BATAVIA MUSEUM. 213 



announced the arrival of His Dutch Majesty's repre- 

 sentative. The latter, in whom I had expected to 

 behold a formidable and punctilious gentleman of the 

 old school, stood barely five feet in his shoes, and 

 appeared very affable and obliging, for when my turn 

 came, everybody being ushered into his presence 

 according to strict rule of etiquette, and mv object 

 explained, he at once promised to send me a circular- 

 letter addressed to the " Residents " of the different 

 provinces, instructing them to provide me with horses 

 and do all in their power to enable me to visit the 

 interior with comfort. He also invited me to spend a 

 few days with him at his palace at Buitenzorg after my 

 return from the East, and altogether we parted excel- 

 ent friends. I much regretted afterwards that want 

 of time and bad weather compelled me to leave Java 

 without paying the intended visit. 



Batavia has a fine museum, where I had an oppor- 

 tunity of becoming acquainted with the produce of 

 every important island in the Archipelago. It also con- 

 tained life-like representations of the different tribes 

 inhabiting the same, of their dwellings, by small models 

 executed in bamboo, as well as their handicrafts, curious 

 specimens of native manufacture, arms, musical instru- 

 ments, etc., — altogether a most complete and interesting 



