The Rambles of a Globe Trotter in Australia, Japan, China, Java, India, and Cashmere

Front matter

■ ■ ■ ■ I I I I I ■ I THE RAMBLES OF A GLOBE TROTTER IN AUSTRALASIA, JAPAN, CHINA, JAVA, INDIA, AND CASHMERE. By E. K. LAIRD. IN TWO VOLUMES. WITH MAP AND FORTY ILLUSTRATIONS. VOL. II. " If a man be ambitious to improve in knowledge and wisdom, he should travel in foreign countries." Philostratus Apoll. LONDON: CHAPMA.N & HALL, 193 PICCADILLY. 1875. [AU rights reserved.) INDEX. PAET III. JAVA, SINGAPORE, AND CEYLON. CHAPTEB I. pases Jata 1 to 13 Batavia, 5— Mosquitos, 6— Malay Watchmen, 7— Botanical Gardens at Buitenzorg, 8 — Government House, 9 — Malays, 11— "Laugh and Grow Fat," 12— Native Houses, 13.

Chapter II

J"A 14 to 32 Punctuality, 14 — A Dutch Malay Letter, 15— Rahden Saiis and his Wife, 16 — Sindanglaya, 17— Buffalos, 18 — Dancing Girls and Waterfall of Tybodas, 19— A "Pill Box," 20 — Dutch Method of Governing, 21 — Bandong, 22 —Posting, 23— The Crater of Tankanan Praha, 24— Mount Pangarango, 25 — A Virgin Forest, 26 — A Wet Bivouac, 27— The Megamemdong Pass, 29 — Javanese Scenery, 30— Paddy Fields, 31— Butterflies, 32.

Chapter III

Java 32 to 60 The Begum, 33— Dutch Feediug, 31— A Regent, 35— Sourabaya, 36 — Passoeroean, 37— A Sugar Plantation, 39— Dutch Customs, 40 — Tasorie, 41 — The Bromo Crater, 43 Teak Trees, 45— A Banyan Tree, 46— Official's Umbrellas, 47 — Chinamen, 48 — Marriage Frocessions, 49— Djokjokarta, 50— Boro Boudor, 51— The Water Ox, 52 -A Sarong, 53 — A Flower-pot Hat, 54 — Fete of Den Soesoehoenan, 55 — The Sultan, 56 — Ba3'aderes, 57 — The Dutch Rule, 58 — A Javanese Prince, 59. INDEX

Chapter IV

vkaEB, Java 61 to TO Java, 61— A " Bootless " Honour, 62— The Climate, 63— Coasting Along, 64— A " Paternal Despotism," 65— The Claimant, 66— Scotchmen, 67— Javanese Music, 68— The Banca Straits, 69. CHAPTEE V The Strait Settlements and Ceylon 71 to 85 Dobies, 71— Singapore, 72— The Nutmeg Tree, 73— A Boa Constrictor, 74— Johore, 75 — The Durian, 76 — The Traveller's Palm, 77 — "Pegs." 78 — Penang, 79 — A Motley Crew, 81— Point de Galle, 82— The Cingalese, 83 — England's Greatness, 84 — " Curry," 85.

Chapter VI

Ceylon 86 to 103 Coaching it in Ceylon, 86 — Precious Stones, 87 — " So near and yet so far," 88— Kandy, 89— Buddha's Tooth, 90— Lady Horton's Walk, 91— Half-Castes, 92— The Ramboddi Pass, 93 — Newera Ellya, 94 — Mount Pedro, 95 — A "Rogue," 96 — Cinchona Trees and Centipede, 97 — A Coffee Plantation, 98— A " Kraal," 99— A Coolie's Wages, 100— The Chmate, 101— Professor Wise, 102— Colombo, 103. PAET IV. INDIA.

