University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 305 De Neve Drive - Parking Lot 17 • Box 951388 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90095-1388 Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. tVrO ' LlBRARlr UNlVi: -SITY OP CALIFORNIA » SAN UIEGO — 3 0)3 So'/ fss AD ORIENTEM. AD ORIENTEM. BY A. D. FREDERICKSON, F.R.G.S. With INiisf rat ions from the Author^ s Sketch-hook. London : W. H. ALLEN & CO., 13, Watebloo Place. 1889. INTRODUCTION. ^' Mais comment done, Monsieur, vous voudriez quitter V Europe dans un moment tellement critique, ah, c'est incroyahle I " lliese icords were addressed to me in the sedan de lectui^e of the elegant hotel *' Beau Rivage,'' at Oucliy. hy a Sjxmish lady of French extraction, icho had, on the previous evening, succeeded in opening my jmrse-strings for the benefit of the ivounded during the Franco-German ivar, ivhich icas then at its height. I had hut just returned from Strasshurg, having ivitnessed the last days of the siege and the entry of the Prussian troops into that fine old fortress, built nearly 200 years ago, and recently so gallantly defended by the French. After this great event few had any doubt as to the jjrobahle issue of the war, still it was but natural that natives of France, of ivhom a great many belonging to die upper ten thousand had taken refuge in .Switzerland, and not a few of them at the very hotel VI INTRODUCTION. / was staying at, should feel surprised that any one at that siqjreme moment could even give thought to, much less plan, a journey to the far East, lohere no- intelligence of the great events of the future might reach him. Feeling tolerably free^ however, of that craving for the latest telegraphic news from the seat of war, and tired of the monotonous life I ivas lead- ing, although graciously admitted to the society of those polished French, a few Russian notables, as far as their high-sounding titles ivent, and tivo or three agreeable English families, I had decided upon spending the tvinter in those Eastern countries whose shores are washed by the Indian and the Pacific- Ocean. Having, in the meantime, p>rovided myself ivith the necessary funds and letters of introduction, I ivas soon ready to start, determined, beforehand, to get as much pleasure, and gain as much information, as j)Ossible, during a t?ip ivhich vjas to cap all my pre- vious travels of many years past, during ivhich I had canvassed, to my heart's content, the whole of Europe, and the various countries abutting on the Mediter- ranean. However, before setting out on my self-imposed task of committing my experience to paper, I think it necessary to state that, although most of the subjects INTRODUCTION. Vll atid Incidents hereafter described are taken from my diary of travels in 1870-71, they hare been consider- ably supplemented by information and impressions received during a second jouimey made betiveen 1876- 7S; this has been more especially the case ivith regard to Southern India. Without this ex'jjlanation, it might appear that 1 1 tad been guilty of anachron- is7n.s in divers places. With the exceptiira of two or three fac-sitniles of photographs, the illustra- tions are from my oimi drawings ; originally it was my intention to add a number of views of Eastern landscape and religious monuments, which I was obliged, to ahandon on account of the expense^ which would have materially enhanced the price of this volume. On the other hand, the scenery of the East has of late years been so frec£iiently brought before the public in the stiape of admirable ivater- coloiir sketcJies {one of the most compilete collections being that exhihited by Miss Marianne North, a few years ago in Conduit Street), that I feel less reluc- tant in the omission on the present occasion. A. D. F. St. Hubert's, Beckenham, Kent EREATA. age 34, Line 10, for Davidian, read Dravidi ,, 54 , , 25 , , Persia , , Persea. „ 78 , 2 , Dalira ,, Dehra. „ 79 , , 12 , , as , , though. ,, 95 , , 17 , , stories ,, storeys. ,, 142 , , 7 , , Mohwa ,, Mahwa ,, 145 , , 6 & 7 , , bud ,, buel. ,, 158 , 4 , , her ,, its. CONTENTS. Chapter I. page The Adelsberg Grotto — Villa Mii-amar at Trieste — Caesar's Camp at Eamleh — The Eed Sea — The Tanks of Aden 1 Chapter II. Bombay — Isle of Elephanta — Hinduism — Parsee Marriage — Temple of Karlee — Ellora, the Great Kylas — Jubbulpore — Thug-geeism — The Marble Hills — Allahabad — Cawnpore... ... ... ... 13 Chapter III. Lucknow — Mahomedanism — Agra — The Taj and the Pearl Mosque — Akbar's Test of Religion — Futtahpore Sikree — Delhi — Indraput — Amritzar — Lahore — Buddhist Rehgion and Architecture ... ... ... 47 Chapter IV. Mussoorie and the Himalaya — Benares — Hindu Polytheism and Institution of Caste — Calcutta — Madras — Conjeveram, Temples of the Chalukyas Dynasty - Pondicherry ... ... ... ... ... ... 77' X CONTENTS. Chapter Y. page J3angalore — The Neilglierries — The State of Mysore — Hassan — Belur — Life on a Coffee Plantation — Flora and Fauna — The Sukali Gripsy Tribe — Native Sacrifice — Coffee Harvest — The Biindh-Gliaut — Mangalore — Jain Temple — British Administration in India... ... ... ... ... ... ... 106 Chapter VI. Ceylon and the Singhalees — Mountain Route to Kandy — Botanical Card en at Peradeniya — Dalada Temple — Buddhism — Visit to Newere-Ellia, the Sanatorium — Damboul, Pollanarua, and Anarajapore, Ancient Capitals of Ceylon — The Thuparame — Qalle — Precious Stones and Pearls of Ceylon ... ... 162 Chapter VII. Strait Settlements — Penang — Singapore — Bintang and Batani — Banca — Leaf and Stick Insects — Sumatra Coast — Floating Islands ... ... ... ... 194 Chapter VIII. LJatavia — Governor-Ceneral's Reception — Buitenzorg — Botanical Garden — Ethnological and Geological Museums — Java Fruit — Visit to Raden Saleh, Native Artist — Batoe-Toules, Site of Old Town — Fetish Monument — Court of Justice... ... ... ... 205 Chapter IX, Samarang — Soerakarta — Emperor Susuhunan IX. and his Court — Djokjokarta — Sultan Hamangkoe VI. — Chateau d'Eau — Tombs at Mataram — Temple Boro- CONTENTS. XI PAGE Bodo — Pro\'ince of Kadoe — Magellang — Fortress Ambarrawa — Oenarang — Forced Labour — Dutch Government Policy ... ... ... ... ... 2-30 Chapter X. Xing of Siam — Joliore and the Maharajah's Plantations — China — Hong-Kong and the Peak — Chinese Repast — • Canton — A Chinese Family — Exposing Infants — Hospitals for the Sick and the Dead — Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taouism — Temples — Life on Land and on Water — Voyage to Japan ... ... ... 271 Chapter XL Japan — Yokohama — Catastrophe of 1863 — Yeddo — Tea- houses, Tscha-jas, andDjoro-jas — Tombs and Temples of Sheba — Oki-chibaya — Japanese Art, China, Bronze, Lacquer-ware, Ivory-carving, and Silks — Hara-kiru — Yokoska, the Arsenal — Hot Springs of Myanooshta — Lake of Hakoni — Kanasawa ... ... 307 Chapter XII. Pacific Yoyage — San Francisco — Grrove of Mammoth Trees — Yosemite Valley — GTold Mines in the Sierra Nevada — Blue Grrotto — Salt Lake City — Rocky Mountains — Chicago — Niagara Falls — The St. Lawrence — Lake Champlain — New York ... ... 3o6 LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS. PLATE ^ I I f ^^^^ I. Somali boys at Aden 7^^'.'.,: /.Ur,.... 11 II. The Kylas at Ellora : 34 III. Old Thug at Jubbuli^ore Reformatory 39 I Y. Kaita and Kamarak fruit 54 V. Conjevcram 102 Push-push 106 VI. Irrigation elevator 109 Mysore Transit cart 116 VII. Hassan 121 VIII. Bastard teak, Flower of 126 IX. Dhaktree, Flower of 126 X. Moordhilla tree, Flower of 126 XI. Indian coral tree. Flower of 126 XII. Pagoda tree, Flower of 126 XIII. Silk-cotton tree. Flower of 127 XIV. Mango and Custard-apple fruit 127 XV. Bamboo and Screw-pine 129" XVI. Canarese coolies 136 XVII. Bati-buel creeper 145 XVIII. Singhalese Dhobi 167 XIX. RambodaFall 180 XX. Rambutan and Jamboo fruit 189' Paddy -reaper 218 XXI. Mangosteen and Longan fruit 219 XXII. Pomaloe and Lychee fruit 220 XXIII. Javanese Lady travelling 252 "Wild man of Johore 276' XXIV. Betto and Tea Girl 316 XXV. Japanese voucher 345 XXVI. Myanooshta 34a CHAPTER I. The Adklsberg (trotto — Vill.v Mira:viar at Triest — C,i:sAR*s Camp AT Ramleh — The IIed Sea — The Taxks of Aben. It thus happened, as explauied in the Introduction, that in the autumn of 1870 I bade good-bye to the Lake of Geneva, travelhng by way of Turin to Triest, and stopping en route at Adelsberg, situated amongst the wild mountains of lUyria, in order to visit its splendid caves, or rather group of grottos, about a mile from the railway station. They are the largest known in Europe, if not in the world, probably ex- tending a very great distance into the mountain, five miles only having so far been explored, and /' 2 THE ADELSBERG GROTTO. containing some remarkable stalactites and stalac- mites, assuming curious and fantastic shapes. The so-called " curtain," a white and maize-tinted semi- transparent screen, as of Algerian marble, and resembling a piece of drapery, is probably the most beautiful specimen amongst them ; also a grand effect is produced by the " Poik," or " Unz," a streamlet rapidly and noisily rushing through one arm of the cave, and forming a lake in its progress. There is a pretty glimpse from the narrow bridge which spans the boiling w^aters below, surrounded by almost utter darkness, relieved only by the reflection of lights placed in suitable positions along the entire length of the cave. In other parts it requires little imagination to recognize domes and pillars ; nay, ani entire cathedral, fully furnished with altar, pulpit,, and aisles ; elsewhere, an enormous hall, capable of holding a couple of thousand persons, on festive occasions used as a dancing saloon ; farther on,, again, tall banyan trees, with roots and branches, in mid-air, shapes of wild animals, &c. ; the stalactites varying in height from ten to a hundred feet, and in colour from white to brown in delicate tints of pink, pale-blue, and pearl-grey. Having spent three hours in examining the grotto, T returned, tolerably tired, to the little inn, " Die CASTLE MIRAMAR. 3 Uno-arische Krone," under a drizzlinof rain, which somewhat damped my usual good spirits, but I soon recovered on finding myself discussing a very homely meal, seasoned by a keen appetite, and an hour later the Vienna train laboured into the station, and carried me off to Triest, whence, on the follow- ing morning, I intended to start for Egypt. I had time, however, to pay an early visit to " Miramar,'^ the pretty marine residence of Maximilian, the late Emperor of Mexico. It is a charming abode, built in the Italian villa style, and surrounded by a tastefully laid -out garden. The house, from which there are fine sea and coast views, is fiUed with objects of art from the different countries the pro- prietor had visited, whilst Admiral in the Austro- Hungarian service, and amongst them there is a fine collection from Japan. The Austrian Lloyd's steamer, " Diana," with very pleasant company on board, amongst them the late Madame Miihlbach, a well-known German authoress, who afterwards published her experience of a visit to the land of the Pharaohs, landed us at Alexandria on the fifth day, amongst the usual crowd of Egyptians,. Maltese, and Greeks, each offering his services in his own tongue, creating quite a Babel. The weather was magnificent, the air balmy as only known in B 2 4 Cesar's cami*. eastern countries ; and soon finding myself amongst a host of old acquaintances, for I had spent many a pleasant winter in Egypt, ransacking every cornei- of it from the sea to the second Nile cataract, I found shelter during the few days I intended to rest here in the pretty suburban villa at E,amleh belonging to an English friend whose hospitality is well known to his countrymen ; and as this was but a short distance from the site of Caesar's camp, a spot of great archaeo- logical interest, I did not neglect riding over and giving it, as was soon too evident, a parting look ; for alas ! there was hardly anything remaining to mark the spot, barely one stone left upon another. But man is doomed to disappointment, and on this occasion mine was no greater than on visiting the ruins of Carthage a few years later. Where, years ago, I used to sit and cogitate amongst the debris of the old walls, now a huge unsightly palace had sprung into exist- ence, encroaching upon the eastern boundary of the camp. In those days sufficient masses of masonry had still remained to give a fairly correct idea of what it must have been nineteen centuries ago, in the time of the Romans, when its walls enclosed a space of nearly twelve acres, those facing north and south measuring 730 feet, and those east and west 665 feet each, thus forming almost a square, each facade possessing eight C^SARS CAMP. 5 roiiucl towers, excepting the one in the south-west corner, which was square and of larger dimensions. The principal entrance-gate was in the middle of the western face, therefore nearest to the old town of Alexandria. The walls varied in thickness from twelve to fifteen feet, and appear to have been about thirty feet high. The old bits of masoniy had for a long time resisted all attempts on the part of the natives to break them up by ordinary appliances ; indeed, blasting they soon found to be the only means of carrying out their work of destruction for the purpose of utilizing the material to build foundations in execution of the Khedive's latest whim. There are indications that an exit had also existed on the northern side, facing the sea, jjrobably for the purpose of landing and embarking troops. Within its walls the camp had been provided with wells and baths, a large square cistern built of tufa down to a depth of thirty-five feet, and a fine mosaic, strange enough, still in existence, representing Bacchus, with grapes in the centre, and surrounded by arabesques of handsome designs. This marks the spot of the prsetorium, or the imperial residence. The material, of which walls and towers had been con- structed, consisted of stones and pieces of marble of no uniform size, set in cement of that pinkish colour one notices in all Roman masonry, with double hori- 6 ARAB BOYS AT PLAY. 2;ontal lines, about seven feet apart, of red bricks, nine and a half inches square and two inches thick each. These and the cement are of such excellent M^orkman- ship that nothing seems to sever them. Imagine the noise and bustle in this enormous enclosure, when occupied Ijy a Roman army, con- sisting of thousands of citizen and auxiliary troops, Greeks, Ligurians and Nubians, with their entire war material, undergoing drill to the sound of flute and drum, mounting guard and manufacturing arms, although we must not forget that the Roman disci- pline was exemplary. Now the Zagreet, the pierc- ing cry of the Egyptian women, expressing joy or sorrow, is the only sound that sometimes thrills the air of this classical ground. On leaving the camp, or rather the spot where it had once existed, I heard a great din of voices in the minor key rapidly approaching, and in my haste to see what was going on, I nearly upset the paraphernalia of an artist engaged in committing to paper the antics of a most comical group. Great was my joy, by the hj, when I recognized in him the genial Mr. Tetar van Elven, the well known painter of Oriental subjects. Here was a jolly tar, more than half seas over, astride on a diminutive donkey, holding on with all his might, the animal THROUGH EGYPT. 7 scampering along at a great pace, and kicking at every obstacle ; on he came, surrounded by a dozen little urchins teazing the poor brute with thorny twigs, and yelling at the top of their voices. Arab fashion, they had little to boast of in the shape of clothing, a rag of red here, and a strip of blue there, completed their toilet, Avhilst Jack's head was tied up in a bright crimson handkerchief, and the remainder of his attire hung about him in quite artistical disorder, the entire group presenting a most ludicrous picture, L COUNTRY. a variety of Vjeautifiil scenery on this fine estate, cover- ing about 1,500 acres, that I am not surprised to find people willing to spend their best years in plantatiori life, although 150 miles away from a large town whence a doctor might be procured. Here we have the old virgin forest, so dense with jungle, that it is difficult and often impossible to penetrate. Trees 100 to 150 feet high, covered with magnificent foliage, and many producing exquisite flowers, as the Bastard Teak (Comhretum) : Long scarlet spikes, hanging down in clusters ; leaves large and ragged. (Plate VIII.) Dhak tree or Palas Kino {Butea frondosa) : A splendid sight w^hen covered with racemes of butterfly -like, deep orange -coloured flowers. The twigs yield a resinous Lac, the secretion of an insect. (Plate IX.) Moordilla [Barringtonia speciosa) : Flowers con- sisting of nearly a hundred crimson and yellow stamens. (Plate X.) Indian Coral tree (Erythrina ifidica) : Long spikes of splendid scarlet flowers, red seeds like coral. (Plate XL) Pagoda tree (Plumieria acuminata) : A handsome tree, bearing bouquets of white lily-shaped PLATE m. BASTARD TEAK. ^ Combretum..) j>.126. PLATE IX. DHAK TREE. fButea frondosa.l p. 126. PLATE X. MOORDHILLA TREE. (Barringtonia specioaa-J p. 126. PLATE H. INDIAN CORAL TREE. (Krythrlna iniiica.J p. 126. PLATE JK. PAGODA TREE. (PlumierLa acumiruita J p. 126. PLATE XIII JUNGLE COTTON. (Bomtax malabitricuTn.) p 127. PLATE XIV. MANGO. (Manrfife?-a. iicAica.) p. 127. CUSTARD APPLE. (Annua squamosa.) p. 127. JTJNGLE TREES. 127 flowers of fragrant perfume, leaves lance- like. It Is a favourite tree with the Hindus, who use its flowers for adornino- their temples. (Plate XII.) Silk cotton tree (Bombax malaharicum) : A most imposing tall tree, covered with formidable thorns ; its handsome deep crimson flowers of the shape of an open tulip appear before its leaves. (Plate XIII.) The Indian Sterculia [St&rcidia fosiida) : A noble forest tree, dark purple flower of kidney- shape, and offensive odour when fading. Most of the above flower before they produce leaves. Amonofst fruit trees there is the delicious Mango [Mangifera indica) : Shape of a large Marie Louise pear, in colour and taste not unlike very ripe apricot with a soupcon of resin. (Plate XIV.) Custard Apple (Anona squamosa) : Of delicate vanilla flavour. (Plate XIV.) The Jack tree (Artocarpus integrifolia). The Dorian (Dorio zibethinus) : This, as well as the Jack, much liked by the natives, but generally shunned by Europeans, owing to their ofiensive smell when cut open. 128 MVSORK FLORA. The Ali luiuno, its CJauarese name : Fruit like a large green plum, sticky inside, but of agreeable flavour. Also there are many specimens of trees used in building, and for domestic purposes, as the Ebony [Diospyros ebenum). Teak {Tektona grandis). Blackwood (Dalbergia latifolia). Satin wood ( Chloroxylon sivietenia). Sandalwood (Santalum album). Banyan (Ficus indica). Of Palm trees, the Toddy palm {Phoenix sylvestris). Cocoa-nut (Cocos nucifera). Palmyra [Borassus Jtabelliformis). Date palm [Phoenix dactytifera). The Stemless Date [Phoenix acaulis). Others, whose seeds contain oil, after the extraction of which the residue or poonac becomes a valuable manure for the coffee gardens, also used as food given to milch cows, viz. : — The Indian beech [Pongamia glabra) : Honge, Can. Gingelli [Sesamum indicum) : Wo 11 ellu, Can. -■*'ilfe^'j!(t-i' ^r V!:i,v ;^ MYSORE FLORA. 129 Ram-til, or foolish vl'fl plant {Guizotea oleifera) Huch ellu, Can. Castor oil (Ricinus communis) : Haralu, Can. Mahwa, or Indian butter tree (Bassia latifolia). Illupie, Indian oil tree [Bassia long if olio) : Hippa, Can. Of those producing- dye stuffs : — Gamboge tree {Garcinia pictoria). The Safflower shrub [Carthamus tinctorius). Deep gorges, here and there opening out into a vaUey with running water and cascades, clumps of tall waving Bamboos, of which there are a great many different species used for building bridges, making furniture, rope, and a variety of other useful articles ; and strings of Screw-pines (Pandanus) (Plate XV.), dipping their thirsty serial roots into the moist soil near a rivulet ; the fruit of the latter after being boiled and dried, forms farinaceous food for the natives. Again you get into the wood, running up a hill ; this time there are no trees above fifteen or twenty feet high, for it is little more than a jungle now, the forest having, at some former period, been cut down to make room for cultivation, and since been followed by a secondary growth of trees of a smaller type. Such land is called " kumri," and many coffee plantations or gardens have been made on it and 130 ASPECT OF THE HILL COUNTRY. worked successfully, although, of course, virgin forest soil is much preferred, and less risky. These jungles, when not planted, have an undergrowth of the common Bracken (Pteris aquilina), and generally patches of date grass, used for thatching ; the latter grows to a height of three or four feet and is very strong ; its yellow fruit, of the size of a small cherry, the natives are fond of. Also many useful trees and shrubs are found here, as the Emblic myrabolans [Phyllantus officinalis) : Bearing a little, semi-transparent, green fruit like a gooseberry ; it is very acid, and no native curry is complete without it. The Tamarind {Tamarindus indica) : A pod, used similarly, also preserved in sugar. The Indian laburnum {Cassia fistula) : The pulp of its seed used medicinally, and the bark for tanning ; flower, bright golden cluster, and a great many others. On reaching the summit the view is singularly beautiful, first the forest-clad hills, in many places precipitously cut into ravines, beyond, wide rich undulating plains watered by silvery streams, and in the distance a magnificent chain of mountains, being- part of the Western Ghauts, the most beautiful spur FAUNA OF MYSORE. 131 of which is the Babu Budan to the north, E. Long. 75, 37 to 75, 50, N. Lat. 13, 34 to 13, 22, forming a right angle, the two arms taking a westerly and southerly direction, respectively, each about 15 miles in length, and its most southerly peak, the Mulain-giri, rising to a height of 6,317 feet above the level of the sea. The atmosphere here being very rarified, one has a clear view of mountains nearly all round, Mysore being a plateau locked in between the Eastern and Western Ghauts. Having given some idea of the "flora" of Mysore, I will now add a few words on her " fauna." There are neither elephants nor lions now in this part of India, and even tigers and bisons are not very frequent, but the cheeta, jackal, and monkey, the planter's enemy, the latter having a partiality for the coflee berry, are plentiful, and the sportsman has a choice of game in the spotted deer, a very pretty, sagacious animal, the hog-deer, and the jungle sheep, which is delicious eating ; it has however, neither the beautiful horns, nor is it as large as the gigantic wild sheep (Ovis ^joli) of the Tian Shan range in central Asia, of which an excellent description appears in Lieut.-Col. Gordon's "Boof of the World." Squirrels and rats are in abundance. Of reptiles, K 2 132 BIRDS OF MYSORE. snakes are represented by the poisonous hooded cobra, the long green tank snake and the common whip ; besides frogs, lizards, bloodsuckers, and tortoises. Fishes — there are said to be a good variety in some of the larger rivers ; I have seen none but a few perch, carp, and eel. Amongst insects, which seem to enjoy special privileges in hot climates, one here never escapes the fly, mosquito, B flat, or F sharp, and millions of ants, white, red, green, and black. I have frequently met with ant-hills in the jungle six to ten feet high ; then there are hornets, grasshoppers, and beetles ; of the latter there is the pretty golden- green, whose wings are much used in the embroidering of dresses and shoes, also bees and some fine butterflies; leeches wherever you walk during the wet season, whilst your walls are alive with creeping abominations, scorpions, spiders, and centipedes. Amongst the birds inhabiting these forests and swamps are the green parakeet, the yellow-breasted Thrush, the Cookoo, the pretty orange minivet or mango bii'd, as he is here called, the warbler, and the beautiful paradise Flycatcher (Tchitrea paradisi) whose adult male is a small white bird with blue-black head and crest, and two central tail feathers prolonged fifteen to twenty inches beyond the ordinary tail, forming two long silvery streamers. This bird, which DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 133 is also frequently met with in the forests of Borneo and Celebes, is remarkable for its graceful and silent movement in darting rapidly through the air of some sheltered spot which is his favourite resort ; the female and the young male are of a light -brown colour, and have the ordinary tail without prolongation. The sportsman visiting these regions will be glad to hear that there are also plenty of hoopoo, florikan, jungle fowl, woodcock and snipe. Breeds of domestic animals are throughout poor, cattle, buffalo, and sheep, the latter selling at the low price of five to seven shillings each, and so small that any able-bodied man will consume an entire sheep in two or three days with or without the help of his cook. The horses used at Bangalore are mostly Walers, from Australia, and the quick little Pegu pony, generally cream coloured with black tail and mane ; up-country the rough-looking dark Mahratta pony is the favourite, being more wiry and a good climber, as well as inexpensive ; ten pounds is a fair price for the latter, whilst a Pegu fetches about thirty pounds. Let us now return to the bungalow, which is covered in by a large thatched roof, gable-fashion, and over- lapping the sides like a swiss chalet, a verandah back and front, and half-a-dozen comfortable rooms inside, 134 BUNGALOW ADVENTURE. all on one floor. At the entrance stood the smiling dhorasani, my host's better half as some people thought, ready to do honours at the head of a well-appointed tiffin table, an invitation I politely declined, however, not wishing to spoil my dinner, and enjoyed a good rest instead. During the very first night I spent at Pore, I experienced the disadvantage of a thatched roof, for rats came in by the dozen, and seemed to make themselves quite at home in my room. At one time they had a grand steeple-chase overhead, and one or two fell upon my mosquito curtains ; at another, hide and seek was evidently their game, whilst some more hungry than their playful brethren began to gnaw at my boots, which I found in the morning more or less the worse for their appetites and sharp teeth. There was little sleep to be had under such circumstances, but by the first appearance of dawn my entertainers suddenly disappeared, and I determined to make up for lost time ; however, living in the jungle means early rising, for as soon as nature wakes there are thousands of birds ready with their morning song. I well remember the Plaintive or Hawk-Cookoo, one of the earliest birds, who in time became simply detestable to me owing to his peculiar whining tune, con- sisting of the notes of nearly an octave from treble to CANARESE COOLIES. 135 bass ; or as Mr. V. Ball has it in his " Jungle Life," the reiteration of its chromatic scale of seven or eight notes uttered in a monotonous adagio strain, then suddenly breaking off ready to repeat it at short intervals. After one has heard him several times, and always with the same melancholy effect, one feels inclined to rush out gun in hand, but our friend probably retires cookoo-fashion into the hollow of a tree, for he can never be caught. Presently a loud gong or bell is sounded in the com- pound calling the coolies to work, and now all around is alive. The cattle and sheep are let out of the sheds, and are drivenoff to pasture; the dhorasani from the back verandah superintends the milking of cows ; the search for eggs, which the snake is supposed to be immode- rately fond of, but here the latter has been found to be a biped ; the feeding of the poultry, and giving an eye to the grooming and feeding of the horses, as the natives are apt to abstract the gram for their own curry. In the meantime the coolies approach in strings by various routes from hill and valley, headed by their maistry, whose business it is to see that none sham sickness or run off. There they are, men, women, and children, mostly scantily and poorly dressed. There are, however, exceptions, as, for instance, the so-called " locals," who have their permanent lines, or group of 136 CANARESE NAMES. huts, on the estate, and but rarely leave it. These enjoy certain privileges, and are much more orderly and provident in their habits. The men wear the combley, a brown cotton plaid with a dark border, gracefully slung, Hindu fashion, over the right shoulder and round the waist, fastened by a broad belt, often holding a knife or a small axe ; on their head they tie a bright- coloured handkerchief, with one end hanging down behind the ear. The women dress in the sari, a long cotton cloth, generally blue, wound round their figure down to the knee and over the right shoulder, one end thrown over the head, and generally they wear a tight- fitting short bodice underneath, leaving neck and arms bare. They are very fond of flowers, especially the marigold, which both men and women like to put in their hair instead of a handkerchief. (Plate XVI.) Canarese names have a pleasant sound, as the following, picked up at hap-hazard, will show : — MEN. WOMEN. Poota. Hoochi. Kala. Kali. Chena. Mari. Runga. Gungi. Pudama. Ningi. Byra. Bori. Rama. Siddi. Plate: XVI. ^ * '^cf^^".^ CANARESE COOLIES. p. 136. SUKALI, GIPSY TRIBE. 137 Nursima. Mungee. Yencata. Jummini. Dava. Chowli. Gunga. Meetuddi. Hosba. Toolcee. These hills are frequently visited by a certain gipsy tribe, the Lambani, or Brinjari, or, as they were here called, the Sukali, whose head-quarters are at Orissa. They wander about in gangs under a headman, accom- panied by their cattle and all their worldly possessions. They never stay very long in one place, but, I under- stand, they make excellent coolies on coffee plantations. In the olden days of Indian warfare, these people used to make themselves eminently serviceable as grain- carriers, on the backs of their cattle ; the remembrance of which induced the Duke of Wellington, during the Mahrattawar, and, again. Colonel Coke and others dur- ing the late Mutiny, to employ them in districts which were either exhausted, or where sufficient carriage was not obtainable, to supply the bazaars with food. The haunts of the Brinjaris, for the purpose of pasturing their cattle, were pretty well known ; and, although they avoided populated districts, the offer of a good round sum would always secure their services. Colonel Meadows Taylor, in his most interesting work, " Story of my Life," gives his readers a little insight into the 138 SUKALI, GIPSY TRIBE. darker side of their doings previous to 1847, when they were frequently connected with daring gang-robberies. It appears they adopted the habit of travelhng con- siderable distances, presumably as carriers of grain and salt, their real object being to waylay the unwary, and it required considerable sagacity, which Colonel Taylor possessed in a very high degree, and which eventually enabled him to put a stop to their crimes. These gipsies are very peculiar people, and have to be humoured a good deal. They worship their own deity of the forest, " Baneshankari," and are guided by their own laws and customs, which they keep secret ; they also speak their own language. The women's dress is very pictu- resque, and totally difierent from that worn by any other class. It consists of a tartan petticoat and a brownish shawl or mantle, elaborately embroidered, which covers the head and upper part of the body. The hair is worn in ringlets or plaits, hanging down each side of the face, decorated with small shells, and terminating in tassels. Their arms and ankles are profusely covered with rings and trinkets made of bone, brass, and other materials. They dance solos, and in groups, to the accompaniment of timbrel and castanets, and the whole performance, nay, the people altogether, in appearance, as well as in their odd habits, remind one of the Zingfari of Wallachia and the Gitani of LABOUR ON THE PLANTATIONS. 