40 TRAVELS IN THE EAST INDIAN ARCHIFELAGO- 



opeoed out on to a wide piazza^ where the sick could 

 enjoy all the l>reeze9 and yet be sheltered from the 

 sun. Every morning the chief doctor came round to 

 each room v^dth assistants and ser^^ants, who carefully 

 noted his dii^ections and prescriptions. He was a 

 German, and appeared very Idndly in his manner ; 

 but when the time arrived to take medicine, I found 

 he had not only assigned for me huge doses of that 

 most bitter of all bitter things- — quinine— but also 

 copious draughts of some fluid villanously sour. 

 The ultimate result of these allopathic doses was, 

 however, decidedly beneficial ; and after keeping per- 

 fectly quiet for a week, I was well enough to return 

 to my boarding-house, but yet was so weak for some 

 time that I could scarcely walk. 



Our consul, who had been kindly visiting me all 

 the while, now came with a letter from His Excellency 

 the governor-general that was amply sufficient to make 

 me wholly forget my unfavorable initiation into tropi- 

 cal lita It was addi'essed to the " Heads of the Provin- 

 cial Governments in and out of Java," and read thus ; 

 " I have the honor to ask Your Excellency to render to 

 the bearer, Mr. Albert S. Bickmore, who may come 

 into the district under your command in the interest 

 of science, all the assistance in your power, without 

 causing a charge to the public funds or a burden to 

 the native people." 



Besides honoring me with this kind letter. His 

 Excellency generously wrote the consul that he would 

 be happy to offer me " post-horses /r^ overall Java," 

 if 1 should like to travel in the interior. But it was 

 with the hope of reaching the Spice Islands that I 



