"Monarch of all he surveyed."
Whilst his next door neighbor, Mr. Van-Sy Something or other, having a house nearly as comfortable, used it as a hotel, if hotel that can be called, in which you have permission to wait upon yourself, and are charged extravagantly for the privilege, whilst its proprietor pays his devoirs (devours?) to his bottle of Schnapps, from which his lips are seldom removed, excepting to receive his pipe, and to sputter out some delectable Dutch. Thought of Wm. Shenstone's "Warmest Welcome at an Inn," and wished the poet had been compelled to "put up" with this same Dutchman as a species of "poetical justice," for placing the purchased pleasures of a public house before the sacred and free gifts of home.
There is a fort here in good repair and kept in excellent order, and I was informed that a short time previous to our arrival it had been attacked by the natives, who were repulsed with great slaughter. The attack was fierce and vigorous, but as the Malays were not possessed of fire-arms, and made the assault with only their naked creeses, they were easily repulsed. Was told of the tremendous execution done by one gun in throwing grape amongst them, but I felt a little inclined to doubt its efficiency upon examining its bore.
The attacking Malays were not those of the immediate vicinity, whose prowess, from their appearance, I should be inclined to doubt, but came from the mountains, an unconquered people, who continually make war upon the invaders of their soil. I was greatly amused by the recital of his part in the affair, by a non-commissioned officer, who informed me that he was born a Belgian, and gave his story in broken French, broken in words as well as grammar, for he had been imbibing something stronger than water. It appeared that his valiant self and two others equally brave—one a Frenchman, the other a Prussian—had been selected to serve as a picket, or avante garde, as he termed it, some distance from the fort, at a place called the "Barrier." When at midnight they heard the approach of the enemy. "Je mette mon fusil à mon bras," he said; "et à le Francais je di, Prenez—garde! A le Prusse"—hesitating—"Prenez garde! aussi, et nous faissons un grande detour,—et—et, nous eschappons. Et voila, monsieur," he continued, pointing to the stripes upon his arm, "Je suis sous officier donc. Je suis caporal de la garde,—le meme comme Napoleon,—le petit Caporal." With a hearty laugh we bade "le petit Caporal" bon nuit, and returned to our hotel, asking ourselves what need there could be for the Philosopher's Stone, whilst there existed such a talisman as Conceit?
The Javanese are called Malays, whilst the inhabitants of the neighboring island of Sumatra also claim the same appellation. From their rules for government, their religion, and other distinctive marks, I would consider them connected with the Arabian race.
Polygamy is permitted amongst them, and they are allowed to possess wives according to their means. Ouseman, our compradore, and a rajah, told me he had three, all living peaceably together at his house. Think of that, ye of the Caucasian race, who, with more means, find it difficult to get along with one, and in a colder climate too!
Came upon a Chinaman here, a real Fa-qui, tail, costume and all, and for aught I know may have seen the individual before, for he informed me that he had been to the United States—"America" he called them—and had sojourned in Boston, and this too with as strict regard to the memory of Lindley Murray, and in as good English as we have heard from many a denizen of that second Athens. He also proved that he had profited by his residence abroad, for he cheated us entirely to our satisfaction, and with such a grace as almost to make us fear he was robbing himself, and only exchanged his articles for our coin, out of respect for our country. These Chinese are truly said to be an imitative people.
They have a place of worship here, called a Mosque, where I was told the Prophet was worshipped. Hearing, one night, a great noise within its sacred precincts, I ventured in,—not without many mutterings of dissatisfaction from the Malays assembled at its threshold,—and looked upon a large room dimly lighted, without any visible presence of the Prophet, although a large chair was raised in the centre of it for him to rest upon, and a parcel of half-clad wretches were grovelling around its feet, with cries piteous enough to have brought him down even from the lap of the most beautiful of his dark-eyed houris, had he one-half of that humanity for which his worshippers gave him credit. I was told that these were sick persons, and their friends, praying for relief:—a very commendable thing in a place where there were none but commissioned surgeons, provided Mahomet has as much skill in medicine now, as he possessed over these gentlemen in his methods of amputation when he practised here below.
Visited the market-place, called Bazaar. Found all kinds of tropical fruits in great abundance: cocoanuts, bananas, plantains, mangusteens, &c. &c., and what proved its general use, at every stall, large quantities of the betel-nut were exposed for sale. This nut is used for its exhilarating properties, and is chewed as is tobacco; but whether its juice is swallowed, I cannot say. It blackens the teeth, and must prove very efficacious in destroying the enamel. Indeed, from the practice they have of filing their teeth across, and the use of this acid, it is a wonder that any thing should remain but blackened stumps.
Watered ship here, from a reservoir, supplied by an aqueduct from the mountains, a distance of some leagues. The water is good, and the supply appears sufficient, although I cannot commend the construction of the channel through which it is brought. It is of stone, and stuccoed, raised about two feet from the level of the road, and open at the top. During a short walk along this road, I saw numbers of Malay women using its waters for the purpose of ablution; and I could not count the number of the various reptiles of this prolific clime, who, lured by their deceitful flow, had met a watery death.