139 Spain ; and like all of that order they are thieves from infancy. When employed on coffee plantations they, of course, occupy separate lines of huts, as all others do belonging to different gangs and castes. Soon the daily work is apportioned to each set of coolies, tools delivered into their hands, and off they file to tlie gardens under the wing of their maistry, who is responsible for the work done. The latter does not always lead an enviable life, amongst such strangely assorted people, mostly of the lowest type and caste, besides they have their domestic troubles too. Whilst I was at Pore there was a tall, good-looking young fellow named Kamanaik, who had lately risen to the distinction of headman, on the strength of which he had married a pretty girl, by the payment of a con- siderable sum, probably thirty rupees, to her mother. After a time the latter, a sordid old woman working on another estate, persuaded her daughter to return to her on a visit, with a view of selling her again to some other man who was offering a tempting number of rupees. Bamanaik, becoming uneasy about his wife's long absence, begged leave of the dhoray to go and fetch her ; however, the poor fellow never returned, for his mother-in-law had managed to poison his food, and thus get rid of him. When there are large numbers of coolies employed 140 VEGETABLES GROWN IN THE HILLS. on one estate, and the majority of the hitter having at least two hundred acres under coffee, requiring upwards of a hundred hands throughout the year, it is often puzzhng to remember names, since so many sound ahke to the uninitiated ; some are called after the legendary Hindu deities, others again seem to be known only by the name of the village they sprang from, and as thus there are frequently several under the same condition in one gang, they add a distinctive adjective, such as Doda elder, Chicka younger, or Dodee and Chickee in the case of a female, etc. After tiffin, whilst the dhoray was attending to liis daily duties, I accompanied his wife to her kitchen-garden, which she seemed not a little proud of, and well she might be, for I have seldom seen one better stocked with vegetables ; there 1 noticed lettuce, beans, peas, carrots, yams, cabbage, tomatoes, brinjal or egg plant, sweet potatoes, and even Indian corn, besides a row of roselle shrubs (Hibiscus sardariffa), the red sorrel of the West Indies, which has a pretty yellow flower, deep purple in the centre, and bears a bright crimson fruit, making a delicious preserve not unlike damson jam. During the dry season this garden is daily irrigated by narrow channels cut between every row of beds, and at the time was under the charge of a very fanatical, fat, jet-black Hindu, PADAMAHS SACRIFICE. 141 named Padamah, always clad in a bright red turban and little else, a man who, from his cunning and his long residence, exercised considerable influence over the coolies, and being besides a great glutton, he watched every opportunity to propitiate the gods, which means having a sacrifice or tremendous feast, if possible at master's expense ; at one time it is sickness, at another evil signs or any other trivial cause. One early morning the loquacious Padamah made his appearance in the compound wild with excitement, in vain trying to make himself heard by the dhorasani, whilst the cattle were lowing and the sheep bleating on leaving the sheds ; the poor lady finding herself in the same dilemma as King Charles of old, during his. progress through Kent, when a mayor of Kochester, just at the commencement of an elaborate address, was accompanied by the loud braying of an ass, only that she had not the ready wit of his Majesty, who- exclaimed, " One at the time, gentlemen, one at the time." However, the remembrance of this anecdote could not well be expected to have disconcerted the excited gardener, who, eschewing all obstacles, managed, by dint of perseverance, to make his mistress at last understand that an old cow having died over night, it was certain the evil spirit had done it in 142 PUJ AH — SACRIFICE. revenge of some oftence, and that the latter must be propitiated by the sacrifice or pujah of the dead animal, which, in consequence, was given up, for had it been buried, they would have dug it up and eaten it all the same. The ceremony was performed in the evening on the slope of a hill not far off, under a large ^ Mjjjiwa tree, and in front of a rough stone slab or altar, about five feet high by three feet wide, leaning against its trunk. Here the big beast was roasted whole, the blood sprinkled upon the stone, the intestines ex- amined for good or for evil, and incantations pro- nounced. Dancing and singing, and all sorts of abominations while away the time until the feasting begins, and they seldom leave off as long as there is anything to devour. If the task is beyond their power, they dry the remainder in slices to eat at their leisure. It afterwards transpired through the Ayah that the deity was supposed to liave been offended by the dhorasani, in her walk on the jDrevious day, having passed, or perhaps even touched, the stone which their superstition had dubbed into an emblem of the Godhead. Stocks and stones, or a lump of clay, and frequently trees smeared over with a little red paint, are converted into an idol and reverenced by the ignorant Hindu ; the natives generally adorn them with little earthenware pots or chatties, and GARDEN AT PORE. 143 strings of white and yellow flowers. At a marriage feast the bride walks three times round this im- provised shrine in her bridal dress. Flower gardens are generally neglected in these regions, as they require much attention and are sure to suffer during the long dry season ; still Pore does sport one of modest dimensions in front of the bungalow, surrounded on three sides by a hedge of the evergreen-rose, enclosing small beds of pretty flowers ; plenty of Zinnias in half-a-dozen colours, these indeed grow all over the jungle ; a slender pink iris, the fuchsia, geranium, a light blue con- volvulus, as large as a cheese-plate, called the "morn- ing glory " and others, also two magnificent lime trees {Citrus acida), — altogether not much to boast of, if compared with European gardens. There was also a fine grove of plantains, consisting of a great number of young plants luxuriating under the shade of tall trees overlooking a narrow valley, whose slopes are planted with coffee, and at the bottom with cardamoms of bright green, following the winding of a clear rivulet which springs at the upper end from a tiny lake, barely 80 yards in diameter, with a lofty Indian elm- tree {Ulmus integrifolia) in the centre, the tont- ensemhle forming a pretty bit of scenery as seen from above Of plantains there are a great many 144 PROPOSAL TO VISIT KERRI. varieties in Mysore, especially one kind I have not seen elsewhere; it is very large, i)iiik inside (Musa paradisiaca), and has a delicious flavoui-, — there are others again that are only fit for cooking. These hills abound in picturesque aspects, secluded spots crowded with ferns, trees covered with orchids and interlaced by creepers of every variety, hardly admitting a peep of the blue sky overhead, and in their midst a little brook disputing the passage ; beyond broad terraces, one above the other, with water trickling down in pearly threads, setting off the fresh emerald green of a rich crop of rice which requires much care in its irrigation, for there is not a more thirsty plant in existence excepting the water- lily and others purely aquatic. One day the dhory proposed riding over to Kerri, so called after the Canarese for a " tank " which exists at the extreme end of this, his other estate, some eight miles distant. I readily assented, and we set off before sunrise next morning, both being well mounted, he on a Waler and I on a stout Pegu pony, but never did I experience so short a distance occupying- so much time on horseback. Our road or path led principally up and down hill, occasionally through swampy paddy fields, fording rivers and scrambling over thick jungle. The air was deliciously cool and PLATE XVlf B AT I - B U E L . p 145 THE BLT^E COW. 145 the scenery throughout unrivalled, — nature has cer- tainly favoured this part of India beyond any other that I have visited. We continually passed some beauti- ful flowering shrubs, and the hedges were covered with creepers whose Canarese names were all I could learn ; one was called Haggeri Bh(i, a scarlet pendant barely an inch long, another Bati l^^d (Plate XVII.), flower like that of a crimson fuchsia with purple centre and a bright red ovary, a most graceful plant growing to a considerable size ; I also noticed a small tree bearing white flowers resembling bouquets of white pinks of a fragrant vanilla perfume, name unknown. We rode over acres covered with Cape Jasmine (Gardenia Jio7^ida) and then passing on through a jungle with occasional breaks of pasture we came upon a herd of cattle, amongst them there was, what appeared to my correct eye, a blue cow, and on examining her closer I found that the optical effect was produced by minute bluish- gray spots under the skin. I had often heard of blue cattle in India and this solved the mystery to my satisfaction. In northern India, and especially in Rajputana. we are told the forests hold many wild blue bulls, there called Neilghau, which, like the peacock, are sacred animals ; all blue things are deemed so in honour of Krishna, who is always represented of the same colour. L 14G THE TOIJDY PALM. The Kerri estate, about 200 acres, covers a hill forming a large plateau on the top, the old forest having been cleared away to make room for planta- tions, excepting a sufficient number of tall trees to give shade ; for in Mysore, unlike Ceylon and the Wynaad, coffee is invariably grown under shade, and few are better for that purpose than some specimens of the Ficus genus, specially selected for their bushy crown, besides the Goney, the Busri, and the Howli- gay, the Canarese names by which they are known here to planters and natives. The Toddy palm, which attams a considerable height, is also frequent here ; these trees are hired out to men of a certain caste, whose privilege it is to draw the liquid, by cutting off the end of the young flower spike before it opens, then fastening an earthenware chatty to the end, into which the sap flows. The simple machinery, by which the vessel is raised and lowered, consists of a double rope passing through a loop, ingeniously attached to the stem above, and a stone tied to the other end keeps the chatty in its place ; when full the stone is removed and the vessel pulled down by the other rope. The toddy, when fresh, has a very pleasant taste, not unlike that of the green cocoa-nut, but it speedily ferments and becomes intoxicating ; this is the stage in which natives like it best. When JUNGLE FIRE. 147 distilled it becomes " arrack," and by boiling a sugar is obtained, called "jaggary." After a very uncomfortable night, owing to the want of mosquito curtains, and an early cup of tea with some delicious chupatties, made of rice and cocoa- nut milk, we returned on the following morning by a longer but easier route, across many a field now almost bare, as the annual fires during the hot month of May liad burnt off every blade of grass. These conflagra- tions, the deliberate act of the natives to obtain a fresh crop of herbage for the cattle, are a grand sight as they rage along at considerable speed, covering a large ^expanse of ground, but they are dangerous to cattle, .and it requires the assistance of all hands to prevent the fire approaching the bungalow and the coffee gardens. The coolies extinguish or beat it out with long palm branches. It is also at this period that the stillness of a piping hot day is frequently broken into by a tremendous crash in the depth of the forest, indicating the sudden ooUapse of some gigantic tree, long decayed to the core, breaking down in the midst of the dense growth around it. There is something very solemn in this last outburst of nature's decrees ; the very air seems suddenly hushed, the birds stop their song, and all living things seem awed by it. L 2 148 HO.Nri-; mtk in 'iiii: iiim.s. On our arrival at Pore I found heaps of letters and newspapers, always a most welcome sight in India, and the dozen different London journals sent by kind friends, were food enough to last me initil the subsequent mail brought a fresh supply. People at home have little idea how much an old papei' is valued out there. During the remainder of my stay in the Mj^sore hills, which now rapidly drew to a close, visitors occasionally turned up, although our nearest neighbour lived five miles off, an exceedingly kind- hearted widow lady, who managed her own coffee estate, and who supplied me with medicine and other things when I was down with fever, for the latter few can escape ; it is not of a malignant character and soon gives in to a dose or two of quinine, else there is no pre- vailing sickness here, and the former only occurs after the heavy rains Avhen the mouldering leaves and vegetation create a miasma. The natives, at times, suffer much from boils, but cholera is rare up here. Amongst my parting rambles in the neighbourhood I had a very agreeable trip to Mercara, the capital of Coorg, a considerable military station, which lies in a hollow surrounded by hills ; here I spent a few pleasant days at the bungalow of a successful coffee planter, where I was most hospitably entertained, and I was MONSOON. 149 glad of the opportunity of seeing the method of culti- vation followed in that province. The monsoon in these hills, with rare exceptions, sets in about the beginning of June, and the down- pour continues with longer or shorter interruptions until the middle of September ; during that time seedlings of coffee are planted out from the nurseries, vacancies filled up and new plantations formed. That operation completed, weeding becomes the principal work, requiring all the hands that can be obtained. This is a trying time for the occupants of the bungalow, whose thatched roof then almost resembles a sieve ; every available vessel is set to catch the rain, still pools of water ai-e unavoidable throughout the house, and fires become most acceptable. Crop time was now at hand, and I only delayed my departure from Pore to witness the harvesting opera- tion. Of course, the time of the year when coffee gardens look their best is during the few days, or sometimes a week, in the middle of March, when every bud opens under the influence of the so-called blossom or mango showers, and when slopes and valleys become all at once covered, as it were, with a thick layer of snow-flakes, whilst the perfume — a strong spice or vanilla scent — pervades the atmosphere for miles around. That is the time par excellence, I say, to 150 COFFEE ri-ANTATI()N, visit a })laiitiiti()ii ; then the pkiiiter is se^eii threading his way from garden to garden, witli an anxious look, mentally comparing the show before liim with that of previous years, and estimating its probable result, provided a bad monsoon does not upset even his most cautious calculation. Now in the month of November the trees present a different but also an exceedingly pretty aspect, crowded as they are witli little bunches of red cherries, perhaps a dozen in each, and from eight to twelve such bunches on eacli branch, of the latter there may be as many as twenty bearing on one tree ; however, such numbers are rather the exception, and not to be relied upon, for if a similar result could be obtained throughout, an acre would produce upwards of a ton of clean coffee, whilst in Mysore two and a half to three cwt. is considered a fair average crop, although Ceylon planters count upon five to seven cwt. per acre ; but working expenses are very much heavier with them, labour having to be imported from the Malabar coast. During picking time it is amusing to take your stand at the pulper and watch the women bring in baskets full of ripe fruit, carefully eyeing each lot being measured, as they get extra pay for any quantity exceeding a bushel, which often causes dis- putes and bad language, which the Canarese excel PREPARATION OF COFFEE CHERRY. 151 in. The pulping machine separates the coffee in its parchment skin from the red outer pulp, which latter is allowed to ferment, and in that state forms excellent manure. The parchment berry, after being thoroughly washed in stone cisterns, is on the next morning taken to the barbecue, a large level piece of ground near the bungalow, in order to see it carefully watched, where it is for several days exposed to the sun's rays, either upon the ground covered with chunam, or upon long trays about six feet wide, running the whole length, and consisting of bamboo mats resting upon short poles stuck firmly into the ground. When perfectly dry the parchment coffee is taken into the store, and thence sent to the coast, where it is cured, that is, dried again and peeled of its parchment and silver skin, by which process the two half berries become released and the produce is ready for shipment to the European market. The whole operation is very interesting. Within the last decade a new industry, namely the cultivation of Cinchona, has met with considerable success in Mysore and in south-western India generally, results, however, varying somewhat accord- ing to the process adopted for obtaining the bark, which is twofold, by uprooting and by coppicing. By 152 CINCHONA — GOLD. the former, tlie tree, after luiviii^- reached maturity, yields at once the maxinnun of bark, at least, one- third more than obtainable by coppicing ; 1 )iit the trees are sacrificed, and the soil having- to lay fallow for several years, one crop is obtainable within not less than ten years, whilst by the other mode (the coppic- ing) the trees will grow another crop in four, five, or six years. The C. Calisaya (yellow bark, yielding- larger proportion of Cinchona than the C. Succirubra, producing red bark), by uprooting, will give from half to two or even three pounds of bark per ton, accord- ing to age. Another species, which has also been grown with good results, is the C. Ledgeriana ; its discoverer is Mr. Ledger of Tucuman, the central province of the Argentine Republic, — the Eden of America, according to native writers. In Sikkim, Northern India, there is a large government Cinchona factory, which will in due time be able to supply the entire quantity of sulphate of Quinine needed by the u'overnment of India. Gold has also of late years been discovered in Mysore, notably in the Kolar district, where several mines are now being worked, returning large profits to the fortunate shareholders of some of the numerous companies started. THE BUNDH (4HATTT. 153 1 must now bid adieu to Mysore, and that not with- out a feehng- of gratification, having had the oppor- tunity of seeing' and learning many things quite new to me. A springless cart, the same kind I had before, and Avhich is used for conveying coffee to the coast, was readily pi'ocured, and accompanied by the faithful George, I was soon on my way to Mangalore, about eighty miles distant. On the first day I got as far as the top of the Western ghauts, which no one is allowed to pass, either up or down, during the night, owing to its dangerous precipices, and very early on the following morning I Avalked down this glorious pass in advance of the cart. The Bundli Ghaut, such is its name, ofi'ers much grander views than any of the Swiss passes, not only owing to the natural beauty of this enormous mountain chain and its smiling valleys below, but also to atmospherical effects and the rich vegetation of every part, besides, there are the usual waterfalls and cascades, and thousands of pretty flowers and butterflies. On reaching the foot of the Ghaut, in the province of South Canara, I again got into the cart and made for the nearest Government-bungalow some miles off; there was not a particle of furniture in it, as it was 154 SOUTH CAXARA — M A N(;A I.ORH. intended for natives only, hut it iiad two rooms entirely open to the front, one containing a long stone platform with half-a-dozen holes in it for cooking operations. I have, howevei', often slept in \vorse places than this, and with the help of my mattress, taken out of the cart, I passed an excellent night and began the next day's journey by walking twelve miles before the sun had risen too high to mar my pleasure. This is the land of the cocoanut palm, fruit and rice fields, it being abundantly watered by streams and canals. Small properties are here the rule, and the country flourishes from the minute attention bestowed by each proprietor on his own little farm. There are fine hedges of the Ixora Cochin- Chvia, bearing a sweet- scented flower of a peculiar maroon tint, which hither- to I have not met elsewhere ; also ginger and turmeric are cultivated in these plains. On the same eveninof, after one or two difficult passages through rapid rivers — for bridges I saw none • — I reached Bunt walla on the Mangalore river, the banks of which are lich in vegetation and picturesque ; thence most travellers pi-oceed to the coast by boat ; but visions of mosquitos, whose furious attacks on inland navigation in the tropics I had some acquaint- ance with, decided me to remain the night at tliis place, having my bed prepared under the table, as THE JAIN RELIGION. 155 the rain was pouring- tln'oiigh the roof like a sieve, and about noon next day I found myself comfortably housed at the Traveller's Inuigalow of Mangalore. This town has not much to boast of in point of beauty ; there is a large native quarter and a consider- able amount of trade, shipping as well as inland. The harbour smells strongly of fish, which is salted and packed for export, whilst the dead fish and refuse are sent hj cart to Mysore to serve as manure. There is at Mangalore as elsewhere a good sprinkling- of mosques and temples, the lattei' belonging to the Jain sect, mucli resembling the usual style of Hindu architecture. There are now j^robably, proportionately, more Jains in Canara than in any other province of India, excepting perhaps Chota Nagpur. Their exact origin is still involved in obscurity ; they seceded from the Brahmins at a somewhat later period than the Buddhists, say about the fourth century B.C., and they have much in common with the latter, excepting that they admit into their religious system the worship of some of the favourite Hindu divinities and also retain caste, to which they owed part of their popularity, whilst the followers of Buddha have dwindled down to a very narrow circle, if indeed they can be said to exist at all in India. 156 .JAIN TEMPLE. Of Jain origin tlieit' are I'enuiiiis of many tine temples still extant in countries south of Dharwar, datinof from the beofinning- of our era to the 13th century, on some of which Colonel Meadows Taylor, twenty-five years ago, when Deputy Commissioner of Shorapoor and the Kaichore Doab, discovered ancient Canarese inscriptions ; the finest complete specimen, however, is found at Gujerat, of the 11th century. The style of construction is always twelve- pillared, whilst that of the Hindus, when pure, is astylar ; it is also noted for the Stambhas, a graceful column, often thirty to fifty feet high, foi-merly used for bearing emblems, figures of animals or statues elabor- ately adorned. The four-pillared pavilion or portico in front of Hindu temples receives from the Jains a fifth pillar in the centre, else there is little difi^^'ei-ence between them. The Jain temple always covers an image placed in a square cell, which receives its light from the doorway only. The bazaars of Mangalore are well supplied with articles of native, as well as foreign, industry, amongst the former the silver ornaments of Southern India deserve a special notice. The " bidree" work, with its in- cisions filled up with some black composition, resembles the well-known Byzantine "niello" of the twelfth to the fifteenth century, and the handsome C^aucasian LEAVING MANGALOHE. 157 niello-work of the present day. Its process is well adapted to patterns of oriental cliaracter. Also the embossed silver ornaments of Tanjore, on the Coi'o- inandel coast, are extremely elegant ; the relievo parts generally representing subjects of Hindu legendry. A steamer from Bombay being then daily expected to touch at Mangalore on her way to Colombo, I reluctantly paid off my servant, who in vain begged to be allowed to accompany me, and prepared to leave India after a somewhat lengthy but most interesting sojourn. Previous experience in many other countries had taught me the desirability of seeing India, not only along well established routes, but also on less trodden ground, and of conversing and mixing with natives, and I readily availed myself of special circum- stances which gave me the opportunity of carrying out that resolution ; and whatever I have related in these pages is a simple and faithful account of all I have witnessed. A few words on the British rule in India will appropriately close this portion of my journal. In building up a great edifice or Empire, we must commence by laying down a sound and solid founda- tion, in other words raise the moral condition of the people, and bring them to such a high state of civiliza- 158 r.iM'iisii KviA-: i.\ india. tion that they may eventually hecoine the pillais of that noble structure. This has undouhtedly liitherto been the ahn of the Imperial Government, the same jainciple has guided each of mjr officials in his re- spective post, from hiii;h to low, and there is now every promise of complete success. Already native judges pi-eside at some of our courts in India, and before long we shall find the same element represented in all branches of Govei-nment and private enter- prise. The agricultural progress of the country, within the last twenty-five years, lias been enormous, and many able writers having fully discussed and fairly threshed out the subject, I do not intend wearying my readers by expounding my own views. As regards the Ryot, a very important personage in a purely agiicultural country, I feel fully convinced that the " village system " is the most suitable for India at all times, and more especially so in bad times, and when visited l^y the curse of famine. The high death rate during the latter, which decimated Mysore in 1877, was no doubt owing to the neglect and total disorganization of that system, which had been handed down from father to son for generations past, and which the Kyot clings to with a sort of religious eagerness, feeling safe and content under it. BRITISH KULE IN INDIA. 159 The sole object of the Government is to lule India for the benefit of her people, no selfish vieAV of filling her own coffers being part of that policy ; trade and agriculture are alike unshackled by any restriction, and whatever taxes and duties are imposed they are solely employed to meet the expenditure of the Indian Empire, to further education, and to extend public works in India. The benefits of Christianity are placed at their door, ready to exercise theh^ civilizing influence, but are by no means forced upon the natives ; on the contrary, their religious prejudices, even when mere superstitions, are scrupulously respected. The people of British India, however, are not of that docile and apathetic nature which characterizes the Javanese, who have, until recently, been ground down by then' rulers, as we shall see in a subsequent chapter. Moreover, the vast extent of the Indian Empii-e, and the conglomeration of race, as well as the presence of powerful semi-independent Princes, require a strong military organization, which has become a serious burden to the country. The combined force of British soldiers and sepoys in India numbers, in round figures, two hundred thousand men, comprising about one-third of the former, and two-thirds of the latter class ; which, on the highest military authority, is deemed sufficient. 160 iniinsii immj-: in india. not only to keep the peace within onr liorder, and to hold in check the larc^e armies maintained by Rajahs of various degrees, but also to defend a population of two hundred and fifty-two million souls (according to the census taken in 1881) from all foreign agression. These native forces, although very formidable -looking on paper, as aggregating three hundred thousand men, do not, on closer inspection, pi-esent elements for any serious apprehension of danger ; for, however numerous, the greater part are mere rabble — ill-clad, noisy, and badly armed ; nor do they possess an ai'tillery enabling them to cope with European troops of all arms ; moreover the possibility of a successful insurrection oi- mutiny has been very much minimised by the introduction of railways and telegraphs ; although too much reliance must not be placed upon these either, for nothing is easier for rebels than to teai' up the rails and cut the wires ; besides, during the hot season, large numbers of European troops, and more especially ofiicers, occupy the military Sanitaria, now so much in vogue, at a considerable distance from their base. The following gives the approximate strength of the forces kept up by Indian Princes, compiled from state- ments which appeared in the Times of 2nd September^ 1878, and 29th July, 1879 :— BRITISH RULE IN INDIA. 161 03 -*^ O O ^ I Oodeypoie 21,400 Jeypore 14,000 Jiidlipore 9,600 Other Eajs 47,500 92,500 ^ [Gwalior 22,000 ^ J Baroda 19,500 ^ I Indore 10,000 ^ I 51,500 Bundelciind 25,000 Hyderabad 45,000 Cashmere 20,000 Minor States 71,000 305,000 Besides, independent Nepaul has an army of 50,000 to 100,000 men. M CHAPTER VI. Crtlon and the Singhalese — Mountain eotjte to Kandy — Botanical Garden at Peradenita — Dalada Temple — Buddhisji — Visit to Newere Ellia, the Sanitarium — Damboul, Pollanartta, and Anurajapore, Ancient Capitals of Ceylon — The Thuparame — Galle — Precious Stones and Pearls of Ceylon. On approaching the island of Ceylon at an early hour, the aspect of the coast, fringed with a deep border of cocoanut palms, and high mountains for a background, is exceedingly beautiful, and the contrast on arriving in the small port of Colombo, with its projecting walls of the old Portuguese and Dutch forts, is by no means a ])leasing one. The harbour is now, however, under- SHORT HISTORY OF CEYLON. 163 going a great extension. The new breakwater, already far advanced in construction, is to be supplemented by jetties and warehouses, calculated to make Colombo the great calling-port of the East. Shipping seemed to be active on my ari-ival, and it was difficult to find a landing-place, where the custom-house claims the I'ight of inspecting every new arrival's luggage. Ceylon, like India, has a history of which we know very little as far as i-egards its earliest phases, which are enveloped in mythological legendry. According to the Ramayana, the Hindu epic, part of the island was conquered from Kawana, the demon-king of Ceylon, by the hero Rama, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu, who had sent his monkey-general, Hunnooman, to recover Seeta, his wife. This Hunnooman in his expedition was said to have laid down Adam's bridge across the Paumben strait, consisting of rocks and boulders, from the mainland to the island, which near the former now admits of a passage for small crafts up to 300 tons. There has been a project, by the way, for some years past, to widen the same foi- l)ig steamers. The first historical fact, however, we learn from the Mahawansa, an epic written in the Pali, or sacred dialect, namely, the submission of Ceylon, in B.C. 543, to Hyara, an Indian prince, who introduced the Hindu religion, and a mild form of caste. After that period M 2 164 COLOMBO. Buddhism gradually crept in, and became the domi- nant religion in B.C. 307. In those early days corrupt government had its full sway in Ceylon, as elsewliere, and eventually, by misadministration, there were no less than seven kings governing the island, when in 1505 the Portuguese landed ; who, after having held part of the coast foi- nearly 150 years, were expelled by the Dutch in the 17th century. The lattei- had made their first appearance in 1601, and in 1643 they forti- fied the coast, but in 1796 they, in their turn, were defeated by the British, who took possession of all the maritime provinces, whilst in 1814 they made an end to the misrule and cruelty of the native king at Kandy by taking full possession of the whole island. After these few words, by way of introduction, we will proceed along the pretty esplanade to the Galle- Face Hotel, lying almost hidden amongst the tall cocoanut palms by which it is suri'ounded. It consists of several detached bungalows, bai-ely a hundred yards from the sea, opening out a very picturesque vista. Here every comfort is provided, and, moreover, the hotel is noted for its very superior curry. Bandhies, a kind of four-wheeled dog-cart, with an awning, are always in attendance to take one to the different points of attraction. Colombo lies at the month of the river Kalaniganga, JOURNEY TO KANDY. 