202 Voyage of tJie Novara. 



canopied with costly tapestry. The elder of the two ambas- 

 sadors, having been introduced by the resident, thereupon 

 proceeded to say that he was charged to present the homage 

 of his master to the Dutch Governmentj and to remit a letter. 

 On a formal sign by the Governor-general, the government 

 interpreter, Mr. Nitscher, took the letter off the silver waiter, 

 at which moment a salute of nine cannon-shot was fired in 

 the garden behind the palace, to announce to the people out- 

 doors the moment at which the king's letter had been re- 

 ceived. The letter, enveloped in yellow silk, and written in 

 Malay with Arabic characters, was thereupon oj)ened by the 

 government interpreter, and read with a loud voice, after 

 which It was translated into Dutch. In a similar manner the 

 reply of the Governor-general was translated for the two 

 ambassadors into the Malay language. 



At last, after these stiff and wearisome formalities had been 

 gone through, the ambassadors were invited to occupy chairs 

 that had been specially prepared for them next the Govern- 

 or-general, when a short exchange took place of civilities 

 and common-place phrases, until the Governor-general gave 

 the signal for breaking uj), by rising from his seat. The 

 ambassadors were thereuj)on ushered forth in the same 

 ceremonious manner in which they had entered. 



The occasion of the present embassy was a dispute with 

 the Sultan of Sumbawa, in which the Kings of Lombok in- 

 voked tlie mediation of the Dutch Government. The Sultan 

 of Sumbawa had in fact refused to restore two subjects of 



