his face during the whole of the reception, excepting
those of his heavy-painted eyebrows, by a movement of
which he appeared to give his assent when applied to,
advanced from the interior of the palace, which seemed
of great depth, the inner portion of which was
partitioned off by an enormous screen, or purdah.
Behind this the women of his harem were seen moving
about, trying to get a glimpse of what was going on
beyond. His Majesty took his seat in the middle of
the open hall, where two arm-chairs had been placed on
a raised dais, one for him and the other for the Dutch
Resident; and after the presentation of the Europeans,
the latter took their seats on chairs placed in a semicircle
to the right and lefb of the central group. The
Emperor, who, by the way, is an inveterate opium
smoker (and he quite looks it), was clad in a magnificent
gold embroidered sarong reaching to his heels, a dark
blue silk jacket braided with gold lace, three stars
pinned to his breast, and a pale blue semi-transparent
head-covering of sugar-loaf shape, with the
point cut off the upper h a lf: the latter had all
the appearance of being made of blue silk or
paper, steeped in oil and stiffened, or else of goldbeaters’
skin, on a blue foundation, to ensure lightness.
Immediately on his right kneeled a handsome
young woman, with a most beautifully shaped arm,
holding up a golden vessel, similar to the Indian lo ta ;
in the other hand she held a silver “ sirih ” box, both
used in connection with betel chewing:, one of her
lord’s weaknesses ; and two or three dwarfs and jesters
squatted down at the foot of a column. Facing the
Emperor crouched the princes of the royal blood, some
thirty to forty in number, with eyes downcast and hands
joined as if in prayer, sitting upon their heels with
the knee barely touching the ground. These wore the
same blue topi, a purple velvet jacket, and a short
sarong to the knee, diamond earrings,t and a bouquet of
brilliants fastened by a large comb to the knot of the
back hair. The Emperor likewise indulged in a liberal
display of jewels all over his person; and in his sash,
he carried, as also did the princes, the kriss, a short
sword, and a dagger, both weapons richly ornamented.
Besides, some hundreds of chiefs and nobles crowded the
hall, who saluted his Majesty by joining their hands,
with fingers outstretched, and drawing them slowly
down from the forehead until the thumbs touched
the tip of the nose, and then gently withdrew
them. Presently pawn was handed round, and the
ladies,—seventy-eight, as far as I could count,—from
caf4-au-lait to bronze complexion, some very handsome,
others old and ugly, were admitted to the hall in front
of the screen, where they squatted down very con