WOMAN’S DRESS.

The women have a kind of bodice, or short waistcoat rather, that defends the breasts and reaches to the hips.  The kain-sarong, before described, comes up as high as the armpits, and extends to the feet, being kept on simply by folding and tucking it over at the breast, except when the tali-pending, or zone, is worn about the waist, which forms an additional and necessary security.  This is usually of embroidered cloth, and sometimes a plate of gold or silver, about two inches broad, fastening in the front with a large clasp of filigree or chased work, with some kind of precious stone, or imitation of such, in the centre.  The baju, or upper gown, differs little from that of the men, buttoning in the same manner at the wrists.  A piece of fine, thin, cotton cloth, or slight silk, about five feet long, and worked or fringed at each end, called a salendang, is thrown across the back of the neck, and hangs down before; serving also the purpose of a veil to the women of rank when they walk abroad.  The handkerchief is carried either folded small in the hand, or in a long fold over the shoulder.  There are two modes of dressing the hair, one termed kundei and the other sanggol.  The first resembles much the fashion in which we see the Chinese women represented in paintings, and which I conclude they borrowed from thence, where the hair is wound circularly over the centre of the head, and fastened with a silver bodkin or pin.  In the other mode, which is more general, they give the hair a single twist as it hangs behind, and then doubling it up they pass it crosswise under a few hairs separated from the rest on the back of the head for that purpose.  A comb, often of tortoise-shell and sometimes filigreed, helps to prevent it from falling down.  The hair of the front and of all parts of the head is of the same length, and when loose hangs together behind, with most of the women, in very great quantity.  It is kept moist with oil newly expressed from the coconut; but those persons who can afford it make use also of an empyreumatic oil extracted from gum benzoin, as a grateful perfume.  They wear no covering except ornaments of flowers, which on particular occasions are the work of much labour and ingenuity.  The head-dresses of the dancing girls by profession, who are usually Javans, are very artificially wrought, and as high as any modern English lady’s cap, yielding only to the feathered plumes of the year 1777.  It is impossible to describe in words these intricate and fanciful matters so as to convey a just idea of them.  The flowers worn in undress are for the most part strung in wreaths, and have a very neat and pretty effect, without any degree of gaudiness, being usually white or pale yellow, small, and frequently only half-blown.  Those generally chosen for these occasions are the bunga-tanjong and bunga-mellur:  the bunga-chumpaka is used to give the hair a fragrance, but is concealed from the sight.  They sometimes combine a variety of flowers in such a manner as to appear like one, and fix them on a single stalk; but these, being more formal, are less elegant than the wreaths.