Chapter I

India 107 to 125 Ditchers, 107 — Negapatam, 108— Pondicherry, 109 — Surf Boats, 110— Madras, 111— The Club, 112— Native Dress, 113 — The Betel Nut, 114 — The Neilgherries, 115— A Calico Ball, 116— Ootacamund, 117— A Hill Tribe, 118— A Flowery Climate, 119— Tiger Hill, 120— Servants, 121 —Punkahs, 122— The " Peshawur," 123— Hotels, 124— The Famine, 125. INDEX, V CHAPTEE II. pages. India 126 to 151 Hindoos, 127 — Railway Carriages, 128 — Hindoo Pilgrims, 129 —Agra, 130— Camps, 131— The Taj Mausoleum, 133— A Wonderiul Echo, 131 — A Custard Apple, 135 — Secundra Bagh, 136— A Durbar, 137— Dieu et Mon " Dirt," 138— Delhi, 139— The Peacock's Throne, 140— The Bidge, 141 — Hart's Army List, 143 — A Venerable Elephant, 144 — The Kootub Minar, 145 — The Iron Column, 146 — Divers, 147 — Maharajah of Bhurtpore's Ball, 148 — The Viceroy's Levee, 149— The Taj Illuminated, 150— Bands, 151.

Chapter III

India ' 152 to 166 The Staff Corps, 152 — Indian Society, 153 — Taxes, 154 — "Tent Pegging," 155 — The Pearl Mosque, 156 — The Memorial Garden, Cawnpore, 157 — The Martini-gre, 158 — Lucknow, 159 — The Residency, KiO — The Inambarra, 161 —Highlanders, 162— The Chutter Munzil, 163— Kite flying, 164 — A Second Durbar, 165 — A Bheestie, 166.

Chapter IV

India 167 to 184 The Hill Stations, 167 — Hinduism, 168 — Benares, 169 — Living Deities, 170 — The Temples, 171 — The Ghats, 172 — Mosque of Aurrungzebe, 173 — A Curious Snake, 174 — A Hindoo Bride, 175 — A Tedious Journey, 176 — A Dak Gharry, 177— Clouds, 178— A Terai, 179— A Splendid View, 180—" Kinchinjunga," 181— A Sunrise, 182— The Army, 183.

Chapter V

India 185 to 210 Mountain Scenery, 185 — The Rungeet, 187 — A Cane Bridge, 189— Sikkim, 190— Poetry, 191— A Pic-Nic, 192— The Snow Limit, 193 — A Himalayan Forest, 195 — Nepal Frontier, 196— Lepchas, 196 — A .Bamboo Forest, 198 — Mount Everest, 199 — The Alps and the Himalayas, 200 —View from Tonglo, 201— The use of Figures, 202— Camping Out, 203 — Christmas Decorations, 204 — A Llama Prayer Wheel, 205 — Punkabarry, 206 — A Race for Life, 207— Unsown Paddy Fields, 208— Half-Caste Fairies, 209— Ball at Sir George Campbell's, 210. VI INDEX

Chapter VI

pages Burmah 211 to 237 Barrackpore, 211 — Calcutta and the Midan, 212 — The Black Hole, 213 — A Large Banyan Tree, 214 — BaUygunge Steeplechases, 215— A Biding Party, 216— Fort William, 217_Grey Shirtings, 218— Polo, 219— "Vive le Sport," 220— Cockroaches, 221— The Log, 222— The Irriwaddy, 2_23 — Burmese Dress, 224 — The Great Dragon Pagoda, 225— The Bhamo Route, 226— British Burmah, 227— Burmese Ladies, 228— The Salween,- 229— The Timber Yards and Elephants, 230— A Rice Mill, 231— The Caves near Moulmein, 232— Rangoon, 233— The Gaol, 234— " The Staff of Life " in the East, 235— Akyab, 236.

Chapter VII

India 238 to 253 The Hooghly Pilots, 238— The Fort Church, 239— Badminton, 240 — Madame Arabella Goddard, 241 — An Indigo Sale, 242— Grand Children of Tippoo Sahib, 243 — Alipore Prison, 244 — Athletic Sports, 245 — The Eden Gardens, 246— Meerut, 247— Umritsur, 248— The Golden Temple, 250 — Cashmere Shawls, 251 — Mooetan, 251 — Lahore,253.

