viri.] . DRESS AND CUSTOMS IN MACASSAR. 155 



destitute of these ornaments, even if black, would fail to guarantee 

 one's respectability. The trousers should be white, and a hat, even 

 if only carried, is indispensable. To Englishmen this latter rule may 

 appear superfluous, but in the Dutch East Indies no head-covering 

 of any kind is worn after sunset by either sex. The guests on 

 arrival are seated round a table, generally in the verandah, and 

 Port, Madeira, Hollands, and bitters are placed before them — drinks 

 that, in defiance of the climate, no well-regulated Dutchman would 

 dream of omitting as a prelude to dinner. Manila chei'oots are 

 handed, for smoking is of course universal, and behind the master 

 of the house squats a native with a firestick, ready to respond to 

 the " kasi api " of any guest who may require a light. 



He must be " robur et cvs tripleo:" who would venture upon 

 gin and such like fiery liquids in these latitudes before dinner, 

 but the Dutch customs in Malaysia are not all so unsuitable. In 

 the way of dress especially the ladies are far in advance of their 

 Anglo-Indian sisters. In the morning they appear in native 

 costume. A short lace-edged kibaya of thin white linen buttons up 

 to the throat, and a silk sarong reaches to the feet, which are with- 

 out stockings, and clad only in a pair of gold-embroidered Turkish 

 slippers. The effect, although perhaps at first a little startling to 

 European eyes, is decidedly good, especially in a young and pretty 

 woman, and in the way of comfort and coolness there is little to 

 be desired. English prejudices are, I fear, too strong to admit of 

 the adoption of such sensible garments in om- own tropical settle- 

 ments, where, alas ! corsets and black dress-coats have taken too 

 deep a root in the fashions to be easily got rid of. 



The society in Macassar was very pleasant, and not less so 

 from the fact that almost every one spoke English or French nearly 

 as well as their own language. One of the first entertainments to 

 which we were iuAdted was a private theatrical performance fol- 

 lowed by a ball. It was given in a public hall, which on Sundays 

 served the purposes of a church ! A large number of people were 

 present, and we were astonished at the abundance of the fair sex. 