165 is a. clean town, has Its government-house and clock- tower, and the view from its southern extremity is worth a moment's pause. On the one side is the roaring ocean, on the other a number of lakes, the largest but a few miles in circumference, surrounded by gardens of considerable beauty, cottages and bridges. The European residents live in handsome buildings, amongst most luxuriant vegetation. One day, en route to visit a friend, I was caught by, what is very un- usual at that time of year, a tremendous tropical shower, as if the clouds were coming down bodily ; •everything became drenched in a moment, and there was no escaping it. The rainy season here, as in India, is from the middle of May until September during the south-westerly, and in November and December during the north-easterly monsoon. After a short stay, there is little to interest one at Colombo, and I was longing for a nearer view of the mountains and their hidden treasures, a journey now easily accomplished, since a railway has been made to run up as far as Kandy, a wonderful work of engineering. Nothing can be compared with the magnificence of the ever varying scenery foi- the entire distance of seventy-two miles, as we are running over swamps, along edges of precipices, and in zig-zag fashion up steep sides of mountain passes, with glimpses of fertile 166 TITE SINGHALESE. valleys below, watered by some rapid stream, and forest-clad peaks of various shapes overhead. As far as the first station the ascent had been but slight, whilst passing through forests and past endless terraces of bright green paddy fields, set off most effectually by the muddy colour of a rapid stream, much swollen by that day's heavy rain. As the train stopped I had the satisfaction of seeing a large bridal party, a very noisy lot, who had occupied the next compartment, take their departure ; they were accom- panied by a wretched band, and dressed up in all the colours of the rainbow, as half-castes generally are. Here I also had the opportunity of watching a crowd of Singhalese on their way to some fair ; they did not seem a very energetic people, which I after- wards heard confirmed, with the additional informa- tion that they are notorious liars. This air of languor and apathy, especially amongst the men, may, how- ever, be deceptive ; and those who wish to form a correct judgment of these people had better visit tlie northern districts, where enormous earth-works have been thrown up, and uj^wards of a hundred tanks repaired by their voluntary labour, aided by official supervision. The Singhalese are mostly agiiculturists, and leave ti'ade to the Moors, who originally were probably Plate XVill. 1 ^^.. / (>. :RP3W15*S'!J'i'^'*-i-' — :r^ -i.^-^ v^v ^ SINGHALESE DHOBI. p. 167. POLYANDRISM. 167 Arabs, and are still strict Mohamedans. The latter speak Tamul, in Avhich tongue also the Seera, an heroic poem, which they are fond of reciting", is written, whilst the Singhalese language is of the Pali dialect. Sciences are much neglected by the natives ; but they are not without artistical instincts, as their temples prove, as well as many articles they manu- facture. In laces and embroidery, also in carving blackwood, ebony and tortoise-shell, they show con- siderable taste, as they do also in the display of their costume. Both men and women wear the comboy or coloured cloth, put on petticoat fashion, to which the women generally add a white muslin jacket, or they throw one end of the comboy over the right shoulder, covering their bosom, like the women of southern India. Both sexes confine their long hair by a hand- somely worked comb, and wear earrings and bangles, but the females do not covei- themselves all over with jewellery as the Hindus do. (Plate XVIII.) Polyandrism, although abolished some thirty years ago by Sir Heniy Warde, is said still to exist in the interior of Ceylon, as it is known to do amongst the Buddhists of Ladakh, the Nairns of Malabar, the hill tribes of the Himalaya and the Todas, the Aborigines of the Nilgiris, now numbering barely a thousand souls ; among the latter, according to Mr. Edwin 168 Adam's peak. Arnold (" India Revisited," p. 300), female infanticide, which fifty years ago was a common pi'actice in many districts of India, has, it is feared, been again resumed. Frequently a woman will marry three or four ]:)rothers, all living under the same roof, thus saving the expense of so many separate establishments. We must now, however, proceed on oui' joui-ney, the contents of a green cocoanut and a few excellent oranges having been despatched whilst waiting at the station. Here the ascent commenced, and with the help of two engines continued foi- more than an hour. During that time we passed through lovely mountain scenery ; at first the higher range appeared in the distance, in the midst of which, on our right, the famous Adam's Peak, the most prominent, although not the highest point, which latter is the Pedrotallagalla, 8,230 feet, besides two others somewhat lower. Adam's peak rises 7,420 feet above sea-level, and on its summit the priests have erected a hut, where they show the Sri- pada or sacred footstep, sixty-four inches by thirty inches. Here pilgrims assemble on special days in large numbers. Adam, on leaving paradise, is said to have touched the spot with one foot, according to others Buddha did so, during one of his three visits to the island. The mountains of Ceylon appear as spurs or separate UP-HTLL JOURNEY. 169 masses of I'ock, and are well wooded to the very top. Here and there one passes clustei's of thatched •cottages half hidden by the surrounding vegetation ; below, the eye rests upon a broad valley extending far beyond the deep ravine cut pi-ecipitously into the hill side. Presently there rises a black granite wall to a height of several hundred feet, concealing the sun in his downward course and for a moment obscur- ing every other object. Here we enter a tunnel, and on emerging fi'om it there opens out a perfect fliiry-land, as the train leaps from hill to hill passing in review the most varied bits of scenery. Trees of •enormous height and girth, apparently groaning under the weight of foliage, often in full blossom of white and crimson or else crowded with fruit ; palms of •every variety, the Jack and the Bread-fruit tree with their handsome large leaves, held piisonei's in the embrace of some enormous creeper, and as we pass through a thick jungle, a mass of palmetto and fern trees gracefully bend theii- wavy leaves to the breeze. Cascades and rivulets tear down the mountain creeks, every cone and peak l^ecomes separated by floating clouds, and below it all is the beautiful valley of Kaduganawa, receiving the last rays of the setting sun. The latter presented a sublime picture ; at first the sky assumed the purest transparent blue with 170 SUNSET IN TIIK HILLS. heavy silver-fringed clouds floating- about ; presently these seemed to unite and foi-ni one sheet of biilliant silver, gradually assuming rose and yellow tints, and spreading over the entire sky, growing deeper and richer in tone until the tiery orb has disappeared^ leaving the heavens enveloped in bright crimson and gold, w^hilst to the east a rainbovv^ in all its beauty still lingers for a shoi't space, when gradually all disappears, and one seems to awake as from a dream. Such sights are rare indeed. We have now reached the elevated plateau upon which Kandy is situated, 1,678 feet above the level of the sea. The scenery becomes tamer, the trees less lofty, even the palms look stinted compared with those we have left behind, and here and there huge black boulders heave in sight. We soon pass a tall monument erected to the memory of Captain Dawson, who was the surveyor of this magnificent mountain-road, eventually utilized for the railway^ and who died at Colombo in 1829. There is a pretty garden at the station close by, gay with poinsettise and rose bushes, an extraordinary contrast to the wild scenery hitherto passed through. At last we approached the old capital of Ceylon, four hours after having quitted Colombo, and a very pretty town it appeared to be as far as it was possible KANDY, ANCIENT CAPITAL OF CEYLON. 171 to judoi-e by the Ijright moonlight. Twihght does not exist in the tropics, and had it not been for Selene riding the heavens, we should have reached our destination in utter darkness. At the Queen's hotel I ai'rived just in time for dinner ; there were many visitors, chiefly planters, and in the course of the evening I was able to collect all the information I required for further exploration of the island. On the morning a beautiful sight presented itself from my windows ; in front, a very large artificial lake surrounded, as far as the eye could reach, by mountain ranges of undulating outline, with huts and villas- scattered about along the water's edge and in the recesses of the lower slope ; to the left the native town running backw^ards, consisting almost entirely of one long street, and parallel with it on the other side, an excellent road lined with fruit trees, which leads to the Botanical Garden. Skirting the lake beyond the town is a handsome drive encircl- ing a large grass-plot ; here a crowd of natives in picturesque costumes was already moving about ; amongst them one or two Kandian chiefs in white pantaloons, a gorgeous jacket with balloon-shaped sleeves, and a large flat hat surmounted by a point of curious shape, — all waiting the sound of the gong calling them to the famous Dalada temple, situated 172 PERADENIYA, HOTANIfAL GARDEN. beyond the lawn near the margin of the lake. A peculiar contrast in that crowd a number of policemen produced in strictly metropolitan garb. The day was clear and not too hot, which decided me to walk to the Botanical Garden at Peradeniya, now under the direction of Dr. Henry Trimen, the successor of the indefatigable Dr. Thwaites, the author of " Flora Zeylanica," who had for 30 years been its head. The distance is four miles, just a pleasant walk, giving one a good opportunity of seeing the country as well as the people. I was considerably stared at, as Europeans in tropical climates invariably ride or diive, but 1 did not mind that. The I'oad led through a succession of neat villages and forests, and on reaching those beautiful ^rardens the first sig-ht that streets the visitor is a magnificent Taliput palm {Corypha umhrceulifera), the king of palms, with large umbrella-shaped leaves ; around it were other kinds, as the Palmyra (Borassus jiabelliformis), valuable ibr its timber, the Areca (Areca catechu), for its l:)etel nut as a masticatory. The Travellei-'s palm [Ravenala madagascariensis), the leaves of which are arranged like an open fan ; it is noted for containing, even during the driest season, a large quantity of pure water, supplying to the traveller the place of a well. A knife is inserted into the thick end of the leaf, near the trunk, and a stream of the clear PERADENIYA, BOTANICAI. GARDEN. 17^^' liquid at once g-ushes out. I tasted it and found it cool and perfectly sweet. There also was the Cabbage palm [Ai'eca oleixicia), its young leaves used as a vegetable ; and of course the Cocoa-nut {Cocos nucifeva), which supplies all the wants of the natives;, when green, food and drink ; when ripe it yields oil ; its sap gives toddy and arrack ; the fibrous casing of' the fruit, when woven, makes ropes, nets, and matting ;: the nut-shells, drinking vessels, spoons, etc. ; the plaited leaves serve as plates and dishes, and as- thatch for the cottage ; the dried flower-stalks are used as torches and the large leaf-stalks as garden fences ; the trunk of the tree is used for every possible purpose, from knife handles to door posts; and, hol- lowed out, it forms a canoe or a coffin. The garden is tastefully laid out, its beds bursting with a display of brilliant flowers such as are seldom seen together ; then there are clumps of Bamboo, . yellow and green, from half an inch to twelve inches. in diameter, and splendid Fern trees rising to a heiglit of ten and sometimes even twenty feet. Ebony,. Blackwood, Teak, and many other useful trees ; some producing handsome flowers, as the Coral tree {Eurythrina indica), already mentioned in the chaptei' on Southern India ; the Jarool or Bloodwood [Lager- strcemia reginw). a magnificent tree of red wood much. 174 DAL AD A TEMPLE. used for boat-building, flower like a rose-colour lilac ; the Iron wood (Mesua ferrea), large tree with scarlet jshoots, etc. Having thoroughly enjoyed my visit I walked back to Kandy, during the cooler part of the afternoon, meeting all the beauty of the town and a great many healthy-looking children, which speaks well for the climate ; the latter is said to be excellent, and the town tolerably free from fever. Soon after my return, whilst taking down notes, I was disturbed by a great noise, produced by the com- bined instrumentality of a tom-tom, a flute, and a drum, which came from the direction of the temple, calling the people to their evening devotion, and a friend offerinpf to show me the wonderful relic therein preserved, and which is most jealously guarded by the priests, we walked across to the Dalada Maligawa, a large octagonal building, the upper story of which recedes to admit of a gallery, with pillars supporting a conical roof. A solid square stone portico flanked on each side by handsomely carved inner and outer walls of difterent height, gives access to both temple or Dagoba, and monastery or Vihara. The latter consists of three or four buildings to the back, surrounded by gardens and again enclosed by a third and higher wall ■of sim.ilar design as the other two. The whole group SACRED TOOTH OF BUDDHA. 175 presents some good sculptures and other mural orna- mentations. On entering the temple, priests in their yellow robes and shaven heads, with much ceremony, admitted us to an inner compartment, where there was a handsome shrine containing the sacred tooth of Buddha in a silver-gilt casket of the ordinary bell shape — a piece of ivory about two inches long, for the possession of which the late king of Siam had offered a sum of money equal to forty thousand pounds sterling, but the priests declined, finding it to their advantage to keep the relic, and to exhibit it from time to time to the faithful, which brings considerable sums into their coffer. The original tooth was destroyed by the Portuguese 300 years ago, which is conveniently overlooked by the priesthood. There are also a great many silver-gilt images of Buddha grouped within the temple, and one of crystal, the most beautiful thing of the kind ; it is enclosed in a casket of elegant work- manship about eighteen inches high. With some difficulty, and after a donation, gratefully -accepted by the priests, although poverty, as well as celibacy, are strictly enjoined upon them by Buddha, we managed to get through the throng which was just on the point of filing off in ]:)rocession around the temple. Near it there is one of those peculiar large bell-shaped tombs of a Kandian king. 1 70 BUDDlirSM. BuddhiKm is now the chief leht^ion in Ceylon Previous to its introduction in tlie third century B.C.,. the aboriginals of the island worshipped demons and serpents, and even recently consecrated serpents have- been found in some of their tenijjles. According' to mythological records, the ninth incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu was a white elephant, which became Buddha, and a tenth incarnation is still expected by his followei-s in Burmah and Siam. This is likewise to be a white elephant, meaning a return of Buddha ;; hence the great veneration this animal is held in by the people of those countries, where he is lodged in a royal pavilion. Historically, however. Buddhism rests upon the Tripitaka, or Three Baskets — three collections of writings transmitted in the Pali dialect. The first is called Soutras, or Discourses of Buddha ; the second,. Vinaya, or Discipline of the Monastic Orders ; and the third, Dharma, Beligion or Contemplation for the Laity. Fi'om these we learn that Gotama, or Buddha, was. born at Patalipatra, on the confines of Nepaul, in B.C. 623, and died in B.C. 543 at Kusinagara, in Oude. He came into the world to reform the Hindu religion ; his mission was to purify the people from idolatry and caste, and to teach a code of austere morality, a life of virtue and charity. He strictly forbade the taking of THE BUDDHISTS "NIRVANA." 177 the meanest life, also falsehood, intemperance, dis- honesty, anger, pride, and covetousness ; he preached the doctrine of endless series of transmigrations, or eternal existence of matter alone, possessing power of reproduction without any other agency. His disciples, therefore, are essentially Atheists, like those of Con- fucius, acknowledging no Supreme Being. Hence the effigy of Buddha is regarded as a type of earthly goodness, wisdom, and beauty, for he himself was the perfection of an ascetic ; he had passed through millions of existences, and had ultimately attained the subhme excellency of Nirvana — that is, that state of blissful unconsciousness, akin to final cessation of exist- ence, the consummation of eternal felicity, " a peace that passes all understanding," which is every Buddhist's aim and ambition. " Life will condense," says a learned Singhalese priest, " by means of death into its essence." Nirvana therein difPers from the Hindu absorption of the spirit into the supreme divinity of Brahm, whilst the leading feature of the third of the chief religions of the East, namely, Mahomedanism, is admission to a material paradise. " Till all the sum of ended life — The ' Karma ' — all that total of a soul Which is the things it did, the thoughts it had, N 178 THE Buddhist's " nirvana Grows pure and sinless ; either never more Needing to find a body and a place, Or so informing what fresh form it takes In new existence, that the new toils prove Lighter and ligliter not to be at all, Thus, ' finishing tlie Path,' free from Earth's cheats ; Until — greater than Kings, than (iods more glad ! — The aching craze to live ends, and life glides Lifeless to nameless quiet, nameless joy, Elessed Nirvana — sinless, stirless rest — That change which never changes ! " Froyn Euavtn Arnold's " fAcjlit of Asia."" Flower decoration enters very largely into all the rites of the two older systems, Hinduism and Buddhism, and idol worship has gradually crept into the latter faith, which has lost much of its original purity. In the northern districts of Ceylon the Malabars follow the Hindu religion, and worship Seva, Those who have studied the spread of civilization in the early times of the world's history must have noticed the resemblance of many of Buddha's precepts with well-known apophthegms of his coatemporary, Solon, as — " In all things let reason be your guide ; " " Diligently contemplate excellent things; " and many others. It is a curious coincidence that these two great men should have been born within a TRIP TO PUSILLAWA. 179 few years of each other, although thousands of miles apart ; the one an ascetic and philosopher, whose teachings rapidly disseminated over the whole of the East ; the other a lawgiver, exercising immense influence over, what was then, the Western school. At the invitation of a gentleman from India, staying at the same hotel, I joined him and his son in a delightful trip to the hills extending in a southerly direction, visiting one or two of the largest coffee plantations on the island, where we were most hospit- ably received. Our road was almost continually ascending, the best elevation for the cultivation of coffee being apparently 3,000 to 4,000 feet, where the ground is covered with a rich chocolate brown loam, consisting of decomposed particles of rock from above, blended with decayed vegetable matter of the forest. The first plantation was commenced as recently as 1841, and since that many fortunes have been made here by those who have had ample funds at their disposal. The only thing that spoils the appearance of coffee estates in Ceylon is the number of black scorched trunks which have been left standing after the land had been cleared by the axe and by burning. At Pusillawa we inspected two of the largest N 2 180 THE RAMBODA FALL. establishments of the kind, and I was surprised at the superior mode of cultivation to that I had wit- nessed in India, and yet producing a bean barely equal to that of the Wynaad, and much inferior to that of Mysore. Beinof anxious to visit Newere Ellia, the sanatorium of Ceylon, about a day's journey from Pusillawa, I' en- gaged a small buggy, leaving my friends to pursue their own object, and started afresh on the following morning. After some hours' hard travelling, I gained the magni- ficent Ramboda Pass (Plate XIX.), sometimes spelled Pangbodde, a narrow gorge closed in by precipitous masses of rock reaching many hundreds of feet into the air, with enormous sheets of water or cataracts tumbling down on either side over crags and well-worn boulders. The mountain scenery now assumed a very grand character, and the greater portion of the route being steep, I preferred walking. At last I reached Newere Ellia, completely tired out. Its position, 6,200 feet above the sea level, is picturesque, and the air plea- sant during the day, but cool at night. There is every accommodation for visitors ; good hotels and comfort- able-looking bungalows, but owing to the time of the year the place was nearly empty, and finding no inducement to prolong my stay beyond a day, I started on my return journey before sunrise, and PLATE MX, RANGBODDA FALL. PREPARATIONS FOR JOURNEY TO ANARAJAPORE. 181 returned to Kandy at an excellent pace, the road with few exceptions being down hill. On my arrival I noticed a great commotion under the verandah ; a native had brought for sale an armadillo, which he had caught in the jungle, and there was a lively competition going on for its acquisition ; some gentlemen wanted to buy the animal to take it away alive ; whilst others desired it for the purpose of killing and roasting. The latter succeeded in obtaining it, and I had my share in devouring the poor brute, which proved very good eating, although he is not always a very clean feeder. The principal object of my visit to the interior of Ceylon, namely, the inspection of the Buddhist remains of Anarajapore, I had left to the last as a bonne houche; also as it was advisable to allow the sun to counteract the effects of recent heavy showers ; the jungle in those regions being considered exceedingly pernicious, indeed I was warned that a night passed there was almost certain to brmg on fever. When everything was ready for a start, and a light bullock cart at the door ready laden with my traps and provisions, a party happened to ari-ive at the hotel who had just returned from the very district I was bound for, and he assured me that I should find it utterly impossible to get beyond a certain distance, the 182 EXECllAliLE ROAD. roads beiii^ deej) with iiuul iiiid the rivers impassable. This was no small disappointment, Init 1 was not to bo deterred l)y obstaclos I had often overcome in India, and started on my formidable journey, merely taking extra precautions by way of stout ro})es and a few poles. The difficulties of the road were indeed immense, and on several occasions I had to walk some miles, often throui^li swamps, to obtain assistance from the nearest hut or village. The whole country seemed to be flooded, and the jungle teemed with leeches, barely an inch long, which continually crept up my legs, causing incessant irritation. Altogether I found the obstacles much greater than I had anticipated ; they, in fact, hourly increased as I proceeded, frequently through dense forests, where seldom the human voice was heard. Here also those enormous tree-like creepers (Butea superha) frequently intercepted my path. The entire distance between Kandy and Anai'ajapore , due north, is about 90 miles, and there is another buried town " Pollanarua " lying far to the east. A few rest-houses are scattered about along the route, although at considerable distances ; still they offer shelter during the night, if nothing else. In the centre of the island there is a succession of mountains for a distance of about 100 miles stretch- DAifBOUL. 183 ing ft'om Adam's peak northward. 3Iy road, however, ran alon^ their base, thus avoidmg much feitigiie, but, on the other hand, suffering very severely from the superabundance of water. By the evening of the first day I got as feLr as Mjj tale, only sixteen miles from Kandy, now reached by railway ; here I passed the night, and on the following day I managed somewhat better by making twenty-nine miles, reaching Damboul late in the evening. Some eight centuries ago this had been the capital of the Singha- lese, but long before that it had been a very important town, and its famous cave-temple, which is said to be nearly 2,000 years old, seems to prove as much. The entrance to the latter confirms the great skill employed upon religious monuments at that early period- Its porch is flanked by two massive pLUars oi' ixli :.'/■:'. Done simplicity and of excellent proportions, and is surrounded by some good carving in the solid rock, representing figures of Buddtia, with two large statues, one on each side in a recess ; of these latter^ however, little remains. This entrance led into the temple where a platform had once supported the sitting figure of Buddha. The present Yihara, or monastery, which is attached to all Buddhist temples, is of a much more recent date and built of brick ^ covered with cement. 184 rOLLANARUA. About forty miles due east of Damboul Is Pollanarua, the capital a couple of centuries prior to the former, and in order to reach it, especially owing to the over- flown rivers, I had to undergo many trials and great fatigue. Here are some very remarkable remains of an early civilization, in fact an entire town is being excavated in the depth of the forest. The Gal-Vihara is a rock-hewn temple after the manner of those of Ellora, indicating some good sculpture, but completely ruined. This, and another I shall presently mention, were supposed to be the only examples of that style of architecture in Ceylon ; which, however, may be doubted, and we shall probably hear of others by-and- by, since the unearthing of several of the old Singha- lese towns has been seriously taken in hand by the Government. At the Gal-Vihara there Is, leaning against Its outer wall, a reclining figure of Gautama, forty-five feet in length, similar to those found In Burmah and Siam, also an upright one of twenty-three feet, and a sitting Image sixteen feet in height. The Aglrla-Vihara at Pollanarua is another fine specimen of enormous size and excellent proportions, the north side of which still exists In Its entire length, and has all the resemblance of the ruins of a splendid palace richly ornamented with pilasters, recesses, and carvings of every description, now covered with shrubs ANARAJAPOllE. 185 and creepers, giving- it a very picturesque appear- ance, Pollanarua, being the very hot-bed of fever, I got out of it as soon as possible, and my route now lay through forests and vast sandy plains, here and there •dotted with low jungle and swamps, sterile deserts, but rarely relieved by fertile valleys or tracts of patanas, •coarse wiry grass affording pasture for cattle, so common in most parts of Ceylon. Anarajapore was the capital of the Singhalese kings from B.C. the fifth to a.d. the eighth century, and is situated N. Lat. 8, and E. Long. 80, or very nearly so. Its site, by the way, has recently been selected for the seat of Government of the newly-created North-Central province. In the eighth century, owing to encroach- ments l^y the Malabars into the northern district, Pollanarua became the capital, and after that Damboul, as already stated ; then between 1266 and 1410 half a dozen other towns took their place, when Kandy was chosen as the residence of the native king. As early as a.d. 477 the Singhalese built a fort of great strength and beauty upon a high rock, called "Sihagiri," situated near the centre of the island. Already on the road to Anarajapore, as well as in its immediate neighbourhood, I noticed a great many 18G RUINS OF ANARAJAPORE, tanks, some in utter riiln, others recently repaired. They were mostly of enormous dimensions, — worthy monuments of Ceylon's former greatness and civiliza- tion, — and their number throughout the island, it is said, can be counted by hundreds. Their restoration by the Government is now rapidly progressing, The ruins of Anarajapore are perhaps the most interesting and stupendous of any hitherto excavated, and probably of the same period as those of Pollanarua, commenced soon after the permanent establishment of Buddhism in Ceylon, which occurred B.C. 307. The largest and finest dagoba is that called " Thuparame," which must have been a wonderful structure before it fell into partial ruin. Its circular platform of a dia- meter of fifty feet, and fourteen feet from the ground, is reached by stone steps from two opposite sides, and the wall supporting it on the outside is built of brick, embellished with mouldings and pilasters. The plat- form is paved with large granite slabs, upon which there are four concentric rows of graceful octagonal stone columns, all monoliths of different height, no doubt originally for the purpose of supporting an umbrella- shaped roof, forming part of the bell-tapering which has always been a prominent feature in the architec- ture of dagobas, resembling the pagodas of Burmah and the topes of Afghanistan. These columns, whose THUPARAME DAGOBA. 187 height was twenty-four feet the inner row, twenty- two, nineteen, and fourteen, respectively, the other three rows, had capitals decorated with grotesque figures in every conceivable position, excepting the third row which had eagles with outstretched wings instead. The proportions of the columns, as well as that of their individual distance from the centre, in- creasing towards the outer ring, and the gap left opposite the two approaches in the same ratio, are very perfect, and could not possibly have been improved upon, even by the Greeks. There are many indications that the Thuparame dagoba had been richly decorated throughout. All the brick- work was originally covered with fine plaster and ornamented with mouldings and figures ; moreover, the whole of the interior, roof, pillars, and altars had probably been elaborately gilded and coloured, as is pretty clearly proved by recent excavations of similar structures most carefully made at Anarajapore and elsewhere. The walls on each side of the stairs had been covered with carved stone, portions of Mdiich are still extant, representing figures bearing vases con- taining the sacred lotus, reminding one of the wall- ornamentation of those mag-nificent monuments of Upper Egypt and Assyria, in both of which the same flower held such a prominent position. Raised portions leo ANAI^AJAi'UKE. ■of masonry in different parts of* the platform indicate that a well oi'iginally existed between the third row of columns and the outer one, with a stone door at each ■entrance. Likewise altars for the depositing of ■offerings of flowers or valuables, dedicated to the use of the priesthood, had existed at the base of the shrine, which, occupying the centre, held the jewelled casket ■containinof the left collar-bone of Buddha. There are a great many other remains at Anaraja- pore, as, for instance, the Kuamveli and the Lankrama dagoba, although smaller, built after the model of the Thuparame. They are scattered in the depth of the forest, and most of them completely ruined, but the a,bove description of the most ancient of these temples will give an idea of the style we may expect to find amongst the excavations still going on. They are said to have recently brought to light a great number of granite columns, or parts thereof, forming a square of forty to each face, thus giving a total of one hundred and sixty when complete; these are supposed to have formed the lower structure of some wonderful palace. Before leaving Anarajapore I must name a curiosity of the place, what is supposed to be the original Bo-tree or Peepul [Ficiis religiosa), the oldest tree in the world, said to have been planted in B.C. 288, and tended ever PLATE IX. RAMBUTAN . (NepheUdm, ram butan.J p. 189. JAMBOO. OR MALAY ROSE ^PPL^ . (Jambosa. vuUjans.) p. 297. RETURN TO KANDY. 189' since by the lineal descendants of the orit,dnal keeper. Great sanctity is of course ascribed to it by the Bud- hists, and its fallen leaves are carried away as treasures by pilgrims who would not dare to touch the sacred tree itself, which is now enclosed by a wall supporting- an iron railing, totally in discord with the venerable relic. My return journey to Kandy was favoured by splendid weather; and a pretty feature, all along the mountain slopes, was the rhododendron, often reaching a height of thirty to forty feet, and many other beauti- ful shrubs and trees. Of those bearing fruit I noticed the lime, the plantain, pomegranate, guava, and ram- butan [Nepheliun rambutdn) (Plate XX.), the latter, one of the most delicious fruits, similar in flavour to the mangosteen of Java, and in appearance like a bunch of two or three very large hairy red gooseberries. The country is supposed to be full of elephants, but it did not fall to my lot to see a single wild one, although I passed many kraals, or traps on a large scale, into which they are driven and afterwards tamed. The cattle are small and buffaloes plentiful; also several kinds of deer and antelope and the pretty little Indian muskdeer, monkeys in abundance, and hares, squirrels, and porcupine. Magnificent butterflies I met with on the mountains, especially a bright green species with 190 TO (JALLE. swallow tails, fully eight inches across its outspread wings. The birds of Ceylon are mostly the same as those of Southern India : the roller, the golden oriole, the hoopoo, the wild pea-fowl, parrakeets, thrushes, fly catchers, pheasants, etc. ; ibis, snipe, and teal amongst the rice fields and swamps; and occasionally a flamingo on the lakes. Serpents are not frequent in Ceylon, I am told ; I certainly saw none ; but plenty of white ants, most destructive creatures. Of fishes there are seir, of the mackerel family, and other small fry. Kandy and Colombo having been reached in due time, and a few purchases of curiosities effected in both places, I left the latter town one early morning for Galle by coach. The road was in excellent condition, and we passed, in almost constant succession, clean picturesque villages, cinnamon gardens and cocoanut groves ; every now and then we came close upon the sea which cooled the atmosphere very perceptibly. The entire distance of seventy-two miles was accom- plished in ten hours, being occasionally delayed by unmanageable horses. At Bentolle, about half way, we stopped an hour for tifiin, which consisted of a variety of fish dishes and oysters ; the latter, however, were coarse and unwholesome. The natives on the coast occupy themselves solely with fishing, and catch GALLE. 