and successions of the Hindu 
 princes, which give a much greater antiquity to 
 Java than has been supposed, we reach the reign 
 of Dewa Kasoema, who is said to have established 
 the kingdom of Jang’gala, and built its capital 
 about the year 846. Its ancient site is still to be 
 seen in the forests near the modern city of Soera- 
 baja. 
 
 It is related of Dewa Kasoema that he sent his 
 four sons and one daughter to India, to be in- 
 structed in the worship of Brahma, and when 
 they returned he divided his kingdom among his 
 sons ; consequently, at his death, J ava was sepa- 
 rated into four sovereignties. Panji, the grand- 
 son of this prince, became the favorite hero of 
 a celebrated Javanese romance, which furnishes 
 characters for one of the most popular dramatic 
 performances of the country. The Javanese still 
 revere his memory, and with pride allege that he 
 introduced the w'earing of the kris into aU the 
 countries over wliich he reigned, and that these 
 are now determined by the inhabitants wearing 
 that weapon thrust into the belt behind. 
 
160 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 Leaving out the heroic deeds and marvelous 
 enterprises of Panji, as related in Malayan ro- 
 mance, also the reigms of other princes, we come 
 to the tenth century and the reign of his descend- 
 ant, Koeda Lalean, who, it is stated, built a city, 
 and gave it the name of Pajajaran. He had two 
 sons, the younger of whom succeeded him in the 
 year 1037, since the elder son had not returned 
 from foreign tours, upon which he had departed 
 before his father’s death. Seven years after the 
 latter event, this son, accompanied by an Arab 
 descended from Said Abas, returned, with the 
 title of Haji Poerwa, from a residence in India, 
 where he had become a convert to the religion of 
 IMohammed. The return, and the attempts of 
 Haji Poerwa and his companion to proselytize 
 his brother, the pagan king, were the supposed 
 introduction of the Mohammedan religion upon 
 the island of Java. 
 
 The next Prince of Pajajaran had a son, the 
 circumstances of whose birth seemed to foretell 
 the fulfillment of avenging predictions made by a 
 devotee whom the prince had unjustly executed. 
 To prevent the accomplishment of this prophecy, 
 he decided to destroy the child. His project was 
 defeated, however, and the boy grew uj) unknown 
 to his parent. Arriving at maturity, the j’outh 
 contrived the destruction of his father, thus ful- 
 filling the prognostications of the devotee, and as- 
 sumed the reins of government, which brought on 
 
lyTRODUCTIOX OF MOHAmiEDAX ISM 161 
 
 a war between him and his brother, Eaden Tan- 
 doeran, resulting in the defeat and escape of the 
 latter. Eaden Tandoeran, wandering with two 
 or three followers on the mountain of Cheribon, 
 met his sister there, doing a penance. Advised 
 and encouraged by her, he followed the course of 
 a bird, which she released for the purpose, east- 
 ward into the district of Wirasaba. Here, wish- 
 ing to eat of the fruit of a vine called “ modjo,” 
 and finding it bitter, he threw it away, inquiring 
 of Kiai Wira, one of his followers, the reason of 
 its excessive bitterness. 
 
 “ 1 have heard,” returned Kiai Wira, “ that it 
 was here your forefathers fought in the war Brata 
 Yoedha ; ” on which the prince replied, “ Then 
 let us stay here and establish our kingdom, and 
 let us call it Modjo-pahit,” — literally, the bitter 
 modjo. This was in the year 1146 A. D., and was 
 the first establishment of what afterwards became 
 the powerful empire of Modjopahit. 
 
 We wiU pass over the dissensions and succeed- 
 ing wars between the two brothers and their re- 
 spective adherents, terminating in a mutual agree- 
 ment to separate the two kingdoms of Pajajaran 
 and Modjopahit, wdth the successive reigns, con- 
 tinued triumphs, and undisputed establishment of 
 the last-named empire. According to the annals, 
 the kingdom of Modjopahit increased in power 
 and splendor till it reached the highest pinnacle 
 of national glory, and gained undisputed sover- 
 
162 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 eignty over the whole of Java, the surrounding 
 islands, and part of Sumatra. Her last sovereign 
 was Angka Wijaya, who succeeded his father, Alit 
 Wijaya, fifth prince of Modjopaliit. 
 
 During the reign of this monarch, and in the 
 latter half of the fourteenth century, a second at- 
 tempt to establish the Mohammedan faith in east 
 Java appears to have been made at Gresik, the 
 account of which has been translated as follows : 
 
 “ Moelana Ibraliim, a celebrated Pandita from 
 Arabia, descended from Jenal Abidin, and cousin 
 to the Rajah of Chermen (a country of Sebrang), 
 had established himself with other Mohammedans 
 at Desa Seran, in Jang’gala, when the Rajah of 
 Chermen arrived at Java. This prince, who was 
 a Mohammedan, perceiving with regret that the 
 inhabitants of the large and populous island of 
 Java were still heathens, resolved to attempt the 
 conversion of the King of Modjopaliit, Prabu 
 Angka Wijaya, and, ivith this view, to present 
 him his maiden daughter in marriage. Embark- 
 ing with his daughter and all his relatives and 
 followers of every description, he reached Jang’- 
 gala in safety, and landing at the Desa Seran, 
 he immediately built a mosque there, and in a 
 short time succeeded in obtaining many converts.” 
 Moelana Ibrahim died in 1408. His tomb, known 
 by the name of Gapoera Wetan, is still to be seen. 
 
 The next missionary described as doing special 
 religious work in Java is Raden Rachmat. 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 THE FALL OF MODJOPAHIT. 
 
 Passing over the many interesting details con- 
 nected with the reign of Angka Wijaya, concern- 
 ing the increasing prosperity and extension of 
 his powerful kingdom, we will follow that part 
 of his history which relates to the overthrow of 
 his empire and its final conquest by the Moham- 
 medans. 
 
 Angka Wijaya, hearing in the beginning of his 
 reign of the beauty of a princess of Champa, 
 dispatched an embassy to that country with a de- 
 mand for her hand in marriage. Previous to this, 
 her father, the Rajah of Champa, had given his 
 eldest daughter in marriage to an Arab priest, 
 whose name was Rachmat. When the foreign 
 princess arx'ived, she found her admirer had al- 
 ready one consort in a Chinese princess of great 
 beauty, who had been sent to him as a present 
 fi’om a chief in China. 
 
 The princess of Champa continuing to show 
 her displeasure, her husband at last determined 
 to dispose of his Chinese beauty by giving her 
 to his illegitimate son. Aria Damar, who, having 
 gained the approbation of his father by his brav- 
 
164 JAVA: THE PEABL OF THE EAST 
 
 ery and success in war, had received the title of 
 Adipati, and had been appointed chief of Palem- 
 bang, on the coast of Sumatra. Aria Damar pro- 
 ceeded thither with the Chinese princess and sev- 
 eral hundred troops, and had not been there long 
 when he received a visit from Raden Raehmat, 
 the son of the Arab priest and the eldest prin- 
 cess of Champa, who, having been carefully in- 
 structed in the Mohammedan faith, was on his way 
 wdth letters and presents to Modjopahit. Arriv- 
 ing at the capital, he was kindly welcomed by 
 Angka Wijaya, who, soon conceiving a great 
 attachment for him, established him at Ampel, 
 wdth rule over three thousand families. The sov- 
 ereign, although he would not adopt the young 
 priest’s religion, gave the latter permission to 
 proselytize as much as he pleased. It was not 
 long before Raden Raehmat had won the confi- 
 dence of his province, and the people gradually 
 embraced his religion, and gave him the title of 
 Soenan of Ampel, which title eventually became 
 Soesoenan, sometimes Soesoehoenan, a title still 
 retained by the Javanese sovereigns. 
 
 The arrival of another Arab missionary at 
 Gresik is described as follows : — 
 
 “ Moelana Ishak, otherwise called Moelana 
 Aloel Islam of Pasi Malaca, a celebrated Pandita, 
 who had given himself up to penance and morti- 
 fication, having learned that there was at Ampel, 
 on Java, a prince who was busily employed in 
 
THE FALL OF MODJOFAHIT 
 
 165 
 
 propagating the Mohammedan religion, and that 
 many persons through his means had embraced 
 the faith, went over and assisted Soesoenan Mak- 
 doem in the work of conversion ; and ha\dng re- 
 ceived his sanction to go to Balambangam for the 
 purpose of teaching the Mohammedan religion, 
 then embarked in a prahoe, and set out on the 
 sacred mission.” 
 
 While the work of conversion was thus ^oing 
 forward in the eastern provinces, it was advancing 
 with equal success in the western provinces under 
 the instruction of the Sheik Ibn Moelana, who 
 had established himself at Cheribon in the year 
 1409 A. D. ; and his abode being on a wooded hiU, 
 he was known as the Soesoenan Goenoeng Djati 
 (messenger of God on the mountain of teak). 
 Healing a woman afflicted with leprosy, hitherto 
 regarded incurable, the Sheik acquired the repu- 
 tation of performing miracles, which brought such 
 crowds to the mountain that the chiefs deemed it 
 their duty to interfere, but finding the numbers 
 and influences too powerful, many of them em- 
 braced the faith. 
 
 In the mean time, mosques were erected at sev- 
 eral places by various powerful Mohammedans, 
 and the number of converts steadily increased. 
 Modjopahit had now reached the zenith of her 
 glory ; her authority was acknowledged by all the 
 surrounding countries, and there were very few of 
 the eastern isles which did not pay tribute to her 
 
1G6 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 extensive dominions. About this time, the sons 
 of Aria Damar, now grown up, came from Palem- 
 bang to Gresik, and with them their half-brother, 
 Raden Pateh, the son of Angka Wijaya, born 
 after his mother, the Chinese princess, had been 
 given to their father. Aria Damar. Raden Pateh, 
 becoming aware of his exti’action, and enraged 
 at the treatment his mother had received, refused 
 to proceed to the splendid capital, and remained 
 with the Soenan at Ampel, while his half-brother 
 Hoesen went to Modjopahit, requested not to say 
 anything about Raden Pateh. Hoesen met with 
 a gracious reception, and was soon assigned to an 
 important command of troops. 
 
