ISLANDS Or BA I F AND LOMBOK. 
155 
ry great number of such Kawi writings which, to judge from the 
titles, must relate to the religious opinions of the people. On Java 
* 
there has hitherto, so far as I know, only been met with Kawi tran¬ 
slations or paraphrases of the Indian heroic poems, the Ilamayaha 
and Mahabaratha. Through that however which we may expect 
from Bali this literature may become a whole, and we may hope to 
be placed in the possession of all that the Hindus have imported into 
the islands, and at the same time to trace the changes which the 
Hindu element has undergone on Java and on the other islands, par- 
i 
tieularly also the supposed mixture of Brahmanism and Bud¬ 
dhism. 
On all these grounds I count to make my suit with effect to your 
Excellency on the necessity, for the literary reputation of the Dutch 
nation, that in the approaching expedition against the King of Bil¬ 
ling, which I understand will be ere long undertaken, the interests 
of science be represented. As I above bad the honor to repre¬ 
sent to your Excellency the eyes of all the philologists in Europe are 
fixed upon Bali. From that island they anticipate a new light on 
the history of the Archipelago. The Batavian Society of Arts and 
Sciences desires therefore to join to the expedition an emissary of 
science with the following mission. 
1st. To collect all Kawi and Balinese writings upon myths, reli¬ 
gions, law's, history, arts, &c. also all inscriptions on stone, copper, &c. 
2nd. To bring over as many as possible of the images that may 
be found to the Cabinet of the Batavian Society, or, m this may be 
attended with too much difficulty, to note the peculiarities of these 
images, their agreement with and dissimilarity from the known Ja¬ 
vanese images, and to collect all legends and traditions concerning 
the images which may be found in the mouths of the people, princi¬ 
pally the Brahmans. 
3rd. To learn the present ritual, in the worship of the gods, 
feasts, &c., and to seek for writings which are composed thereon, 
noting which belong to the Brahmans alone, and which to the whole 
people. 
4th. To enable us to compare the style and architecture ot the 
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