59' 



^ ^ R*TTAW BRIDGES. 



When two LiUa are opposite to e^ich othetj wilb a river be- 

 tween, the, water of wtiidiis both deepaad rapid, bo tlial it 

 would be LQipoBiaible to cod struct a commoti bridge— when 

 alao tbfc trees on each bAutr are very tofty, with braocbes in- 

 tertwining together— the nativeo join the iwo baako by a 

 bamboo platform firmly fastened, about Beven or eight feet in 

 breEkdth, and upwards of a hundred m length ; on each aide of 

 which they malce use of rattans in order to eospend the 

 bridge to the branches of the trees, oo that it assum&e the 

 form,of a half-moou, raised up in the air, and very tottering. 

 WbcQ a person fire I meets wi\h such a bridge he ii alarm&d, 

 but the nativ«a go over it as if waLkin? on Level ground. 

 When I was travelling from Saraaraug (M ^^^^X P^ka- 

 longan Long), I came to such a bridge, and having no 

 resource, I descended from mj conveyance, and cautioning 

 tbe natives not to crosB at the same time, being afraid of the 

 excessive motion, with a gentle and h'ght step I advanced • 

 but when I had got half way^ being afraid to look down, I 

 I strove to proceed, but the motion became intolerable ; I 

 therefore crouched and eat down. Tho natives seeing me 

 afraid, wished to come forward to my QBtistance ; but this 

 ftlarined ma the more, and I hastily itopped them. After 

 waiting a little the motion ceased, when I got up, and with 

 irembliug stepf , crOBsed over to the other side. Oh the daa* 

 gerous roads in foreign parte ! of which thia ia an instance. 



EUROPEAN VSSBELH, OR KAFAtS ^KAP-PAfJ.) 



At the mouth of tha Batavlau river there is the ship island, 

 (Onruit,) to cailed becauee tJie Dutch repair their vessels 

 there. European vcaaeLa are generally broken up every 

 twenty-five years; ihia ie the fixed limit. The timbers 

 which can be used are employed again, und those which 

 cannot he used are burned : while the iron and nails are 

 taken care of. The timberi of square-rigged vessels are 

 . fr^Qi ihick. aad along the transverse beams they use 