 Raden Pateh married the granddaughter of 
 the Soenan at Ampel, and removed westward, in 
 accordance ■ndth instructions he had received to 
 establish himself at a place where lie should find 
 the sweet-scented grass, bintara. This he discov- 
 ered near an extensive swamp called “ dama- 
 lakan,” where he founded an establishment, first 
 named Bintara, and afterwards Damak, a contrac- 
 tion of the word “ dainalakan.” 
 
 The Prince of Modjopahit, hearing of this new 
 settlement, sent Hoesen to destroy' it, unless the 
 chief acknowledged the supremacy of Modjopahit. 
 Hoesen persuaded Raden Pateh to go back with 
 him to the capital, where he was recognized by 
 his resemblance to his father, and was afterwards 
 permitted to return to Bintara with the title of 
 
THE FALL OF MODJOPAHIT 
 
 1G7 
 
 Adipati. Instead of doing so, however, he went 
 to Ampel, and expressed to his wife’s relation the 
 rage and mortification he had experienced upon 
 account of the discovery of his birth, and the re- 
 solve he had formed to destroy Modjopahit. 
 
 The Soenan tried to bring him to submission, 
 and reminded him that his religion did not per- 
 mit him to make war upon one from whom he had 
 received so many benefits, and Raden Pateh pro- 
 ceeded to Bintara, where he continued to prosper 
 and make converts. His anger mollified, he com- 
 menced the building of a mosque, which work 
 was interrupted by the illness of the Soenan 
 at Ampel, to whose bedside Raden Pateh, accom- 
 panied by the Mohammedan chiefs, immediately 
 repaired. The Soenan died, and the Prince of 
 INIodjopahit according every honor to his funeral, 
 Raden Pateh returned, seemingly satisfied, to Bin- 
 tara, and, assisted by eight missionaries, who had 
 each assumed the title of Soenan, completed the 
 mosque, causing it to be constructed with eight 
 pillars, typical of the eight holy men who had 
 aided in its erection. This was in the year 1465. 
 
 Raden Pateh, now falling in with advisers less 
 conscientious than the departed Soenan, entered 
 into a confederacy with his associate missionaries 
 to exterminate the pagan empire of Modjopahit. 
 
 The Mohammedans, become numerous and pow- 
 erful, flocked to his assistance, except Hoesen, 
 who remained true to his sovereign, and Raden 
 
168 
 
 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 Pateb made an open declaration of war. The 
 Mohammedan army marched against Modjopahit, 
 but was kept in check by Hoesen, wdio com- 
 manded the forces of Modjopahit, and for four 
 years managed to avoid a general engagement. 
 This long delay and uncertainty produced dissat- 
 isfaction. A decisive movement was demanded, 
 and a battle ensued, wherein the Mohammedan 
 chief Soesoenan Oendang was slain and his army 
 completely routed. Hoesen’s affection for his 
 half-brother Raden Patch was ascribed as the 
 reason why he failed to follow up this advantage. 
 
 The Prince of Modjopahit now made overtures 
 to Raden Patch by inviting him to the capital, 
 that he might endeavor by kindly offices to reduce 
 him to obedience. The Patch promised compli- 
 ance, but made illness and other excuses a reason 
 for deferring his visit. His province, meanwhile, 
 paying the usual tribute, deceived the prince and 
 averted vengeance, while the Raden prepared for 
 another attack. 
 
 Depredations in other parts of the kingdom 
 distracted the attention of Angka Wijaya, and 
 rendered him insensible, perhaps, to the threaten- 
 ing attitude of the immediate members of his 
 own family, while the Mohammedans, receiving 
 strength and support from their increasing num- 
 bers, concentrated their troops at Damak, and 
 made ready for a second onslaught on Modjopa- 
 hit. Their progress is thus described ; — 
 
THE FALL OF MODJOPAHIT 
 
 169 
 
 “ The army of the faithful, highly elated, and 
 determined upon the downfall of paganism, were 
 met by the united forces of Modjopahit, under 
 Hoesen, and a severe and desperate battle took 
 place, which lasted for seven successive days. In 
 this protracted engagement the former were at 
 first w'orsted ; but the commander, Pangeran Koe- 
 das, availing himself of the enchanted box and 
 miracidous weapons, at last succeeded in driving 
 the enemy before him, and the city of Modjopahit, 
 surrounded on all sides, submitted to the hostile 
 forces. The prince and his immediate followers 
 quitted it in disorder and fled to the eastward.” 
 
 Thus the long line of Hindu kings in Java, 
 numbering thirty - eight, commencing with Aji 
 Saka, and continuing fourteen hundred years, 
 was suddenly broken by the power of a foreign 
 religion, and their rule superseded by that of the 
 Mohammedan priests ; and Modjopahit, famed for 
 her wealth and splendor, the pride and glory of 
 the Asiatic isles, was in the course of two years 
 reduced to a wilderness. 
 
 Hoesen intrenched himself in another strong 
 position, but, being again defeated by the victori- 
 ous Mohammedans, he made terms with the latter 
 and went to Damak, where he was kindly received 
 by Eaden Pateh, who was there established as sov- 
 ereigm of Java and all her dependencies, his adher- 
 ents having invested him with the government 
 under the title of Eaden Pateh Adipati Jimboen. 
 
CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NEW FAITH. 
 
 Accol’NTS differ as to the fate of the sovereign 
 of Modjopahit after the fall of his empire. By 
 some he is supposed to have perished in a sub- 
 sequent engagement, and there are also accounts 
 of his escape to the island of Bali. The jMoham- 
 medan chief of Damak, Eaden Pateh, after reign- 
 ing a few years, was succeeded in 1482 by his son 
 as Sultan of Damak, who, dying in two years, was 
 followed by his brother. The latter, becoming 
 the third Sultan of Damak in 1484, is described 
 as having been a just and intelligent ruler. He 
 made treaties of peace with the islands and de- 
 pendencies that had revolted after the fall of 
 Modjopahit, established tranquillity in his own 
 immediate dominions, and saw' his religion ac- 
 cepted in all the provinces of Java. 
 
 During the reign of the third Sultan of Damak 
 the w'estern provinces were ceded to Sheik j\Ioe- 
 lana Ibraliim, wdth the title of Sultan of Cheribon ; 
 thus diHding Java again into two distinct king- 
 doms, each sovereign reserving the right to be- 
 queath his lands to his children. 
 
 Consequently, when the Sultan of Cheribon 
 
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NEW FAITH 171 
 
 (lied, in 1501, his sovereignty was divided among 
 his three sons. The eldest succeeded him as Sul- 
 tan of Cheribon ; the second received the king- 
 dom of Bantam. The kings of Bantam were de- 
 scended from this prince. The middle division 
 between Bantam and Cheribon was given to Kali 
 Jotan, who established his capital at the village of 
 Jokatra, near the mouth of the river bearing the 
 same name, and assumed the title of the Rajah of 
 Jokatra. The princes of his family, called Pan- 
 geran Jokatra, reigned here till they were expelled 
 in 1619 by the Dutch, who, after destrojdng their 
 city, foimded the present city (also called Joka- 
 tra) of Batavia on its ruins. 
 
 The third Sultan of Damak died in 1534, hav- 
 ing divided his kingdom among his five sons and 
 sons-in law, each with a title of Raden, Sultan, or 
 Soesoenan, which, with the three previous divi- 
 sions, split the ancient empire into eight separate 
 sovereignties. Envy and ambition soon developed 
 hatred and rivalry among the different princes, 
 followed by dissensions, wars, depositions, and 
 continual struggles for supremacy, tiU the Dutch 
 appeared, and obtaining at last a conspicuous con- 
 trol in the government of the island, assisted the 
 Soesoenan of Mataram in restoring a short period 
 of tranquillity to the country ; after which, the 
 latter, in consequence of an ancient superstitious 
 belief of the Javanese, that a place will never 
 prosper when misfortune has once fallen upon it 
 
172 JAVA: THE PEABL OF THE EAST 
 
 and extended to the common people, moved his 
 seat of government in 1668 from Mataram to 
 Karta Soera. A succeeding Soesoenan, for the 
 same reason, removed the capital to Soerakarta, 
 where he built a palace, which has since remained 
 the residence of the sovereigns of Java. 
 
CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 USURPATION BY THE DUTCH. 
 
 When the Dutch first arrived at Bantam, they 
 entered into a contract with the Javanese, whereby 
 each agi-eed to act fairly and honestly by the 
 other, and render mutual assistance against an en- 
 emy. The haughty and dictatorial bearing of the 
 strangers soon wrought dissatisfaction, and a com- 
 bat ensued in which a hundred or more Javanese 
 w'ere killed and the Dutch compelled to retire 
 from Bantam. They returned, however, a few 
 years later, to renew their commercial intercourse, 
 and five years afterwards (1603 a. d.) erected 
 a permanent establishment. Not long after this 
 event they made overtures to the Prince of Jaka- 
 tra, and, soon removing to that province, entered 
 into an advantageous commercial compact with 
 the sovereign. Other treaties, contracts, and stip- 
 ulations were made with the Prince of Jakatra, 
 also with the King of Bantam, the Dutch mean- 
 while building a fort and laying out an extensive 
 factory at Jakatra. 
 