Chapter VIII

India 254 to 270 Rungeet Singh's Tomb, 254 — A Mohurrum, 255 — Eastern Music, 256 — The Broad and Narrow Gauge, 257 — Shadra 258— A Novel Church, 259— The " Holy, Holy," 260— A Dak Bungalow, 261 — Camp Equipage, 262 — The Khyber Pass, 263 — A Mud Fort, 264— Peshawur, 265 — Bucephalus, 266— Attock, 267— Rawal Pindee, 268— Murree, 269— The Vale of Cashmere, 270. PAET V. CASHMERE AND HOME

Chapter I

Cashmere and Home 273 to 290 An Oasis, 273— Shot in the Locker, 274 — A Contrast, 275 — Our Tent, 276— Mud, Mud, nothing but Mud, 277—" Sam the Invaluable," 278— Refractory Mules, 279— A Royal Pony, INDEX VII 280 — Fishing, 281 — Cashmerian Dwellings, 282— Ooree, 283— A Wall of Rock, 284— The Happy Valley, 285— Baramula, 286 — Doongahs, 287— Woolar Lake, 288— Palm Sunday, 289.

Chapter II

pages Cashmef.e and home 291 to 308 Serinuggur, 291— A Hummuru, 292— Tahkt-i-Suliman, 293 — A Cashmere Nautch, 294 — The Dal Lake, 295 — Spearing Fish, 296 — In Ambush, 297 — Cashmerians, 298 — Wretched Sport, 299— The Shikaris, 300— The Sind Valley, 301— The Liddar Valley, 302— A Moonal Pheasant, 303- -A Paradise for Fruit, 304— Dogs, 305 — Cashmere Sjldiers, 306 — A Week's Menus, 307— Price of Provisions, 308.

Chapter III

Cashmere akd Home 309 to 319 Cashmere, 309— A Tarody, 310 — The Maharajah's Commandant, 311— A Moonlight Scene, 312— Snipe, 313— Caves of Bhoomjoo and Boomzoo, 314 — View from Martand, 315 —Dirt of the People, 316— Shalimar Gardens, 317— Pavilions, 318— A Hindoo Festival, 319. — The Hot Season, 320— A Phenomenon, 321 — The Peri Mahal, 30 1— Manasbal Lake, 323— A Flood, 324— A Final View, 325— The Vegetation, 32C— The Haji Pir, 327— Bouquets of Eoses, 328— "No Flies," 329— Rajaori, 330— " The Sovereign Remedy," 331 — The Aditak Range, 332 — Gsijr&t, 333.

Chapter IV

Homeward Bound 334 to 350 The Chenab, 334— Thermometer 107, 335— A Hot Journey, 336 —The Marble Rocks, 337— Bombay, 338— The Byculla Club, 339— Arab Horses, 340 — Parsees, 341 — Bhoree Ghaut, 3ii— Poonah, 343— The Famine, 344— Guneshkind, 345 — "Book of Nonsense," 346 — An Eastern Bazaar, 347— A Novel Steeplechase, 348- -The Monsoon, 349 — "Wrung out," 350. CHAPT ER V. Homeward Bound 351 to 360 India, 351— The English Rule, 352— Aden, 353— The Eed Sea, 351 — Mount Sinai, 355 — Ancona, 356 — Venice, 357 — Home ! 358. INDEX ILLUSTEATIOIS. PAGES, THE TAJ, Mahal Frontispiece. Paddy Fields, Java 31 A Banyan Tree 46 The Traveller's Palm 77 The Group of Palms, Kandy 90 The Memorial Well, Cawnpore 107 Cashmere Gate, Delhi 141 The Kootub Minar Iron Pillar, &c, Delhi 146 The Besidency, Lucknow 159 Mosque op Aurrungzebe, Benares 173 A Cane Bridge Leading into Sikkim 189 View of Kinchinjunga from Darjeeling 201 The Golden Temple, Umritsur 250 Avenue of Poplars, Cashmere 273 Bridge of Shops over the Biver Jhelam, Serinuggeb . . 292 The Sind Valley 304 Cashmere Beauty and Soldiers 320 The Marble Bocks, Biver Nerbudda ERRATA. For " Shelly," Une 7, page 199, read " Shelley." For " Tippo Sahib," page 243, read " Tippoo Sahib ;" and line 14, for " Tipoo," read " Tippoo."