191 ■enormous quantities, from a shark to a kind of white bait ; dried fish and rice forming- their principal food, as in all other Asiatic countries that have access to the coast. At four p.m. we reached Galle, and the Oriental hotel which provides comfortable accommodation. Its wide verandah, neatly paved with many-coloured tiles, I found taken possession of by a great number of travellers, owing to the fresh arrival of two P. and O. steamers, one from Europe, the other from China, whilst natives were sneaking about trying to pawn off bits of coloured glass for precious stones ; others driving a hard bargain for combs, paper-knives, porcupine spines, and little ebony elephants ; also lace, embroidery, and mats met the attention of lady purchasers principally, and many of the articles offered for sale proved a decided artistic taste on the part of the maker. Although most of the rings one saw here were worthless, Ceylon produces a great variety of very beautiful stones, which mostly find their way to Europe to be cut, and often return again, in their reduced size but more marketable form, to Ceylon and India, where good stones are highly appreciated by the wealthy class of natives. Sapphires and cats-eyes, found in the Saffragram 192 PEARL FISHERIES. district, are the finest in the world ; also tlie ruby and the carbuncle, the cinnamon and the moon stone ; the garnet and the amethyst, are very plentiful in the central range of hills, in the BaduUa and Newere EUia districts. The famous pearl fisheries are in the Bay of Jaffna^ the extreme north-west point of Ceylon ; they have been very unremunerative for many years past ; but now, beds having been laid down some years ago, the Government expects better results at an early period. Prices at the annual auction have of late years- averaged about a rupee for every hundred oysters ;. this shows what risk purchasers run. There is an exceedingly pretty drive from Galle through forests of tropical growth to Wakaila, a little elevated plateau, whence there is an extensive view of the broad fertile plain, watered by the silvery Gindura, stretching for many miles in an easterly direction, and gradually fading away amongst the distant miountains. En route I inspected a cinnamon garden, which also contained a great many rambutan and bread fruit trees, also the traveller's palm. The " Emu " ss., having arrived to take up passengers for Singapore, I bid farewell to this magnificent island, and, entrusting myself and baggage TO SINGAPORE. 193 to the tender care of a peculiarly shaped boat called " catamaran," from a distance resembhng a large spider, — a sort of long trough or canoe, furnished with a heavy outrigger resting upon the water to prevent it capsizing, and quaint sails, I soon reached the steamer, and off we started, passing in review many miles of the pretty coast. Galle looks best from the sea, especially at sunset. o CHAPTER VII. Strait Settlements — Peijanq — Singapore — Bintang and Iiatam — Banca — Leaf and Stick Insects — Sumatra Coast — Floating Islands. Amongst the passengers were two bishops, one a Protestant on his way to Austraha, the other a Roman Catholic bound for Batavia. The weather was tine, and on the second day we passed the Nicobar Islands, N. Lat. 7° 8', E. Long. 93'' 4', consisting of two larger and a group of smaller islands. The former are said to contain about 6,000 inhabitants, principally Malays of rather piratical propensities ; the shores are fringed with cocoanut palms and plantains. On the following day we sighted Sumatra. The THE SUMATRA COAST. 195 atmosphere became very close, eighty-eight degs. in the shade during the greater part of the day, and as we were passing the coast of Acheen, having sighted ** Point Way," the surface of the sea to our right pre- sented a very pecuHar appearance in the shape of ripples in endless strings, similar to the rapids on the Danube, or those of the St. Lawrence near the Thousand Islands. This phenomenon here, the captain explained to me, is caused by opposing currents ; it also occurs in a milder form in the China sea, where sailors call it the chow-chow waters. The Sumatra coast remained with- in view until evening, and on the following day we encountered a strong current against us, by which fifteen miles were lost, and we did not reach the har- bour of Penang until seven p.m. This island, properly called Prince of Wales' Island, the Pulo Penang of the natives, meaning Betel-Nut Island, belonged to the King of Quedah, who owns the country on the opposite shore, or part of the Malay Peninsula. Its acquisition is connected with the romantic marriage of a British officer, Captain Light, to the daughter of the said king, who made a gift of the island to his son-in-law; but in 1786, quite regardless of his previous promise, the above potentate ceded it to the East India Company for an annual payment of £1,200, increased afterwards to o 2 196 PENANG. £2,000 per annum by the surrender of a strip on the mainland of similar size, covering an area of 160 square miles, now called the Wellesley province, on the further condition, however, of Captain Light's service being retained as superintendent of the new colony. Georgetown, on the eastern shore of Penang, is the seat of the present Government of the Strait Settle- ments, including Malacca and Singapore, and is defended by Fort Cornwallis. A few miles from it is Strawberry Hill, the sanatorium of the island, situated at an elevation of 2,700 feet, and from this point there is a magnificent view of the lofty hills of Quedah. The island is densely wooded, and watered by numerous small streams ; its principal inhabitants are Malays, but there are also a large number of Chinese and Moors. The latter, descended from the Arabs, are mostly small shopkeepers, and both Malays and Moors are strict Mahomedans. The Chinese were that day celebrating their new year, and the town was dressed in long red paper placards and coloured lanterns. Each house or shop belonging to one of their fraternity had its altar decor- ated with bronze figures, vials of various shapes, and scented Joss-sticks, whilst in the street the junior BAZAARS AT PENANG. 197 members of these long- tailed Celestials amused them- selves by letting off squibs and crackers amongst the passers-by. The entire population of the island seemed to have flocked to the town, — there were crowds which- ever way one turned. A. quantity of fruit was exhibi- ted for sale, oranges, guavas, and the jamboo, or Malay rose-apple [Jamhosa vulgaris), (Plate XX.), a delicious fruit of slightly acid taste, and in appearance like a small tomato. The Moor contents himself with a very small square space for his shop, where he squats cross-legged, dressed in a sort of petticoat, dark jacket, and a pot-shaped cap, generally striped. Here he patiently waits for a purchaser ; but he has not the civility of his race in the Levant, where a customer is seldom allowed to go away without a cup of coffee, and often a pipe, having been offered to him. I entered a large bazaar kept by a Chinaman, whose Josse, an immense figure of Buddha, about twelve feet high, in sitting posture, was placed in a recess upon a raised platform, a quantity of incense burning all round ; here I bought a few articles, amongst which the well-known Penang-laAvyer (Licuala peltata), a small palm, six to eight feet high, making excellent walking-sticks, a portion of the root being left to form a handle. The Chinaman in the tropics generally wears white trousers and long jacket, his pig-tail either 198 DRIVE INLAND. twisted round the head or allowed to hang down, and as its length is the owner's ambition, often a piece of silk is added to bring it down to the heels. There is little variety in the costume of a Malay, who always wears his sarong, generally of a brownish colour, wound round his hips and reaching to the knee, sometimes below, a tight-fitting coloured jacket to the waist, and a small turban made of some dark material. Having the better part of the day to dispose of, I took a drive into the country, passed many rice and cotton fields, pepper, cofiee, and tobacco plantations, also groves of nutmegs and cloves. The roadside was dotted with native cottages and small temples, villas and gardens belonging to Europeans; and about five miles from the town I came upon a pretty waterfall, after the manner of the Giesbach, as it rushes down the mountain, once or twice interrupted in its course. This is rather a show place, and there is a delightful plunge bath surrounded by a screen of thick foliage. Here also grows the Flamboyant, now in full bloom, throwing every other plant into the shade ; and butter- flies there were of such beauty that collectors would have little reason to complain. When the time allowed us by the captain to remain on shore had nearly expired, we made our way back to the ship, accompanied by a smart shower of tepid rain, SINGAPORE. 199 passing a number of Malay fishing boats, with square brown sails made of cocoanut fibre. On the following day we passed Malacca, the shores of the Peninsula and of Sumatra remaining nearly all the time within view, and early on the following morning the Strait Islands hove in sight, which re- quired very careful navigation, as we passed through narrow passages and inlets, until we weighed anchor in the harbour of Singapore. Here I had to waste a couple of hours in the transfer of my luggage, part of it to shore and part on board the Dutch steamer, " Vice- Admiral Fabius," bound within a few days for Batavia. The island of Singapore, including a great number of small islets, N. Lat. 1° 17', and E. Long. 103° 50', is larger than Penang by about one third, became a British free-port in 1819, and is the entrepot of produce from all parts of the world for exchange and re-shipment to its ultimate destination ; besides, it has a consider- able home trade in gambeer, sago, cocoanut, and nut- megs, produced on the island. The popidation, in all barely a hundred thousand souls, consists principally of Chinese and Malays, — say, about two-thirds of the former and one-third of the latter ; they all speak the Malay language, and their 200 MR. whampoa's garden. villages, like those of Penaiig, are built upon piles driven into the swamp. The climate is salubrious, and very even throughout the year, favouring a rich and beautiful vegetation, and the entire island is flat, w^ith only slight undulations. The town is large and inter- sected with canals and bridges, else oftering little variety from other places in the tropics. Mr. Whampoa, a rich Chinese merchant, has a large property in the neighbourhood, its gardens laid out after the fashion of the country of his birth, trim hedges, box and myrtle trained and clipped to shapes of animals, junks, etc., tiny watercourses, and miniature bridges. A little stream, crowded with gold fish, was made to pass under the central portion of his mansion, which formed an open gallery, and was supported by a lofty bridge, admitting of a boat passing underneath. A little farther on the water collected in a pond, or rather, — begging Mr. Whampoa's pardon, — into a diminutive lake, full of water-lilies, the most beautiful of them the Victoria regia; its flowers, when expanded, are a foot and more across, and its round salver-shaped leaves vary from four to six feet in diameter with a raised rim of two or three inches. The "piggery," however, is quite the feature of the establishment, and one the owner is not a little proud of There are some enormous beasts, — I measured one fully seven feet from "vice-admiral fabius," s.s. 201 snout to tail, — tremendously fat, and the place they were kept in was wonderfully clean and neat in all its arrangements. The other sights of Singapore, such as they might be, I left until after my return from the Malay Islands, whither I was now bound by the little Dutchman, ** Vice- Admiral Fabius," of only 300 tons, like her name- sake of old, progressing at a truly Fabian pace. A wretched boat in every way, as regards speed, comfort, as well as feeding. This I believe was intended to be her last voyage, and fine new steamers were in future to meet the requirements of an increasing traffic, which may benefit me later on. We now passed a number of small islands, and through the narrow strait dividing Bin tang and Batam, we came to anchor in the roadstead of Bhio, after which the passage is named. The same splendid vegetation, quite a belt of lofty trees, palms, and ferns, with little villages built on stilts, in some secluded inlet of the coast. A few hours being required here to discharge some merchandise, I went on shore. There were about a dozen European bungalows, and a fort commanding the strait. These islands belong to the Sultan of Linga, whose viceroy resides on the opposite shore. On the following morning we crossed the Equator, 202 STRAIT OF BANCA. without any of the old customs of rum and feathering- being kept up. The heat was intense. Minto, the princij^al port of the large island of Banca, the great tin emporium and Holland's mine, in every sense of the word, was our next destination, where goods had to be exchanged. I landed, to enjoy a stretch in the cool shade of the forest, and here I saw those wonderful insects belonging to the order Orthoptera cursoria, the Walking-leaf [Phyllium) and the Walking-stick (Phasma), the most perfect representation, when in repose, of leaves like those of the jasmin, and of bits of dry branchlets a few inches long. They are very curious, and I collected a few specimens, along with their natural food, to take with me, but they did not live beyond a few days. They are very slow in their movements, especially at starting, as if it took them a little time to recover from their trance or stupor. After a few hours, delay we passed through the narrow strait between Banca and the fever-stricken coast of Sumatra. The climate on the latter is said to be deadly to both Europeans and natives. Frequent attempts have been made to clear its forests and jungles, but the hand of death has invariably put a stop to it. Its tall trees, 100 to 150 feet high, which one sees so distinctly in passing through the CAMPHOR-TREE AT SUMATRA. 203 strait, are the Hard-camphor [Dnjohalanops aroma- tica) ; they are said to grow only here and in Borneo. The camphor is obtained by cutting down the tree and dividing the wood into small pieces, in the division or natural cavities of which it is found in crystalline masses. This tree is of quite a different order to that of the Camphor-laurel (Camphora offici- narum) which grows in China, Japan, and also in India. The latter likewise grows to a great height ; but, in order to obtain the camphor, it is necessary that stem and branches be chopped into fragments and undergo some chemical process. At one time we steamed so close to the coast of Sumatra that we could distinctly see a little village, consisting of wooden houses, ornamented with carving and very picturesque high-pitched gables, either at one end only, or at both, the roof considerably dropping towards the middle, also smaller houses of similar construction, built entirely of bamboo. This was in a more southerly part of the island, which was neither so densely wooded nor so unhealthy as where the Hard-camphor-tree grows. The pace of the " Vice- Admiral Fabius " had gradually become a crawl, and although only 540 geographical miles from Singapore, it was not until daybreak of the fourth day, or at an average rate of 204 FLOATING ISLANDS. six knots an hour, that we approached the coast of Java, greeted by the appeai-ance of floating islands, which became more frequent as we reached the road- stead of Batavia. These were large masses of soil covered with upright trees, ferns and grass, which annually, by the rapid descent of large volumes of water, become detached in the interior of the island, and are swept down by the current of the river Jaccatra into the sea, where they float along until they come into contact with the shore of some neighbouring island ; there they attach themselves, and by these means many of the latter slowly change their outline. Thus, by the whim of nature, the very charming phenomenon of these floating islands is produced ; which, however, occurs only at certain periods, and after an unusually heavy downpour, say towards the end of the monsoon, which in Java lasts from November until March. CHAPTER VIII. Batatia — Governor-General* 8 Reception — Buitenzobg — Botanical Gardens — Ethnological and Geological Museums — Java Fruit — Visit to Raden Saleh, Native Artist — Batoe-Toulis, Site of Old Town — Fetish Monument — Court of Justice. On reaching the roadstead of Batavia, we anchored some two or three miles from the town, and a single boat made its appearance to take passengers and luggage ashore, where the vexatious process of examin- ing the latter at the custom house proceeded with admir- able punctiliousness, after which, and the inspection of passports, I was allowed to proceed on my way by a small open conveyance, the baggage being separately con- 206 ARRIVAL AT BATAVIA. veyed to the hotel. It was a long drive and a hungry one, since no breakfast had been provided on board before starting. The first portion of the road led through the mercantile and crowded native quarter, thence through wide shady avenues to the European town, consisting of handsome villas almost concealed by a rich vegetation, until I reached the Nederlanden Hotel, which enjoys the prestige of being the best ; but, finding it full, I proceeded to the Hotel de la Marine. Here the accommodation was good, a handsome circular structure facing the road, surrounded by the indispensable verandah, which was supported by columns of appar- ently snow-white marble, in reality chenamed, and large public rooms within. At the back, at right angle with the road, there were two long rows of buildings with numerous doors, each giving admittance to a front and back sitting and bedroom, a colonnade running along the whole length, and between them a garden resplendent with gay flowers. Au fond were several magnificent baths ; these were in constant requisition during the early part of the day, and again between the siesta (which is quite an institution in Batavia) and the dinner hour. When going to bed I was very much puzzled what to do with a long narrow bolster, made of fine bamboo fibre, and covered with a white slip, which I found lying lengthways on the HOTEL DE LA MARINE. 207 mattress. Upon making enquiry as to its use, I was told that people place it between their legs to keep them cool, and it certainly has that effect. I after- wards found this curious habit universally adopted in Java. Still, the nights being hot, and the perpetual singing of the mosquitoes, in their vain attempt to penetrate the net curtain, disturbing one's slumber, induces people to rise early ; and between five and six o'clock every door is thrown wide open, a large lounging chair placed under the verandah, and the occupant in a very light wrapper proceeds to the bath, which offers every variety of application. Many very curious costumes does one behold on this occasion, especially amongst the gentler sex ; however, it would not be polite to criticize what was not intended for the public eye. Thus refreshed, each seeks comfort in his easy-chair, and there discusses a cup of tea or coffee and a rusk, handed by one of the numerous attendants, all dressed in white with. a red sash. Soon a sort of Freemasonry is established with one's neighbour, and after having been at the hotel for a few days you know pretty well every one residing under the same colonnade, and fre- quently his whole history to boot, entrusted to you in the strictest confidence. You thus learn that, excepting a few ships' captains, they are nearly all merchants 208 MALAY CUISINE (hABIs). from neighbouring islands, or from the eastern towns of Java, each trying to steal a march upon the other in the disposal of some produce, or in the purchase of a certain European commodity. A promenade along the entire length of the verandah is generally iheji7iale of the morning out-of-door appearance ; a careful toilet follows, mostly consisting of white linen in both sexes, and at noon the booming of a gong announces the breakfast hour, which is generally welcomed by a full muster, both of strangers and hahitues attended by the crowd of copper-coloured Malays, who make excellent servants. The conversation, at first brisk, soon slackens under the influence of a continuous handing-round of dishes at very short intervals. The same routine is followed at morning and evening meals, consisting principally of a kind of curry, which, however, allows of great variations. It begins with rice being served, of which every one takes almost as much as the plate will hold, then follows a soupy curry, which is mixed up with the rice, and to it is added a little of every dish handed round, whilst you keep eating during the interval smoked and cooked meat, fowl, sausage, pickles and condiments, fish and omelet, and I don't know what not. A favourite ingredient is a little red fish, a species of Engraidis, which comes from Macassar ; it is no larger than white-bait, and is salted like anchovies. B ATA VIA BAZAARS. 209 It requires a healthy appetite to go through this course without flinching, especially as a roast, pudding, and cheese follow the curry. The meriu of these re- pasts, although simple enough, is so very peculiar that I could not resist giving it in detail. A cup of coffee follows, and a good Manilla, with the cry of " api, cassi-api," — a light, bring a light, — all round the table, the boy is quickly at your side presenting a long match prepared of sandal-wood, and throwing off a delicious aroma. After the exertion of a smoke the siesta be- comes inevitable, and perfect silence reigns for the next two or three hours ; by that time the atmosphere has become somewhat cooler, and a drive is ventured upon. Those who have business to attend to drive in the direction of the port ; others, like myself, wend their steps to the native bazaars, mostly kept by Chinamen. They are on a modest scale, and nothing very remarkable for sale either in goods or live stock. Of the latter, some shops are filled with bird-cages, others with monkeys, cats, and dogs. I inspected silk goods, embroidery, and slippers, and bought a few specimens, also a very handsome embroidered hand- kerchief made of pine-apple fibre, say from the leaves, resembling the finest cambric. Here, as elsewhere in the East, a good deal of haggling is necessary before one strikes a bargain. Also large flat rice ladles of P 210 FASHIONAnLK DRIVE. rhinoceros horn are rather a curiosity, and they are much more practical than ordinary silver spoons. Aftei- my return to tlie hotel, T donned my black coat and hat to meet the fashionable world taking a drive along those splendid avenues, — the Kyswyk, with the Governor-General's palace, and the Harmonie, a large club, the Waterloo-plein and the Konings-plein. Often a band plays here for an hour, but the whole thing is very tame, — after a few turns you may call on your friends unless you are sufficiently intimate to do so in the morning, en mi-toilette. The dinner hour is usually seven o'clock, and the evening is whiled away with conversation, a cigar, and a newspaper. The beauty of Java's tropical vegetation is proverbial, and Batavia makes no exception. There are magni- ficent bits of scenery at Parapattan, Greenoeng, and Tiebault, river and canal banks displaying the charms of the graceful bamboo and the stately palm, — every- thing is smiling ; but the climate, although much has been done to improve it by way of drainage, is fatal to all who exceed the strictest rule of diet and sobriety, or who visit the marshy coast in search of sport. Cholera and malaria are the ofreat enemies of the northern coast of the island ; whilst inland, at the elevation of a few thousand feet the climate, during THE CEMETERY. 211 the greater part of the year, Is simply perfection. One bright morning I went to the cemetery, a large dreary place, which, although at the time of my visit had been only twenty years in use, was already crowded to excess, and I must confess I thought its position by far too near to the best part of the town. My object was to trace the grave of one, who had been buried there at the very commencement of its construction, as the number thirty- three on the register proved, but there was not a vestige of it left. The very stone slab that had covered it had crumbled to pieces, and a damp and clammy atmosphere pervaded the whole place, which is laid out in avenues. I was struck by the number of newly-made open graves, and the significant answer was " they may all be filled by this time to-morrow ; " which gives a painful idea of the great and sudden mortality. Graves have always to be kept in readi- ness. My contemplated journey into the interior of Java, requiring the permission and assistance of the Govern- ment, made it necessary for me to call at the palace in order to deliver my letter of introduction ; this, how- ever, was by no means so simple a matter as it appeared to me. I was admitted into the bureau of the secretary, in whom I soon discovered a great adept in the art of P 2 212 THE governor's RECEPTION, circumlocution. At first he held that the letter would have to be forwarded, accompanied by a statement naming- the object of my visit. This I overruled by pleading want of time; at last, little by little, con- cessions having been made on both sides, and after a lengthy consultation with his chief, the secretary informed me that I might present myself at the general reception His Excellency was going to hold at an early hour on the following morning, when an audience would be granted, provided I presented myself either in uniform or in full dress ; neither of which I was prepared to do, having left my heavy luggage at Singapore containing all that might be useful in the present emergency, and never dreaming that a dress- suit could be required in my rambles here. It required a fresh conference to settle that point, and at last I carried the day by promising to be attired in the best clothes my present wardrobe afforded in order that His Excellency's dignity might not suffer by so serious an indecorum on my part. At 9.30 a.m. I proceeded in state, this time to the principal entrance of the palace, the verandah of which I found already filled with gentlemen in sable tail- coats and white cravat, with a sprinkling of military and naval uniforms. Tea was handed round, and about half an hour having elapsed, servants in scarlet livery BATAVIA MUSEUM. 213 announced the arrival of His Dutch Majesty's repre- sentative. The latter, in whom I had expected to behold a formidable and punctilious gentleman of the old school, stood barely five feet in his shoes, and appeared very affable and obliging, for when my turn came, everybody being ushered into his presence according to strict rule of etiquette, and mv object explained, he at once promised to send me a circular- letter addressed to the " Residents " of the different provinces, instructing them to provide me with horses and do all in their power to enable me to visit the interior with comfort. He also invited me to spend a few days with him at his palace at Buitenzorg after my return from the East, and altogether we parted excel- ent friends. I much regretted afterwards that want of time and bad weather compelled me to leave Java without paying the intended visit. Batavia has a fine museum, where I had an oppor- tunity of becoming acquainted with the produce of every important island in the Archipelago. It also con- tained life-like representations of the different tribes inhabiting the same, of their dwellings, by small models executed in bamboo, as well as their handicrafts, curious specimens of native manufacture, arms, musical instru- ments, etc., — altogether a most complete and interesting 214 ROAD TO BUITENZORG. collection. In the zoological garden there were some handsome birds : the kroonvogel of the size of a large fowl, of delicate slate colour, with brownish wings, a very full feathery tuft on his head, and a bright red eye ; the splendid bird of Paradise from the Moluccas ; the gold and silver pheasant, and the black cockatoo belonging to this island ; the blue Australian pheasant, and the large blue emu. An exceedingly pretty animal, belonging to Java and the Malay islands, is the dwarf or musk deer {kanchill, the Dutch call it), no more than eight to ten inches high and fifteen inches long, the most perfect and well-proportioned little animal imaginable, very active and easily tamed. Foreseeing that I might possibly miss seeing Buiten- zorg, the sanatorium of the Batavians, if I delayed the trip until my return, I arranged to go there at once, and secured a seat in the coach that was to start on the following morning. It was a cumbersome machine, which had probably some fifty or a hundred years ago plied between Amsterdam and Rotterdam, — four, and at times six, ponies were put under requisition to pull us along, which they did at a fair pace, a couple of boys running alongside encouraging the poor animals by whip and tongue. We passed through the pretty faubourg of Cramat, with its elegant villas, and past BUITENZORG. 215 magnificent woods and gardens, along an excellent but hilly road, until we reached the plateau upon which Buitenzorg is built, 883 feet above the sea-level, and forty miles from Batavia. Now a railway connects the two towns, with further extension in prospect. Nature has done much for this island, justifying the appellation of " Queen of the Eastern Archipelago," which many travellers have given it. It is the spot above all others that fully merits the admiration of lovers of natural beauty, whichever direction the eye may take. French authors have compared Buitenzorg with Versailles, but I cannot see the slightest resem- blance, unless it be that both possess a stately palace, though differing totally in their respective construction and surroundings. Art did everything for the favourite residence of the Grand Monarque, whilst nature has imbued Buitenzorg with all her charms. The ex- tensive and really handsome palace at the latter place, where the Governor-General seeks repose during the more unhealthy part of the year, stands in a park of magnificent banyan trees (Fimis mcZi'ca), whose numerous roots, descending from the branches, gradually form quite a network around the parent tree, which is a favourite resort of the monkeys continually met with, sitting high aloft or swinging themselves from branch to branch, and keeping up a perpetual chattering. 216 JAVA VEGETATION. The famous botanical garden, which lias the reputa- tion of being the finest in the world, is in close proximity to the park. Here acres of land are laid out apportioned to the different groups of plants and trees. A large space is occupied by palms of every kind, from the majestic taliput to the common date, also the pretty fern tree {Alsophila latehrosa) is seen here in its full development. Entire avenues are formed of poisonous trees, a single fruit of which or the chewing of a leaf would speedily despatch a man into the other world. Orchids and pitcher- plants [Nepenthes) of almost incredible beauty, not to be surpassed even in the West Indies, where the swampy ground and hot damp climate particularly favours their gro"v\^h. Creepers, water plants, — an enormous Victoria regia, completely putting Mr. Whampoa's specimen at Singa- pore into the shade, — and every variety of plant enjoying the privilege of Latin denomination. Amongst this tropical vegetation I noticed a perfect menagerie of leaf insects, which, unless already known to the visitor, he would hardly detect at a glance, so like are they to the actual leaves amongst which they house ; the very network of veins, and frequently the very spots of partial decay, are here reproduced to a nicety. Whilst walking along the main alley of gigantic rasimalas (Liquidamhar estingaria), I made JAVA MINERALS. 