THE islands of Bali and Lombock, situated at the eastern end of
Java, are particularly interesting. They are the only islands of
the whole Archipelago in which the Hindu religion still
maintains itself - and they form the extreme points of the two
great zoological divisions of the Eastern hemisphere; for
although so similar in external appearance and in all physical
features, they differ greatly in their natural productions. It
was after having spent two years in Borneo, Malacca and
Singapore, that I made a somewhat involuntary visit to these
islands on my way to Macassar. Had I been able to obtain a
passage direct to that place from Singapore, I should probably
never have gone near them, and should have missed some of the
most important discoveries of my whole expedition the East.
It was on the 13th of June, 1856, after a twenty days' passage
from Singapore in the "Kembang Djepoon" (Rose of Japan), a
schooner belonging to a Chinese merchant, manned by a Javanese
crew, and commanded by an English captain, that we cast anchor in
the dangerous roadstead of Bileling on the north side of the
island of Bali. Going on shore with the captain and the Chinese
supercargo, I was at once introduced to a novel and interesting
scene. We went first to the house of the Chinese Bandar, or chief
merchant, where we found a number of natives, well dressed, and
all conspicuously armed with krisses, displaying their large
handles of ivory or gold, or beautifully grained and polished wood.
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