THE JAVANESE AS MECHANICS. 59 



all perform tlieir allotted tasks quietly aucl steadily, 

 \\T.thout loud talking or any unnecessaiy noise. Some 

 of tkem are so skilful that they receive nearly two 

 guilders per day. These facts show the capabili- 

 ties of the Javanese, and indicate that there may 

 yet be a l^right futui*e for this people. Here the 

 standard weights and measui'es for the government 

 are manufactured; and as an instance of the lon- 

 gevity of this people, when they are correct in their 

 habits, the director told me that one native had 

 ^vorked for fifty-seven years in that department, and 

 for some time had been assisted by both his sons and 

 grandsons. He had just retired, and the dii*ector 

 had been able to obtain for him a pension of full 

 pay on account of the long time he had been in the 

 ser\ace. There were three others still in the works, 

 who also began fifty-seven years ago. Such cases are 

 the more remarkable, because these natives are usual- 

 ly unable to labor at the age of thirty-five or forty, 

 on account of their dissolute habits. Most of theii^ 

 machineiy is not as nicely finished as that imported 

 from Europe, but it appears to be quite as durable. 

 Yet the fact that some Javanese have the capacity to 

 do nice work was proved by one in charge of the en- 

 graving-department, Avhose fine lines would have been 

 creditable to many a European. A merchant also 

 has a similar machine-shop on a still greater scale. 



Near by are the government artillery- works, where 

 all the parts of wood and iron and the saddles and har- 

 nesses are manufactured, every thing but the guns. 

 The wood used is carefully-seasoned teak. It is ex- 

 tremely durable, and combines in a good degree both 



