m 
A TRIP TO PROBOUINGGO. 
banditti might easily overwhelm the traveller with stones ; escape 
would be easy either to the wild mountains above, or by boat to sea¬ 
ward, as the tide often washes up to the road, and good shelter is 
found amongst the mangrove bushes. We observed that at one place 
an attempt had been made to burn lime from the coral growing on 
the coast; but its impurity had caused the undertaking to be again 
abandoned;—at Palnton, all their lime has to come from Grissce. 
At about four pauls from Bezoekie, the range of the Iyang is found 
to terminate at the sea in a bluff but conieal and nearly bare moun¬ 
tain called Gunong Tampora, which stands out on a small promon¬ 
tory and said to have very deep water, nearly 1/ fathoms, close to it. 
The road crosses a hollow ridge, inland of the Tampora, where coo¬ 
lies are required to assist the horses in dragging over a carriage. 
A deep cut, however, is being made into the ridge, which will do 
away with the difficulty, but the work goes on slowly from the nature 
of the ground, being shaken and shattered rock, so as to make blasting 
of little avail, but so hard and fast, as to make the munual labour 
very troublesome. From this point to Bezoekie, the hills again re¬ 
cede, and you roll through a flat and fertile patch of land. The ap¬ 
proach to the provincial capital is through a broad and elegant ave¬ 
nue of tamarind trees, planted by the Resident Dr. Bruin Prins, 15 
or 16 year ago. The trees are already well up and afford an invit¬ 
ing shade on either side of the road, but it will require a few years 
more before their full magnificence can be felt. Evening coming 
on, I saw little of Bezoekie, and that little was uninteresting'. It is 
a rather out of the way place, and hardly any Europeans are found 
here, except the employes of Government. The Aloen Aloen is but 
small, and has on its south side the dalam of the Regent, and dwell¬ 
ing of the Resident. The north side was shut in by a piece of wall 
within which is the commandant’s abode with the barracks of a few 
native soldiers. I was told of an old Arab here, who has a Dale 
tree which yields him fruit ; the only one I ever heard of in Java, 
The Date grows willingly enough wherever planted about the sea 
shore, hut this is the first instance I ever heard of its bringing its 
fruit to perfection, and the next question would be whether its seeds 
would vegetate and grow to another fruit bearing tree, without which 
the fact would be only a solitary anomaly, similar to the rare fecun¬ 
dity of some few hybrids. The old Arab however, is not a little 
proud of his tree, and sells the fruit at a doit or a goband each, as 
his supply is scant or great* We returned to Pahiton by moonlight, 