 One account of the manner in which the Dutch 
 obtained their first footing in Jakatra has been 
 translated thus by an English writer from J avanese 
 history : — 
 
174 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 “The Dutch, before they arrived at Jakatra, 
 had formed an alliance with the Sultan of Ban- 
 tam. They subsequently treated with the English 
 and with Pangeran Jakatra ; but after a time 
 they found a way to play ol¥ a foul stratagem on 
 the latter. In the first place, when they wished 
 to ascertain the strength and resources of Jaka- 
 tra, they landed like Mata-matas (peons, or mes- 
 sengers), the captain of the ship disguising him- 
 self with a turban, and accompanying several 
 Khojas (a term by which the natives of the Coro- 
 mandel coast are distinguished). When he had 
 made his observations he entered upon trade, offer- 
 ing, however, much better terms than were just, 
 and making more presents than were necessary. 
 A friendship thus took place between him and the 
 prince. When this friendship was established, 
 the captain informed the prince that his ship 
 wanted repair ; and the prince, at his request, al- 
 lowed the vessel to be brought up the river. Then 
 the captain knocked out the planks of the bot- 
 tom and sunk the vessel, to obtain a pretense for 
 further time, and then requested a very small 
 piece of ground on which to build a shed to store 
 sails and other property, while endeavors should 
 be made to raise the vessel. This request was also 
 complied with. The captain then made a wall or 
 mound of mud, so that nobody could know what 
 he was doing, and in the mean time courted the 
 friendship of the prince. He afterwards waited 
 
USURPATION BY THE DUTCH 
 
 175 
 
 on the prince, and requested as much more land 
 as could be covered by a buffalo’s hide, on which 
 he might build a small shed. This being complied 
 with, he cut the hide into strips, and claimed all 
 the land he could inclose with them. To this also 
 the prince, after some hesitation, consented. The 
 captain then went on with his buildings, engaging 
 that he would pay all expenses. When the fort 
 was finished, the mud wall was removed ; batter- 
 ies were unexpectedly displayed, and under their 
 protection the Dutch refused to pay a doit. War 
 then commenced, in which the Dutch were re- 
 duced to such an extremity as to be obliged to 
 use stones in lieu of balls, which were expended. 
 Even this resource failed, and as a last expedient 
 bags of the filthiest ordure were fired upon the 
 Javanese, whence the fort has ever since borne 
 the name of Kota tai.” 
 
 Another version reads as follows : — 
 
 “ The Dutch, having obtained the desired spot, 
 built upon it a storehouse, and formed a garden 
 for vegetables. When Pangeran Jakatra inquired 
 why they did this, they replied they must have 
 their conveniences, and that it was not the custom 
 of the Dutch to live and eat like the Javans. The 
 Pangeran was satisfied with the reason given, 
 and allowed the work to proceed ; but they had no 
 sooner completed several buildings, by means of 
 the people landed from their ships, than they be- 
 gan to surround them with a battery. The Pange- 
 
176 JAVA: THE PEAEL OF THE EAST 
 
 ran again was roused, and inquired the reason for 
 this, to which they replied that there were a gTeat 
 many traders about to arrive, and that it was ne- 
 cessary to protect their property from thieves. 
 When the batteries were completed they planted 
 cannon in them. The Pangeran inquired the rea- 
 son of this preparation, to which they only replied 
 it was to keep off bad people. 
 
 “ In a short time, however, when the Dutch 
 had increased in numbers, they fired one of the 
 guns, and the ball discharged from it fell in front 
 of the palace. The Pangeran inquired why they 
 did so, to which they replied they w^ere only try- 
 ing how far the gun would carry, in order that 
 they might be able to assist the Pangeran should 
 he be attacked by an enemy. The Pangeran, 
 however, was not satisfied with this reason, and 
 demanded a fine of two thousand dollars for the 
 insult, which the Dutch immediately paid, ^ut 
 it was not long before they fired another gun, the 
 ball of which went over the palace, on which the 
 Pangeran became higlily incensed, and demanded 
 a fine of four thousand dollars, threatening if it 
 was not paid forthwith to write to the Sultan of 
 Mataram, who w'ould order them immediately to 
 be driven from the island. To this menace the 
 Dutch said nothing, but paid the money, which 
 the Pangeran received with delight. The Dutch 
 at last fired a gun, the ball of which feU within 
 the palace, on which the Pangeran, conceiving it to 
 
USURPATION BY THE DUTCH 
 
 111 
 
 be their intention to attack him, immediately con- 
 sidered them enemies, and collected his people in 
 order to fall upon them and destroy them without 
 delay. As soon as the Dutch saw the people as- 
 sembled, they fired from their batteries, dealing 
 slaughter aU around, and obliged the Pangeran 
 and his people to retreat out of reach of the 
 shot.” 
 
CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 THE EilPIEE OF THE DUTCH. 
 
 The Sultan of INIataram, who had hitherto been 
 very friendly with the Dutch, and had given them 
 permission to trade and build a fort at Japara, on 
 the coast, some distance east of Batavia, was com- 
 pelled to resort to arms or tolerate the disobedi- 
 ence of one of his subjects, the Toemeng’goong 
 of Soerabaja. Following, it is said, the advice of 
 the Dutch, he proceeded eastward wdth his army, 
 which the former no sooner discovered than they 
 availed themselves of the opportunity to take pos- 
 session of Jakatra. 
 
 Two armies were sent to dislodge the usurpers. 
 An engagement ensued, in which ten thousand of 
 the Javanese perished, and the Dutch were suc- 
 cessful in establishing their supremacy. We will 
 pass over the detailed events occurring in the 
 long period of petty intrigue and warfare depicted 
 in the subsequent pages of Javahese history, in 
 which the native princes were engaged in aggres- 
 sive and defensive combats with the Dutch, either 
 in unison or in separate sovereignties, — some- 
 times seeking the aid of the Europeans against 
 a rebellious province, and again combining with 
 
THE EMPIRE OF THE BUTCH 
 
 179 
 
 them in gaining a victory over the common foe ; 
 the Dutch meanwhile assisting, approving, dis- 
 suading, or encouraging, as best contributed to 
 the advance of their own power, the extension 
 of their possessions, and the firm establishment 
 of their capital at Batavia. 
 
 In 1706 a treaty determining the boundary 
 between the territory of the Dutch and the Soesoe- 
 nan at Soerakarta was signed, which did not ex- 
 tinguish, however, the internal discords among the 
 Javanese, who continued fighting, and applying 
 to the European government at Batavia for as- 
 sistance in their continued efforts to depose one 
 another, which led to the ratification of former 
 treaties and the renewal of more extended negotia- 
 tions with the Dutch, who in war and commerce 
 always obtained the ascendency, till at last, in 
 concluding a treaty of peace, the island of Ma- 
 doera and the cities of Soerabaja and Samarang, 
 on the sea-coast, with several districts, were ceded 
 to them. 
 
 Finally the reduced authority of the Soesoenan, 
 his troubled government, and approaching death 
 gave the Dutch the long-desired opportunity of 
 gaining complete control of the whole country. 
 The weakened monarch was induced “ to abdicate 
 for himself and his heirs the sovereignty of the 
 country, conferring the same on the Dutch East 
 India Company, and leaving it to them to dispose 
 of in future to any person they might think com- 
 
180 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 petent to govern it for the benefit of the Com- 
 pany and of Java.” This official document was 
 dated December 11, 1749. 
 
 After the death of the Soesoenan, the Pangeran 
 Mangkoe Boemi, brother of the late sovereign, and 
 chief leader in the rebellions, failing to get the 
 Dutch to acknowledge him as sovereign, and per- 
 ceiving that they preferred instead to sustain a 
 lad of nine years, the son of the deceased Soesoe- 
 nan, and raise him to the throne, joined with the 
 rebellious chiefs, renewed open hostilities, and 
 fought a battle, in w’hich he was defeated and 
 driven westward. Soon recruiting his forces, he 
 returned, and engaged in two successful encount- 
 ers with the Dutch, routing them completely. 
 Gaining another victory, he marched towards the 
 north coast, where he fell upon Pakalongan and 
 sacked the towm. 
 
 Mangkoe Boemi, now victorious, received many 
 additions to his forces, and marched to the gates 
 of Soerakarta, where the former Soesoenan had 
 removed and built the palace referred to as hav- 
 ing since been the residence of the emperors of 
 Java, and was prevented from plundering the 
 capital only by the superstitious awe with which 
 his followers regarded the gun Xiai Stomi, held 
 sacred by the Javanese, on seeing which upon the 
 great square in front of the palace, they immedi- 
 ately retreated. 
 
 Nine years of harassing warfare failing to re- 
 
TUE EMPIRE OF THE DUTCH 
 
 181 
 
 duce the country to order, the Dutch, in view 
 of the abdication made in their favor by the dy- 
 ing Soesoenan, gave ear to the proposals of Mang- 
 koe Boeini to cede peace, if one half of Java were 
 given to him. 
 
 They acceded to the prince’s demand, with 
 the stipulation that the latter was to do his ut- 
 most to subdue the rebellious chief Pakoe Nogoro. 
 A treaty was signed in 1755, the Dutch governor 
 proclaiming Mangkoe Boemi, Sultan Hamangkoe 
 Boewono. The new Sultan, proceeding against 
 Pakoe Nogoro, was defeated, and obliged to seek 
 safety in flight and concealment, while Pakoe 
 Nogoro burned his camp. The Dutch placed a 
 reward on the head of the rebel prince, and 
 Hamangkoe Boewono, reorganizing his scattered 
 troops, pursued and defeated him.. 
 
 Pakoe Nogoro still refusing to submit, the 
 Sultan and the Soesoenan with their united forces 
 attacked him, and after prolonging the contest for 
 a period of two years, with no prospect of final 
 success, he requested the grant of certain lands 
 for his support, promising on that condition to 
 maintain peace for the future. His terms were 
 accepted, and he received liberal assignments of 
 land and the title of Mangkoe Nogoro. 
 
 The lands of Mangkoe Nogoro lying between 
 the dominions of the two Sultans (one called 
 Soesoenan because it is a shade more religious) 
 aided in preserving peace by keeping them farther 
 
182 JAVA; THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 apart. The three claimants now compelled to be 
 satisfied, the war, which had commenced in 1746, 
 was ended in 1758, causing the Dutch an expendi- 
 ture of nearly 4,300,000 florins. 
 