Chapter I. Journal

Thursday, 10th July. — Left Singapore in "Neva" for Ba tavia, distant 600 miles. She is not a comfortable steamer as regards accommodation, as her cabins are underneath the saloon, with Uttle bits of ports, and as we range from two degrees North of the Equator to three to four South it is decidedly warm. After two hours' steaming we had to stop, as something had given way in the machinery, and we lay at anchor for three or four hours. Friday, 11th. — Progressing along slowly, in sight of land The sea is quite green, so no depth of water I should fancy. Saturday, 12th. — In sight of Sumatra this morning — low land covered with bush. Are due in Batavia to-morrow early. Rather a nice-looking young lady on board, but the sea has not improved her looks, as she has paid the usual penalty to old Neptune.

We had a nasty head wind, and I felt very miserable, but managed by lying down to stave off my impending fate. Nothing but Malay spoken by natives in Java, so if I go up THE RAMBLES OF A GLOBK TEOTTEB. JULY. country I shall be obliged to get a " boy." Even the Chinese have to leave off speaking pigeon English in Java. It is a curious fact that in China if a Cantonese meets a friend from Pekin he converses in pigeon English, as the Chinese dialects are so numerous. The "a" is long in Malay — for instance, you say Samarang, Sourabaya, and Sarawak is pronounced Sararwak. Sunday, 13th. — We arrived off the Port of Batavia at half past seven a.m. It is a disagreeable place to land at, as large steamers and ships lie about a mile out from the canal. A small tug came off. Mud flats extend so far out that the Dutch found it necessary to build the canal above-mentioned ; it is enclosed by walls, and is about two miles to where we land at the Custom House.

This part of Batavia is very unhealthy, and only natives and those Europeans who are obliged live here, the rest reside about four miles out, and as all the hotels are there, we had to get into a two-wheeled vehicle. I was very much disappointed with the vegetation. The great beauty of tropical vegetation lies I think in its freshness and luxuriance. Here they have had no rain for so long that the trees are withered and the grass is burnt ; still the bananas with their large green leaves are pretty, and the cocoa-nut, when one only sees its bunch like foliage overtopping some other trees, is pleasing to the eye. Remember, I am only speaking of Batavia, and I hear that further inland the scenery is grand. There are good level roads, and the small knowing little Timor ponies do certainly rattle along.

We drove for most of the way by a canal, and arrived in due course at the Hotel de Nederlanden, and a very comfortable one it is. In the front is a lofty building with colonnades. The rooms are of a great height and airy, and the floor being marble it is comparatively cool ; at the back is a dining-room, oval in shape, and open to the welcome breezes on all sides. The feeding is tolerable. In afternoon I lunched with Mr. M . In the evening, at about five, a Mr. V and I went to hear the band play. I cannot say much for the JULY.j BATAVIA. 5 Dutch beauties ; they had none of them hats or bonnets on — in fact, very few of the men wear anything on thenheads. All the Europeans look pale ; but there are really so many half-castes, and so many of various hues, that I could not attempt to give the various nationalities.

There were a great many soldiers about, and I fancy a supply is coming from Holland in time for the Acheen War. The Malays look picturesque enough with their turbans— say of red — and a loose kind of shawl wound around their middle, of green or some equally gay colour. They generally have on a white vest and continuations, but seem fond of a gay piece of stuff to attract notice. The women do not wear anything on their heads, and usually have a loose robe made of cotton — pink the favourite colour. Labour is, I should fancy, cheap, judging from the number of porters, &o. The band played on the Waterloo Plain — a dried-up looking piece of ground surrounded by large trees. In Singapore they have rain every day, so all the vegetation there has a fresh ap pearance. Here, there is none till November when the rainy season commences.

