NUMBER OF RUINS IN JAVA. Ill 



gazing on the lovely and majestic scenery in the 

 midst of which they were set, and endeavouring to 

 imprint on the memory all the features and beauties 

 of the picture ; and many such occur to the imagina- 

 tion afterwards when this picture is recalled, but 

 as, with our present amount of knowledge, they 

 must remain mere speculation, I forbear to pursue 

 them. Java is strewed with similar remains, and 

 some of much greater extent and magnificence, from 

 one end of the island to the other, as may be seen 

 in Raffles' and Crawfurd's books, to which I must 

 refer the reader ; merely observing that the outline 

 sketches in the illustrations of those works, while 

 they convey an idea of their forms and subjects, 

 sufficient for our information on those points, by no 

 means do full justice to the artistic beauties of the 

 ruins and sculpture, and hardly attempt to pourtray 

 those of the surrounding scenery. 



Our Widono here,.as at Kedal and Djago, informed 

 us that the natives still had a kind of superstitious 

 feeling for these remnants of the religion of their 

 ancestors, and the Kling pedlars from India paid 

 them unbounded reverence. 



The Widono was a stout, middle-aged man, of a 

 firm and sensible cast of countenance: he took much 

 interest in our proceedings, begged to be allowed 

 to copy our measurements, and appeared anxious to 

 give us information, which we regretted our imper- 

 fect attempts at communication could only partially 

 elicit. His manners, still very respectful, were 