 The Sultan Hamangkoe Boewono established 
 his capital at Djokjokarta, where his descendants 
 stni reign under the protectorate of the Dutch. 
 After a long life he was succeeded by his son, 
 Sultan Hamangkoe Boewono II. The present 
 Sultan is Hamangkoe Boewono VI. The Soe- 
 soenan Pakoe Boewono HI., during whose rule 
 the kingdom was thus divided, died at Soerakarta 
 in 1789; his successors continue to reign under 
 the title of Soesoenan Pakoe Boewono IV., V., 
 etc. Each of these princes receives an enormous 
 annual revenue from the Dutch government, in 
 return for whi(?h he is made, willingly or unwill- 
 ingly, to govern his subjects according to the pol- 
 icy of his protectors, and to follow the advice of 
 the latter in all political transactions. Both spend 
 their incomes lavishly, and maintain their respec- 
 tive courts with aU the dignity and splendor they 
 deem befitting the royal blood of the sovereigns 
 of Java. 
 
CHAPTER XXXm. 
 
 THE DUTCH EAST INDIES. 
 
 Java, as we have stated, belongs to the Nether- 
 lands, and is the one pearl of great price in the 
 Dutch colonial crown. The sovereignty of the 
 Dutch in the East Indian Archipelago is undis- 
 puted, and extends from the island of Sumatra on 
 the west to the coast of New Guinea on the south- 
 east, embracing the entire !Malay Archipelago ; 
 consequently, the flag of the Netherlands floats its 
 red, white, and blue over every island in the 
 group. Half the island of Timor belongs to the 
 Portuguese, whose capital is Timor Deli. The 
 capital of the Dutch half is Timor Koepang. 
 An immense tract of territory on the north coast 
 of Borneo is owned by the British North Borneo 
 Company, and this, with Sarawak, the principality 
 of Eajah Brooke on the west coast, both acquired 
 by private treaty and purchase from native Sul- 
 tans, is under the protection of Great Britain, 
 These two possessions, however, are very small in 
 comparison with the extended territory behind 
 them, which acknowledges allegiance to the ensign 
 of the Netherlands. 
 
 The Dutch ports on all these islands, with the 
 
184 JAVA: THE PEABL OF THE EAST 
 
 regular system of steam navigation established, 
 offer extended avenues for commerce, which are 
 largely taken advantage of by the English and 
 Chinese, trading from the neighboring port of 
 Singapore, the capital of the Straits Settlements. 
 The policy of the Netherlands in the East differs 
 essentially from that of Great Britain. The latter 
 appears to develop her colonies for their own 
 benefit by applying the proceeds to their imme- 
 diate improvement, thus endeavoring to render 
 them self-supporting as rapidly as possible ; while 
 Holland approjiriates the immense revenues re- 
 ceived from her rich colonial islands in times of 
 peace, and gives in return high taxes, stringent 
 Dutch laws, and the blessings of government. 
 
 The Dutch East India Company, established 
 in 1602, once monopolized the trade of the archi- 
 pelago, and supplied the world with sugar, coffee, 
 spices, and other valuable products from these 
 equatorial regions ; but this gigantic corporation 
 has long since passed out of existence, and thrown 
 the varied commerce of the East open to the en- 
 terprising and adventurous of all nations. 
 
 The Nederlandsche Handel ^Maatschappy estab- 
 lished its factory in 1825, and has the monop- 
 oly of the transport and sale of the government 
 produce. Its capital is enormous, and it does a 
 very important business in loaning and advancing 
 funds on prospective crops and estates, beside a 
 banking business which extends to all parts of 
 
THE DUTCH EAST INDIES 185 
 
 the world. This is the most extensive mercantile 
 corporation in the East. 
 
 In all the ports and places under Dutch rule, 
 where the necessities of the population seem to 
 make the demand, the government has established 
 schools, hospitals, asylums, and places for Chris- 
 tian worship ; especially has this been the case on 
 the island of Java, where the large European ele- 
 ment renders these accommodations essential to 
 the welfare, contentment, and happiness of the in- 
 habitants. 
 
 The Dutch Governor-General is the supreme 
 head of both civil and military law throughout 
 the Netherlands Indies. His Excellency repre- 
 sents the King of Holland, and from his mandate 
 there is no appeal. He is assisted in the admin- 
 istration of the laws by the council of India, 
 composed of five eminent statesmen appointed in 
 Holland. 
 
 Various government schools and colleges are 
 established in Holland, for the training and edu- 
 cation of youths for the East Indian civil and 
 military service. In these institutions, a good 
 education is obtained, and secure employment 
 provided for the future. The young functionary 
 passes his examination, and with his commission 
 in his pocket, is sent to India, where he receives a 
 liberal salary, and after twenty years’ service away 
 from home, in this trying climate, he is allowed 
 to retire on a pension sufficient to support him in 
 
186 JAVA; THE PEABL OF THE EAST 
 
 Holland the remainder of his life. In Holland, 
 the government official must serve forty years be- 
 fore he can quit the service and receive his pen- 
 sion. The government service is diHded into 
 three classes, A functionary of the first class, 
 going to India, must be a graduate of the higher 
 classes of that branch of the service which he may 
 have chosen, and has usually a diploma from one 
 of the three Dutch universities, Utrecht, Gronin- 
 gen, or Leyden. The princes of Holland patron- 
 ize the University of Leyden. 
 
 Notwithstanding the excellent schools which 
 the government has established for the instruc- 
 tion of the natives in Java, they cling with the 
 utmost tenacity to the ^v^itten law of the Koran, 
 and, with very rare exception, are avowed Moham- 
 medans. The Dutch, however, are not enthusiastic 
 about proselytizing them, and make it a rule 
 never to interfere with their religion. 
 
 Mosques are scattered all over the island, and 
 if a Christian enters them it must be with unshod 
 feet. They are plain structures, square or octag- 
 onal in shape, with two or more roofs, receding 
 one above the other, and surmounted with low 
 round domes, the interior destitute of niche, 
 image, or ornamentation. The mosques are usu- 
 ally surrounded by a terrace, ascended by hand- 
 some steps or a broad Inclined walk leading up 
 to the front entrance. Huge tanks of pure water 
 are provided near at hand, where the Moslem 
 
THE DUTCH EAST INDIES 
 
 187 
 
 commences his devotions by bathing before en- 
 tering the temple. Friday is the Mohammedan 
 Sabbath. A daily service is held in the mosques, 
 to which is added the duty following the muez- 
 zin’s call at sunset. The worshipers kneel on 
 small mats which they throw on the tile or marble 
 floor, and, with faces turned towards Mecca, re- 
 peat prayers from the Koran. Their priests have 
 generally made a pilgrimage to Mecca, to behold 
 with their own eyes the birthplace of their Pro- 
 phet, and to look with superstitious awe upon the 
 Kaaba containing the sacred black stone. The 
 broad white turban bespeaks the fulfillment of 
 this highly meritorious act, and causes the wearer 
 to be regarded with great reverence by the mul- 
 titude. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 LIFE IN BATAVIA. 
 
 BATA\aA, the largest city in the archipelago, 
 is situated on the northern coast of J ava, near the 
 mouths of the Tjiliwong and Jakatra rivers. The 
 latter skirts the suburbs of the city on the west, 
 and the Tjiliwong flows through its centre, both 
 emptying into the Java Sea. Batavia has long 
 been celebrated for its great beauty, and among 
 Eastern cities stands without a rival. With 
 its comforts, luxuries, and general air of elegance, 
 it bursts upon the traveler in the Orient like a 
 beautiful, unexpected, yet familiar friend, surpris- 
 ing and fascinating him with its attractiveness : 
 he hails it with delight, and leaves it undecided 
 whether he should describe it as a city, or as a 
 vast park crowded wnth magnificent pavilions. In 
 the upper or modern city, the streets are broad 
 and handsome, arched overhead with rich masses 
 of interlacing foliage, and intersected by canals, 
 which are lined wdth stone and bordered wdth low 
 stone parapets, and filled with w'ater from the two 
 rivers. These canals, crossed by fine bridges and 
 flanked on both sides by wide streets, impart a 
 pleasing impression of spaciousness to the city. 
 
LIFE IN BATAVIA 
 
 189 
 
 Rows of trees usually shade the parapets, while 
 the opposite sides of the way are adorned with 
 handsome residences, imbedded in dense clumps 
 of green. 
 
 The public buildings are numerous, large, and 
 substantial, consisting of churches, schools, asy- 
 lums, hospitals, scientific institutions, government 
 bureaus, libraries, museums, clubs, theatres, banks, 
 and military quarters. An imposing new palace 
 for the governor-general faces the Koningsplein, 
 once the English racecourse, a grassy level some 
 three miles in circumference, in the centre of the 
 fashionable portion of the city, and encircled by a 
 superb hard white street, bordered on each side 
 with a double row of tamarind-trees. 
 
 The popular drive is around the Koningsplein ; 
 here may be seen every afternoon, between five 
 o’clock and dark, equipages that will compare 
 with those of any capital in Europe. Beautiful 
 mansions face this gigantic green, which is the 
 most marked feature in the open plan of beauty 
 that distinguishes Batavia. The dwellings of 
 the Europeans throughout the city are low, 
 broad, one-storied structures, surrounded with 
 deep verandas supported by numerous white pil- 
 lars, and half hidden by heavy foliage, which 
 tends to magnify their grand and palatial appear- 
 ance, impressing the stranger with an agreeable 
 sense of wealth, luxury, and magnificence. 
 
 ■ /Vessels dropping anchor in Batavia Roads are 
 
190 JAVA; THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 immediately visited by an officer from the guard- 
 ship, who, after examining the passenger list, and 
 receiving satisfactory answers to the usual inqui- 
 ries about sickness, etc., gives the passengers per- 
 mission to go on shore. Steamers generally land 
 their passengers at the new harbor, Tandjong 
 Priok, where massive and elaborate piers have 
 been constructed and lately completed by the 
 government at great expense, to avoid the neces- 
 sity of transporting cargo and passengers in small 
 boats from vessels anchored out at sea, as for- 
 merly had to be done. Steam-cars run every 
 half hour during the day between Tandjong 
 Priok and the city, a distance of five or six miles, 
 where they connect with trains for the interior. 
 
