V Z ROADS AND POST HOUSES. 



on the mountains, and dress coats, in which to 

 present ourselves to the authorities ; accordingly, 

 we found the carriage we had hired too small, 

 and should have been again delayed, had not Mr. 

 Darling, an American gentleman from Batavia, 

 whom we met at Mr. Fraser's, lent us his carriage 

 to go as far as Passarouan. We were thus enabled 

 to set off at half-past six. We had four good little 

 horses, and proceeded with considerable rapidity 

 along an excellent level road, reaching the second 

 post-house in an hour and a quarter. These post- 

 houses are from five to seven pauls apart, or about 

 six miles on the average.* At each of these post- 

 houses there is a large wooden shed, stretching 

 completely across the road, to shelter the horses 

 and travellers from the sun while the horses are 

 changed. The carriage road is broad and hard, 

 and raised two or three feet above the level of the 

 country, with an inferior road at the side for the 

 native carts and waggons. The country thus far 

 seemed very populous, as we had already passed 

 several large villages and two markets. The latter 

 were held at open spaces, where cross roads came 

 into the main line ; they were crowded with people, 

 and with piles of fruit, fish, both fresh and dried, 

 and other commodities. The country, hereabouts, 

 is very flat, and scarcely above the level of the sea. 

 Large open tracts were under cultivation with rice 



* The Javanese paul equals 1652*3 English yards, so that 17 

 pauls are very nearly 16 statute miles. 



