The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online

XV.] CELEBES. 163house. The streets are kept clear of refuse, and covered drainscarry away all impurities into large ojDen sewers, into whichthe tide is admitted at high-water and allowed to flow out whenit has ebbed, carrying all the sewage with it into the sea. Thetown consists chiefly of one long narrow street, along the seaside,devoted to business, and principally occupied by theDutch and Chinese merchants' oflices and warehouses, and thenative shops or bazaars. This extends northwards for more tliana mile, gi-adually merging into native houses, often of a mostmiserable description, but made to have a neat appearance bybeing all built up exactly to the straight line of the street, andbeing generally backed by fruit trees. This street is usuallythronged with a native population of Bugis and Macassar men,who wear cotton trousers about twelve inches long, coveringonly from the hip to half-way down the thigh, and the universalMalay sarong, of gay checked colours, worn round the waist oracross the shoulders in a variety of ways. Parallel to this streetrun two short ones, which form the old Dutch town, and areenclosed by gates. These consist of private houses, and at theirsouthern end is the fort, the church, and a road at right anglesto the beach, containing the houses of the Governor and of theprincipal oflicials. Beyond the fort again, along the beach, isanother long street of native huts and many country houses ofthe tradesmen and merchants. All around extend the flat ricefields,now bare and dry and forbidding, covered with dustystubble and weeds. A few months back these wei^e a mass ofverdure, and their barren appearance at this season offered astriking contrast to the perpetual crops on the same kind ofcountry in Lombock and Bali, whei'e the seasons are exactlysimilar, but Avhere an elaborate system of irrigation producesthe effect of a perpetual spring.The day after my arrival I paid a visit of ceremony to theGovernor, accompanied by my friend the Danisl; merchant,who spoke excellent English.His Excellency was very polite,and offered me every facility for travelling about the countryand prosecuting my researches in natural history. We conversedin French, wluch all Dutch officials speak very well.Finding it very inconvenient and expensive to stay in thetown, I removed at the end of a week to a little bamboo house,kindly offered me by ^Ir. Mesman. It was situated about twomiles away, on a small coffee-plantation and farm, and about amile beyond Mr. M.'s own country house. It consisted of tworooms raised about seven feet above the ground, the lower partbeing partly open (and serving excellently to skin birds in) andpartly used as a granary for I'ice. There was a kitchen andother outhouses, and several cottages near were occupied bymen in Mr. j\I.'s emi^loy.After being settled a few days in my new house, I found thatno collections could be made without going much further intothe country. The rice-fields for some miles round resemljledM 2