MR. STANLEY.  “These identical Alfoors have a singular method of evincing their respect for friends or visitors:  as an instance:  One of the kings (for the nation has three to share the government) invited a Dutch missionary to an entertainment.  When Mr. Montarnes arrived, he was received with great demonstrations of joy, and treated by the king with the most splendid repast that the resources of the country could afford.  When the meal was over, the king ordered a number of men armed with swords to step forward.  They performed a war-dance, and, after a few feats of this sort, commenced a serious fight:  their swords clashed, blood flowed, and some of their bodies were laid dead on the ground.  The peaceful minister of religion, shocked at the horrid spectacle, entreated the king to put a stop to it.  ‘It is nothing,’ was the reply:  ’they are my slaves! it is only the death of a few dogs!  Happy shall I be if this mark of my high respect convinces you of my eager desire to please you!’”

GRANDY.  “Astonishing! that people with any belief in a superior power, should hold life in such low estimation; and, simply for amusement, deprive a fellow-creature of that which their utmost stretch of power cannot restore.  Oh! may God, in his mercy, soon enlighten these wretched Alfoors, and write in plain characters on the tables of their hearts—­’Thou shalt do no murder.’”

CHARLES.  “We now come to Java, one of the finest and most flourishing colonies in the world.  It is about 600 miles in length, and 90 miles average breadth; almost entirely volcanic; therefore, metals and precious stones are not to be expected.  Iron is not to be found in Java; indeed, it is extremely rare in the whole Archipelago; consequently it bears a high price, and the art of the blacksmith is held in a sort of reverence.  The term for a son of the anvil signifies ‘learned.’  The inhabitants of this island trace their origin to a monkey, which they call ‘woo-woo.’  They are, for the most part, Mohammedans, but not strict, as they will not hesitate to drink wine at the religious festivals.”

MRS. WILTON.  “The Javanese are remarkable for their veracity and love of music:  their ear is so delicate, that they readily learn to play the most difficult and complex airs on any instrument.  They are remarkable also for their superstition, and people their forests, caves, and mountains with numerous invisible beings of their own creation.  I will quote two instances of whimsical superstition, which took place in Java about thirty years ago.  The skull of a buffalo was conducted from one end of the island to the other; this skull was to be kept in constant motion, for a dreadful fate was to await the individual who detained it in his possession, or allowed it to rest.  After travelling many hundred miles, it reached Samarang, where the Dutch governor caused it to be thrown into the sea.  No person could tell how this originated; but no person refused