m f l
11 lil!
■ 1111
276
Batavia,
EMBASSY TO CHINA.
bthéï-, a ffidh voracious dniniah It- certainly- is an olgept
Ofifeaf; ütidj bynö veryüncommdn transition jpfsen^?
hibflti, griduaH^*ibfedbirres ah object: of,venerators; and
ciferi%|iifëMade to it, as tcfa deity: When a Javanese
! b i p s e l f will sometimes büild a kind
b£ Codp-and fill it •vVith such eatables as life thinks most
dgteeable to the croebdiles^'rHe: places the^jgp* upon
the bank of the river oncanal, in tire, peijêp confidence
that, By ther means of such offerings-, he will get rjd of
his Complaints; and persuaded; that i f any person couM
prqvë ^ö wicked as te také-a^ay_thoserviands,vsnch
pèrsnh wubldfeaw upon hifiaselfi the m#ad^^%:the
cure tff which the offering,w.as m a d e . ^vT-hessynrshiptiof
the feitediles is indeed a Jolly' amon^jmcn Oo|^n.,an-
ëfeöff<fÉtef aè ifcrödötuSj-iri that part of his history sl^d^d
Euterpe, expressly 'says;-- that “ among somf^pf^tfre
M Egyptian tribes the crocodiles ante sacred, blit regarded
A ^ ^ hwAftjaMng ^ 0 *.r-The -inhabitants;- -in- the
#%®fivirons bf Thebes; and the lake; Moeris,- ar^firmly
“ persuaded of%their sanctity'; and bojthh these tribes
“ bring up and taine ard-ocodilc, adorning hisf^rsyrith
ear-rings !crf precióus stupes and gold,, atld :pufeting;'@pr
naP^W'cham&riA®# his fote feet. .jThey also-aje-
“ gularly give him- victuals, 'offer victims tohinn and
“ trèat him in the most respectful manner while living,
and, when dead, embalm and jbUry him ill ;a confer
crated coffin.
;Tö-tlfis- superstition? it|is^’ö'ssiMö tb’at'th'e ‘observation BataYia- .
iMjy fciVe)6'&ffribuféd, tofbthe few ton er dent S; which -h-a>p-
p^n^nöé^tlhStandirtgMhrèl ’■^draciöos^^^ of jhpse, an!i-
ipMs,^Witko'wt ffëöeétiiflfg upon; thedunwfeldiness of, their
bbdièS’Or 'in'flojtibiMty * öfhhefr kiecks1, and consequent
'difficulty 'öf turning 'ib prarshfcM-próyl - The presence
ofsthëfeïdOffS'P^t' prevehtri-the anatóyéSiï'hsO^^h.as, ,the
sloe's 'dfibolh se^estfeBdfiavia, from phrngingipromis-
-twiedSa idfiy?,$HHt-p Ahèïriveu andrcantals:.
Those ''caflècïs' larétccmtin*ifed|ilrfou',gh nh^jseoitilnfry, to the
fóólPöf 'thW^'ilhntainsi^mfHr^vmrles^ldiistamt u from., the
xcastl -iffhfe principal cultivation'therejis rig.e&, and so
muchrsdoes the! elimateftyidlSvtoc Öultus©; thalüfth^ï'pror
"dhction vTïiay^bl sein-,tht ;thei(same'4-iim; in sth^yaripii’S
■stagescdfütsvlgrowth ^-.ftrstfjiüs (tender dffa^es^jpst-p&ep-
irig «above theewater'-'Which inundates tJ)!et|o-ih; ïin,-its
second; spgeywith 'its witfierihg.rt0ips', ;inf*^^^^ut®n,ce;cif
having heen ^transplanted, and b e fQ.Bè,^het^e^t®,(h.§p ring
^vegetation ha'snaïkerri effect!; ■ knd'x®ri^d^t^stag^;w-höni
!there'arsr,raredben*ding' with the *wdight'oi'|)thfct-ripgiled
gfain.' >Rice*Happened 'to bë uneuhnrionly scarce,when
thd t liiönd"Wasv ah Batavia* ;> hiit til-was landpr to
penny p^a^pömnd' weight'. In thedgrdEmff^loufehed
dor the- puypö'se I of* planting^ f e hurcows?. ap p.éaregb to
eo-rtsist' hs1 mach bf’tititerto&fo'f'sbifr1: Bfiffa-lbes, -.always
employed-dn thd^iabour,.f®iiTW‘h'ich they-areipeculiarly
adapted, being''almost I an'amphibious Animal,'in the
VÓL*. 1# Nn