217 the acquaintance of a handsonrie jet-black cobra, about six feet long and a couple of inches in diameter, said to be poisonous. Buitenzorg, thanks to the indefatigable exertions of Mr. Murschenbrock, who holds the high position of judge and controller, and to whom it had been my good fortune to be introduced, possesses a most excel- lent geological museum, containing samples of gold and coal from Java, diamonds from Borneo, copper and coal from Sumatra, silver from Timor, etc. Sumatra is particularly rich in coal, but so far the Government had not granted permission to work it ; there are seams twenty feet in depth, whilst those of Java seldom exceed six to eight feet. All these islands produce innumerable varieties of timber ; Mr. Murschenbrock told me that he had sent to the last exhibition at Batavia no less than 800 specimens from Banca alone. The country around Buitenzorg is simply magnifi- cent, and the prettiest view is probably that from the verandah of the Hotel "Belle Vue." A thickly- wooded and well-watered valley below, with high mountains for a background, rising to a height of 4,000 to 5,000 feet, and clothed in verdure to the very top. To the east there is a succession of terraces whose bright green indicates the cultivation of rice, and under your eye winds a limpid stream, spanned here and there by slender bamboo 218 PADDY-REAPER. brido-es. A striking;' feature in the Java landscape is the enormous height which pahns and other trees attain, leaving those of India far behind in that respect. In the cool of the evening it is pleasant walking amongst the fields and watching the natives getting in their crops. They cut the paddy by means of a peculiar little implement, consisting of a semi-circular blade about three inches in length, securely fixed cross-ways upon a piece of bamboo no more than three and a half inches long, which latter the reaper grasps in some ingenious way, allowing the knife to project between his fingei'S, and with this he manages to get through his work in an incredibly quick time. The following sketch will give a fair idea of the paddy,, or rice-reaper : PLATE XXI. MANGOSTEEN. (Ga.rcin.ia. ma-rhgostarva..) p. 219. L C N G A N . (NepheUiLTn. longan.) p 220. JAVA FRUIT. 219 Gardens abound in the neighbourhood, and fruit trees are plentiful : it is the home of the Mangosteen [Garciyiia mangostana) — (Plate XXL): without exception the most delicious fruit I ever tasted; its rind, when ripe, is of a red- dish brown, similar to a small pomegranate, and its flesh underneath a dark crimson pulp, but the edible portion, in the shape of a peeled Mandarine orange, resembles more a compact mass of snow than anything else ; with soft kernels of an elongated shape, others without. The flavour of this fruit is not easily described : it is something of the pine-apple, orange, and vanilla, exceedingly delicate and very juicy, but it must be eaten as soon as it is ripe. The rambutan, already mentioned in Ceylon, has a some- what similar flavour. The Loquat [Eriohotrya japonica). The Guava [Psidium pijriferum). The Pomegranate (Punica granatum). The Fig [Ficus carica). The Breadfruit [Artocarpus incisa). The Custard apple [Anona squamosa) : filled with a delicious cream-coloured vanilla pulp. The Pine-apple (Bromelia ananas). 220 .lAVA FRUIT. The Orange {Citrus durantium). The Papaw (Carica papaya) : whose fruit re- sembles the shaddock; its large fig-shaped leaves are used l^y the natives instead of soap to wash linen, and the juice of the fruit possesses the curious ]:)roperty, when boiled with tough meat, of rendering it tender ; its taste is sweetish sour, rather insipid, and somewhat turpentiny. The Pomaloe or forbidden fruit {Citrus paradisi) (Plate XXII.): of a pink pulp and very thick rind. The Longan, here called Duku {Nephelium longan) (Plate XXI.) : like a brown ball barely an inch in diameter, of agreeable although sometimes slightly resinous flavour. Besides these there are nearly all the fruits of Southern India and Ceylon. In passing gardens containing such an abundance and variety of fruit I fear I cast many a jealous glance at the latter, and would gladly have paid the forfeit enforced many years ago in the environs of Herat, had I only been invited to help myself Mr. Arthur Conolly, who visited that country in 1831, in giving an account of the beauty and richness of that part of PLATE IXH LY C H E E . (NepheUurrv litchl.) p. 286 P O M A LO E . (Citrus jiaTnditi.) p 220. RADEN SALEH, THE ARTIST. 221 Afghanistan, extols its fruits as the rarest and most delicious in flavour, they being, moreover, so plentiful that people were allowed to enter the gardens and pluck and eat them. Each visitor was weighed as he entered and again as he returned, and paid at a fixed rate the difference in weight. This seems a more equitable process than that adopted now in many parts of Switzerland, where, during the grape season, people are allowed to have their fill at one uniform rate, generally half a franc. If a similar arrangement were universally adopted, fruit stalls would soon be com- pelled to close their establishments for want of cus- tomers. Taking an early drive one beautiful morning, I reached a spot where there was a delicious clear pond under the friendly shade of an enormous fig-tree — a temptation to bathe which I could not resist, and thus refreshed, I proceeded to a neighbouring village to deliver an introduction to Prince Raden Saleh, a native artist of some repute, who had passed many years in Europe. His friend and patron was the reigning Prince of Coburg Gotha. Subsequently Raden Saleh was received at most of the European courts. He still prided himself upon his success in the highest society, and would have liked you to believe that an English Miss actually poisoned herself out of 222 PRINCE RADEN SALEIl's WIFE. desperate love for liiin. He had also served Eugene Sue as a type in bis " Mysteres de Paris," and was altogether a character. His residence had been built in the Javanese style, with large open halls ; and, although by no means any longer adolescent, he had lately married a very young lady of prepossessing appearance, the daughter of the Sultan of Djokjokarta, or, at all events, one born within the latter's harem. He seemed very proud of his acquisition ; treated her d Vorientcde, more like a toy than a reasonable being, and covered her with beautiful jewellery. Madame was dressed according to native fashion, — the sarong and a loose jacket of pink and pale blue silk, — and was allowed to appear in public, that is to say, in her husband's presence, for he was said to be exceed- ingly jealous. Prince Kaden Saleh presented a some- what peculiar appearance for a man of his years. His complexion was copper-colour, good features, and jet-black hair, presumably his own, pasted on his forehead in festoons ; he wore close-fitting white pantaloons, and a blue cloth jacket, tightly laced round the waist, with gold buttons, and a decoration on his breast. He introduced me to his wife, who had a pleasant smile, and then showed me his studio, the easel bearing an enormous canvas in oil, repre- senting a moor on horseback attacked by a lion. MALAY BUFFALOES. 223 The picture was nearly finished, and promised well. It was intended as a present to the Emperor of Russia, whom he seemed to admire immensely. (Raden Saleh died since, in 1880). After some slight refreshment I took leave, con- tinuing my drive to return by another route. Here I came upon a herd of flesh-coloured buffaloes carrying sacks of produce upon their backs ; they were curious- looking animals, almost hairless, with large horns ; they are very strong and valuable beasts to the husband- man. I afterwards met with them all over the island. Of wild animals there are the tiger and the rhino- ceros, causing the sacrifice of many lives. Death amongst the natives by these, and the bites of poisonous snakes, are computed to happen in Java at the rate of one per diem. They abound especially in the southern districts, which are uncultivated, indeed, more than one-half of the island is in that pristine state to this day, including a great many volcanoes, whose number is variably given as thirty- six to forty-six, of which about a dozen are still active. Earthquakes are of frequent occurrence, averaging about once a week ; the interior being most, and the north coast least, subject to these visitations. At its western extremity, in the Straits of Sunda, 224 EAllTIlyUAKE OF KRAKATAU. and about twenty-six miles from Anjer, was the unin- habited island of Krakatau, only five miles in len^h and three in breadth, culminating in a peak rising 2,750 feet above the sea, which, in the month of August, 1883, was visited by a stupendous volcanic eruption, creating impenetrable darkness for hundreds of square miles around, and, in its effects, reducing the island to a fraction of its original size. It is curious to note the flow of pumice-stone thus released : its progress during the first five months after the occurrence must have been slow, for in January, 1 884, the " Marlborough" ss. passed through a flux of the debris 320 miles N.E. of Krakatau on her way to Soerabaya ; after that a strong easterly current seems to have wafted it across towards the African coast, where it positively littered the beach in many places between Zanzibar and Natal, as witnessed by Sir John Kirk in the month of June, and by Captain Reeves, of the barque " Umvoti," in September, 1884, having thus drifted a distance of about 4,500 miles in thirteen months ; numerous records also prove that the disturbance caused by the velocity of the waves in consequence of the eruption even reached the coasts of France and England. Java, lying between S. Lat. 5° 52' and 8° 46', and E. Long, 105° 10' and 114°, 35', is exceedingly hilly, the THE MAGAMENDONG. 225 entire group of mountains reachino- an elevation of from four to 12,000 feet, mostly covered with luxuriant foliage to the summit. The population of the island is 18,000,000, consisting principally of Malays, excepting in the mid-eastern portions where the old Javanese race is still predominant ; the latter have a somewhat longer face and a bronzed skin, better features, not unlike the people of Australasian descent, and slender hands; whilst the Malay has a round, rather flat face of copper colour, is small, of a stouter build, and large extremities. Both embraced Mahome- danism in 1475; since that time Buddhism has existed, but only in a few districts. Besides these there are a great many Chinamen in Java carrying on the trade from the coast into the interior as pedlars, some on a large scale. There is an interesting spot called Batoe-Toulis, about ten miles, in a southerly direction, from Buitenzorg, to which Mr. Murschenbrock drove me one fine morning-, whence we obtained a good view of the Magamendong, the most prominent peak visible, situated in the rich province of Preanger, and 4,780 feet high. We here stood upon the site of a large inland city which had long ceased to exist, and it was marked by a monument of great historical interest. This famous stone, about four feet high, bears an Q 220 RELIGIONS OF JAVA. inscription in some unknown tongue, of wliicli, however, sufficient has been deciphered to prove that it refers to the foundation of the old town. Not far from this place Mr. M. pointed out the quasi-Driiidical remains of an open-air altar, consisting of a large stone slab, raised ,a few feet above the ground, and roughly sculptured with designs now hardly discernible, also some ill-shapen stone figures, apparently of fetish origin, and a few earthenware vessels. The forest, in which these relics were discovered, is supposed to have been sacred, forming part of that superstition. There is much resemblance in the above monument with those already described, as existing in the forest districts of Southern India, appertaining to a rude form of Hindu worship, apparently pointing at a link in the gradual adaptation of one religious system into another. In the northern portion of Java the Brahmans held sway in the earlier centuries of our era, long before Buddhism completely superseded them between the tenth and twelfth century, but it is a mute question whether the inhabitants of those wild regions in the interior had ever come within the influence of Brahminical teaching, in fact absolute heathenism is said to exist there even now to an unknown extent. Amongst the lower orders Hinduism has always been strangely mixed up with fetish superstition, ascribing magical power to carved CHINAMEN IN JAVA. 227 stones 01" figures, and this often makes it difficult to arrive at a true decision as to the religious bias of monuments of an early age. In Mysore, however, the existence of caste and many other purely Hindu customs settle the point beyond a doubt ; it is different in Java where the religion of Brahma has entirely disappeared, excepting, perhaps, in a few isolated cases amongst emigrants from India, in which the old rules have long relapsed into comparative apathy, and nothing remains but a few rites of minor importance. Mr, M. informed me that the Chinamen to this day perform then- devotions at the altar we had been examining ; now they are doubtless Buddhists, for although there are two other religions practised in China, the Confucian and the Taouist, Fetishism is unknown there, and the class of people from which these pedlars in foreign lands spring do not profess either of the other philosophical creeds, hence the only conclusion one can come to is that, in their gross ignorance, the Chinamen confound those rather obese figures with others seen in their own temples in China, representative or emblematic of Buddha. Previous to my return to Batavia, I had the oppor- tunity of witnessing the proceedings in the Court of Q 2 228 COURT OF JURTTOR. Justice, held in an open building, called Pendoppo, a large roof supported l)y pillars, erected upon a plat- form a few feet above the ground. It had fine rice- straw hangings all round to shut out rain or sun from any part of it. The European judge presided at a table cpvered with documents and law books as else- where, to his right and left native dignitaries were seated to watch the proceedings, and assist in propounding knotty questions according to Mahomedan law, whilst the prisoners squatted upon the steps in front. I was much interested in the proceedings, which, however, being carried on mostly in Malay, and translated to me into French, lost much of their importance by this process. I was, however, struck by the ready and even justice meted out with due regard to native habits and pre- judices, and the punishments, in case of conviction, were far from excessive. Having seen enough of Buitenzorg to leave a very pleasant impression upon my mind, I returned to Batavia for a night only, which, however, seemed to me the longest I had ever spent, owing to fearful suffer- ings from prickly heat, by the Dutch in their euphonic language called " 7"Ooi/e hund" (red dog), which here takes the form of red blotches, as large as a hand, quite unlike the spotty appearance of the same disorder so frequent in the Levant and in India. VOYAGE TO SAMARANG. 229 At the last moment, in consequence of heavy rains, I was advised to renounce my intention of travelUng overland to some of the native states I meant to visit, as in all probability the roads would be knee-deep, and the rivers unfordable, and as a steamer was to start on the following morning for Samarang, I was not long in making up my mind, and prepared to go by her. The "Koningin Sophia" a fine new boat of a thousand tons, specially built and well-adapted for the tropics, started at eight a.m. There were not many passengers ; and although we encountered several tremendous gusts of wind accompanied by heavy rain, the voyage was a very pleasant one. Even their extraordinary rice messes I began to appreciate, but T confess the Dutch people astonished me with their appetites. At Cheribon and at Tagal, whence we had a fine view of the Slamat volcano, 10,500 feet high, we stopped for a few hours to land and embark cargo. This part of the coast, however, being very unhealthy, I did not leave the ship, and late in the afternoon of the following day we reached the open and dangerous roadstead of Samarang. The landing, by means of a small steam tender, up a muddy estuary was with difficulty, but at last successfully accomplished, and the " Heerenlogemente " condescended to house me for the night. CHAPTER IX. BaMARANG SOEIIAKAKTA EmPEHOR SuStJHTTNAN IX. AND HIS CoURT — Djokjokarta — SiTLTAN Hajiakgkoe YI.- — Chateatj d'Eau— Tombs AT IMataram — Tkmple Boro-bodo — Province of Kadoe — Magel- LANG — Fortress Ambarrawa — Oenarakg — Forced Labour — Dutch Government Policy. No word can express the damp appearance of Sarnarang, and its only redeeming point is a splendid broad avenue of tamarind trees, the " Heerenstraat," nearly two miles long, and leading to the Resident's house at Bodjong. Along this route the Europeans reside in large white-washed houses. They attend the evening drive in considerable numbers, and, when SAMARANG. 231 the sun is low, and the aveniie shady, they mostly dispense with their head covering. Even the coachman lowers his glaced bowl-shaped topi and lets it waddle round his neck, whilst the attendant out- runners seldom encumber themselves with any part of attire that can be dispensed with. Some of the would-be aristocrats make their coachman pile an immense shiny chimney-joot hat, with silver band on the top of a brown handkerchief, folded turban fashion. The genuine Javanees wear a very extraordinary sort of high cap with broad brim, but entirely open behind, to admit their chignon, or knot, in which they tie their hair, — both men and women alike. In the evening I was invited to witness the performance of Chinese dancing girls ; they were quite young, and grotesquely dressed, at the commencement wearing masks, which they soon put aside on account of the heat ; they moved, or rather contorted their bodies in not very elegant manner, without stirring from the spot, and were accompanied by quite a regiment of gongs. The whole thing was far from lively. At Batavia I had seen Malay children dance, an infinitely prettier sight. The Chinese quarter at Samarang is worth a visit, owing to its beautiful gardens sloping down to the water's edge, and the quaint pavilions, supported by 232 RAIL TO SOERAKARTA. four posts, an open gallery above, and a pretty roof generally ending in a carved dragon. The neatness of tlieir houses is also conspicuous, as the concave outline of the pitched roof is usually ornamented with a border of coloured tiles. Samarang has a large trade, it being the port of tlie principal agricultural provinces of the island, notably of the " Kadoe," the beauty and fertility of which, and other favourite districts, is apt to create a not very unnatural regret that the island, after having been subject to British rule for the space of five years, from 1811 to 1816, under the able Gover- nor, Sir Stamford Raffles, had to be restored to the Dutch, to whose energy, in a great measure, no doubt, Java owes her m.aterial prosperity. There is a short railway of barely fifty miles run- ning between Samarang and Soerakarta, but, owing to its gradual ascent, four hours are consumed in reaching the latter. The country through which we passed by this route is fertile throughout, and the scenery, especially where we approached the hilly region, became very picturesque. Tlie rice fields and acaciae near the coast soon made room for the cocoa- nut, the palmyra, and the areca palms, the tulip tree {Liriode7idron tulipifera) covered with flowers ; also the dragon tree [Draccena draco), some with straight VILLAGES OF THE INTERIOR. 233 stems, others with their fantastical ramifications, were visible in one or two spots ; and, whilst passing slowly through a teak forest I noticed a great variety of orchids, mostly much larger than I had seen else- where, and a fine purple pitcher plant. After having reached an elevation of about 1,000 feet the country again became more open, and an excellent system of irrigation favoured the cultivation of rice, even here. Villages sprang up in every direction ; the houses built entirely of bamboo, not being so liable to injury by earthquakes as stone houses are ; moreover, the former material grows in such abundance that it is used in every possible way. Every paddy field has its little bamboo watch -kennel, similar in construction to those the fishermen ei'ect on the shores of the Bosphorus ; it is raised on four posts, some six or eight feet from the ground, and covered with dried palm leaves ; generally a little urchin is seen in it pulling strings, with dry leaves knotted into them at certain distances, which cross and recross the field in every direction, and by their motion prevent the legions of sparrows and white ibises from picking the ripe ear. Natives of every degree joined the train, at the different stations, many holding an official position as the large umbrella, carried bv their attendant, indicated. This 234 SOEHAKAirPA. unwieldy badg^e of oHice is about six feet long, gener- ally made of very gaudy material, and moi-e or less gilded according to the owner's rank. Another servant generally carried a heavy box, from which I concluded that they were tax gatherers ; others again bundles, containing master's best clothes and toilet, — natives, as a rule, indulge in a greater number of servants than Europeans do. On my arrival at Soerakarta, the capital of the little native state of Solo, I learned that the Emperor was going to hold a grand reception within a few days on the occasion of the Javanese feast, " Garebeg Besar," coinciding with the Mahomedan new year, which accounted for the crowded train, as it is the custom that His Majesty's subjects come from all parts with presents of produce and money. This was a splendid opportunity to witness a ceremony I had so much heard of. I therefore called at once on the Resident, to whom I delivered the Governor-General's letter. This dignitary was a very tall and bulky gentleman living in considerable state : he not only invited me to take part at the Emperor's levee, at which he proposed to present me, but also to a grand dejeuner to be given afterwards at the Residency to all the notables, European as well as native. This latter I, however, little cared about ; and, as I wished to retain my inde- THE EMPEROR OF SOLO. 235 pendence on that day to see all that might be of interest, I politely declined the banquet, which, 1 after- wards heard, had been a veiy formal and prosy affair, winding up with the usual loyal toasts. Besides the Emperor, the nominal Sovereign of the district, there is another native prince, residing in the capital, Mangkou Negoro, a rich and more enlightened man, who affects European manners, dress, and con- versation. He acts as a counterpoise or spy upon the quasi-ruler of this diminutive empire, whose entire population is barely 400,000 souls, 10,000 of which are said to be in the latter's direct service within the walls of the Kraton, enclosing park and palace. There is also a Dutch fort in its immediate neighbourhood com- manding the town. The province owes its fertility to the river Solo and its numerous affluents ; the former reaches the sea in the Strait of Soerabaya, whicli separates Java from the island of Madura. The natives are very docile, and give little trouble to Prince or Resident ; they dress in sarong and blouse, men and women alike, indigo being principally used for dyeing common material. I visited the park, which has little to boast of There was a strong bamboo cage in whicli His Majesty keeps his tigers, nine in number, which, on state occasions, are one by one transferred into a large arena to fight 236 TllK KKAT()>'. the rhinoceros. A disgusting' siglit was the feeding, when dead dogs were thrown to them from above, which they all tore at, making a fearful noise. All the coun- try roinid is scoured for dogs to satisfy the tiger's raven- ing appetite, and a small coin or a little rice is given in exchange,— it is astonishing that the canine breed does not die out under these circumstances. Here T also saw the Emperor's mosque, a very poor building, con- structed of wood and plaster, and ornamented with mirrors and roughly-painted pillars. On the day of tlie feast from an early hoiu- the principal street leading to the Kraton, which is sui'rounded by high walls, with several gates and minarets, was alive with natives in gay holiday cos- tume, and many a long procession entered the enclos- ure, headed by a band of music. The latter consisted of brass gongs of different sizes strung to a long bamboo pole which is carried on the shoulders of two men ; the sound of these instruments, when beaten by an adept, is very sweet and melodious, something between that of a glass harmonica and the bells at our New Year wakes, especially when heard from a little distance, and on its gradual approach. The coloured official umbrella accompanied most of these processions, whilst some of the members of the Imperial family entered the THE DUTCH RESIDENT. 237 gates in a carriage, and four of these were each followed by a picket of lancers, their occupants glittering with diamonds. I must now, however, make for the Eesidency, the appointed hour of ten o'clock being at hand, here the same difficulty unexpectedly presented itself as had already occurred at Batavia. All the gentlemen, who were thus assembled, were decked out in strict evenincf costume, and I was expected to appear in the same. Here, however, the Besident kindly came to my rescue, and made me put on an old suit of his, which might easily have held a pair of my taille. I felt that every- body must laugh at the ridiculous figure I cut, which was by no means a pleasant idea ; however, there was nothing for it but to put a bold face on it and join the formidable procession of officers and Dutch residents. The great man himself, who in fact rules the Emperor completely, drove to the palace in state. Just before starting, an escort arrived, headed by the Court Minister in a carriage, from which he had to alight at the outer gate, although Europeans drove up to the verandah steps. Such is the humiliating etiquette imposed upon natives by the Dutch Government. Equally strict is that within the precincts of the Kraton, which, not even the dalem, or reception hall, the minister or any other native, excepting the 238 TIT I', RMI'imoRS PALACE. numerous princes of the royal blood, is allowed to enter unless naked to the waist, sarong and turban forming their entire apparel. As a native durbar in the lieart of Java is one of the most curious ceremonies one can possibly behold in this our nineteenth century, I cannot resist giving a detailed account of it ; for beyond the presence of the European element, T don't suppose that anything has been changed in the whole business for the last 500 years, or even longer. After passing the outer gate of the Imperial resi- dence, we were marched through no less than five court- yards, separated from each other by walls covered with creepers, and containing gardens, one-storied buildings, and colonnades. The broad path we were threading was lined by Dutch and native soldiers, until at last we reached the pleasure ground surrounding the palace, an extensive pile of buildings open to the front, and giving admittance to a large square verandah, now used as the durbar hall, its roof supported by gilded and coloured pillars. Here a wonderful sight presented itself, not exceeded even by the most extravagant scenes in the fairy land of our nursery tales : an immense garden filled with all the richness of tropical vegetation, mag- nificent palms, plantains, and fern trees, flowers of every hue and fantastically festooned creepers, and SUSUHUNAN IX. 239 amidst it all were groups of women and children, got up in all the colours of the rainbow, as far as the little clothing, they cover themselves with, admits of They were admirably posed, and so were the Imperial body- guards and warriors in little knots, dressed in ancient costume, and carrying bows and arrows. Their arms and breasts were stained with saffron, and a short sarong, striped brown and yellow, reaching to the knee ; but, instead of hanging straight down petticoat-fashion, here it fell round the loins in graceful folds, one end of it made to hang down in front closely plaited and almost touching the ground. A broad coloured belt confined the sarong in the waist, and a head-dress consisting of a brown handkerchief tied at the back in an enormous stiff bow of triangular shape, — rather like that worn by the Vierlander Madchen, selling violets in the streets of Hamburg, — enhanced the droll effect of their attire, whilst banners and flags added their quota to the mass of brilliant colour. To complete the picture we must imagine the sweet strains of music performed by invisible artists, hidden in different parts of the garden, and above all the cloudless sky and bright sunshine lighting up the scene. The Emperor (Paku Saidin Panatogomo) Susuhunan IX., a rigid, well-proportioned man of thirty- three, looking quite his age, who hardly moved a muscle of 240 ROYAL COSTUME. liis face (luriiii^- tlie wliole of the reception, exceptiniif those of lus heavy-painted eyebrows, by a movement of which lie appeared to give his assent wlien appHed to, advanced from the interior of the palace, which seemed of great depth, the inner portion of which was partitioned oif by an enormous screen, or purdah. Behind this the women of his harem were seen moving about, trying to get a glimpse of what was going on beyond. His Majesty took his seat in the middle of the open hall, where two arm-chairs had been placed on a raised dais, one for him and the other for the Dutch Resident; and after the presentation of the Europeans, the latter took their seats on chairs placed in a semi- circle to the right and left of the central group. The Emperor, who, by the way, is an inveterate opium smoker (and he quite looks it), was clad in a magnificent gold embroidered sarong reaching to his heels, a dark blue silk jacket braided with gold lace, three stars pinned to his breast, and a pale blue semi-trans- parent head-covering of sugar-loaf shape, with the point cut off the upper half: the latter had all the appearance of being made of blue silk or paper, steeped in oil and stiffened, or else of gold- beaters' skin, on a blue foundation, to ensure light- ness. Immediately on his right kneeled a handsome young woman, with a most beautifully shaped arm. THE emperor's RECEPTION. 241 liolding up a golden vessel, similar to the Indian lota ; in the other hand she held a silver " sirih " box, both used in connection with betel chewino-, one of her lord's weaknesses ; and two or three dwarfs and jesters squatted down at the foot of a column. Facing the Emperor crouched the princes of the royal blood, some thirty to forty in number, with eyes downcast and hands joined as if in prayer, sitting upon their heels with the knee barely touching the ground. These wore the same blue topi, a purple velvet jacket, and a short sarong to the knee, diamond earrings, and a bouquet of brilliants fastened by a large comb to the knot of the back hair. The Emperor likewise indulged in a liberal display of jewels all over his person ; and in his sash, he carried, as also did the princes, the kriss, a short sword, and a dagger, both weapons richly ornamented. Besides, some hundreds of chiefs and nobles crowded the hall, who saluted his Majesty by joining their hands, with fingers outstretched, and drawing them slowly down from the forehead until the thumbs touched the tip of the nose, and then gently withdrew them. Presently pawn was handed round, and the ladies, — seventy-eight, as far as I could count, — from cafe-au-lait to bronze complexion, some very handsome, others old and ugly, were admitted to the hall in front of the screen, where they squatted down very con- R 242 TEERENTATTOX OF GIFTS. tentedly on fine straw matting, a sarong forming tlicir sole attire, excepting a profusion of diamonds and other precious stones. Upon a sign from the Emperor the whole company- rose, and filed off in procession to the Pondopo, or Hall of Justice, headed by the women, carrying banners a,nd swords of state, and the princes ; then followed his Majesty, hand in hand with the Dutch Resident, who by his bulk quite overshadowed the former; and, lastly, the European visitors and the noble crew of natives. We thus marched, to the tune of a Dutch regimental band through lines of soldiers in the unique uniform already described, into the third court, and up the steps of a large, open building. Here everybody was accommo- dated as before ; and now the natives came forward, one by one, to the foot of the steps, presenting their offerings, which they did kneeling and in most humble attitudes : these consisted of fruit, cakes, and sweet- meats, on enormous trays, and piles of rice and other produce of the soil, carried upon mats slung between two long bamboos ; they seemed perfect cart-loads, which, having been graciously accepted as indicated by his Majesty's almost imperceptibly raising his eyebrows, filed off to the royal store-house. This took up con- siderable time, and after the novelty had worn off it became a rather tedious business ; still, the effect was NATIVE WARRIORS. 