crossed Babao Bay, and reached the ship at half-past eight. It may be as
well to mention that, looking from Coepang, the valley of Pritie is
situated immediately under Timor Peak, the highest over the northern
shore of Babao Bay. A small hut, on a projecting shingle point, close to
the westward, marks the landing place, where several canoes are generally
to be seen hauled up. At high tide a boat can get in; but, as we have
already said, there is a long mud flat at low-water.

THE TIMOREES.

The Timorees do not bear the character of being very industrious; the
small portion of land they cultivate is turned up in the following
manner: a slight fence is placed round the part required for the purposes
of agriculture and a drove of bullocks is driven furiously backwards and
forwards over it; which very much resembles the mode adopted for
thrashing corn in some parts of South America.

The Rajahs of the western portion of Timor receive their appointment from
the Resident at Coepang; and their installation I am told is rather a
grand affair. Nearly all the Timorees speak Malay, a soft
pleasant-sounding tongue, apparently easy to be acquired; but there were
few of the Coepang people that spoke the native language. Some of the
Timor customs are singular: if a woman, for example, dies in childbirth,
she is buried on the spot where she breathes her last.

DUTCH SETTLEMENT IN NEW GUINEA.

During our stay at Coepang I met the doctor of the Dutch settlement at
Triton Bay, on the west coast of New Guinea. He gave me a very poor
account of the inhabitants. The Dutch settlers, he says, can scarcely