270 ANCIENT MONUMENTS. 



dence of some great spirit, in whose honour, once 

 a year, the Dyaks are said, at this spot, to hold 

 a great feast, bringing the pigs and provisions from 

 their village for this purpose. I exceedingly regret 

 that during the time I visited the stone, it was 

 impossible to proceed further up the river, which be- 

 comes small at this distance from the sea, to learn 

 from these Dyaks themselves the whole of the par- 

 ticulars concerning it. Such information as I was 

 able to obtain respecting it, is derived entirely from the 

 Malays who are well acquainted with the customs of 

 the Dyaks of the river, and many of whom speak their 

 language with facility. None of the Dyaks will cut 

 down the trees or make their farms near this place, 

 as they fear to draw upon themselves the anger of the 

 divinity residing in it. Other stones lay about the 

 Battu Berala, one of which appeared to have formed 

 part of the shaft of a column, but they were so broken, 

 that nothing certain, as to their original shape or uses, 

 could be gathered from these fragments. 



Though these stones are few in number, the image of 

 the bull alone, and the veneration in which it and the 

 Battu Berala are held, are sufficient evidences that the 

 religion which introduced and used them, has had 

 some influence in this part of the island. In the 

 southern provinces, and those of the south-west, 

 where the colonies of Javanese were larger, and their 

 communication with the parent country more frequent 

 and regular, images of brass and stone are abundant ; 

 and even small temples are said, by the Dutch, to have 