243 exceedingly original, and almost theatrical. Liberal money gifts, I was told, had been received during the earlier hours at the private palace. The last mountain of rice having disappeared, pawn, wine, and cake were ha.nded round, and the following loyal toasts proposed, and duly responded to by a salute from the guns : to the Emperor of Solo, the King of Holland, the son and heir of the former, a sallow-faced little fellow five years of age, who was here presented ; the Dutch Royal family, and to the Sultan of Djokjokarta. Now sounds of strange music reached our ears from all sides, and the native troops were drawn up firing volley after volley, finishing up by a tremendous cannonade in an outer court, not to shock his Majesty's nerves, which ill- natured people declare to be very weak in consequence of his various excesses. Then the warriors, a body of fine, tall, well-made soldiers, marched past in parade step, a very peculiar sort of dancing -master style, swinging the leg forward very slowly, and drawing it back by a measured movement, during which the foot is raised almost above the calf of the other leg. The whole performance appeared quite in keeping with their extraordinary costume, and would, I feel convinced, meet with great success if adopted in some of our favourite Christmas pantomimes. Parade over, the procession was formed as before, and we returned to R 2 244 " THE (JAMALA.\(;." the palace, from wliicli, this time, liowever, the general public was excluded. Here tea was handed round to the Europeans, — an attention on the part of the Resi- dent, I was informed, — and after a bow to the Emperor we all withdrew. 1 trust that I have not spun too long a yarn on so unimportant a subject as that of a native Court, but what has tempted me to note down every detail is that the few remnants of mediaeval customs and ceremonies still existing are rapidly disappearing altogether, whilst, as long as they last, they bear an interest beyond their tinsel pageantry. In the evening I attended a native concert at the Residency ; the orchestra or "gamalang," consisted of instruments of various kinds and shapes, the principal feature is the kettle-drum, of which fourteen, say seven in each row, are let into a bamboo frame, and of these there were four, also ordinary large drums and gongs,-^ for noise is essential at these entertainments,— timbrels, flutes, and various stringed instruments. Their music is either wild or plaintive, and on the whole harmonious; a little of it is very pleasant, and the grouping of the orchestra is not the least agreeable part of it. On the following day, thanks to the instructions from headquarters at Batavia, a carriage and four horses, or rather ponies, appeared at the appointed time SARONG-MAKING. 245 in front of the hotel to convey me to Djokjokarta, a distance of forty miles, and the road in some places being very steep, a pair of oxen were added when i-e- quired. The scenery I passed through was much the same as that before reaching Soerakarta. At Klaten, about half way, I had tiffin, and inspected the making of sarong cloth, called " battikken," for which the place is famous. When the cloth is ready and the pattern drawn on it with Indian ink or indigo, the mouth-piece of a little instrument resembling a short cutty-pipe, its handle of bamboo, and its bowl of copper, fitted on one side with a fine sharp-pointed tube, is carefully made to follow the design with the melted wax contained in the little pot ; and when the entire piece is finished, it is put in the vat holding the dye for the ground colour, generally brown, thus leaving the pattern yellow, as the wax does not take the colour, but gives the material a glossy and silky appearance. I have also seen some very handsome sarongs, in different shades. This process, of course, needs repe- tition, according to the number of colours required. Cotton is the material generally used for these articles, but silks are dyed in the same way. In working metals the Javanese are very clever, and they show great skill in the production of the well-known kriss, which every man, and often boy 24 G DJOKJOKARTA. and even woman, carries. Many of these krisses, from tlieir antiquity, are much appreciated, and often fetch very high prices. The sheath is generally covered with rhinoceros hide, which is likewise made at Klaten. I was also shown some curious weapons and utensils for various ])ur]^oses. The latter portion of the journey was mostly down- hill, Djokjokarta standing only .360 feet above the sea-level, and we reached that town about sunset, where I had some difficulty in finding the small hotel, which had not even a supper to offer. The capital of Djokjo, on the banks of the Oepac, and near the base of the Merapi, — a volcano rising abruptly to a height of 8.500 feet, — has its fort, now occupied by Dutch troo})S, and its Kraton, the residence of Sultan (Hamangkoe Bouvono Seriopati Ingalogo Ngaodoer Rachman Saidin Panatogomo) Kalifatolah VI. The entile arrangement of the palace is much the same as that at Soerakarta, only on a larger scale, and the buildings more substantial, consisting of the usual coui'ts, halls, and colonnades, as well as mosques, and even the menagerie of wild beasts, without which these, but half-civilized, rulers can apparently not exist. They revel in cruelty ; and if they are restrained from exercising that passion upon their subjects they accept the alternative of ferocious beasts. SULTAN OF DJOKJO. 247 The Sultan, short and stout, and evidently a hon- vivant, was attired much in the same fashion as his neighbour, with the addition of a peculiar ornament attached to his ears in the shape of a rosette, sur- mounted by a leaf pointing upwards, and incrusted with diamonds, strongly resembling ass's ears, meaning no disrespect to His Majesty, who is rather intelligent than otherwise. The Dutch Resident, who had held his post for many years, took me over the ruins of an old fortified palace, commenced by the first, and finished during the reign of the second Sultan of Djokjo. It was called Chateau d'Eau, or its synonym in the Javanese tongue, and its last occupier was the present ruler's grandfather : it consists of a mass of solid masonry surrounded by a broad moat, now dry, bearing the appearance of an extensive fort, with several inner lines of defence made accessible by tunnels. There were also double roofed gateways, built of brick and covered with cement, connected by long winding avenues of splen- did trees. The immense extent of these ruins, embodying pavilions and galleries, now covered with vegetation, from moss and ferns to large trees which had taken root in the crevices, had an exceedingly pleasing and picturesque effect. It was here that the then Sultan defied the Dutch army from 1825 248 TOMBS OF MAT ARAM. to 1830, the lattei" consisting' of 15,000 men, half native, lialf European troops, and peace was only established by the Government paying to the Sultan a sum equal to two millions sterling in consideration of his receiving a Dutch Resident within his capital, who thenceforth became the real Governor of the province. Here, as at Solo, an independent prince is recognized to keep the Sultan in check, who has since been simply a vassal of Holland. I also visited the tombs of the Sultans at Mataram, the oldest of which dates back about 300 years. In the centre of the enclosure is a large fish-pond, in which is kept the sacred turtle, forty inches in diameter, also a number of large gold and silver fishes. 'Ihe building, containing the remains of so many poten- tates, consists of low walls, supporting a high-pitched tile roof nearly touching the ground at either side, and within are the simple tombs, constructed of stone, under a wooden form, over which a white cloth is suspended, giving them the appearance of rows of hospital beds. Surrounding this Pashalic burial-shed is the general cemetery of the faithful subjects, for Mahomedanism is the professed creed here as else- where in Java, — in reality, the natives of these southern districts can hardly be said to have any definite religion, and their existence is simply ruled EARTHQUAKES. 249 by habit and by superstition. There are some four or five divisions within the grounds, each having a sort of carved stone hchgate in the centre, in the shape of a hve-roofed pagoda; it is a curious place altogether, and admirably kept. On our return drive to tlie town, we passed a splendid banyan tree, said to be the largest known, it certainly appeared of enormous dimensions. The Resident now drove me to his own house, where he entertained me at tiffin, and aftei'- wards showed me the effect of the memorable earth- quake of June, L867, which had caused the death of many hundreds of natives and destroyed the greater portion of Djokjokarta, amongst which was the Dutch residency, a perfect palace, constructed of stone and marble, from which the Resident and his family only just escaped with their lives. As the disaster happened during the night when all the doors were closed, and great difficulty was experienced in getting them open whilst the shock, which was of unusual duration, lasted, had not assistance come from without, all the inmates must have been buried under the ruins, which soon covered the wdiole space. It was a lesson to construct houses in tropical Java of a more giving material. The new building consists of a framework of bamboo and other supjile timber. Here I was shown a fine collection of antique 250 PROVIN(^E OF KADOE. Javanese spears and lances, collected \)y tlie Resident during his long term of office. The Javanese, like the Chinese, are very fond of kite-flying, I saw some beautiful specimens, repre- senting birds, as large as six feet by three feet, very cleverly made of split bamboo and coloured silk or cotton ; it was quite a sight to see these monsters rise hiofh into the air. Djokjokarta lies within fifteen miles of the south coast of Java, in the same longitude as Samarang, on its northern shore ; and, having reached the former by an easterly semi-circular route. I now proposed return- ing in the opposite direction, so as to enable me to make a wide circle, and by that means see a large extent of the most fertile districts of the island ; moreover, the famous Buddhist ruins, which I had come to visit, lying on that route, not many miles east of Magellang, the capital of the province of Kadoe. I made an early stai't in a small comfortahle char-a-banc with an awning and six horses, the road not only being hilly but also in deplorable condition, owing to heavy- showers. The morninof was fine, but towards noon the rain came down in torrents, and continued to do so, with occasional breaks, when the sunshine revealed views of exceeding beauty. The Kadoe has been THE UPAS-TREE. 251 deservedly called the garden of Java ; it is but a small province, but densely populated, and although several thousands of feet above the level of the sea, is really situated in a hollow, as its name signifies, — a large basin, formed by lofty mountains and volcanoes, at times reaching a height of 8,000 to 11,000 feet, and teaming with virgin forests. Its extraordinary fertility is proved by the utter absence of uncultivated ground ; plantations of coffee, vanilla, cinchona, and tobacco on the higher ground vie with those of sugar, rice, pepper, cotton, and indigo on the lower and irrigated districts ; besides the mountains produce much valuable timber and sulphur, and even a Ijeautiful marble which is celebrated all over the island. P'ew plants in Java being deciduous, the aspect of the country is a smiling one throughout the year. There are seen in conjunction with the plantations of produce, palms, bamboos, and the deadly upas tree [Antiaris texicaria) in the low land, succeeded by fig species and th»' lofty rasimalas, prominent to the eye by their in^nense^^hite trunks; then on a higher range still, oaks and laurels ; and beyond 6,000 feet to the summit, heath, pines, etc. As regards the poisonous property of t he upas tree, authorities seem to differ. Mr. King- ston, in his " Australian Abroad," gives an account of a specimen he met with at the foot of the volcanic 252 ,IAVANP]8E VILLAGES. Merapi. " Tlie tree," he says, *' had nothhig deadly about it, but the earth in that depressed part emitted fumes of carbonic acid gas, that hovered over the ground for about three feet upwards, suffocating those who might He down on the earth thei'e." The kampongs, or villages, throughout the whole route gave evidence of a thriving population ; tlie bamboo cottages were neat and clean, each invariably surrounded by a little garden full of plantains and other fruit trees, and protected from the road by a screen of split bamboo upon a low stone wall. The native women of the better class, when going any distance, move about in a small bamboo palki or a hammock, suspended from a long pole, and carried by two coolies (Plate XXIIL). Men and women dress much in the same fashion, hence the anecdote of a Dutch colonel, during one of his raids against the natives : having attacked a detachment of Javanese Amazons, who defended them- selves bravely with sticks and whatever they could lay hold of for the purpose, until the mistake was cleai'ed up, when a general stampede ensued. The country swarms with a species of swallow, whose nest, built into the rock of the mountain, is much prized by the epicure of the Celestial Empire. Long avenues of banyan and other fine trees now brought us to a broad river, having more the appearance I ■«?; ft BORO-BODO TEMPLE. 253 of a lake, and covered with innumerable large water- lilies ; here I left the carriage, and was piloted across in a crazy sort of boat, and thence, after half an hour's walk knee-deep in mud, I reached the ruins of Moen- doel and Mongloot. They are not large, of the ordinary pyramid shape, much carved but sadly injured, and ornamented with statues, of which, how- ever, not one is now recognizable. A tall fig-ti"ee had forced itself throuo'h the stone rio-ht into the heart of the Mongloot temple. Some distance farther, upon the crest of a hill, is the far-famed temple of Boro-Bodo, properly Bura-Buddha or Great Buddha, which, according to a popular legend, was erected within three days by one hundred thousand men, each putting his stone, duly sculptured and prepared according to plan and design, in its appointed place. On reaching the top of the hill, and passing a neat bungalow where the guardian is quartered, and at the extreme end of a fine avenue, fifty feet wide, flanked on either side by a row of dog sphinxes, this stupen- dous work rises to a height of 120 feet or more, and it would seem almost impossible to convey a true impression of this wonderful relic without having seen it. The form of the temple is that of a square 254 BORO-BODO ITS CONSTRUCTION. pyramid, eixoXi facadt' iiieasuring nearly 400 feet at the base, and the approach is by four sets of stairs in the angles, of 150 steps each, one above the other. The entire pyramid consists of nine terraces, — a favourite number amongst Buddhists as the multiple of the figure three, emblematic of the Tripitaka or three collections of Buddha's Writ. The five lower tiers, twelve to eight feet high respectively, have a gallery all round, with screens and gateways, giving access to the cells, each of which, — and there are altogether nearly 500,- — possessed a figure of Buddha in the centre, life-size and seated cross-legged ; all tliose imaoes still in existence are characteristic of that dreamy, contemplative mood, bearing the mark of Asiatic apathy. Each of the cells was roofed over by a dome ; few of the latter now, however, remain uninjured ; this part forms the ancient monaster}' or vihara, at one time occupied by the monks in tl.eir yellow garbs. The four upper-stories had neither gallery nor cells, but numerous cupolas, corresponding with the domes below. The apex, whence there is a magnificent view of the surrounding country, is occupied by a large circular compartment containing the shrine, sunk ten feet deep into the pyramid, which was originally covered over hj the customary bell- shaped tope. This shrine at one time contained the BORO-BODO — IT.S SCULPTURES. 255 sacred relic, generally a bone of Buddha ; besides, there had been an enormous statue of the latter. Now the space is empty, and the whole of the upper stories are very much ruined. Strange enough there is no interior to the temple beyond the cells already named, and the dagoba in the centre. The material used in the construction of this enormous edifice, is granite in large blocks, fitted together a23parently without cement ; and the entire structure, every stone in it, is covered with sculpture. The dimensions throughout, the height of the different stories, the width of the galleries, the pitch of every cupola, nay, the size of all the ornamentations, are in the most perfect proportion to the whole edifice. The sculptures represent the creation of man, marriage and death, also scenes from the life of Buddha, elephant and rhinoceros hunts, battles and sea fights, agriculture and various arts ; and although time and climatical influences have done much to injure the carvings, there is sufiicient evidence to show what great skill has been exercised in producing them : they are proof of the high state of civilization and artistic feeling of that early time. The Dutch Government, a few years ago, published a most exhaustive account of the temple of Boro-Bodo, a copy of which has been presented to the Boyal 25G r.oito-i'.oDo I'i's AC!-:. GeogTa})liic;il Society. Tlie work is entitled " Boi'o- Boedoer, up het Eiland Java, door E. Leemans. Leiden," consisting of 666 pages and 393 cartoons, thirty inches by eighteen, giving sections and ac- curate measurements, as well as representations of every bit of carving extant. Accounts vary as to the exact age of this magnifi- cent ruin, the 8th, the 10th, up to the 14tli cen- tury, have been variously assigned as the period of its erection. Ti'ust worthy authority, however, places it between the 11th to 13th, probably the 12th century, during which Buddhism had reached its pinnacle of glory in Java, after the expulsion of Hinduism and before its gradual decay and eventual supersession by Mahomedanism in the 15th century. After a careful inspection of tliis wonderful monu- ment of former civilization, I could not but be struck with the degenerated condition of the Java race of to-day compared with that of six or eight centuries ago. The people seem to have lost their arts com- pletely, and to have returned to a state of comparative infancy ; nor do they seem to care for their religion ; in the interior one but seldom beholds a mosque, and rarely even in the towns on the coast. Of schools, they are but few and far between, and proselytizing MAGELLANG. 257 of the natives is, or anyhow was, strictly prohibited ten years ago. It may here be interesting to compare the dimen- sions of Boro-Bodo with those of the Pyramid of Gizeh : the latter is 756 feet long each face, against 400 feet; and 4 80 feet high, against 120 feet of the former. We may well ask, what record of civilization in modern times, to say nothing of monuments of such vast dimensions, do late generations leave after two or three hundred years' occupation of the island ? Alas ! they are soon summed up, two words suffice to give the result, — " sugar and coffee." I had been fortunate in the weather clearing up whilst visiting this interesting spot ; but, soon after leaving it, the sun took his final departure for the day, and, for fear of being benighted, and also to throw off the chill which I felt creeping over me, my clothes being nearly saturated, I trotted off as fast as the deep mud would let me to reach the carriage Ijelow ; still, owing to the wretched condition of the road, and its hilly nature, requiring frequent relays of oxen, it was eight o'clock before I arrived at Magellang, thirty-five miles north of Djokjokarta, and about the same distance south of Samarang. One can hardly imagine a prettier place than this, celebrated for its s 258 AMBARRAWA. splendid fruit and poultry. Here 1 saw a perfectly white cock without a black spot, standing three feet high, fi-om comb to spur, — a magnificent bird, ])ut no money I could offer would induce the owner to part with him. The country around is undulating and well wooded, more like an English park than a tropical landscape, and a pleasant feature in this part of the island is the frequency of turf avenues lined with the graceful bamboo. Magellang has a population of 34,000 natives, lies 1,400 feet above sea level, and is con- sidered one of the healthiest towns of Java, although rain is said to fall here nearly every day of the year. An exceedingly clean and comfortalile hotel readily recompensed me for the tremendous wetting I had received, and whatever symptoms of fever there were on my arrival, they soon gave way to prompt treatment under my host's judicious advice. I never slept sounder, and woke next morning quite ready to continue my journey. At noon I started for Ambarrawa, a large fortress built in 1831, and occupied by 3,000 soldiers of every complexion, — the fair Dutchman, the bronze Malay, the black African, and any number of nondescripts, — all fighting against the effect of a fever-stricken locality, surrounded as it is by marshes, which also gradually undermine the ERECTION OF FORTIFICATIONS. 259 foundation of the barracks. The walls of the latter not only look green from damp, but are also very much cracked, and I'un the risk of some day tumbling to pieces during an earthquake. From this it will be seen that the soldiers here do not lead altogether a paradisaical life. Those of my readers who have been to Jamaica may remember Fort Augusta, also built on a swamp, where the British Government lost regiment after regiment, nay, whole battalions, and would probably have continued its occupation, like the Dutch at Ambarrawa, had not the home authori- ties taken it into their wise heads to send out a squadron of hussars to supplement the garrison, although there was barely tethering ground for theii- horses, which died as fast as the men did ; and it was only the costliness of the quadrupeds that induced the Government at last to abandon the station and to send the troops to the hills, where they are more likely to die of ennui than of fever, at least, so the story goes. However, to return to Ambarrawa, the expense of erecting its fortifications, and the loss of life during that period, is said to have been enormous. As soon as a j^ile was driven into the ground it dis- appeared in the bog, and a man I met on the spot gravely suggested, in a tone as if he meant it, that the difficulties had eventually only been overcome s 2 260 KADOE PROVINCE. by the mass of dead bodies consolidating the marshy nature of the ground ! His graphic, although perhaps not very delicate, remark, had probably more reference to another much larger fortress commenced in 1857 at Ban-jou-Birou, a position even more unhealthy than that of Ambarrawa, The former was completely destroyed in July, 1865, by the eruption of the volcano " Merbabou," which killed the greater portion of its garrison. Ambarrawa, notwithstanding its bad repute, has within easy reach a pleasant, cool village with a few European houses scattered about ; thence, as far as Oenarang, the sanatorium of Samarang, 2,000 feet above the sea, the cultivation consists principally of rice in the valley, coffee on the hills, and fruit everywhere. Here I passed the night, and on the following morning I took leave of the Kadoe, the gem of Java, unrivalled for the productiveness of its soil, the beauty of its scenery, and the finest Buddhist ruin in the world ; — the very cattle and ponies in this favoured region are larger and better shaped than any in Java. As regards the latter, by-the-bye, some of tlie Moluccas produce the strongest and prettiest I have seen anywhere. The Resident at Djokjokarta had a pair of fawn-coloured ponies with a black strijje down the entire length of the spine, and black mane and SAMARANG. 261 tail, of excellent breed, and more like a thorough- bred Pegu, but nearly fourteen hands high ; these came from Timor. Two hours more took me to Samarang, along a plea- sant road, up and down hill. This time the "Pavilion" accommodated me, a great improvement upon the hotel I stayed at before, and a few days later the " Koningin Sophia " took me on to Batavia, Here I stayed but two days, the i-ain pouring down incessantly in such torrents that I had to keep within doors, or at least under the verandah of the hotel, which gave me ample time to cogitate upon what I had seen ; for it must always be an interesting episode that a nation like the Dutch, with a population of barely 4,000,000 souls, should be able, with comparatively insignifi- cant forces, to maintain beyond the Equator in most absolute dependency a large empire containing up- wards of 14,000,000 inhabitants. I will here briefly relate the policy hitherto pursued by the Government in ruling^ the finest colonv in the world. Java is divided into twenty- two provinces, two of which. Solo and Djokjo are, as we have seen, under the nominal rule of Emperor and Sultan; in these the old feudal rights of twenty years holding, rent being 262 PRODUCE TAX. paid ill kind, generally amounting to one fifth of the produce and one day's labour out of five, were not interfered with ; and the Prince being allowed l)ut a limited number of soldiers as a body-guard, and shorn of all real power, which is vested in the Dutch Resident, received not only a certain annual grant, but even, as a further incitement, some allowance on all the crops produced within his district, the whole of which, by treaty, had to be sold and delivered to the Dutch Government at prices fixed by the latter. This, prior to 1824, had been about one-tenth only of the value of such produce in the Amsterdam market. Thence, until 1833, continued warfare reduced these provinces to a very low ebb, and little else but rice was grown during the interval ; after that a more liberal scale of prices was estalDlished, and hence the old system seems to have worked harmoniously to the satisfaction of all parties concerned. In order to remedy the annual deficit, which had become chronic, and to enable the Government to liquidate the heavy debt incurred during the period of strife and trouble, it became necessary to adopt strong measures, and it was thus that forced labour was intro- duced in 1830 all over the island, excepting the two so-called protected provinces. Solo and Djokjo ; and henceforth the producing power of the colony became JAVA LABOUR LAW. 2G3 only limited by the amount of available labour, which accounts for more than one-half of the island being still uncultivated. At first sight it may seem inexplicable that an entire people should have quietly submitted to labour year after year for the sole benefit of their great task- master, nay, have done so even cheerfully, and in all their relations showing the greatest respect for the foreign conqueror. Two reasons exist for this apparent phenomenon. In the first place, the character of the native is naturally docileandsubmissive; the repeated in- vasions of his country, first by the Hindus, then by the Buddhists, and lastly by the Mahomedans, had tried him severely, and had had the effect of gi-adually, but completely subduing, if not extinguishing, every spark of energy in him, and no wonder he values the peace- ful existence his last conquerors guarantee to him. He is now no more harassed by religious persecutions ; is not made to fight against his inclination ; and in return for his labour he enjoys the comforts of a neat bamboo cottage, earns as much rice as he can eat, and sufficient money to buy a new sarong. And, secondly, a veryimportant factor is the manner in which the Govern- ment carried out these new measures for the gradual de- velopment of unlimited resources, such as the rich soil of Java pre-eminently possesses, namely, by availing itself 264 TENURE OF LAND IN JAVA. of the existence of native princes, nobles, and priests, to whom the people clini;- with rare devotion, much after the fashion of the Asiatic Hyksos of old, the shepherd kings of E-inninof of their rule on earth. Veryfruitful subjects of conversation with the Chinese are also the " Great Wall," which every English school- boy has heard about, built, according to native authority, 2,100 years ago, and running for 1,250 miles along the northern boundary of China ; and the " Grand Canal," 650 miles long, between Tsin-tsin, north, and Hang-chow, south, finished in the latter part of the 13th century of our era. These were, no doubt, wonderful works ; but as to the former, late explorations have brought to light the fact that in reality nothing remains of the original wall. The ruins now existing, in many places little more than a heap of rubbish, are quite unconnected with it, they belong, according to Dr. Von MoUendorf s monograph on the subject, printed in 1881, to a wall, or rather parallel walls, erected by the Ming Dynasty between the 14th and 17th, probably during the 15th and 16th century. They consist of four diflPerent styles from east to west ; the former of the most recent, and the latter of the most primitive form. Beginning at their eastern extremity, the first section is built of THE GRAND CANAL. 299 large burnt bricks, nineteen to twenty-five feet high, on a base of granite blocks, nineteen feet wide, the interval filled up with clay, stones, and broken bricks, with quadrangular turrets at irregular distances ; the second is lower a,nd narrower, l^uilt of granite, and towers at intervals ; the third consists of heaped-up stone blocks and occasional watch-towers ; and the fourth of clay walls, twelve to fifteen feet high, and towers. The canal has also fallen into a very dilapidated condition, having become almost useless owing to the change effected in the bed of the Hoang-ho, or Yellow River, which is at present flowing along its natural course. A propos of this stream and the Yellow Sea^ Whang-hai, both receiving their names from the yellowish soil carried down by the former, there is a very interesting chapter in Baron F. von Eichthofen's recent great work on China, explaining the extra- ordinary formation of what he terms "loess" along the Hoang-ho. These are strata, consisting of friable dark yellow earth deposited, from time immemorial, by that river, which has been subjected to periodical changes of its 1)ed ; but the curious part of it is that they often assume a height not only of hundreds, but actually of thousands of feet, which seems to show that there must have been other agencies at work to aid these 300 THE " LOESS " FORMATION. enormous accumulations. These liilly ranges, or "loess," which, from a distance, closely resemble the u})per por- tion of the extraordinary table-topped mountains, Kukenam and Roraima of the Merume range in the interior of British Guiana, have no horizontal sub- division, but are intersected vertically by precipitous winding clefts forming terraces on either side, which the inhabitants utilize for the construction of their dwellings, invisible to the ordinary traveller above ; moreover, these narrow defiles furnish them with hollow subways of a most intricate kind, and exceedingly useful during disturbed times. I must now continue my route to the "City Temple," one of the largest, and fitted up like the others with squinting gilt figures. This place of Taouist worship was principally frequented by women, who, on the pave- ment, marked out in certain mystic lines, threw their horoscope by means of two pieces of wood, cocoanut or Joss-sticks, according to some magic rule ; whilst the approach to the altar was crowded by charm writers and fortune-tellers. There are besides a great many other temples and Joss houses, mostly gloomy-looking places. In one of them the lower orders were in the habit of presenting a sacrifice to a serpent, which used to creep lazily upon TREES IN CHINA. 301 the altar stone to devour the frog or rat thrown to him. In the East, adoration, from a sentiment of fear, is almost universally reserved for the evil spirit, the god of destruction, or his emblem. Here my perambulations came to an end, and beyond a short stoppage from time to time to let the train of a mandarin pass in his commodious chair, carried on the shoulders of four liveried bearers, and surrounded by a cortege of several scores of officials and officers, I at last reached Sha-Min completely tired out. On the following day an excursion along the river was proposed, say within a safe distance of Canton, to see something of the country and obtain a little fresh air, which seemed a rare article in the town. Low hills succeeded each other wherever the eye could reach ; and the proximity in which villages appeared is proof of a thick population. Here women seemed to do all the agricultural labour. Tea and rice plantations there were on every side, and amongst the trees and plants I noticed many kinds peculiar to China, as The Tallow tree (Stillingia sebifera), The Varnish tree [Dryandra cordata), The Camphor tree (Laurus camphora), The Chinese Pine [Pinus sinensis), The Chinese Banyan [Ficus nitida) ; 302 CHINESE VEGETATION. besides Cypress, Cocoanut, Bamboo, Mulberry, Cape Jasmin, and otliei'S. I was told of* tobacco and white poppy growing here, but did not see any ; the latter is largely cultivated in the north of China, although such is nominally against the law, ^\dlich is curious since the Government taxes the growth of poppy. At Canton, the opium trade is very flourishing, a chest selling for five or six hundred dollars, one half of which represents the duty received hj the British Government ; besides this the Emperor of China levys a very heavy import duty, hence a great quantity is smuggled into the interior. The greater portion of China, and especially the northern provinces, by all accounts have a very naked appearance, few trees and no gardens or meadows, which cannot be said of the vicinity of Canton. Here the landscape is rather a smiling one, and every village rears silkworms, also artificial duck-l^reeding is carried on to a great extent. Cattle do all the ploughing and transport, but strange enough the Chinese do not use their milk. A visit to one of the great tea stores Is not uninte- resting, especially when the trade is in full swing, to see the enormous quantities arriving from the interior, and the expedition with which they are shipped for Europe and America. The ordinary package Is the TEA STORES AT CANTON. 