However, it is considered a healthy time up to the end of September, so one must not complain about the verdure. Thermometer only 84, so it is decidedly cooler than at Singapore, but the animals are very numerous, and I feel myriads of ants racing over my body, which is anything but agreeable. Monday, 14th. — In morning went into town. Called on Mr. F , who gave me an itinerary of what there is to see in Java; then on a Mr. M , partner of the English Consul ; Mr. McC , then on Herr Von D , who was away; and lastly on S & Co., and on my bankers. I go up to-morrow to Buitenzorg, having now procured the sinews of war. There are a good many Chinese here ; but they are very independent and would not deign to do any menial work, such as they do in their own country. I lynched with Mr. M , manager of the Chartered Bank, and in afternoon went to museum, where we saw images of Buddha in all manner of impossible and curious [JULY.

THE RAMBLES OF A GLOBE TROTTER. shapes, spears, knives, skins, shields, &c, of various Malay tribes; but all descriptions were, of course, written in Dutch, so they were not intelligible to me. I have never been anywhere where English appears to be of so little avail— even at the hotel, coffee, bread, &c, are most difficult to procure ; and as to a bath, I had to hold the sponge over my head. I cannot get a boy to accompany me that speaks English, so I must shift as well as I can. Mosquitos here are dreadful ; what voracious little beasts they are — if they do get inside the curtain in the morning after a night of agony, you can generally kill them, as they suck so much blood from your unfortunate body in the course of the night, that they resemble — what shall I say — a soda water bottle ; if they do not get in, you see them hanging by hundreds half way through the curtain, and so one can easily kill them, if vengeance is sweet to the sufferer.

They seem hke the giant of old, to have a keen sense of smelling human blood, and one can imagine that they say like him, slightly altered — " Fee, fi, fo, sum, I smell the blood of an Englishman — whether he be dead or whether he be alive, I suck his blood until I die." Every nation seems to claim Waterloo ; and the Dutch here have a monument of the great battle. I always had a vague idea that Wellington had, if he did not actually win it, a slight share in the matter ; but a German scoffs the idea of Wellington ; it was Blucher that won Waterloo. Well, I suppose, as so many nations had a finger in the pie, the rival claims that have arisen as to who were the chief cause of winning the engagement are natural enough. There certainly are fine avenues of trees bordering each side of the road ; but as some body remarked, is there a spot in London that one cannot see a a tree from ?

Far be it from me to compare London and Batavia in point of vegetation ; but there is no denying that I am disappointed with Batavia, but it comes from reading DeBeauvoir ; he talks of this hotel that I am in as being marble and hundreds of attendants. Why it is difficult to be served ; and the bathroom that he mentions — well, one can find it and the JULY.] MALAY WATCHMEN. 7 neighbourhood better by one's nose than one's eyes— it certainly has a marble floor. But after all, although DeBeauvoir's book is not remarkable for its accuracy— still it is the best and most charmingly written guide I have yet seen, so I keep it. I see there is a telegraph to say that the Turks are going to send eight men-of-war to the assistance of the Sultan of Acheen. I wonder if it is true ? what a curious thing it would be if a large European war was to spring up out of this Acheen business.

It is ludicrous to see the great tall officers riding the small Timor ponies ; they can nearly touch the ground with their feet. I dined to-night with Mr. McC , the English Consul ; coming back from his house I noticed a number of watchmen with long spears and some with pitchforks. I think the latter are rather a wrinkle for policemen at home ; if the Malay officials get hold of a drunken sailor that is very obstreperous, they put the fork round his neck and make him walk along. Some of the forks have two sharp points bent inwards, so that if the prisoner moves his head or tries to escape he would tear his neck. Mrs. V must have been good looking ; but like most ladies that one meets abroad in the hot climates, she appeared pale and languid, and not up to much. We had punkahs, as in China and elsewhere ; but in Java only the English use them ; however hot it is a Dutchman would not think of having one, as he is afraid of catching cold in his head.

