Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
merging into native houses, often of a most miserable description, but made to have a neat
appearance by being all built up exactly to the straight line of the street, and being generally
backed by fruit trees. This street is usually thronged with a native population of Bugis and
Macassar men, who wear cotton trousers about twelve inches long, covering only from the
hip to half-way down the thigh, and the universal Malay sarong, of gay checked colours,
worn round the waist or across the shoulders in a variety of ways. Parallel to this street run
two short ones, which form the old Dutch town, and are enclosed by gates. These consist of
private houses, and at their southern end are the fort, the church, and a road at right angles to
the beach, containing the houses of the Governor and of the principal officials. Beyond the
fort again, along the beach, is another long street of native huts and many country houses of
the tradesmen and merchants. All around extend the flat rice-fields, now bare and dry and
forbidding, covered with dusty stubble and weeds. A few months back these were a mass of
verdure, and their barren appearance at this season offered a striking contrast to the perpetu-
al crops on the same kind of country in Lombock and Bali, where the seasons are exactly
similar, but where an elaborate system of irrigation produces the effect of a perpetual spring.
The day after my arrival I paid a visit of ceremony to the Governor, accompanied by my
friend the Danish merchant, who spoke excellent English. His Excellency was very polite,
and offered me every facility for travelling about the country and prosecuting my researches
in natural history. We conversed in French, which all Dutch officials speak very well.
Finding it very inconvenient and expensive to stay in the town, I removed at the end of a
week to a little bamboo house, kindly offered me by Mr. Mesman. It was situated about two
miles away, on a small coffee plantation and farm, and about a mile beyond Mr. M.'s own
country-house. It consisted of two rooms raised about seven feet above the ground, the
lower part being partly open (and serving excellently to skin birds in) and partly used as a
granary for rice. There was a kitchen and other out-houses, and several cottages near were
occupied by men in Mr. M.'s employ.
After being settled a few days in my new house, I found that no collections could be
made without going much further into the country. The rice-fields for some miles round re-
sembled English stubbles late in autumn, and were almost as unproductive of bird or insect
life. There were several native villages scattered about, so embosomed in fruit trees that at a
distance they looked like clumps or patches of forest. These were my only collecting places,
but they produced a very limited number of species, and were soon exhausted. Before I
could move to any more promising district it was necessary to obtain permission from the
Rajah of Goa, whose territories approach to within two miles of the town of Macassar. I
therefore presented myself at the Governor's office and requested a letter to the Rajah, to