 When the traveler, just liberated from a five or 
 six weeks’ sojourn in the stuffy cabins of a steam- 
 ship, or perhaps from a three or four months’ 
 voyage in a saibng-ship, finds himself flying up 
 the Molenvliet — the chief thoroughfare between 
 the fashionable part of the city and the business 
 quarter, down towards the harbor and coast — in 
 a comfortable if not luxurious carriage drawn by 
 swift ponies, behind a brown coachman in a sort 
 of long red calico jacket, shaded with a bamboo 
 hat that looks like a parasol, he will doubtless 
 experience the most lively emotions of surprise 
 and pleasure. Here comes a Chinese peddler, 
 in white or light-colored pajamas, bare feet, and 
 bare head, with two or three Malays carrying his 
 
LIFE IN BATAVIA 
 
 191 
 
 goods, suspended from springy slats of bamboo 
 stretched across their shoulders ; next, the elegant 
 carriages of merchants going to town, with their 
 owners, in immaculate white clothes, indolently 
 reclining on the cushions inside ; then three or 
 four half-naked coolies carrying between them, 
 perhaps, a piano, tied with ropes to a bamboo 
 pole ; next a curious little covered native carriage 
 on two wheels rattles past ; then a clumsy cart 
 drawn by two buffaloes creaks along ; then come 
 dark, round-faced natives, with chickens tied to- 
 gether by the legs, and hung, heads downward, 
 across the ends of bamboo poles balanced on 
 their shoulders, followed by others carrying cages 
 filled with struggling birds or pigeons, and bas- 
 kets containing snakes, fish, coral-colored shrimps, 
 or whatever they may be ; while steam-cars puff 
 and whistle up and down the railroad on the edge 
 of the canal which runs parallel with the street, 
 bearing on its still and yellow waters rafts poled 
 onward by almost naked brown -skinned men. 
 One side of the Molenvliet is lined with the shops 
 and dwellings of the Chinese and Malays, and 
 occasionally the residence of a European. Here 
 and there under the spreading shade of the wa- 
 ringin or the tamarind tree, native women sit, 
 selling cooked rice in various forms, and serving 
 it on the fresh green leaf of the plantain to the 
 moving throngs, composed of Malays, Cliinamen, 
 Bugis, Arabs, and Javanese of every age and 
 
192 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 color ; some well dressed, some poorly dressed, 
 and some naked, except a sarong around their 
 waist and hips. Passing through these strange 
 scenes, the traveler at last reaches his hotel, where 
 w'hite marble floors, broad halls, large, cool rooms, 
 deep verandas, and many servants give promise of 
 rest and comfort in the days to come. Here, as 
 soon as he gets accustomed to the little brown 
 lizards that live in the closets, hide in the cor- 
 ners of the sofas, scamper across the tables, and 
 occupy the beds, he may begiu to enjoy the lux- 
 ury and languor of Oriental life, which glides 
 along in Batavia somewhat after the following 
 fashion. 
 
 It is usual to rise with the sun, which shoots 
 suddenly above the horizon at about six o’clock, 
 the year round, in a few moments replacing the 
 soft darkness with a brilliant and penetrating 
 light. As the dwellings have but one story, on 
 account of earthquakes, the bedrooms are on the 
 ground floor, with immediate access to the ve- 
 randas, to which the newly -arisen at once pro- 
 ceeds, to drink cofPee, tea, or chocolate, and eat a 
 biscuit, after which he resorts to the bath, gener- 
 ally a large room in the rear, where a refreshing 
 plunge, or douche, or perhaps the cool mountain 
 water thrown over the head, in the Eastern fash- 
 ion, temporarily dispels the climatic languor, and 
 reinvigorates his energy. The bath over, the 
 Dutchman takes a stroll in his pajamas, carelessly 
 
LIFE IN BATAVIA 
 
 193 
 
 puffing meanwhile a fragTant cigar, and the Eng- 
 lishman sometimes a ride on horseback ; both re- 
 turning to dress and partake of a nine o’clock 
 breakfast, which is served in a broad, cool hall, 
 and is similar to the same meal in America or 
 England, with the addition of an abundance of 
 luscious tropical fruits. After breakfast, the gen- 
 tlemen of the family are driven to town in their 
 carriages, and the ladies, in native dress, with 
 hair hanging loose down their backs, spend the 
 morning in reclining on the sofas in the shade 
 of the verandas, gossiping, reading, or receiving 
 early calls from friends of their own sex coming 
 in closed carriages, and in undress like them- 
 selves. At one o’clock, the midday meal (tiffin) 
 is served, when the Eastern cooks astonish the 
 foreigner with the number of their highly sea- 
 soned preparations, which are eaten with the one 
 standing dish of rice and curry, to which are 
 added salted duck’s eggs, meat, vegetables, fruits, 
 wine, and coffee. When this abundant meal has 
 been duly honored, the Eastern household, from 
 mistress to maid, and butler to scullion, retire to 
 refresh themselves by passing two hours or more 
 during the hottest part of the day in sleep. At 
 four o’clock, the house springs into life again, tea 
 is served, as in the early morning, a second bath 
 is enjoyed, succeeded by an elaborate toilet, when 
 an airing, without hat or bonnet, in splendid open 
 equipages, attended by numerous dark-skinned 
 
194 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 servants in bright dress, wliicdi gives piquancy 
 and quaintness to an already animated picture, is 
 taken around the Koningsplein and to the W ater- 
 loo plain, a large green square, where the military 
 band plays every Sunday afternoon, drawing a 
 large concourse of fashionable people, as well as 
 the natives of the neighboring villages. About 
 six o’clock, the sun drops behind the western 
 mountain ridges, and immediately it is dark, and 
 the vehicles, with their chatting occupants, grad- 
 ually disperse, to whirl homeward to an eight- 
 o’clock dinner, which is a somewhat elaborate 
 affair. 
 
 In tbe evening, visits are made or received, 
 clubs and receptions are attended, the opera or 
 theatre is resorted to, and Bata'V’ia is alive with 
 activity and animation. By twelve and one 
 o’clock the city has sunk into slumber, to awaken 
 again the next morning and take up the life of 
 the previous day, with little variation throughout 
 the year. 
 
CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 TRAVELING IN JAVA. 
 
 If one has plenty of time, traveling in Java is 
 a novel and pleasing experience. The recent con- 
 struction of a railroad, penetrating the interior 
 from Batavia, has greatly lessened the difficulty 
 of getting over the island ; but when a different 
 route is contemplated, the ancient diligence is the 
 only means available. This coach is the highest, 
 most cumbersome, and most delightful vehicle im- 
 aginable. It is strong, gigantic in size, well pad- 
 ded, has springs that make it rock like a cradle, 
 with capacious pockets, and concealed recesses in 
 which to stow away everything requisite for a 
 journey. During the day a hammock can be 
 swung within its curtains, and at night its cush- 
 ions can be converted into a commodious bed. 
 
 The day before starting on a journey in the 
 diligence, orders are sent forward to have fresh 
 horses ready at the different stations. When 
 everything conceivable as necessary for a journey 
 is packed out of sight in the maw-like cavities of 
 the old coach, four plucky little ponies are at- 
 tached, and the travelers mount to their seats. 
 The driver, in a red or pink calico garment re- 
 
196 JAVA: THE PEABL OF THE EAST 
 
 sembling a long loose nightshirt, and a bamboo 
 hat in shape and size like an umbrella, twdrls a 
 whiplash, many yards long, above his head, pro- 
 ducing two or three reports like pistol-shots ; and 
 with many “ slamat jalans ” — happy journeys — 
 from the admiring natives, away go the ponies 
 over the smooth roads at full gallop, accompanied 
 on each side by two or three coolies, whose busi- 
 ness it is to run beside the ponies, whip them up, 
 and keep them at their utmost speed. This con- 
 tinues for five miles, the coach swinging and rock- 
 ing in the most enchanting fashion, when sud- 
 denly a halt is made in a covered station, the 
 steaming horses and the whippers-up are quickly 
 exchanged for fresh ones, and the journey is con- 
 tinued with the same changes, which are made aU 
 over Java. When mountains are to be climbed, 
 the patient buffaloes are added to, or replace, the 
 horses, till the heights are overcome. 
 
 To describe the lovely landscapes that charm 
 the eye, the towering mountains that hide in the 
 clouds, and the far-reaching views stretching over 
 land and sea, that repay the tourist on these ex- 
 cursions, would be quite impossible. Sometimes 
 he is inclosed in valleys so deep that he can only 
 gaze upwards to the blue overhead ; again he is 
 traversing plains so immense and solitary that 
 nothing is visible save the vast levels bounded on 
 one side by the dark outline of a mountain range, 
 and on the other by the blue rim of the drooping 
 
TRAVELING IN JAVA 
 
 197 ‘ 
 
 sky. Then he penetrates the perpetual gloom of 
 forests crowded with the symmetrical trunks of 
 the teak ; and sometimes he pauses upon a moun- 
 tain road, lost in admiring the grandeur of the 
 scene unrolled below him. On these majestic 
 heights he will see old craters, filled with water 
 rising from beneath, that appears to be black, or 
 blue, or shaded with the varied and brilliant tints 
 of the rainbow ; boiling streams rushing down- 
 ward beside those of icy coldness, cascades falling 
 over rocks in huge, fan- like forms of silvery 
 spray, and single jets of gigantic size pouring 
 down perpendicularly three or four hundred feet. 
 In short, to see Java from the open windows of 
 a diligence is to be introduced to a strange and 
 lovely world of wonders. 
 
 It is the custom to set out very early in the 
 morning, and to rest during the heat of the day at 
 a hotel, or, if provided with proper introductions, 
 at the house of a planter or the residence of a 
 native regent. In any event, the traveler is made 
 welcome, and usually sets forth again about four 
 o’clock in the afternoon, passing the night in one 
 of the habitations above named. If disappointed 
 in this, the hammock is swung in the coach, or the 
 cushioned bed prepared, while the friendly natives 
 maintain guard outside. If it is necessary to halt 
 in this manner near a forest or a jungle, fires are 
 made, and a watch is set to keep off the tigers. 
 With a little good management, however, a proper 
 shelter can always be reached. 
 
