270 
VOYAGE OF THE POTOMAC. 
[March, 
may be stated in a few words. In stature they are rather below 
the middle size, well shaped, and erect in their figures; with 
hands, feet, wrists, and ankles remarkably small. An instance 
of deformity is scarcely known among them ; though females, in 
the arrangement of their toilet, often injure the luxuriant symmetry 
of the bust, by drawing that part of the dress too tightly over the 
bosom. The colour of their skin is a deep brown, inclining to 
yellow. Their bards and lyric poets compliment their mistresses 
as having complexions of " virgin gold." The forehead is high 
and smooth ; the eyebrows well defined and arched, and not too 
near to the eyes, which are generally black and prominent. The 
nose is not very protuberant, but rather broad and somewhat flat- 
tened ; the cheek bones are unusually prominent. The mouth is 
well formed, the upper lip a little projecting, not much thickened, 
but highly arched. They have but little beard, and the hair of 
their head is generally lank and black ; though it is sometimes 
seen waving in curls, and partially tinged with a deep reddish 
brown. The tout-ensemble of the person is pleasing, and the 
countenance is mild, placid, and thoughtful ; easily varying to ex- 
press respect, gayety, earnestness, indifference, bashfulness, or 
anxiety. They have a firm steady gait, and seem to feel, at least 
to affect, a superiority over the other inhabitants of the island. 
They anoint the head, face, and other parts of the body which 
are exposed to the view, with a composition of cocoanut oil and 
^ sandal-wood dust, as a preventive against a too copious perspira- 
tion, and the biting of moschetoes and other annoying insects. 
The women, as usual among demi-barbarians, in general are 
not so good looking as the men ; and when advanced in years, 
are actually ugly, according to our standard of female beauty. 
This circumstance, however, as regards the lower classes, is in a 
great measure owing to the severe duties which they have to 
perform in the field, exposed to a sultry cHmate, carrying heavy 
burdens, &c. The higher orders, who are exempt from such 
drudgery, and kept within doors, are often beautiful in youth, and 
comely at all periods of life. 
The dress of the Javanese is like that we have already de- 
scribed in our account of Sumatra, and is, in fact, common to all 
classes in the Archipelago. The same kind of short drawers, 
a close waistcoat without sleeves, the loose gown, and the sarongs 
