Fine Trachytic Rocks. — Curious Superstition. 209 



The evening we spent at the residence of M. Van de 

 Groote, inspector of tlie tin-mines of Banka and Borneo, 

 who was of very great use to tlie geologist of the Expe- 

 dition, and at whose hospitable house we met a number of 

 personages of distinction. 



On the following morning (14th May), before prosecuting 

 our journey, we made an excursion to the neighbouring 

 Batoetoelis (pronounced Batootoolis), as a number of tracliy- 

 tic rocks are called, to which young Javanese wives, who wish 

 to become mothers, ascribe the most marvellous virtues. 

 The inscriptions hewn on the stones have been deciphered by 

 the German philologist. Dr. Friedrich. There is also shown a 

 stone with a depression like a human foot, which tradition 

 asserts to be the footstep of a native prophet, who is sujDposed 

 to have stood thereon at a time when the mass was not yet 

 solid and hardened. There evidently is some association 

 of ideas similar to that of the Cingalese respecting Adam's 

 Peak, but without the poetic colouring of the latter. 



From Buitenzorg we went to Tjipannas,* a country-seat 

 of the Governor-general, at the foot of Pangerango. The 

 road from Buitenzorg to Tjipannas is part of the great post- 

 road from Batavia to Surabaya, which just at this point 



ings of every man ; all through the hours of darkness is heard the loud thousand- 

 voiced hum of insects, of myriads of mosquitoes, till it is hardly possible to find a 

 dry place throu-i^hout the house. The hot, sultry air is saturated with moisture, so 

 that everything becomes damp, in consequence of the fine particles of the rain- 

 vapour penetrating into the inmost corners of the house." 



♦ Pronounced Chipannas (hot stream), from Tji, water, and Pannas, hot. Tji is 

 always pronounced like chi, and oe like oo. 



VOL. n. p 