Tuesday, July, 15th. — I started by train from Batavia at twenty minutes to eight, and reached Buitenzorg at ten minutes to ten. I drove straight to the Belle Vue Hotel, from which there is a magnificent view of richly wooded country extending for miles, thoroughly tropical in appearance, owing to the palms, &c, and a glorious rauge of mountains in the back ground. This view was certainly worthy of the Java that one has heard so much of. After a short time I took a carriage and drove to Government House, and called on Dr. Loudon. He received me very kindly and said he had been expecting me, and told me that this was liberty hall and that rooms were at THE RAMBLES OF A GLOBE TROTTER. [JULY. my disposal. He speaks English very well, in fact, is of Scotch descent. I brought my traps from the hotel, and here I am lodged in lofty rooms with plenty of ventilation, and everything that can conduce to one's comfort in a hot climate.

The gardens in which Government House is situated are considered about the finest in the world, but not knowing anything of botany I cannot hope to describe them to you, but if you can imagine the tropical department of the Crystal Palace enlarged a thousand fold, and with only the cloudless blue for a canopy, you may form some idea. The leaves are simply magnificent, and orchids are clinging to the trunks of some of the trees. The grounds are well laid out with walks, and there are several small lakes, covered with the most splendid pink lilies (called Victoria). There are also fountains and picturesque bridges ; in fact, it is a species of Paradise in which one could wander about for a long time if it were not for the tropical sun. The Aide-de-Camp's name is McC ; he is of Scotch descent, and speaks English.

We lunch at twelve, dine at seven, and the Governor drives out at half-past five. Whether he is going to honour me with an invitation I don't know, but I have only to say the word, and I can have a carriage, riding horse, or any thing I want. The servants as in China all appear to be men. The Malays as a race are decidedly small, not averaging more than 5ft. 3in., I am told. They very seldom have any hair on their face, but they have long black hair like the women, and it is very difficult to tell which is which ; except as a rule a man wears a turban and a woman no head dress. The loose robe the latter wears is called a sarong. They are a cleanly people and appear to be fond of bathing, judging from the number one sees per forming their ablutions. They do not drink much, and are a quiet inoffensive kind of people.

Their great vice is gambling. As a rule they are all well clothed, but some you meet wear very little more than a huge bell-shaped hat made of some hard material, and painted red, blue, or any other staring colour. Labour is very cheap here, and if a gentleman wants a light at JULY.] 9 GOVERNMENT HOUSE. an hotel there is always a servant ready with one. The latter consists of "sandal wood and sawdust" glued together, and is kept burning. When I was out dining the other day Mr. M used matches, and a gentleman remonstrated with him for his extravagance —would it not be cheaper to keep a man, who would carry you the " Arg " (I have described above) than have to buy a box of matches ? Of course this was a joke, but there is no doubt that labour is not hard to procure. In afternoon at half past five I went a drive with His Excellency and Mrs. Loudon.

We had an open barouche and four horses; everything well got up. Two men on the footboard behind dressed a la postillion with jockey caps. I sat with my back to the horses, next the Aide and opposite Madame ; she was very pleasant and spoke English perfectly. The children also went a drive in another carriage and four. The country round is certainly most beautiful. The village of Buitenzorg is very clean, thoroughly Dutch I should fancy. Noticed the light green of the deadly Upas tree. His Excellency had heard from Captain J of the Queen of Holland's visit. He says he writes such clever letters that you cannot answer them as you would ordinary notes. His Excellency is very busy at present, owing, I fancy, to the Acheen business. Dined at seven. The Aide is most invaluable ; he informed me that it was a black cravat night as it was quite en famille, and told me I was to sit on the left of Madame.

There is a celebrated Russian staying here, who has travelled for eighteen months in New Guinea. There are five daughters and two sons ; eldest girl about seventeen I should think. All speak English fluently, French, and of course Dutch. Is it not wonderful ? Certainly Englishmen know less of foreign languages than other nations. I know enough French to be dangerous, that is, I can understand a good deal and talk un peu mais tres peu. German is not of much use. French was chiefly spoken at dinner. There was a tutor and one of the governesses at dinner, besides two of his daughters. I have been appealed to as an English man to teach them croquet ; of course I said I should be only [JULY. 10 THE RAMBLES OF A GLOBE TROTTER. too proud. After dinner we adjourned to a small room (for this house) where two of the daughters played a piece from Beethoven, very well, I thought.

