reen spreading leaf of the banana and other tropical fruit-trees, above
which towered, the graceful coconut. Is it possible, thought I, that
Timor and Australia, so different in the character of their scenery, can
be such near neighbours, that these luxuriant valleys, nestling among the
roots of these gigantic hills, are only separated by a narrow expanse of
sea from those shores over which nature has strewed, with so niggard a
hand, a soil capable of bearing the productions characteristic of the
latitudes within which they lie?

A meagre-looking apology for a soldier, leaning against a tree, suggested
to us that we must be near the Resident's dwelling: we were so. It soon
appeared that it was the last of the large houses before mentioned, and
that the soldier was the sentinel.

VISIT THE RESIDENT.

We were speedily ushered into the presence of D.T. Vanden Dungen
Gronovius. What sort of person, reader, do you picture to yourself with
such a name? Great of course; and in truth such was he, not only in
height and bulk, but as he soon informed us, in deeds likewise; he talked
fast, and smoked faster, and possessed a general knowledge of all the
recent discoveries. We learned from him that the Zelee and Astrolabe were
laid on their beam ends for twenty-four hours in the hurricane of last
November, when the Pelorus was lost at Port Essington. After listening to
some strange and amusing stories about Borneo, where the Resident had
been Superintendent for twelve years, we took our leave. I was glad to
find that Mr. Gronovius entertained views more liberal than Dutchmen
generally do. He had, as he told me, written to the Governor-General at
Batavia, requesting that Coepang might be made a free port, and
emigration allowed. He most kindly offered us horses and guides for
riding or shooting.

FORT CONCORDIA.

The observations for latitude, longitude, etc. were made in Fort
Concordia,* near the flagstaff. I was surprised to find this fort so much
out of repair; the only guns fit to be fired out of were two brass
six-pounders, the carriages indeed of which were not trustworthy. On
these guns I noticed the same mark as on that we found at Houtman's
Abrolhos, namely, two sides of a triangle bisecting two small circles. I
never see an old fort without thinking of the anecdote of a party from
the Beagle visiting one at Valdivia on the west coast of South America.
The guns were very much out of repair, and when the remark was made