198 JAVA; THE PEABL OF THE EAST 
 
 The planters of Java are really the princes of 
 the land. Their extended domains frequently 
 render life on a plantation quite isolated, for 
 which they endeavor to compensate by surround- 
 ing themselves with every personal comfort and 
 much grandeur. On the coffee estates, situated 
 on high grounds, the air is delicious, and the pros- 
 pects are often so magnificent that the loss of 
 society is scarcely a deprivation ; but on the rice 
 and sugar plantations on the low plains, where the 
 heat is intense, bringing into constant demand the 
 fan and bath-room, the view necessarily contracted, 
 and life dull and sluggish, the monotony often be- 
 comes almost intolerable. Frequent trips in the 
 great coach to the cities on the coasts, and hospit- 
 able entertainments in their princely homes, are 
 the sugar-planters’ only refuge against solitude. 
 These grand seigneurs are kings on their own 
 estates, often issuing their own coin, as a con- 
 venience for the thousands that cultivate their 
 lands and dwell on their soil. 
 
 The traveler, having completed his tours in 
 Java, and learned, like the scholar, just enough to 
 know how much there is to learn, now feels like 
 extending his wanderings to other islands in the 
 archipelago. He therefore leaves Batavia in one 
 of the Dutch steamers that make the regular 
 round of all the Dutch ports, getting back to the 
 beautiful eity in about six weeks, after haHng 
 seen still stranger people, and witnessed many 
 
TRAVELING IN JAVA 
 
 199 
 
 curious phases of ci\ulization, and perhaps cruel 
 evidences of absolute barbarism. 
 
 The time comes at last when he decides to go 
 home, and the question arises, Which way shall 
 he go ? Not as he came, for change is always 
 desirable. There are Singapore, China, Japan, 
 and the Pacific, offering something perhaps en- 
 tirely new. To Europe, however, he wishes to re- 
 turn, and one of the large and comfortable sailing 
 packets going around the Cape of Good Hope 
 presents the best accommodations for the multitude 
 of souvenirs he intends to transport ; so he goes 
 on board with the birds, monkeys, parrots, ser- 
 pents, flying foxes, sti’ange plants, rare shells, 
 and possibly one or two tiger cubs, with which he 
 has encumbered himself, and gives himself up to 
 rest and recuperation after his exhausting ram- 
 bles under the equator, enjoying the dreamy days 
 and quiet nights, when neither he nor his vessel 
 appears to move, yet he still glides on and on, 
 leaving the perfumed air and soft winds behind 
 him, suddenly to wake up some morning and find 
 frozen decks and icy spars, and the pure white al- 
 batross circling above the rolling and pitching- 
 ship, under the sombre skies south of Cape Town. 
 
 The perpendicular rock of St. Helena will prob- 
 ably next attract his special attention, and a day 
 spent on the island, where the air is warm and 
 heavy, and the Ethiopian element visible in many 
 of the inhabitants, will remind him of the sunny 
 
200 JAVA: THE PEARL OF THE EAST 
 
 south of the United States. A drive of fourteen 
 miles carries him around the little island, and a 
 visit to Longwood, where Napoleon I. breathed 
 his last, and the purchase of a photograph of the 
 wretched, barn-like dwelling in which he lived and 
 died, will make him glad to get back to the play- 
 ful cubs and mischievous monkeys on board his 
 ship. Soon follow more of the dreamy days un- 
 der the equator, which he must cross a second 
 time, where the glorious brilliancy of the sunsets 
 exceeds the magnificence of those that he has wit- 
 nessed in the same latitude on the Indian Ocean; 
 and the dolphin, the porpoise, the shark, and the 
 grampus, disporting under the glassy water, pro- 
 duce the only ripple of excitement in the wondrous 
 stillness. 
 
 At last the beautiful days and brilliant skies 
 have joined the other memories of the East, and 
 his good ship is moving slowly along under the 
 sombre grays that hang above the bright green 
 meadows of Holland, seeming to tug at their far- 
 away edges in futile attempts to drag them back 
 to the dark gloom of the North Sea. Here we 
 shall leave him gazing at the low, willow-fringed 
 dykes and beckoning arms of the welcoming wind- 
 mills, to meet him again, perhaps, and renew our 
 companionship with a glad, “ Dag, m}Tiheer,” as 
 he springs ashore on the shady Boompjes of the 
 old Dutch city of Rotterdam. 
 
INDEX 
 
 Acheeo, 24, 43 ; war in, 113. 
 
 Agate, 30. 
 
 Agricultural occupations, 51, 122; 
 
 implements, 102. 
 
 Aji Saka, 143, 157. 
 
 Albuquerque, Alpbonzo d’, 22. 
 Alphabet, 138, li^. 
 
 Amok, to run, 123. 
 
 Anger, 104. 
 
 Angka Wijaya, 162, 103, 164, 168. 
 Arabs, 87, 89, 90, 115, 126, 191 ; mis- 
 sionary, 164. 
 
 Aria Damar, 163, 164, 166. 
 
 Arjuna, volcano, 28. 
 
 Aromatic grasses, 52. 
 
 Arrack, 119. 
 
 Attap, 60. 
 
 Bali, Strait of, 22, 104 ; island and 
 language of, 138. 
 
 Bamboo, 51, 56 ; uses of, 59, 60 ; hut 
 of, 91. 
 
 Banana, 52. 
 
 Bantam, 18, 24; kings of, 125, 171, 
 173 ; Dutch at, 23, 173. 
 Banyan-tree, 60. 
 
 Batavia, 10, 20, 24, 44, 89, 189 ; beauty 
 of, 26, 188 ; founded, 171, 178 ; life 
 in, 192. 
 
 Bathing, 96. 
 
 Bazars, 105. 
 
 Behouden channel, 15. 
 
 Bintara, 52, 166, 107. 
 
 Birds, 67, 77. 
 
 Blandong people, 119. 
 
 Blt^deg, 37. 
 
 Boa-constrictor, 83. 
 
 Boars, wild, 67. 
 
 Boiling streams, 30. 
 
 Bolt, Governor-General, 24. 
 
 Borneo, 155, 183. 
 
 Boro Bodo, temple of, 152, 153. 
 Brahma, 142, 153. 
 
 Brambanan, 146, 148. 
 
 Bread-fruit tree, 60. 
 
 British North Borneo Company, 183. 
 Bromo, 29, 38 ; crater of, 39, 40. 
 Brooke, Rajah, 183. 
 
 Buddha, 142, 153. 
 
 Buffalo, 63, 122 ; tiger combat, lp6. 
 Buitenzorg, 26. 
 
 Bugis, 191. 
 
 Bulls, wild, 67, 69. 
 
 Calc-spar, 36. 
 
 Camels, (^. 
 
 Camphor-tree, 51. 
 
 Cape of Good Hope, 199. 
 
 Canielian, 30. 
 
 Castlereagh, Viscount, 25. 
 Cemeteries, 132. 
 
 Centipedes, 82. 
 
 Ceylon, 10. 
 
 Chameleon, 82. 
 
 Cheribon, 29, 36 ; Sultan of, 170, 171, 
 Chinese, 87, 89, 191. 
 
 Cinchona, 51, 101. 
 
 Circumcision, 127. 
 
 Civet, 71, 72. 
 
 Cloth, making of, 54, 118. 
 
 Coal, 46. 
 
 Cobra, 84. 
 
 Cock-figliting, 136. 
 
 Cocoanuts, M ; oil of, 103. 
 
 Coen, John Pietersen, 25. 
 
 Coffee, 34, 51 ; culture of, 106, 108 ; 
 
 f overnment, 107 ; amount raised, 
 08 ; berries, 109. 
 
 Colombo, 10. 
 
 ^^ord 54 
 
 Cotton plant, 102, 111. 
 
 Cotton-tree, 60. 
 
 Cows, 64. 
 
 Crocodiles, 67, 68; price for, 69; 
 
 haunts of, 70 ; fat of, 71. 
 
 Curry, 98. 
 
 Dadap-tree, 109. 
 
 Damak, 166, 168, 169 ; Sultan of, 170. 
 171. 
 
202 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Dancing-girls, 133, 134. 
 
 Death, ceremonies at, 132. 
 
 Deer. See Kantjil. 
 
 Devi, 148. 
 
 Dialects, 138, 139. 
 
 Dieng Mountains, 62, 145. 
 
 Diversions, 136, 137 ; of children, 134, 
 135. 
 
 Divisions of time, 142. 
 
 Divorce, 88, 131. 
 
 Djokjokarta, 26, 146, 151, 182. 
 
 Dogs, wild, 71. 
 
 Doves, ring and turtle, 78. 
 
 Dress, 93, 94, 95. 
 
 Ducks, 77 ; eggs of, 98. 
 
 Dutch, first arrival in Java, 23, 173. 
 Dutch East India Company, 25, 179, 
 184. 
 
 Dutch East Indian Empire, 24. 
 
 Dutch protectorate, 26, 115, 182. 
 Dutch resident, 114. 
 
 Dutch rule, 113, 114, 115. 
 
 Dutch universities, 186. 
 
 Dwars in den Weg, island, 17 ; ap- 
 pearance of, 18. 
 
 Dyes, 56. 
 
 Earthquakes, 29, 38. See Kralcatoa. 
 East Indian Archipelago, 21, 22, 154, 
 183. 
 
 East Indian service, 185. 
 
 East Indies, Dutch settle in, 23. 
 Edible birds’-nests, 79, 80. 
 
 Egypt, 154. 
 
 Elephants, 64. 
 
 Emperor’s Island, 17. 
 
 English East India Company, 24. 
 Entertainments, 133, 134, 141. 
 Eruptions. See Earthquakes. 
 Esculent swallow, 79. 
 
 Europeans, 122, 185; dwellings of, 
 189. 
 
 Falcon, 76. 
 
 Fish, 84 ; frog, 82. 
 
 Flint, 30. 
 
 Flowers, 52. 
 