At a quarter-past eight His Excellency had to hurry off to business, and soon after I went with the tutor to the Club and stayed there an hour, and then drove home in a brougham and pair that were waiting for me ; so you see I do the thing in style, and shall be soon au fait with Governor General's residences, and shall be able to give a wrinkle, which sums itself up in this — make friends with the Aide-de-Camp. There are marble floors all over the house. The dining-room is a splendid room of immense size, and every thing is well done, befitting (they say) the richest Government in the world. I believe Holland receives twenty million guilders, or nearly two millions sterling, from the Dutch Archipelago, besides what the merchants make out of Java. If I have an opportunity of seeing the Government House at Calcutta, I shall be able to contrast the two.

If they say Great Britain needs her Colonies for her prosperity I think Holland does more. There is not much love lost between the Dutch and the Javanese. There are 30,000 troops, partly Malay or from the Celebes. Slavery is abolished, but there is a certain amount of forced labour, and Java is governed in a much cheaper manner than India ; not nearly such expensive establisments, and this is how the Home Government in comparison squeeze such a lot out of the Javanese. The roads appear first-rate and I believe the travelling is good, but awfully expensive. Hotels are cheap but carriages absurdly dear ; for instance, I had a trap from this house to the Belle Vue Hotel, distant a quarter of a mile ; I then went back and fetched my luggage — four gulden (six shillings and eightpence). It is the same in Batavia.

If you take a trap one mile — three and a-half gulden, but you can keep it six hours and pay no more ; still, it is a stupid arrangement. Wednesday, 16th. — At half-past six went for a ride in the cool of the morning with the Aide ; rode to see the Race Course and neighbourhood ; splendid scenery — such trees and flowering JULY, 11 MALAYS shrubs. The environs of Buitenzorg are a thoroughly sylvan scene. I should think some of the avenues must be a mile long ; one of the latter is formed of banyans. Eoses seem to do very well, and there were masses of them on the table last night. I find the day very slow, as there is nothing to be done, and it is hardly prudent to go out. A Malay told a gentleman in Batavia that he thought I must be very rich, because I was so thin ; the latter condition implied that I must have worked hard to be in that desirable state, and they think that if a man works hard he must be rich.

A Chinaman does not consider he is rich until he is very fat. The Malays are naturally a lazy race ; they are brown in colour, with long black hair ; they carry everything in a bamboo placed across their shoulders. Hens and ducks are tied by the feet and hang downwards. The Aide on duty to-day does not speak English at all, so at lunch he and the Russian agreed to talk German, so you will see I am rubbing up my languages. Strangers always appear to lunch with the Aide, and only dine with the Governor. Did not go out a drive this evening, but walked about the grounds. Some people at dinner. The conversation turned on the English Royal Family, and we were told numerous stories that were quite new to me. The five girls are the eldest, I should think, and there is a Uttle, mischievous, charming boy of say five.

His ExceUency sent him to tell two of his sisters to come and play a duet. When he returned his father said, " WeU, what did they say ?" " Very annoying," said he ; so His ExceUency put on a stern face when they appeared, and asked whether it was true that they had said so. The look the fair sisters gave, V enfant terrible, was neither chUdlike nor bland, but they appeared extremely as if they would Uke to have " went " for that little monkey. I told His Excellency that he ought to send the account to Punch. I really was quite sorry for the French governess and one of the daughters. Somebody asked me if one of the Princesses was young when she married. "WeU," I said, "she was no chicken," and accordingly they all nearly went into convulsions. The gover- [JULY. THE RAMBLES OF A GLOBE TROTTER. ness was one of those weak creatures that could not stop, and to add to it the Russian wanted to know what it was ; so I said in execrable French, " elle n'etait pas un poulet," Madame got up from dinner soon after, and we adjourned into the small room for music ; but the governess did not appear weU, to draw it mild, for half an hour.