303 •chest, such as has been known in England since its introdnction in 1667. But tea prepared for overland transport to Russia and the interior of Asia, is gener- ally packed in cakes of the most convenient size for transport. The inferior qualities, sent to Tibet, are compressed into cakes four feet long by one foot broad and four inches thick, these are piled one on the top of the other, as many as a coolie can carry on his back. The Tibetan drinks his tea with a lump of butter in it ; that and oatmeal porridge forms his principal, if not his only food. In the evening a row on the river, edging in and out amongst the innumerable boats, is very amusing; these are the so-called flower-boats, where Chinese delig-ht in spending their evenings, and nights too; hundreds if not thousands, indeed, live on the river, o-oins" on shore in the morning to follow their daily occupation, and returning in the evening. Tbese boats generally have musicians, often only a blind piper, and female entertainers on boai'd, who with singing and dancing while away the time of the men when they have gorged themselves with food of a very mixed nature, after which they recline on mats to enjoy the inhaling of opium. It is a most extraordinary sight skipping from one boat to another and watching tlieir doings. All the payments that seemed to be made here for food 304 CANTON FLO AVER BOATS. and smoke were in copper " tchens," or "cash" of the value of one twelfth of a penny each, which certainly indicated veiy moderate charges. On one occasion I had to pay some small sum in a slioj:) at Canton, and handed a dollar for change, when to my surprise John Chinaman pulled out a pair of pincers, broke off a few chips, carefully weighed them, and returned the remainder to me neatly wrapped up in paper. This is their usual mode of dealing with foreign coins, having none of their own in either gold or silver, although they keep their accounts in taels, equal to about live shillings and sixpence each. Another curious institution, worthy of a paternal Government, is that of an immense pawn-shop, estab- lished in a tall pagoda of many storeys, where every article deposited is placed on its j^roper shelf, enclosed in paper, on which a few words are written for easy identification. Having seen pretty well all that was worth seeing at Canton, and having passed under review a fair sprinkling of Chinamen, to serve me as types of the 400 to 450 million Celestials, said to exist in that vast empire, whose people are justly described as united in language, in customs, in sympathies, and in supersti- tions, absolutely and perfectly contented with their present civilization as no other country is, I took my departure for Hong-Kong. Soon after starting, and FLOWER PAGODA. 305 some distance from the river, I passed the Flower pagoda, the only object of interest before reaching the sea. It consists of the usual nine-storeyed tower, octagonal, and tapering to a height of 170 feet, ending in a pointed roof ; it has a large opening on every tier and face, making a total of seventy- two kinds of door- ways. The entire pagoda is overgrown with creepers, ferns, and even small trees, forming a most picturesque object against the blue sky. On the day after my arrival at Hong-Kong, I found the French steamer, "Volga," ready to receive pas- sengers for Japan, so I bade farewell to China and embarked in the afternoon of a magnificent day. There were few fellow-travellers, but About's Le Fellah falling into my hands, I enjoyed a few days' pleasant reading, — it is a clever book, and his descrip- tions are very graphic. Of the Delta of Egypt he speaks as " Un eventail ferme i^ar un houton de diamant qui sappele le Caire," — rather a happy illustration. On the second day we passed through the Straits of Formosa; and on the third, somewhat to the north of Foo-Chow, the steamer left the coast to run across to Japan. Here the Pacific, when half way to our destination, sadly belied its name : the Loo-choo X 306 STRAITS OF FORMOSA. Islands we passed in a gale on the following day, and on the fifth and sixth day the islands of Kiiisiu and Sikokf were distanced respectively ; after that we steamed along the southern coast of Nipon, until, on the morning of the seventh day, we reached the Gulf of Yeddo. A more picturesque route is that through the Inland Sea, or Suwo-nada, which the Shanghai steamer takes, — say, by Nagasaki, and thence through the narrow channel between the islands of Kiusiu and Sikokf, and that of Nipon. These three and Yesso, to the north, with numerous small islands, constituting the empire of Japan, occupy an area more than twice that of Great Britain ; — geologically, according to Dr. Edmund Naumann, they are no other than the most elevated portion of an enormous chain of mountains rising from the Ocean bed, no less than 27,428 feet, to the surface of the sea. CHAPTER XI. Japan — Yokohama — Catastuophe of 18G3 — Yeddo — Tea Houses TCHA-JAS AND DjOKO-JAS ToJIBS AND TeMPLES OK ShEBA OkI- CHiBA^A — ^ Japanese Ari, I'oRCELAiN, Bronze, Lacquer Ware, Ivory Carving, and Silks — IIara-kiru — Yokoska, the Arsenal — Hot Springs op Mtanooshta — Lake of Hakoni — Kanasawa. The Japanese, like their neighbours the Chinese, claim an immense antiquity for their country, but the au- thentic history of the kingdom commences with the year B.C. 660 under the first Mikado. Their ancient creed is Sintuism, at the present day counting probably no more than 100,000 adherents out of a population of thirty-five millions. This religion exists in no other X 2 M08 CONFUCIANISM l\ JAPAN. couiitiy, its chief deity is tln^ Sun-Goddess, worshipped tlirough the Kami, or inferior divinities, counted by hundreds and even thousands, at tlie head of wliich they place the reigning- Mikado. Their temple, or mias, the Japanese surround with groves and tombs ; they do not profess to worship idols, althougli the interior often abounds witli ininges of sacred and celebrated men; tlie ])rinci])al ornament is the " Gohei," a circular steel mirror, the syml:)ol of truth, placed often in a box or bag on a kind of altar, also strips of white paper with tlie names of varioTis divinities wi'itten upon, — these are relics of Ise, the holy temple, situated some 200 miles south-west of Tokio. Confucianism is here, as in China, confined to the higher classes, but Buddhism, which was introduced into Japan from India and the Corea as early as A.D. 69, has since the 6th century of the Christian era become the principal religion, although it had made very little progress previous to it. The two creeds of the Sintists and Buddhists are now, however, so much mixed up together that there is no very perceptible difference either in the appearance of their temples or their form of worship. In reality it is difficult to say whether the Japanese have any well-defined religion; especially the ujDper classes are mostly sceptics, whilst pilgrimages to certain temples seem to be the almost SANSCRIT MSS. DISCOVERED IN JAPAX. 309 only outwaid .sIioav of devotion. There is, as 1 have shown before, a threat similaiity amongst all these early religions,— the Hindus, the Buddhists, nay, even that of the Roman Pantheism, with its Jupiter, Minerva, and Juno, had a representation of the Trinity, which we shall also find in some of the Japanese temples. Again at Loo-choo, a dependency of Japan, lately incorporated witli the latter empire, one frequently meets wdth broken lingams, although not generally venerated by the Japanese ; and, being a feature of Hindu worship, it was probably received from Java or India. Quite recently a very important discovery has been made by the aid of a learned Buddhist priest, throwing a new light upon some of the teachings of that body, and favouring the view long entei'tained that many of the Sanscrit MSS., which had been carried off from India to China, must still be in existence in its temples and monasteries. Seai-cli had been made in the latter country, Imt none were found, .although translations from Sanscrit into Chinese did exist. Strange enough a Japanese priest, some time ago, sent to Professor Max Midler a book containin": one of the sacred texts of Buddhism in the original Sanscrit, hitherto unknown, a Sutra, containing a description of the Buddhist Paradise, which with the northern Buddhists took the place of Buddha's Nirvdna. New treasui-es. it is hoped, Avill be 3 10 PORTUGUESE, DUTCFl, AND ENGLISH IN JAPAN. tbrthconiing from the same source, which may lead to the restoration of a pure and simple faith, as taught by Buddha himself, by means of translations into Japanese, direct from Sanscrit and Pali. Japan had been a sealed countiy until 154.3. when the Portuguese landed on the coast and were per- mitted to ojDen a factory at Decima, a small island in the hai'bour of Nagasaki. They wei-e the first pioneers of European trade in the East, and introduced Chris- tianity through the famous Jesuit, Fi-ancis Xavier. They were, however, finallv expelled in 1637, in consequence of their own greed, intolerance, and perpetual quarrels amongst theii- different orders, and Christianity again became a dead lettei" in Japan. In the meantime the Dutch had landed on the same coast in 1608, and, according to Captain Pei'ry's account, in 1639 lent their assistance to- the wholesale murder of the Japanese Christians, or more likely, from sheei" impotency, acquiesced in the inevitable by their silence, which resulted in their being allowed to occupy Decima, in their tui-n, for purposes of trade only ; here they were ti*eated more like prisoners, and not permitted to move beyond the narrow limits allotted to them. The only other European power that had landed in Japan in those early days were ANCIENT JAPAN. 311 the English, under Captain Soris, of the " Clove," in 1613, at Firando ; but they soon left again, and did not return until much later. It was the news of the treaty with the court of Pekin, in 1858, extorted ])y Lord Elgin at the cannon's mouth, which, after all arguments had hitherto failed, had the effect of bringing the Tycoon and the Damios to their senses ; and, at last, after a great many difficulties had been raised and patiently combated by Sir Rutherford Alcock, a treaty was signed, by which Yokohama was assigned to foreigners foi- the purposes of trade, and no country in the world has ever made such rapid strides in civilization as Japan since that memorable date. Considering the strictly exclusive policy pursued by the Japanese Government up to that time, admit- ting no foreigners to their shore, the peculiar con- stitution of their State machinery, and the cruel laws by which the people were tortured and executed for trivial offences, it is surprising how everything has undergone so complete a change within a lapse of ten to twenty years : — the very form of govern- ment of this day bears no resemblance to that befoi-e 1858. The Mikado, now not only the sole, visible, and most active and sagacious ruler of Japan, was then the sad and wretched nominal king residing at 312 MODIQRN JAl'AN. Miaco, or Kioto, its native naiue, situated in the centre of Nipon, which he never left, liis person heirii^ supposed too saci'ed to l)e exposed to the })u})]ic ^aze beyond the precmcts of liis palace walls. The true sovereign was the Tyc^x'"? invested by the Mikado as his generalissimo or alter eyo. He and tlie Daniios, the independent princes, had their residence at Yeddo. All these di militaries have, within the last twenty years, been swept away by revolution, and now the Mikado reigns supreme at the castle of Yeddo, frequently making long journeys into the interior, to learn with his own eyes and ears the wants of his subjects, and is suppoi'ted by I'esponsible ministers carrying out the enlightened views of their Royal master. The change within a comparatively short time has thus been tremendous, not only politically, but also socially. Who would have been so bold as to predict a dozen years ago, that the Mikado would actually attend a banquet, given in the autumn of 1879 l)y three Japanese scientific societies, to the Swedish explorer of the North-east Passage, nay, that he would personally toast Professor Nordensk- jold, complimenting him Tipon his success ? The entire country has, in fact, become Europeanized in every way ; and, I am sorry to say, the people in the principal ports have even abandoned their pic- YOKOHAMA. 313 turesqiie costume, and now sluike liaiuLs in black hat and coat, sometimes cutting a very comical figin-e in the attempt to look " the thing-." However, as my visit to Japan took place in the spring, 1871, I shall be able to represent it still in all its pristine })ic- turesqueness, although moi-ally a great change had already manifested itself, — minus Tycoon and the Damios without power, having sulkily retired to their ])aternal acres, thus ridding society of those cut-throats, the Samourai, their two - sworded retainers, who had in |)i-evious years connnitted many a bloody deed u[)on inioffending Europeans. The luxurious residences of these princes and nobles were at this period being broken up, and the treasures therein collected, — valuables of every description, — enabled me to acquii-e many a superb specimen of Japanese art, and manufacture in metal, ivory, and lacquei-, that were not to l^e l)ought in ordinaiy times. We must now return to the pretty bay of Yeddo, and oin- landing one cold morning on the quay of Yokohama. There being no hotel in the town I was recommended to put up at the club, a tolerably com- fortable establishment ; and after Ijreakfast I sti'olled forth to deliver one oi' two letters of introduction, which led to my accepting the liospitality of the leading 314 COIN OF JAPAN. niercliiiiit lio^re, and I cai.iiot ex])i-esK niy o-j-alitLule in terms stroni'' enoiiirli f'oi- all tlie kbidiiess and attention showered upon me during a somewhat prolorjged stay, which enabled me to obtain a fair insight into Japanese life and character. Yokohama, being a brand-ne^\' place, built in large blocks of rectangular shape, and wide streets, resembles an American city : it is divided into different quarters, one occupied by Europeans, another by bazaars, tea- liouses, etc. The natives appeared wonderfully quiet and well behaved, the only noise that caught my ear during the first day I spent in Japan was a British salute fired from the Admiral's flag-ship, announcing the return of Her Majesty's Ambassador from Osaka, where he had been present at the opening ceremony of the Mint. The new money to be coined is the dollar and cents, in lieu of the pretty, oval, gold cohmi.g and the oblong, silver itzehve ; their copper coin is round, with a square hole in the middle to string them together. They likewise have a pasteboard kind of paper-money, tied in bundles, which ai'e rather bulky to carry about. During my visit the latter formed almost the sole medium of exchange, excepting copper; and to avoid the incon- venience of filling your pocket with large parcels of parchment, the habit of passing chits upon a bank or a mercantile house had been introduced at Yokohama JAPANESE COSTUMES. 315 from China, tlie latter conntry possessing neither coin, excepting copper crt.s//, nor paper-money. The new dollar has prohably changed all this, and the decimal system is now prevailing, not only in money, but also in weight and measure, whicli materially facilitates dealings. Strange, indeed, that England should at this day be still Avithout a decimal system I The people of Japan strike one at first as a quaint creation ; they are small, have regular features, eyes slightly oblique, and their women are pretty until they marry, when they shave off their eye-brows and blacken their teeth, — a hideous custom, which, however, is not likely to continue long, since they have so readily adapted themselves to European manners of late years. The women are of a cheerful disposition, and do not distort their feet as their neighbours, the Chinese, do. The men are punctilious and polite ; both sexes have small hands and feet, are sober, docile, and industrious ; they dress well, and with taste, silk entering largely into the articles of their wardroV)e. The women wear a long loose jacket over a close-fitting under-robe, which latter is gathered in at the waist by a hand- some broad silk sash with an enormous bow behind. The men of the lower orders dress in a kind of blouse of dark colour, tied below the hip, and tight trousers ; those of the upper classes M^ear silk gowns 316 BLACK -KYKI) SUSAN. down to the heel. Indoors, the Japanese seldom enciim- her tlieir feet with any covering, but in the sti-eet they have oji short socks, the big toe being separated to fit into the sandal loops, whilst the women waddle along oil wooden clogs. Coolies mostly disyjense with clotliing altogether, excepting a, narrow strip of loin cloth, whilst the betto, or groom, and the cliair-bearers are mostly tattooed red and blue, from the neck to the knee, m grotesque designs, representing dragons and flowers. (Plate XXIV.). Towards evenino- the streets were crowded with })eople of every degree, and many made for the gardens, resplendent with camellias, the wild cherry, and roses. Having tluis spent a few days lounging about and taking a general survey of the place and its people, I, one fine afternoon, took my departure for Yeddo, on horseback, along a very good i-oad enlivened by many villages, shops, and tea-houses. The entire distance occupying barely five hours, I reached my destination before dark, having had a delicious cup of tea at Kanagawa, the half-way house kept by an old \^'oman and her daughter, — a pi'etty girl, well known to all English travellei's under the souhriquet of" black-eyed- Susan;" by Frenchmen christened '7a helle Espagnole.'' It was she who, in 1863, so kindly protected poor Lennox Richardson, mortally wounded by Prince Plate: XXIV BETTO AND TEA-GIRL. p. 316. prtncp: satsuma. 317 Satsunia's retainers. The history of tin's catastrophe may not be generally known ; 1 will therefore give a short acconnt of it, tlie nioi'e so as it gives a tolerable idea of Japanese political life in those days. Prince Satsuma, one of the most powerful Damios who had always opposed the Tycoon in liis foi'eign policy, and especially the treaty which admitted Eni'o- peans into Japan, was on the point of quitting the capital after his enforced residence there for the estab- lished purpose of doing homage to his sovereign, which had always been a source of considerable irritation to liim ; and, on the present occasion, with a view of annoying and humbling the latter by preparing a grand spectacle for the inhabitants of Yeddo, the proud Prince had made great preparations to leave for his ancestrtil domains, instead of by the ordinary and prescribed land route, by sea, on board a steam frigate he had purchased at Yokohama. This could not be tolerated by the Tycoon, and within twenty-four hours of his intended departure the Prince received orders to follow the old custom, and return by the Tokaido, the imperial highway, which runs in direct line from Yeddo to Nagasaki. The latter was forced to comply, smarting under the rebuke, which was no less felt by the whole of his train, consisting of 700 retainers, soldiers, and officers. Somewhere near 318 YEDDO. the above-named tea-house, this formidable cortege, the Damio himself reposing in a gorgeous norimon, a sort of receptacle bearing the appearance of a miniature liouse, carried by four men clad in liis lordship's colours and slu-rounded by his officers, encountered a small calvacade consisting of two ladies, accompanied by Mi-, Richardson and a friend of his, who, it was said, on the Prince's approach did not move off the road to let his train pass, as was customary, upon which the latter's retainers, glad of the opportunity of involving the Tycoon with the foreign Ministers, fell upon the un- suspicious Europeans and mortally wounded Mr. Kichardson, the others escaping by riding for their lives. He, poor fellow, managed to drag himself as far as the tea-house, where " Black-eyed Susan," who had often seen him pass that way, assuaged his fever-thirst with a cup of cold water, and endeavoured to dress his wounds, when some of the Prince's bloodhounds re- turned, dragged him away, finished him with their swords, and threw his body into a ditch, where the generous girl soon afterwards followed and pulled the corpse into her mother's house, — here it was found as soon as the alarm had reached Yokohama. Yeddo, the Tokio of the Japanese, is an immense town, clean and well laid out, containing about THE DAMIOS. 319 1,700,000 inliabitants. In its centre stands the Siro, or castle, the former residence of the Tycoon and some twenty of the principal Damios, who formed the Great Council of State ; each palace is surrounded by a wall of imposing dimensions, and the entire citadel is raised about eighty feet above the city, and encircled by a moat. There is much simplicity in these buildings, both in their exterior as in their interior arrangement. Some of the sculptures which decorate doorways and pillars are artistically and carefully executed ; and the mats with which the whole of the interiors are covered, caught my eye as being unusually fine and handsome. The massive wooden outer gates of each of these princely Yamascas, — consisting of pai'k, palace, and out- houses, large enough to house a i-etinue of hundreds, and even thousands of soldiers, — have for sole ornament the large bronze coat-of-arms of their owner, which de- sign also each retainer wears woven into his dark uniform with coloured facings. The quarter surround- ing this strong fort is called Soto-Siro, and is inhabited in the first place by a crowd of Damios, who, under the old reyirne had to spend six months in every year at the capital, leaving their wives and female relations, and often their heir, behind as hostages for their good behaviour during the remaining six months, whilst they returned to their distant estates. Now nearly the 320 TIIK KSCORT. wliole of these establishniei)t,s have disappeared, and tlie princes, having been shoiii of all their former power, even to the abandonment of their soldiery, have retired to the position of landed proprietors, in v^hich, owing to theii- wealth, they now add greatly to the material increase of the agricultural resources of Japan. In the second place, and occupying a much smaller space than the former used to do, is the city where the principal merchants reside. Each block of houses, the streets being built at right angles, is secured by a strong gateway closed at night and always guarded, and between the yamascas and the city are several temples, notably the " Mondseki," the largest Buddhist monument, or tcra ; and " Sanno," the principal mias, dedicated to Sintuism. The third division of Yeddo, and by far the largest, is called Midsi, which is the lower quarter of the town. This also contains the yosiwara, of which hereafter ; a great theatre, Oki- Chipaya, and many religious edifices and tombs; amongst the latter that of the Tycoons, within a beautiful park, and surrounded by thirty-eight temples ; and beyond, stretching westward, is the notorious suburb Sinagova, one of the worst quarters, through which it is not safe for Europeans to pass without a strong escort ; indeed, even in 1871 the latter was necessary throughout Yeddo, at least, the Japanese Government insisted upon TEA-HOUSES OF JAPAN. 321 foreigners adopting this precautionary measure ; whether still part of their now happily exploded spy system, or really in consequence of numerous attempts at assassina- tion, I could not satisfactorily ascertain, for everything seemed quiet enough, and the people showed the greatest respect for Europeans. The hotel, at which I had been recommended to stop, was kept by a black American, who not only made me very comfortable, but also acted as guide during my stay in the capital. The house was roomy and well situated near the Hammagotin, a garden belonging to an imperial summer palace, and not far from the bay. Here also is the college where young Japan is taught European languages and modern science. The Mikado himself, then thirteen years old, was said to be learning German. Amongst the peculiar institutions of Japan are the tea-houses. Of these, however, there are two kinds, which must not be confounded ; the one, called tscha- jas, takes the place of a French cafe, and is to be found at intervals along the high road, furnishing refresh- ment and repose to travellers. The other, the djoro- Jas, is a place where amusement is provided for men in the shape of dancing, music, feasting, etc. These establishments, confined to a separate quarter of the Y 322 THE DJORO-.IAS. town called yosiivara, are under Government control, and many of them, especially those frequented by the nobles, are on a very large scale, generally built in the form of a quadrangle, consisting of vast halls and stages for musical and theatrical performances, generally a garden in the centre with its miniature canals, bridges, and undulations, and elegant little kiosks for a tete-a-t^te repast. The remainder of the building is divided by screens into tiny compartments, neatly matted and lacquered, where one can have a peep at the young ladies at their toilet, which in Japan occupies much of their time ; their coiffure alone, con- sisting of a large chignon into which a number of orna- mented pins and combs are introduced, is an elaborate affaire, let alone eyes and eyebrows, heightening their complexion by rouge, cosmetics, and many other little touches which men have no business to inquire into. The curious part of these establishments, from which the " social evil " is by no means excluded, is that they also contain a number of little girls, mere children, who here receive an elementary education. They are those of indigent people, who are in this way provided for, the parents, as a rule, actually receiving money on signing a contract transferring their offspring to their new home for a certain number of years, and more extra- ordinary still, it frequently happens that respectable BRIDGE OF ADS6mA. 323 men, and of good repute, marry an inmate of the djoro-jas. There is a pecuHar mixture of innocence and hcence in the Japanese female character, which cannot but strike an European. Another instance is the habit of both sexes not only bathing in the same room, although probably divided by a slender rope, but even with open gate, the mei-ry laugh of the bathers often gathering quite a little crowd round the entrance, — still one never witnesses any indecorum. Any one wishing to take an inventory of the different classes of the people, their costumes and modes of per- ambulation, need only take his stand for half an hour on the great bridge of Adsuma, which spans the river Okava, one of the most crowded thoroughfares in Yeddo. Here a magnificent panorama presents itself. Turning your back upon the Bay, to the west you have on a clear day a good view of Fusi-yama, rising in a depressed conical shape to a height of 14,170 feet, — a very beautiful object. Around you lies the vast mercantile quarter of the town, almost at your feet, since the bridge upon which you stand, like all similar constructions in Japan, makes a tremendous curve, supported by wooden piers sunk into the river-bed, thus raisinof the centre above the level of the roofs of the houses ; those of the latter immediately within view are mostly one-storeyed warehouses, and rows of Y 2 324 LIFK ON THE BRIDGE. shops bearing the appearance of large bathing-machines The town is liere intersected by canals and bridges ; and beyond, the ground undulates, covered witli verdure, where the richer classes have their residences surrounded by woods and gardens. Having com- pleted this general survey, let us now watch the traffic on the bridge. Opposite to me a juggler has placed his table covered to the ground with a crimson cloth, behind which he plies his trade wdth many a jest to a few old women and one or two grinning youngsters, for it is early yet, and the Yeddo School Board is evidently quite as exacting as similar institutions at home. Presently I am rudely pushed aside by a couple of porters pulling with all their might at a two-wheeled cart laden with cases and packages, no one much larger than a bonnet-box, most ingeniously piled up, and pushed from behind by another fellow, reversing the action as they descend on the other side of the bridge. The wdieels of this simple machine are of a most ponderous description, and people are wise in giving it a wide berth. The men and women passing up and down in a continual stream, seem to be in no hurry ; some dressed in rich silks, others barely having any covering ; porters carrying articles of food balanced from their shoulders on bamboo sticks ; two men in blouses, evidently overweighted by an enormous OLD BRIDGE DOOMED. 325 fish carried between them, — a shark apparently. Pre- sently there advances a wheelbarrow bearing a young woman, preventing her charms being injured by holding up a large paper umbrella, — horses are not used in Japan for drawing vehicles, hence men perform that task. Some of these conveyances are more elaborate than others, and take various shapes ; then there is the norunon of the nobles and the kango of the gentiles, — the latter made of bamboo, barely large enough to hold a grown-up person, even in the position of his knees touching the chin ; whilst the former, already likened to a toy-house, about four feet square, is handsomely lacquered and gilded, and provided with cushions and rich silk curtains ; both are carried suspended from a strong pole. Here comes a man with an enormous mask representing a dragon's head, — a favourite design, — and distributing printed papers announcing the arrival of a quack, whose mar- vellous filters promise instant relief to the heart-sick as well as to the leper ; behind him hobbles a matron, with her two Ijlooming charges on high wooden clogs, trying to catch one of these papers as they are flying about ; there creeps a priest with shaven crown enveloped in dirty folds, which make it diflicult to discover whether yellow or grey, Buddhist or Sintist; and many other curious sights, doomed to disappear r?-26 THE LONTNS. sooner or later as tlie Japanese continue in tlieir course of P^nropeanizino-, which seems to attack all their quaint old customs ; noi- will it sur])rise me to see tliis picturesque bridg-e itself make room for some ugly iron structure, to be crossed by carriages and footmen. {Since the above was written, " Unbeaten Tracks in Japan,'' published in 1880, by Miss Isabella Bird, informs us that the " Adsuma " of to-day is a handsome stone bridge, so I must apologize for the insinuation . The authoress did actually see it crossed by the Minister of Marine in his English brougham and pair. Another innovation Miss Bird describes is the " kuruma," a kind of bath-chair, noiv universally used by natives as ivell as Europeans ; it is on two ivheels, and draum by one, two, or three men or boys, and might ivell be called a pull- pull in contradistinction of the push-push at Pondi- cherry.) On descending into the street, I fairly ran against a man, respectably dressed, wearing a deep fibre hat coming down to his chin, thus completely concealing his features ; it had two small holes to see through, and bore the appearance of a bee-hive. This indi- vidual, I ascertained, was a noble degraded by his Government : there are a great many of this class, belonging to the fraternity of " Lonins," or adventurers, TOMBS OF THE TYCOONS. 