and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. 



597 



and delivered their crops of leaves to Central 

 Factory Capitalists. Fields with rich crops of 

 sugarcane were frequently passed aud "Deeau- 

 ville'' tramways indicated that even in Java 

 expedients to save transport and labour are 

 quickly adopted. New Sugar factories in 

 course of erection demonstrated a prosperous 

 and progressive industry. We did not go on to 

 the headquarters of the Sugar industry in East 

 Java and the large busy Port, Soerabaya — more 

 important commercially than Batavia ; but we 

 saw quite enough up to and around Djokjakarta, 

 to realise how important is the production and 

 export of Sugar to the leading division of 

 Netherlands India. 



Our route from 



Maos by Rail to Djokjakarta 



lay through the rich Kedoe district, passing by 

 many prosperous towns and villages all more or 

 less connected with flourishing, not to say 

 wealthy, Sugar and Tobacco growing industries. 

 There was, of course, at intervals, a good deal 

 of rice as well as palms, and extremely neat 

 were most of the native residences we saw, many 

 like those of our own Kandyans, sheltered 

 under groves of fruit trees. We had a good look, 

 too, more than ouce, at considerable gatherings 

 of the people for 



"Country Fairs," 



where not only produce and manufactures, 

 but live stock in abundance, ponies specially 

 numerous, are bought and sold. These as- 

 semblages are peculiarly after the taste of the 

 Javanese, and no intoxicating liquor whatever 

 being consumed, the gatherings are most orderly, 

 and the people dressed in holiday attire, quite 

 picturesque. [Mr. Drieberg and the Agricul- 

 tural Society should see to such ' ' Fairs " being 

 added to Agri-Horticultural Shows and inno- 

 cent games provided for both throughout our 

 rural districts.] 



" Djokja" 



— to give the capital of the ancient Sultanate 

 its short name — is a most interesting place, both 

 historically and naturally. We arrived in the 

 forenoon and found the representative of the 

 principal Hotel ("Mataram") intelligent and 

 smart, speaking English well and who at once 

 pointed out that with the short time at our dis- 

 posal, we had better start for the 



BOBRO BOEDOER BUDDHIST RUINS 



before seeing the city, the Sultan's Palace and 

 domain (called Kraton) and the Dutch fortress 

 Vredenburg. It may at once be mentioned that 

 successive visits to these proved very interest- 

 ing, and we wondered what certain Buddhist 

 Associations in Ceylon would say if they wit- 

 nessed the way in which very attractive bits of 

 sculpture, sedent Buddhas, are used as orna- 

 ments to gardens in this provincial capital, 

 the grounds of the Dutch Residency, we 

 think, being especially rich in these statues, 

 no doubt brought from neighbouring old 

 temples. The Sultan has some 15,000 retainers 

 — idlers about him — and keeps up a semblance 

 of semi-independence, while occasionally there 

 are rumours of plots and intrigues (the Chinese 



being the latest alleged fomeutors*) ; but there 

 is not the slightest risk of any successful emeute, 

 even if all the representatives of the old Sultans 

 or < hiefs were able to come together from their 

 different districts. The Dutch keep a strict 

 watch en them all a. id their rules respecting 

 the Chinese are very strict ; for, though a China- 

 man may acquire property up to a big planta- 

 tion ; yet to visit the Jatter, or leave the town 

 in which he is located, he requires a special 

 " permit," otherwise no railway ticket would be 

 issued to him ! There is no call for the slightest 

 sympathy with the Sultans or ex Rulers. For 

 their treatment of the original 



BuBDHISr AND HlNDU DYNASTIES 



that ruled and administered in this rich divi- 

 sion of Java, was anything but considerate, 

 and they " converted " the whole body of the 

 people at the point of the sword — the aban- 

 donment of Buddha, or Vishnu, Siva, &c, and 

 the adoption of Mahomet or prompt extinction, 

 being the alternatives. I do not say that even- 

 tually the change was not for the benefit of the 

 Javanese materially, physically and religiously. 

 The Sultanates of Djokja and Soerkarta gave 

 the Dutch much trouble in their early years of 

 possession and their final and proper reduction 

 was due to Stamford Raffles and his British 

 troops who established a thorough peace and 

 settlement for the first time throughout these 

 South-Western provinces. Raffles and his staff, 

 indeed, were the first to discover and describe 

 the great Buddhist and Hindu Ruins within 

 easy reach of Djokja. 



A couple of hours on a slow train or steam 

 tramway brought us in the heat of the day to 

 Moentilan, where we had to engage a pony 

 carriage (two willing but by no means over- 

 strong ponies) to take us to the Ruins ; but a 

 ferry had to be crossed, where a substantial 

 bridge had been carried away by a flood. Our 

 drive of some miles was through the Highlands 

 of Kedoe, called the 



Paradise of Java. 

 Richer, more highly cultivated or more diver- 

 sified country could not be desired. From the 

 eminence on which the vast 



Boero-Boedoer 

 is situated, we had a view on all sides of far- 

 extending plains, here and there diversified with 

 uplands and forest-clad sections, and it was 

 quite clear that (as Bulwer Lytton hints in " My 

 Novel " referring to the sites of the old Abbeys 

 and Monasteries) that the Buddhist Abbots and 

 Monks in Java, selected the very centre — and a 



Chinese Intriguing in Java.— Java has still two 

 native rulers in vassalage to the Dutch Government and 

 they keep up great state, respectively, at Djocja and Solo. 

 The one residing at Solo is now likely to get himself into 

 political trouble owing to his having received a visit re- 

 cently from a Chinese Imperial Commercial Commissioner, 

 who made a tour in Java. The Ruler showed the Com- 

 missioner every honour and gave him valuable presents 

 for the Empress-Dowager of China. Early in August, 

 news reached Java that the Empress-Dowager would send 

 a man-of-war there with an Ambassador to bring return 

 presents to the Ruler, who intends to receive the man, in 

 right royal style. The Ambassador is expected in Nov- 

 ember. Among the honours in store for the Ruler is that of 

 a high class Imperial decoration. The Samarang Locomotitf 

 points out that the Netherlands India Government has a 

 voice in the matter, and that the Ruler has no right to 

 receive Chinese honours and dignities without the con- 

 sent of the Cov»rrior-Oenerit.l.— Straits Times. 



i i 



