The journey back to Buitenzorg, despite a tremendous thunder-storm, accompanied by such a shower as is only encountered in the tropics, was nevertheless pretty quickly got over, and even one trifling adventure which was encountered on the way—in the course of which one of the travelling carriages fell into a ditch on one side of the road, near Megamendung, in consequence of which the coachman and attendants were somewhat injured by their sudden precipitation from the box—had no more serious ulterior consequences than
that we had to get out of the carriage for a short space under a deluge of rain, so as to admit of its being more readily put into running order again. Despite the inclemency of the weather we were on this occasion accompanied on horseback by the magistrates of the villages through which we passed, and although many of these were shivering and chattering with the wet and cold, they were nevertheless inexorable in assisting to send us forward, and though not required to do so, accompanied us to our next station, where their place was supplied by others not less attentive.
While still on the road, the commodore and several members of the Expedition received an invitation from the Governor-general to stop at his summer residence of Buitenzorg, and to make it for some days their resting-place. It was unfortunate, that this display of hospitality was somewhat weakened in cordiality by a too rigid observance of those minor matters of etiquette, which his Excellency seemed to think he could not afford to dispense with even in his quiet, unostentatious country-seat. The stringent observance of such unbending measured ceremony is the more remarkable, in the case of a man who has raised himself from an obscure grade of citizenship to this lofty post, and who does not even indulge in that lavish expense or profuse luxury, which would at least be in harmony with the ceremonial usages with which he surrounds himself. M. Van Pahud came to Batavia about twenty years before, as a school-master, and ere long, having become an employé in the civil service,
secured through his administrative capacity, and restless activity, the confidence and sympathies of the Government, was somewhat later appointed Colonial Minister in Holland, and finally, in 1856, Governor-general of the Dutch East Indies. The introduction of the quinquina plant from Peru and its present extension throughout Java, are his chief claims to recognition.
As M. Van Pahud is a widower, the honours of his mansion were performed by his daughter, a lady in delicate health, who a few years previously had the distressing trial of beholding her husband, who filled one of the most important posts as Resident at a Regency in the interior, cut down before her eyes by a Malay!
We spent a couple of days in this charming retreat of Buitenzorg, whose botanical garden ever unfolded fresh beauties, and had the pleasure on this, as on the occasion of our first visit, to make several most agreeable acquaintances. A deep interest attaches to our visit to Madame Hartmann, the widow of a former Resident in Borneo, who possesses a small but every way remarkable collection of ethnographic objects illustrative of that island, and who not alone had the thoughtful courtesy to show us all these treasures of natural history, but even presented us with a considerable portion of them. The writer of this account felt himself in an especial degree under obligation to this excellent lady for a number of skeletons of the various races of men inhabiting that island, which it would have been exceedingly
difficult to procure otherwise. There existed but one object in this anthropological collection with which Madame Hartmann would not part: this was the skull of a Chinaman, who, during the fearful insurrection of these emigrants in Borneo in 1819, made a murderous onslaught on her husband, whose servants fortunately succeeded in rendering timely aid by cutting the miscreant down.
Early on 20th May we quitted Buitenzorg. On the same morning two criminals accused of murder and robbery were brought thither. Although the punishment of death is only inflicted in cases of extreme atrocity, yet we were informed that in the capital scarcely a month passes without the infliction of this last penalty.
On our return to Batavia we once more found ourselves the objects of that charming hospitality, to which we are indebted for the memory of many most agreeable hours.
There was one gentleman in particular, a German countryman, Colonel Von Schierbrand, who has lived nearly thirty years in Java, and at present holds the high position of head of the Engineer department and President of the Topographical Institute, who most hospitably entertained the voyagers of the Novara in his elegant, comfortable dwelling, and arranged a variety of amusements and agreeable receptions.[65]