327 the most dangerous cut-throats and hipj-hway-rohbers in Japan. At that moment the mounted escort, con- sisting of three Yakonins, — two-sworded officers, — and our bettos, of tattooed celebrity, joined us with the chairs, and we marched off through endless bazaars to Sheba, the tombs and temples erected to the memory of seven Tycoons. These granite tombs stand upon a pedestal, within an enclosure of handsome lacquer walls and heavy bronze gates, approached by two or three wide steps ; those of the wives of the Tycoons are of a similar con- struction, but more simple. On entering the court- yard, the temples being nearly hidden from view by the thick foliage of pines and cypresses, I passed the usual bell-shaped pagoda, and continuing my walk along the avenue and amongst flowering shrubs, I presently came to a sort of ornamental gallows, the sacred gateway, or Torii, which marks the precincts of every Japanese temple ; and a dozen more steps brought me face to face with a detached portico leading to the temples, the largest of which, situated to the extreme left, is 180 years old, guarded by two enormous stone dragon-dogs. This edifice is double in its construction. The inner temple is reached by wooden steps, lacquered black, resembling marble to a nicety ; its roof is sup- 328 THE BUDDHTRT PRTERTITOOD. ported by pillars, united, to the heiglit of four or five feet, by curiously carved screens ; these latter are further ornamented with stucco in fantastic patterns of red, green, blue, and yellow lacquer, highly glazed. The upper portion, being thus open to the roof, offers a fine vista upon the surrounding country. The altar in the centre supports a figure of Buddha, surrounded hy a confused mass of objects in the shape of bronze vases and eccentric figures ; amongst the latter a pair of excellent candelabra ten feet high, each representing a stork or crane, with a lotus flower in its beak, and standing upon a large turtle ; also a great variety of small vessels and long silk pendants of bright tints ; then there were some lacquer stands holding bows and arrows, whilst coloured paper-lamps hang all round. Strange enough, amongst the images there were several having blue and green faces, apparently in imitation of the Hindu gods ; and at the back of the altar there was the picture of a Trinity, three figures, with a halo encircling their heads, forcibly reminding one of similar early representations in the Roman Church. The priests, or bonzes, in attendance at this temple, were dressed more gaudily than is their habit elsewhere ; the simple robe here gave way to a silken gown and sort of chasuble over it, closely resembling the Catholic vestments used during Mass, and their TEMPLES OF YEDDO. 329 heads were shaven. Along the entire front of the temple there was a double row of stone pillars, six feet high, siu'mounted by a capital, something like a large hall-lamp in shape ; these had been erected in pairs by the Damios as marks of respect for the Tycoon, in whose memory the temple had been raised ; and a similar group, but of bronze, was at the base of the steps leading to the tomb itself, j^l^ced there by Princes of the highest grade. The other temples were very similar in arrangement, althouofh not so lar^-e; most of them contained numerous little stands, or stools, arranged alongside the screens, holding boxes of peculiar shape, which contained rolls of manuscripts expounding the titles, deeds, and pedigree of the deceased; and at the back of one of the handsomest temples, belonging to the tomb of the Sixth Tycoon, golden gates opened upon steps leadino; to a kind of sanctuarv furnished with altars, which were groaning undei- a weight of offerings in bronzes, rolls of magnificent silks, also fruit and sweet- meats which the priests deliglit in. Temples are plentiful in Japan, and many are filled with thousands oi cx-roto ofierings, suspended from the walls ; legs, arms, hair, pictures representing ship- wrecks and other dangers, much like those exposed in the rural churches in the Tyrol and elsewhere. Not ri30 ASAXA TEMPLE. one, however, of the numerous temples equals those of Sheba in elegance or picturesque aspect, besides, a decided air of sacredness pervades the latter, which is totally wanting elsewhere. The natives think a great deal of the Quannon, known to Europeans under the name of Asaxa, which is much frequented by pilgrims. It is built within the enclosures of a large park, containing also tea-houses, — tscha-jas, be it well understood, — and booths, where toys, Chinese crackers, and a variety of chea^) articles and food can be bought, conveying to one's mind the idea of a country fair; moreover, there are mountebanks with shrill voices, and the usual crowd of beggars. The square temple, which is said to have existed more than 300 years, is at the end of the paved avenue, and raised fifteen to twenty feet from the ground ; its heavy wooden doors ai'e overlaid with copper, and three enormous paper lanterns hang over the entrance, but there is nothing in the inside deserving special notice : it is filled with a host of images, all more or less repugnant in expression. A stable is attached to this buildinof, containino- two white horses, or rather cream- coloured ponies, supposed to continue the breed of an old sacred race which never produced a black hair in any of its progeny ; this my guide, however, showed me to be a myth, for he slily pointed out a mark along BAY OF YEDDO. 331 the upper ridge of the neck which distinctly proved that the mane had been dyed. The best view of the Bay of Yeddo and the country around is from a plateau called Taigoyama, which one reaches after the laborious ascent of 107 granite steps. Here there are several rest-houses of simple con- struction, and, nolens volens, you soon find yourself sipping a cup of highly-flavoured tea, handed by some pretty damsel, at the same time curtseying almost to the ground, — the Japanese are very ceremonious, and never fail in offering a most respectful salute. The Grecian bend, so well known in England some years ago, is their usual mode of bowing to each other, where we should probably pass on with a nod. Frequently a small cup, containing hot water, and a few cherry blossoms in it, is presented along with the tea. Its scent is very pleasant, but I cannot say that r admired the flavour of this infusion, which requires the palate of a native to appreciate. I, how^ever, thoroughly enjoyed the distant landscape surrounding this elevated spot ; fbi- the town at your feet offers no charms to the searching eye ;— an enormous mass of brown roofs, the thickly-cemented ridges giving them rather a greyish appearance, amongst which the lofty Yeddo Hotel stands out conspicuously ; but the 332 JAPANESE LANGUAGE. eiionnous size of tlie town may be judged from the fact that one of its principal streets is said to be nine miles long. Easter season came round during my stay at the capital, and at the hotel there was no lack of cross buns, oysters, whitebait, and all sorts of delicacies ; whilst the day passed in exchanging calls with the few European residents at the Foreign Legations. Also two or three Japanese officials made their appearance for no special reasons, so far as I could ascertain,— probably as part of their spy system, — but as the con- versation had to be carried on through interpretei'S, it was a lame affair, enlivened only by the sipping of sundry small cups of tea, and the inhaling of fumes from a very diminutive pipe. I was much charmed with the melodious sound of tlieir language, and most of the words ending in a vowel, it rather reminds one of Italian. I learnt two words on that Easter-day, which have often helped me out of a difficulty during the remainder of my stay. They were : Arimass, an affirmative, standing for yes, I have, I am, I will, I want, etc. ; Arimdss-imj, a negative, no, I won't, and so on. Never did I ac(|uire two more acconunodating forms of speech. The enormous theatre, Oki-Chibaya, I visited on the OKI-CHIBAYA THEATRE. 333 following day, accompanied by the mayor of Yeddo, who had insisted upon doing the civil on this occasion in person. It is situated in the Midsi quarter of the town ; the building, of a circular form, is very lightly constructed, entirely of wood, and is said to hold six to eight thousand spectators when full, and the most graphic description I can hit upon is by comparing its interior arrangement with the Leicester sheep-market on a fair-day. The whole of that vast parterre is divided into pens, and by metamorphosing the sheep into human fio-ures clothed in dark blue and brown jackets, the picture is complete. Here they squat, hour after hour, some the entire day, — Japanese theatres perform from ten a.m. until six p.m., — having brought their frugal meal with them, and listen with perfect good humour to the continual repetition of low jokes and love intrigues. A gallery runs i-ound the inner space, some eight or ten feet above the ground ; and here the aristocracy is installed, paying an entrance fee of quarter of a dollar. On our arrival, the curtain, representing a large fish on pale blue ground, intended, I suppose, to reproduce its natural element, was just rising, and presented the stage, ornamented in such a manner as to suit exteriors and interiors alike, and in the centre there was a circular platform or turn-table, probably fifteen to twenty feet in diameter, divided into 334 THE JAPANESE STAGE. lialves by a lii^^h screen, and nioviji^ on a pivot. All the acting took place on tliis minor stage, and whenever it became necessary to shift the place of action, instead of all the elaborate changing of side-scenes and furni- ture, a turn was given to the platform, and what liad been at the l)ack before now presented a new^ face with actors in their places, — a very ingenious piece of machinery. In the evening I sauntered in the streets, always escorted, to witness the lantern-feast, which is an exceedingly pretty sight ; thousands of variegated coloured lamps throwing their dim light upon a dense, slowly-moving crowd, bent upon the fulness of enjoy- ment the hour brought forth. The contents of bazaars and factories require a special notice, as few nations display such artistic taste in all their productions as the Japanese ; those in porcelain especially are of the most beautiful kind as regards material, model, and decoration. The famous egg-shell and the Satzuma crackle-ware are now well known in England, but there are other manufactories at Osaka, the palatial Venice of Japan, and at Kioto, the Mikado's capital, producing cups, jars, and vases of exquisite beauty, which very rarely find their way out of the country, where they are METAL- WORK. 335 highly prized ; besides, there is the Kagawa china in brick-dust colour, and the Mono-saki, made at Okasaki, half way between Yeddo and Osaka. Of the designs, those representing flowers and insects are undoubtedly the most beautiful, true to nature in drawing as well as colour. Equally excellent are the works in bronze and other metals. I have seen some swords-hilts and damascened blades which are not exceeded in beauty anywhere, — their curious little tobacco-pouch clasps are another speciality ; however simple the design, a leaf with a fly upon it or a peacock's feather, it is perfect of its kind. The large bronze vases, now rarely made on account of their costliness, show what matchless eflects can be obtained by embossing and inlaying with other metals, notably silver and gold,— some of the Japanese repousse and chasing would have done credit to a Cellini. At the sale of a Damio's eflects I picked up a pair of vases, sixteen inches high, showing most skilful manipulation by every process metal- work is capable of; the people, however, know so well the value of these articles, that it was only by strategy I succeeded in acquiring them even at a fancy price, for they, like the Chinese, avoid letting foreigners even see their finest works in metal or china, for fear they are carried out of the country. In cloisonne the Japanese 330 lacquf:r-work. are unrivalled, and some of the old articles, their pervading colour being peacock -l)lue, are readily paid for by their weight in silver. In enamel I have like- wise seen some very artistic ornaments, but mostly in sombre colours. Lacquer-work is an ai't originating in Japan. The gold varnish of bygone days is seldom seen now, and exceedingly dear, but even late productions are sometimes very handsome, although they ought hardly to be named in the same breath. The red lacquer, so profusely used in the decoration of the temples, merits great praise ; in large masses, tliis and the black can not be distinguished from marble in appearance. Smaller articles are frequently inlaid with mother-of- pearl, coral, ivory, and precious stones of a secondary order, and are very effective. The principal ingredients of lacquer or varnish are the gum from the Rus vernix, minutely pulverized charcoal, and sometimes leaf-gold ground very fine. If the grain of the wood is to be concealed, they j)lace beneath the varnish a dark ground, composed partly of the fine sludge caught in the trough under the grindstone. Carving in ivory is also a great accomplishment of the Japanese, their quaintly picturesque groups of beggars and romping children are splendid specimens, and so are the beautiful little cabinets, mostly carved JAPANESE ART. 337 with gilded designs. Even the Munich Museum, which justly prides itself upon the famous collection of figures in ivoiy, produced in the last century by Simon Troger, can show nothing to equal some of the old Japanese carvings in character and execution. The silks of Japan are well known and appreciated, although the Chinese perhaps surpass them in this industry ; but in embroidery on silk, often grotesque designs, Yeddo stands very high. Japanese conception of art is so unique that it requires long study fully to appreciate their works ; the designs, whether engraved or drawn, on silk or paper, are always attractive, although they set to work on quite a different principle to what our eyes are accustomed to in Western Europe. They scout perfect and pedantic symmetry, and rather delight in artistic eccentricities. One of their favourite maxims of decorating lacquer-ware, for instance, is to set the two ends of a design play at hide and seek, by making it turn a corner ; again, if two handles are required, as in the case of the bronze vase already described, the pattern being a dragon, one is adjusted head upper- most, the other the reverse. In their pretty paintings on silk we must not look for perspective; in all other respects the designs are most life-Hke ; even their large figures to cover screens are correct in outline, but z 338 MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. almost invariably inclined to be odd or ludicrous, — not being hampered by any preconceived rules, they give full scope to their mood in all their productions. Another of their peculiar traits of character is their liking for curves and tortuous lines in form as well as design ; they suit their humour, and the Japanese artist understands to twist them cunningly into a multitude of devices in a manner quite new to us. They sometimes attempt landscapes ; here they fail however, their ideas of perspective being too limited, which, in fact, requires technical study. It is diiFerent, however, where the subject is simply a matter of correct feeling or instinct, which never mis- leads them, and there is always harmony of colour and extraordinary finish. I have been told that the people of Japan are musical ; they certainly are fond of music, but their performances on the sam-sin, a small three-stringed guitar, the koto, or mandoline, and the flageolet, blown into from the end, seemed to me of a very elementary character. No, as for vocal as well as instrumental achievements, I must pass the palm into other hands. My stay at Yeddo, like all good things, at last came to an end ; not, however, without my having taken RIVERS AND CANALS. 339 another parting look at the place, — this time by boat. Accompanied by my dusky host, but minus the armed Yakonins, we sailed in and out through the intricate passages of river and canals, spanned by innumerable bridges, mostly of very light construction ; and what astonished me most were the lively scenes I encountered on the water, possibly owing to the absence of spy and soldier. Here we passed hundreds of boats with laugh- ing crews, as often rowed by the weaker sex as by men ; and tea-houses there were in plenty along the banks. These disappeared as we approached the inner city, and soon we passed long lines of walls with imposing gateways appertaining to Dainios' residences, descend- ing to the river's edge by broad flights of stone steps, — many of these had at some time or other been the theatre of dark and adventurous deeds. Many a prince within these gates had, in times gone by, felt himself compelled to perform hara-kiru, or disem- bowelling, to save his honour and that of his family, — a curious custom, now rarely, if ever, practised. The victim on that grave occasion generally gave a feast, assembling all his relations and friends around him, and after the repast they would adjourn to the hall, or principal room, where he would explain the circum- stances that led him to the step, handing over his testament, and taking leave of all present. The z 2 340 HARA-KIRU. matting was then removed, and the suicide proceeded to rip open his abdomen with a short sword ; frequently a trusty retainer would stand behind him with another naked sword to decapitate him at the same moment. This was done especially where the Government required his death for treason, or other deadly offence, in which case proof was required, and the head was afterwards exposed on a pole in some conspicuous place on the citadel ; but, I was told, that the same custom prevailed where the performance of hara-kiru became obligatory to avenge dishonour from j^rivate cause. Here decapitation was resorted to from motives of hu- manity ; in fact, the actual disembowelling was more a matter of form, at least, so my interpreter explained to me. I returned to Yokohama by a native steamer, on board of which there were a great many passengers ; amongst them a young Japanese Prince, with a large suite, and the sea being boisterous, these gentlemen unintentionally behaved in a very undignified manner. We passed a number of junks carrying peculiar square sails, consisting of four to six strips of canvas joined together by open lacing to break the force of the wind in case of a sudden squall, the outer strips being mostly yellow or black. The steamer was comfortable, but not fast, for it took us five hours to reach our destination THE ARSENAL. 341 After landing, I took the opportunity of inspecting tlie dock and the marine arsenal " Yokoska," built by the French for the Japanese Government at the cost of two and a half millions of dollars, and covering forty- one acres — twenty-seven occupied by the harbour, and fourteen by the dry dock, workshops, factories, found- ries, slips, forges, and furnaces. The whole of the works are on a magnificent scale, and reflect great credit upon the enterprising engineers. Unfortunately, the pleasure I had anticipated of making a more minute survey was somewhat marred by a heavy downpour of rain, which, however, did not prevent my being highly amused with the new aspect under which the Japanese now appeared. Those belonging to the better classes were threading their way on wooden clogs, three to four inches high, under the shelter of an immense flat umbrella, made of white paper ; the latter, manufactured of the bark of the mulberry tree (Mortis papyrifera), say of the young shoots, is a most useful article impervious to wet, its tissue being soft and at the same time tough. Cut into squares it is used as pocket- handkerchiefs, — ladies always carrying a few in their wide sleeves, and flinging them away as soon as they have served their purpose, — as napkins and towels, and especially as window-panes instead of glass. For this purpose, the outer wall of a house consists of a 342 BUILDINGS OF JAPAN. framework of pine, subdivided into small squares, the ordinary size of a glass pane, which are covered with this paper. At night, the entire building is surrounded by wooden shutters which are carefully locked, being considered all the protection needed against marauders and housebreakers. Bettos and coolies, whose pace is too rapid for the paraphernalia of clogs and umbrellas, cover their semi-nakedness with a cloak and hat made of rushes, which gives them a quaint appearance. On my return to the hospitable quarters I had occu- pied before my Yeddo visit, my first care was to inquire about a steamer for San Francisco, and learning that there would be no departure for about a fortnight I at once made arrangements to visit the hot springs of Myanooshta and the lake of Hakoni, in order to obtain a fair idea of the interior of the country. With some difficulty I succeeded in obtaining the loan of one of the very few carriages belonging to Europeans at Yokohama, a kind of waggonette, drawn by a pair of small horses ; my interpreter accompanied me, and I was followed by two mounted guards. Our route lay along the Tokaido in a westerly direc- tion, and presented few new features, — the usual succession of hamlets and villages ; the ground un- dulating, and here and there well wooded. I saw some splendid specimens of FLORA OF JAPAN. 343 Pine (Cryptomeria japonica), with deep pending branches ; Cedars and Oaks growing to an enormous size. Cypress', Beeches, and Elms were hkewise fre- quent. Then there was the Lacquer tree (BJius vernicifera), and the Vegetable-wax tree (Rhus siiccedanea), whose produce is almost as white as bees-wax. Every plot of soil is utilized, and cotton, tobacco, tea, rice, and grain of every description seem to be grown in profusion. We also passed many acres entirely laid out in vegetables. Amongst the latter the DolicJios-soja bean, which by boiling and fermenta- tion gives the Soy we receive from Japan. A pretty garden invariably surrounds the cottage, filled with beautiful flowers, such as the Camellia (C. japonica), crimson and white; Wistaria ( W. sinensis), trailing its lengthy stem crowded with magnificent thyrses of pale blue; Hydrangea (H. liortensis), in clusters of pink and lilac ; Pyrus ( C(/donia japonica), a bright scarlet ; Azalea {A. inclica), white and red ; and a great variety of small Maple trees : few of 844 JAPANESE SCENERY. the above, however, make as fine a show in this, their native country, as they do in our greenhouses in Eng- land, nor have the majority of Japanese flowers much scent On the other hand, I cannot endorse the state- ment made in print by one of the earhest explorers of this interesting country, that flowers have no scent, birds no song, fruit and vegetables no flavour, for I have heard forests re-echo with the sweet sounds of singing birds, and can equally disprove the other asser- tions. The rose smells the momeiit you enter the garden ; the soy-bean tell its own tale by its sauce ; and I might name scores of instances without overtaxing my memory. The great charm of Japanese scenery, in that respect resembling Java, is that there are few deciduous plants, nearly all are evergreens. The people we passed along the road appeared cheerful and respectful. Children seemed to abound, and their greatest amusement spin- ning tops and flying kites, whilst their elders were occupied in the field ; they are essentially an agricul- tural nation. On reaching Fouzisawa about noon, we got down to have tifiin at a picturesque little inn, and here we were regaled with rice, eggs, salt fish, and a new dish, which proved to be bamboo-root, sliced and stewed tender, — not a bad repast when one is raven- ous ; the latter also makes an excellent pickle. Tea sani-cri small Ml IV -t tlirci ( '' '-ice dist"'' ' .;. . . iueal for ... , Ve then started a,ii irrived perfect piev engaged to can \ 'ro- ^ciiro^^ proportions of tiie soi-disant paiki did not^!l*PiipyWiincy ' ' very little inter.n.ip- I > T • V ; . ! ,, /! cnpying three hours, vue noise oi ^^1^ lis ■ -M ■■ '''''^' ^'^ thej|ie^^^^|£'h^J^fr( ilien followed its* by magniiif i ig than in- ont of 3d 1^. '.-^s. fW'^ in nuVri; id lleyl^njuled n- d. KiiL of •V^ , WtA bil^Ui'jhed 84 ^^tiC4>ey^. Jji^. SLtuw .mV. ) ^v ■tJlo .-L';i'\\7_. iiwvvf t its 1!!j«_ native country, u- l..^ % do iii •'' lan4, "***f^' " ^^^ niajority ol , scent ijSQs;^ -^^ ^""^ ' ^ canr.ot endorse tli« ment ^.^,1^^ ,^^^ >rr%ft]je earliest exploix this inrerestiiig co "^ ^ ^ - - birds no song, fru^ lia 'd fort singii : tio flowers have, no ^cr*r lies ^ ounde ! equtillv disprove.the other asser J:IX t: gai I 1 my ii Th< resemojiiiu ,:uv;i nearly all are evergreens. The people we y^v^-x .:;^ig the road ^"^^^^^^^N^l find respectfi?^ seemed k. 1 ^^^^jpjj^^^reatest.amus.. ning top^and iiy'ng kit^, whilst their ei occupiejj^n th^ field; they are essentially . an agricin tural nati l reacliing Fouzis^va nho'if noon, we got down to have tiffin at a Pectin ^VV «t , and here we were I'egaled with rice. €% ^»^ 'id a ne\' jP^lI^ stewe:! y / ous /O/^^rHe^ OUDAWARA. 345 and warm saki, — a concoction of rice distilled like the sam-chow of China, completed our meal for which a very small sum was charged. We then started afresh, and at three in the afternoon anived at the pretty village of Oudawara ; here we had to abandon the carriage and continue our route in kaengos. These were procured, two of them, for the munificent hire of three dollars, in- cluding bearers ; in exchange I received a receipt in Japanese, a perfect piece of caligraphy (Plate XXV.) ; also porters were engaged to carry our traps and pro- visions. The narrow proportions of the soi-disant palki did not take my fancy, and with very little interrup- tion I walked the whole way, occupying three hours, and immensely enjoyed the marvellous scenery we passed through. On leaving the village the noise of roaring waves in- timated our proximity to the sea, and right in front of us a very broad river barred the way ; this we crossed by a succession of small bridges, five in number, and then followed its bank along a narrow valley bounded by magnificent mountain scenery, wilder and more im- posing than any I can remember, even in Switzerland. After half an hour's trudging, all the while gazing around in sheer amazement, and regretting the want of time to commit my impressions to paper, we branched off to the right into a deep gorge, down which came 346 MOUNTAIN TRAVELLING. rushing a noisy stream, foaming furiously as it bounded onward, and laying bare in its descent huge masses of black rock, some of them standing out in quite extra- ordinary shapes, giving occasion to all sorts of fabulous tales amongst the superstitious natives. Their origin, however, is simply that of resisted decomposition, whilst the once surrounding mass had gradually dis- appeared under aquatic and atmospheric influences. The ascent here was very difficult, and caused many a slip over the treacherous moss-grown masses of ill- shapen stones ; presently the gorge became narrower and the path steeper, until we reached a plateau, about half-way to the top, upon which we found a most charm- ing little hamlet, half hidden amongst a host of pines- and cedars, its peaceful appearance contrasting strangely with the wild scenes just left behind. This place was called Puonosawa, and had its tea-house as well as a bazaar of small articles, bowls, boxes, etc., in lacquer- ware, made by the people of these mountain districts, and amongst which I selected a quantity of very pretty things to pick up on my return journey. After a short rest we continued our toil along a somewhat more easy route, and as we reached the height above, the scenery quite changed. In the distance towered the fuming head of Fusi-Yama, and all around there were hills- and plains alternately clothed in the gorgeous colours- MYANOOSHTA. 347 of a golden sunset. We passed through several clean villages, — picturesque they all are in Japan, — where we had birds and large game offered ; at one place a wild boar was just being cut up, and I was invited to choose the part I liked best ; however, darkness was fast approaching, and I had to decline and hasten on, tempting as the offer was. Pheasants also seemed to be plentiful here, I saw a very handsome specimen with a tail fully three feet long. We only just managed to reach Myanooshta before complete darkness would have made it difficult to keep to our path, which frequently ran along steep mountain slopes. We took up our quarters at a capacious Cung- gua, or licensed inn, and the room I was shown into was neatly matted, no other furniture being required by Japanese travellers ; but my interpreter soon managed to unearth a stool or two and a low table, and before I had time to open my traps a pleasant-looking girl entered, and handed me a cup of tea and some delicious small cakes upon a fresh leaf in lieu of a platter. Another damsel presented me with a full-blown camellia, and proceeded to pull off my boots, which had to give way to slippers on account of the fine rice straw matting ; and, feeling tolerably fatigued, I desired that my bed should be prepared. A large mattress was 348 BATHS AT MYANOOSHTA, speedily at hand, and spread upon the floor, covered with snow-white sheets, and a curious-looking tall paper lantern placed at the head. This completed the arrangement for the night, and I soon fell into a sound sleep. But before long I was disturbed by a gnawing noise : a rat was stealing the candle I had foolishly extinguished instead of letting it burn out, and there was nothing for it but to wait patiently until the animal had completed its repast, having no match to re-light the candle. On opening the sliding screens in the early morning, I was delighted with the beautiful view from my verandah, which overhung a garden laid out in the usual fashion (Plate XXVI.), — miniature canals, bridges, kiosks, a fish-pond in the centre well stocked with trout and gold-fish ; a mill leaning against the wall, and beyond, woods and hills covered with ripe gi^ain as far as the eye could reach, while a mass of wild camellise and golden and crimson azaleae spread over the nearest slopes adjoining the garden, thus completing a most (^harming picture. Along the corridor and down a few steps took me to the baths, partitioned ofi" into com- partments of about six feet square, which were just being refilled direct from the hot spring. I soon jumped into one of these, which all but scalded me, and before I had finished my dip, several native gentle- H < < ^ I- fri O VILLAGE JOINER. 349 men made their appearance, and followed my example without any further to-do. Also one or two ladies arrived, took off their garments, and hoisted themselves into the next enclosure, chatting and laughing all the time quite unconcernedly. The bath had given me a prodigious appetite, and I did full justice to the breakfast put before me in a most appetizing manner. I well remember the delicious flavour of the trout, quite equal to that of the Traun stream ; nor are there many such views to season the enjoyment of the hour as those from my verandah at Myanooshta, and from the terrace of Bauer's Hotel, at Ischl, although quite different one from the other, still each unrivalled of its kind. Unfortunately, about noon it began to rain, and I had to content myself spending the day indoors, writing and sketching, filling in a bit of colour when- ever there was a short interval of sunshine. In the afternoon a very clever village joiner dropped in to exhibit specimens of his art, and I was very much pleased with a quaintly -shaped table, fitted with numerous little drawers and silver handles, besides a movable reading-desk, the whole being covered with small pieces of veneering of various kinds of wood, every piece differing in form and grain from its neigh- bour. I made a cautious bid for this pretty bit of 350 LAKE OF HAKONI. furniture, which, to my surprise, was readily accepted, .and I have had no reason to regret my bargain since, for the table meets with much admiration. On the whole, excepting at Yokohama, where Europeans have taught the natives greed, I found the Japanese very fair-dealing people, and nothing pleased them so much as to have their productions appreciated. There were several nobles and people of the better /owa squamosa 127, 219 Dorian, Dorio z/'bc- tJiinus ... ... 127 Fig, Ficus raricn ... 219 G[uavsx,Ps///iK})i////i-i- fenim ... ^4,219 Jack-fruit, Arfocar- pidi inferjrifoUa ... 127 Jamboo, Jamhosa f a I (jar is ... 197 Kaita, Persca gratis- ima ... ... 54 Kamarek, A ra i •> -It oa caravihola ... 55 Lime, Citrus acida 143 Longan, JV/'p/ie/iinn lonrput. ... ... 220 Loquat, Eriohotrija japonim ... ... 219 Lychee, N(pheUnni Utclii 283 Mango, Manyifera indica ... ... 127 Mangosteen, Garci- nia mangostana ... 219 Orange, Citrus aur- aiitium ... ... 220 PAGE Fruit, Papaw, Carica papai/a 220 Pine-apple, Bromelia ananas ... ... 219 Plantain, Musapara- disiaca ... ... 143 Pomaloe, Citruspara- disi 220 Pomegranate, Punica rjranatum ... 219 Pambutan, NejyJie- liuni ramhufdn ... 189 Poselle, Hibiscus san- dariffa 140 Grambeer, Uncaria rjambir 274 Gramboge, Garcinia morella 129, 274 Gingelli, Scsamum indicum 128 Gringer, Zingiber officinale 154 G-oney, Can. ... ... 146 Grutta-pereha, Isonandra gutta 275 Hibiscus indicus ... ... 112 ,, Sijriacus ... 110 Howligay, Can. ... 146 Hgdrangea hortensis ... 343 Illupie, Bassia Jongifolia . . . 129 India-rubber, Ficus elas- tica^ Ill Iris, pink, Iris sisyrkynehium 143 Iron wood, Mesua ferrea ... 174 Ixora butea ... ... 110 Ixora Cochin-China ... 154 Jarool, Lagerstroemia re- gince 173 Jasmin, Cape, Gardenia I iiorida 145 INDEX TO FLORA. 387 PAGE Judas tree, Cercis siliquas- trum 83 Laburnum, Indian, Cassia fistula 130 Lacquer tree, i2/«