 Flying fox, 67, 76; squirrel, cat, 73. 
 Food, 98. 
 
 Forests, 51. 
 
 France, 24. 
 
 Fruits, 51, 52. 
 
 Gamalan, the, 141. 
 
 Game, 67. 
 
 Games of chance, 137. 
 
 Gas fountains, 37. 
 
 Gedeb, volcano, 27, 28. 
 
 Genesa, 148. 
 
 Gbeko, 81. 
 
 Goats, 66. 
 
 Gold, 46. 
 
 Governor-general, 185. 
 
 Great Britain, 183, 184. 
 
 Gresek, 31, 162. 
 
 Guwa Upas, 62. 
 
 Hamadryad, 84. 
 
 Hamangkoe Boewono, 182. 
 
 Handicrafts, 118. 
 
 Hanuman, 148. 
 
 Harbors, 26, 190. 
 
 Hats, native, 56, 94. 
 
 Hegira, the, 143. 
 
 Heron, 76. 
 
 Het Groote Gat, 15. 
 
 Hindu Empire, 142, 158. 
 
 Hindu sovereigns, 158, 159, 169. 
 
 Hindu superstitions, 40, 68, 127. 
 
 Hindu worship, 144, 146, 151, 158. 
 
 Holland, 113, 184, 200 ; king of, 185. 
 
 Holy fires, 37. 
 
 Horses, 64 ; number of, 65. 
 
 Hot wells, 36. 
 
 House, peasant’s, 91 ; noble’s, 92. 
 
 Houtman, 23. 
 
 Ichneumon, 73. 
 
 Iguana, 81. 
 
 Important productions, 34. 
 
 Indian Ocean, sunsets in, 11 ; storms 
 in, 12. 
 
 Indigo, 111. 
 
 Indrapoera, 13. 
 
 Introduction of the Mohammedan 
 religion, 160, 162. 
 
 Jakatra, 24, 25, 171, 173, 174 ; river, 
 188. 
 
 Jasper, 30. 
 
 Java, routes to, 9 ; appearance of, 19 ; 
 situation of, 21 ; name of, 21, 156 ; 
 area of, 22 ; population, 22, 65 ; 
 divisions of, 22 ; Mohammedan 
 conquest of, 22; Dutch settle in, 
 23 ; French in, 24 ; British hi, 25 ; 
 lowlands of, 32 ; temperatures in, 
 34, 60 ; fertile soil of, 46 ; salubrity 
 of, 49 ; vegetation of, 50 ; nature’s 
 special pet, 85 ; contrasts, 86 ; 
 wealth of, 101 ; roads, 104 ; rights 
 of land in, 112 ; Dutch rule in, 113, 
 114, 115 ; first inhabitants of, 154, 
 155, 156 ; early history of, 159, 
 163 ; Dutch establish their suprem- 
 acy in, 178 ; cost of war in, 182 ; 
 traveling in, 195, 197 ; planters of, 
 198. 
 
 Java Head, 13, 28. 
 
 Java Sea, 14, 18, 22, 26, 33. 
 
 Javanese era, 143, 157. 
 
 Javanese people, the, 87, 88 ; indo- 
 lence, 47 ; easy life of, 65 ; dress, 
 93; jewelry, 95; occupations, 118, 
 
INDEX 
 
 203 
 
 119 ; character, 120 ; credulous- ! 
 ness, 121 ; kindness of, 122 ; jea- | 
 lousy of, 123 ; habits of, 124 ; faith 
 of, 125 ; respect for rank, 1^, 128. 
 See Entertainments, 
 
 Jawa-woet, 21, 156. 
 
 Jungles, 34. 
 
 Kaaba, 187. 
 
 Kadawaug district, 31. 
 
 Kadoe, province of, 152. 
 
 Kaiitjil, 67, 72. 
 
 Rarang, volcano, 28. 
 
 Kasaka people, 156. 
 
 Kouingsplein, 189, 104. 
 
 Koran, 115, 124, 186. 
 
 Krakatoa, 14, 38, 41 ; appearance of, 
 17 ; eruption of, 42-45. 
 
 Kris, 94, 96, 97, 123, 129, 159. 
 
 Lancaster, Captain, 24. 
 
 Langiiage, of honor, 128, 138, 139; 
 
 Simda, 138 ; Kawi, 140. 
 
 Leopard, 70. 
 
 Literature, 140 ; poems, 141. 
 
 Lizards, 81, 82, 102. 
 
 Longwood, St. Helena, 200. 
 
 Loro JongroDg, temple of, 148. 
 
 Macassar, island of, 43 ; horses from, 
 64, 65. 
 
 Madoera, island of, 138. 
 
 Magnolia, 53. 
 
 Mahogany-tree, 51. 
 
 Maize, 103. 
 
 Malacca, city of, 22, 23. 
 
 Malay Archipelago, 9, 183. 
 
 Malays, 87, 90, 124, 138, 191. 
 
 Mangkoe Boemi, 180, 181. 
 
 Mango, 52. 
 
 Marabout, 76. 
 
 Marriage, 131. 
 
 Mats, 55, 56, 92. 
 
 Mecca, 125, 187. 
 
 Merapi, volcano, 28. 
 
 Merbaboe, volcano, 28. 
 
 Metals, 46. 
 
 Minerals, 46. 
 
 Minto, Earl of, 25. 
 
 Modjopahit, 125, 158, 161, 165-169. 
 Mohammedan conquest, 22, 169. 
 Molenvliet, 190, 101. 
 
 Molucca Islands, 23. 
 
 Monkeys, 73 ; varieties of, and habits, 
 74. 
 
 Monsoons, 16 ; dry, 48. 
 
 Moral precepts, 116. 
 
 Mosques, 186. 
 
 Mountains, 28, 30. 
 
 Music, 141. 
 
 Hakoda Ismael, 22. 
 
 Napoleon, 200. 
 
 Natives. See Javanese people. 
 Nederlaudsche Handel Maatschappy, 
 184. 
 
 Netherlands, 25, 183. 
 
 New Horn, 25. 
 
 Oceania, 21. 
 
 Oengarang, volcano, 28. 
 
 Oleander, 53. 
 
 Omens, 74, 82, 120, 121, 171. 
 
 Opium, 00 ; smoking, 
 
 Otter, 72. 
 
 Ox, 64. 
 
 Padang, 10, 12. 
 
 Pajajaran, 157, 160. 
 
 Pakoe Nogoro, 181. 
 
 Palaces, Sultan’s, 92, 93. 
 
 Palm, varieties of, 51. 
 
 Panthers, 67, 70. 
 
 Papandajung, eruption of, 29, 45* 
 Paper-tree, 55. 
 
 Partridges, 77. 
 i Paroquets, 77. 
 
 Passaran, 155. 
 
 Patjitan, 26. 
 
 Peacock, 67, 75, 77. 
 
 Pelican, 67, 76. 
 
 Pepper, red, 98. 
 
 Pesantran, 5Q. 
 
 Petroleum, 36. 
 
 Pigeons, 77. 
 
 Planters, 106, 198. 
 
 Plover, 78. 
 
 Pohon upas. See Poison~iree, 
 
 Point St. Nicholas, 18. 
 
 Poison-tree, 61. 
 
 Polygamy, 88 j effects of, 123. 
 Porcupine, 72. 
 
 Porphyry, 30. 
 
 Portuguese, 22, 23, 125, 183. 
 
 Post stations, 104. 
 
 Potato, 103. 
 
 Practice of filing the teeth, 95, 96. 
 Preanger district, 
 
 Precious stones, 46. 
 
 Priests, 115, 126. 
 
 Prince’s Island, 15. 
 
 Pumice, floating, 14, 42 ; showers of, 
 43. 
 
 Python, 83. 
 
 Quail, 77. 
 
 “ Queen of the E^t,” 20. 
 
 Queen Elizabeth, 24. 
 
 Radan Adipati, 114. 
 
 Radan Patah, 166-170. 
 
 Radan Rachmat, 162, 163, 164* 
 Railroads, 104, 195. 
 
 Rattan, 51, 55. 
 
204 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Regents, 92 ; dress of, 95. 
 
 Religion, Mohammedan, 68, 125. 
 Residencies, 22. 
 
 Resident, 114. 
 
 Rhinoceros, 67 ; habits of, 69 ; horn 
 of, 70. 
 
 Rice, plantations of, 33 ; cultivation 
 of, 51, 102. 
 
 Rice sawahs, 15, 32, 101. 
 
 Rights of land, 112. 
 
 Rivers, 30, 31 ; general character- 
 istics of, 32. 
 
 Roebuck, 67. 09, 72. 
 
 Rotterdam, 200. 
 
 Rubber-tree, 51. 
 
 Ruins, 141, 144-153. 
 
 Saint Helena, island of, 199. 
 
 Salak, volcano, 27, 28. 
 
 Samarang, 26, 89, 179. 
 
 Sandalwood Island, horses from, 64, 
 65. 
 
 Sandalwood-tree, 51. 
 
 Sandy Sea, description of, 38, 39. 
 Sarong, 93 ; painting of, 118. 
 Scenery, 33, 196, 197. 
 
 Schools, 185, 186. 
 
 Scincoidian, 82. 
 
 Scorpions, 82. 
 
 Seasons, 16, 48. 
 
 Sermiroe, volcano, 28 ; outbreak of, 
 38. 
 
 Serpents, 82 ; varieties, 83. 
 
 Sharks, fA- 
 Sheep, 06. 
 
 Sheik Ibn Moelana, 165. 
 
 Siamese, 155. 
 
 Silver, 46. 
 
 Sindoro, volcano, 28. 
 
 Singapore, 10, 184. 
 
 Siri, 96, 99. 
 
 Siva, 148. 
 
 Slavery, 88. 
 
 Soap-tree, 59. 
 
 Soemba, 64. 
 
 Soerabaja, 26, 89, 104, 179. 
 Soerakarta, 26, 146; palace at, 93, 
 172, 180. 
 
 Soesoenan, 31, 93, 114, 167, 179; suc- 
 cession of, 115 : respect for, 127 ; 
 state observed by, 129 ; public ap- 
 pearance of, 135. 
 
