tentedly on fine straw matting, a sarong forming their
sole attire, excepting a profusion of diamonds and other
precious stones.
Upon a sign from the Emperor the whole company-
rose, and filed off in procession to the Pondopo, or Hall
of Justice, headed by the women, carrying banners and
swords of state, and the princes; then followed his
Majesty, hand in hand with the Dutch Resident, who
by his bulk quite overshadowed the former; and, lastly,
the European visitors and the noble crew of natives. We
thus marched, to the tune of a Dutch regimental hand
through fines of soldiers in the unique uniform already
described, into the third court, and up the steps of a
large, open building. Here everybody was accommodated
as before; and now the natives came forward,
one by one, to the foot of the steps, presenting their
offerings, which they did kneeling and in most humble
attitudes : these consisted of fruit, cakes, and sweetmeats,
on enormous trays, and piles of rice and other
produce of the soil, carried upon mats slung between
two long bamboos; they seemed perfect cart-loads,
which, having been graciously accepted as indicated by
his Majesty’s almost imperceptibly raising his eyebrows,
filed off to the royal store-house. This took up considerable
time, and after the novelty had worn off it
became a rather tedious business ; still, the effect was
exceedingly original, and almost theatrical. Liberal
money gifts, I was told, had been received during the
earlier hours at the private palace. The last mountain
of rice having disappeared, pawn, wine, and cake were
handed round, and the following loyal toasts proposed,
and duly responded to by a salute from the guns : to the
Emperor of Solo, the King of Holland, the son and heir
of the former, a sallow-faced little fellow five years of
age, who was here presented; the Dutch Royal family,
and to the Sultan of Djokjokarta. Now sounds of
strange music reached our ears from all sides, and the
native troops were drawn up firing volley after volley,
finishing up by a tremendous cannonade in an outer
court, not to shock his Majesty’s nerves, which ill-
natured people declare to be very weak in consequence
of his various excesses. Then the warriors, a body of
fine, tall, well-made soldiers, marched past in parade
step, a very peculiar sort of dancing-master style,
swinging the leg forward very slowly, and drawing it
back by a measured movement, during which the foot
is raised almost above the calf of the other leg. The
whole performance appeared quite in keeping with their
extraordinary costume,?; and would, I feel convinced,
meet with great success if adopted in some of our
favourite Christmas pantomimes. Parade over, the
procession was formed as before, and we returned to
R 2