Manchester Memoirs, Vol. I. (1906), No. 4. 3 



which they are impregnated before leaving this country. 

 This is effected by frequent washings in the rivers, and 

 subsequent exposure of the wet pieces to the sun, the 

 washing and exposure being continued until the whole of 

 the starchy and saline matters are completely removed. 

 The pieces are then finally dried, cut up into sarong length, 

 and are ready to be passed into the hands of the printers. 

 Wash-day is looked upon as more or less of a necessary 

 evil in this country, but amongst the Javanese this con- 

 dition of things is quite reversed, for water seems to 

 possess a fascination for them, a considerable part of their 

 time being spent in the warm streams with which the 

 country abounds ; and in washing articles of clothing they 

 always take the opportunity of standing in as deep water 

 as they can conveniently work in. 



Before entering into details, I might explain here that 

 there are really two methods of preparing battacked goods. 

 One of these may be described most simply as a process 

 of colour painting, in which the design is actually drawn 

 on the cloth by hand. This work is almost entirely carried 

 out by women, and, as might be expected, involves the 

 expenditure of an enormous amount of time and labour ; 

 and, as a result of this, the process is confined to the pro- 

 duction of very expensive articles of attire, the wearing 

 of which is restricted to the wealthy, who are a very small 

 proportion indeed of the native population. Since it is 

 almost an impossibility to imitate such work by a mecha- 

 nical process, I do not intend to enter into any of the 

 details of carrying it out, except to say that the colours 

 are applied by means of small tubes provided with orifices 

 of varying shape, the tubes having a small cup on their 

 end, which forms a reservoir in which the colour is con- 

 tained. In many cases the process is combined with the 

 second method of battacking, and from the description 