 Solo River, 31. 
 
 Spices, 51. 
 
 Stag, 69 ; hunting, 136. 
 
 Stork, 7& 
 
 Straits of Sunda, 13, 22, 42, 43, 104 ; 
 description of, 15, 16. 
 
 Straits Settlements, 184. 
 
 Suez Canal, 10, 11. 
 
 Sugar, 34, 51, 98 ; cane, 101 ; manu- 
 facture of, 104 ; palm, 103. 
 
 Sultan, 130. 
 
 Sultan Hamangkoe Boewono, 182. 
 Sumatra, 12, 13, 24, 41 ; horses from, 
 64 ; Malays from, 87 ; pepper. 111. 
 Snmbah, 129. 
 
 Sumbawa Island, 38, 45. 
 
 Sunda Islands, 21, 37, 64. 
 Superstitious. See Omeru, 
 
 Swine, 66. 
 
 Tagal, volcano, 28. 
 
 Tallow-tree, 60. 
 
 Tambora, volcano, outburst of, 38, 
 45. 
 
 Tandjong Priok, 190. 
 Tankoeban-Prahoe, volcano, 28. 
 Taxes, 112, 184. 
 
 Tea, 34, 51. 
 
 Teak, forests of, 51, 119 ; tree, 68 ; 
 varieties of, 57. 
 
 Temperatures, different, 34, 50. 
 Teng’gers Mountains, 29, 38, 40. 
 Thousand Isles, 18. 
 
 Thousand Temples, 149, 150. 
 
 Tidal wave, 44, 45; loss of life from, 
 41. 
 
 Tiger-cat, 67, 71. 
 
 Tigers, 67 ; habits, 68 ; combats, 136. 
 Timor Island, 183. 
 
 Tjilatjap, 26. 
 
 Tjiliwong River, 188. 
 
 Toads, 82. 
 
 Tobacco, 34, 51 ; use of, 99 ; cultiva- 
 tion of, 110. 
 
 Trade winds, 16. 
 
 Tritrista, 157. 
 
 Turtles, 82. 
 
 Valley of poison, 62. 
 
 Varken’s Hoek, 18. 
 
 Victoria regia, 53. 
 
 Volcanoes, 28. 
 
 Ifaringin-tree, 60, 92, 93. 
 
 W^1iotf%; mud and salt, 37; 
 
 graseous, 37. 
 
 Wild-cat, 72. 
 
 Wild cock, 76. 
 
 Wild fowl, 77. 
 
 Wild goose, 78. 
 
 Wolves, 71. 
 
 Woodcock, 78. 
 
 Wynkoops Bay, 26. 
 
mas 
 
 ,VoU-«»“ 
 
 ef*9uiH M/m 
 300 
 
 *A WANG 
 
 'jAPAffA 
 
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 ^amaran^ ^ 
 
 BA //JO. 
 
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 BEZOBH/ 
 
'CijE 3Ri\)er6itie 3Librarj 
 
 ■for goung fBeople* 
 
 t/f Series of Volumes devoted to History, Biography, 
 
 Mechanics, Travel, Natural History, and Hdventure. IVitb 
 Maps, Portraits, etc., where needed for fuller illustra- 
 tion of the volume. Each, uniform, strongly hound 
 in cloth, i6mo, 200-250 pages, 75 cents. 
 
 1 . The War of Independence. 
 
 By John Fiske. With Maps. 
 
 2. George Washington : Vhi Historical Biography. 
 
 By Horace E. Scudder. With Portrait and Illustra- 
 tions. 
 
 f. Birds through an Opera Glass. 
 
 By Florence A. Merriam. Illustrated. 
 
 4. Up and Down 'the Brooks. 
 
 By Mary E. Bamford. Illustrated. 
 
 5. Coal and the Coal Mines. 
 
 By Homer Greene. Illustrated. 
 
 6. fA New England Girlhood, Outlined from Memory. 
 
 By Lucy Larcom. 
 
 7. Java : The Bearl of the East. 
 
 By Mrs. S. J. Higginson. With a Map. 
 
 8. Girls and Women. 
 
 By E. Chester. 
 
 9. A Book of Famous Verse. 
 
 Selected and arranged by Agnes Repplier. 
 
 10. Japan: In History, Folk-Lore, and Art. 
 
 By William Elliot Griffis, D. D. 
 
 {^Others in Preparation^) 
 
M essrs, houghton, mifflin and company 
 publish, under the above title, a series of books 
 designed especially for boys and girls who are laying 
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 series are not ephemeral publications, to be read hastily 
 and quickly forgotten ; both the authors and the sub- 
 jects treated indicate that they are books to last. 
 
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 form the principal portion of the library. The authors 
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 won attention, but the publishers give a hospitable recep- 
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 young, and the power to say it in good English and in 
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 tended particularly for young people, but they will not 
 be written in what has been well called the Childese 
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 by maps; history and biography by portraits; but the 
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Critical iRottcffif. 
 
 FISKS' S IVar of Independence. 
 
 John Fiske’s book, “ The War of Independence,” is a miracle. I can never 
 understand why, when a perfect literary work is issued, all the critics do not 
 clap their hands ! I think it must be because they never read the books. This 
 story of the war is such a book, brilliant and effective beyond measure. It 
 should be read by every voter in the United States. It is a statement that 
 every child can comprehend, but that only a man of consummate genius could 
 have written. — Mrs. Caroline H. Dale, in the Springfield Republican. 
 
 The story of the Revolution, as Mr. Fiske tells it, is one of surpassing in 
 terest. His treatment is a marvel of clearness and comprehensiveness ; dis 
 carding non-essential details, he selects with a fine historic instinct the main 
 currents of history, traces them with the utmost precision, and tells the whole 
 story in a masterly fashion. His little volume will be a text-book for older 
 quite as much as for young readers. — ■ Christian Union. 
 
 SCUDDER'S George IVasbington. 
 
 Mr. Scudder’s biography of Washington is a fit companion volume for Mr. 
 Fiske's little history. It tells the story of the great patriot, soldier, and states- 
 man with simplicity, sincerity, and completeness. It is not too much to say 
 of these books that they ought to be put into the hands of every boy and girl, 
 not only because of that which they contain, but because of the soundness 
 of their form. — Christian Union (New York). 
 
 Mr. Horace E. Scudder has executed a difficult task in a praiseworthy 
 manner. In spite of the innumerable lives of the first President, who shall 
 say anything new of his career and paint it in fresh colors ? Mr. Scudder 
 has been able to do this, and his book will be welcomed by old and young. 
 . — Boston Beacon. 
 
 CMERRIAM'S 'Birds through an Opera Glass. 
 
 A capital text-book of the right sort for young observers of Natural His- 
 tory. By text-book we do not mean a formal school-book, but a book with a 
 clear method, a capital style, and adequate information. This little volume 
 describes all the birds to be found in our fields and woods : describes them, 
 not as an ornithological treatise, but as a keen-eyed and thoroughly interest- 
 ing observer would describe them. Such a volume ought to be the com- 
 panion of every intelligent boy and girl during the summer. — Christian 
 Union (New York). 
 
 The book is deserving of praise for its eminently practical nature. The 
 hints to observers with which it opens, the appendix giving the classification 
 of birds by general family characteristics, by localities, by colors, by song, 
 the books of reference, and the index, all combine to make the book extremely 
 useful. — The Academy (Syracuse). 
 
GREENE’S Coal and the Coal Mines. 
 
 In the vehicle of the author’s terse, vigorous language, the reader is then 
 taken down into the subterranean passages, where he is almost made to see 
 the operations of mining the fuel, so vividly and picturesquely is the infor- 
 mation conveyed. Interesting and valuable statistics are quoted, amusing 
 incidents are related, entertaining descriptions and wise suggestions are 
 given and made, and, taken altogether, though dealing largely with what is 
 essentially dry in its nature, the book makes good reaeSng for the old as well 
 as the young. — The American (Philadelphia). 
 
 The exhaustive theme of coal and coal mining is made so concise and 
 simple that a child can thoroughly comprehend it. The author covers the 
 ground of study in a simple and interesting way, and furnishes illustrations 
 to make the words clearer. — New York School Journal. 
 
 MISS BAMFORTD’S Up and Down the Brooks. 
 
 Phis is a book which it is a pleasure to read and a duty to praise. Miss 
 Bamford tells us of her rambles by the California brookside, and her ac- 
 quaintances made there ; of their habits, their transformations, death and 
 burial, or happier release after a period of observation by the captor. . . . 
 On the whole, we do not know among recent books any more likely to give 
 pleasure to the nature-loving boy or girl, or more calculated to stimulate the 
 taste for healthy recreation and good reading. — The Nation (New York). 
 
 A charming book, full of most fascinating details in the lives of little- 
 known insects, and opening a rich field of study and interest, accessible to 
 every country child. . . . \Ve would put the book into the hands of every 
 girl and boy. — Epoch (New York). 
 
 MISS LARCOM’S New England Girlhood. 
 
 More than all, as a vivid, tenderly sympathetic yet uncompromisingly 
 truthful picture of phases of New England life, in home and at work, which 
 have now practically ceased to be, the book has a permanent, one may say 
 an historical value. — Boston Advertiser. 
 
 The story is one that will aid other girls to make the most of their oppor- 
 tunities, and help them in understanding the real value of life. It is a book 
 that every girl will be better for having read. — Boston Herald. 
 
 E. CHESTER’S Girls and IVomen. 
 
 I do sincerely hope that all the girls of the day may read it ; it is capable 
 of making a splendid generation of them. ... I shall be very glad if any 
 words of mine can aid in the least the introduction to notice of such a book 
 as “ Girls and Women.” It will not need much praise; it will praise itself. 
 — .Adeline D. T. Whitney, Milton, Mass. 
 
 It fills the place for young women that is filled for young men by Dr. 
 Hunger’s book, “ On the Threshold.” . . . Miss Chester’s words are worth 
 their weight in gold. — Boston Herald. 
 
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