It Was On The 13th Of June, 1856, After A Twenty Days' Passage
From Singapore In The "Kembang Djepoon" (Rose
Of Japan), a
schooner belonging to a Chinese merchant, manned by a Javanese
crew, and commanded by an English captain,
That we cast anchor in
the dangerous roadstead of Bileling on the north side of the
island of Bali. Going on shore with the captain and the Chinese
supercargo, I was at once introduced to a novel and interesting
scene. We went first to the house of the Chinese Bandar, or chief
merchant, where we found a number of natives, well dressed, and
all conspicuously armed with krisses, displaying their large
handles of ivory or gold, or beautifully grained and polished wood.
The Chinamen had given up their national costume and adopted the
Malay dress, and could then hardly be distinguished from the
natives of the island - an indication of the close affinity of the
Malayan and Mongolian races. Under the thick shade of some mango-
trees close by the house, several women-merchants were selling
cotton goods; for here the women trade and work for the benefit
of their husbands, a custom which Mahometan Malays never adopt.
Fruit, tea, cakes, and sweetmeats were brought to us; many questions
were asked about our business and the state of trade in
Singapore, and we then took a walk to look at the village. It was
a very dull and dreary place; a collection of narrow lanes
bounded by high mud walls, enclosing bamboo houses, into some of
which we entered and were very kindly received.
During the two days that we remained here, I walked out into the
surrounding country to catch insects, shoot birds, and spy out
the nakedness or fertility of the land. I was both astonished and
delighted; for as my visit to Java was some years later, I had
never beheld so beautiful and well cultivated a district out of
Europe. A slightly undulating plain extends from the seacoast
about ten or twelve miles inland, where it is bounded by a wide
range of wooded and cultivated hills. Houses and villages, marked
out by dense clumps of cocoa-nut palms, tamarind and other fruit
trees, are dotted about in every direction; while between then
extend luxuriant rice-grounds, watered by an elaborate system of
irrigation that would be the pride of the best cultivated parts
of Europe. The whole surface of the country is divided into
irregular patches, following the undulations of the ground, from
many acres to a few perches in extent, each of which is itself
perfectly level, but stands a few inches or several feet above or
below those adjacent to it. Every one of these patches can be
flooded or drained at will by means of a system of ditches and
small channels, into which are diverted the whole of the streams
that descend from the mountains. Every patch now bore crops in
various stages of growth, some almost ready for cutting, and all
in the most flourishing condition and of the most exquisite green
tints.
The sides of the lanes and bridle roads were often edged with
prickly Cacti and a leafless Euphorbia, but the country being so
highly cultivated there was not much room for indigenous
vegetation, except upon the sea-beach. We saw plenty of the fine
race of domestic cattle descended from the Bos banteng of Java,
driven by half naked boys, or tethered in pasture-grounds. They
are large and handsome animals, of a light brown colour, with
white legs, and a conspicuous oval patch behind of the same
colour. Wild cattle of the same race are said to be still found
in the mountains. In so well-cultivated a country it was not to
be expected that I could do much in natural history, and my
ignorance of how important a locality this was for the
elucidation of the geographical distribution of animals, caused
me to neglect obtaining some specimens which I never met with
again. One of these was a weaver bird with a bright yellow head,
which built its bottle-shaped nests by dozens on some trees near
the beach. It was the Ploceus hypoxantha, a native of Java; and
here, at the extreme limits of its range westerly, I shot and
preserved specimens of a wagtail-thrush, an oriole, and some
starlings, all species found in Java, and some of them peculiar
to that island. I also obtained some beautiful butterflies,
richly marked with black and orange on a white ground, and which
were the most abundant insects in the country lanes. Among these
was a new species, which I have named Pieris tamar.
Leaving Bileling, a pleasant sail of two days brought us to
Ampanam in the island of Lombock, where I proposed to remain till
I could obtain a passage to Macassar. We enjoyed superb views of
the twin volcanoes of Bali and Lombock, each about eight thousand
feet high, which form magnificent objects at sunrise and sunset,
when they rise out of the mists and clouds that surround their
bases, glowing with the rich and changing tints of these the most
charming moments in a tropical day.
The bay or roadstead of Ampanam is extensive, and being at this
season sheltered from the prevalent southeasterly winds, was as
smooth as a lake. The beach of black volcanic sand is very steep,
and there is at all times, a heavy surf upon it, which during
spring-tides increases to such an extent that it is often
impossible for boats to land, and many serious accidents have
occurred. Where we lay anchored, about a quarter of a mile from
the shore, not the slightest swell was perceptible, but on
approaching nearer undulations began, which rapidly increased, so
as to form rollers which toppled over onto the beach at regular
intervals with a noise like thunder. Sometimes this surf
increases suddenly during perfect calms to as great a force and
fury as when a gale of wind is blowing, beating to pieces all
boats that may not have been hauled sufficiently high upon the
beach, and carrying away uncautious natives.
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