of the Buddhists of the Northern Church (Mahayana, or
the "Great Vehicle"), leads Dr. Groneman to the opinion that this
particular temple was completed in the year 701 of the Saka era, or 779
of the Christian era. No trace of the Tara image was found; but this is
not to be wondered at when we note the presence of other images in the
gardens of private residences in Djocjakarta, and even farther afield,
and remember the destruction wrought by foreign soldiers and foreign and
native vandals.

People and Industries of Central Java.

In the plains going eastward through Central Java from the Preanger
Regencies to the mountains of the Teng'ger Region, one cannot fail to be
struck by the remarkable change in the appearance of the natives. The
Soendanese of the West may not have the resource and thoughtfulness of
the people of the plains, the Javanese, but they have brightness and
vivacity which make them more attractive. Their bent of mind is
reflected in the bright colours of their dress. In this and other
respects, they resemble the Japanese women. In the plains, sombreness of
dress is a characteristic--the browns of Mid-Java changing to an almost
universal dark blue in the west, reminding the traveller of the Chinese
and the inhabitants of the southern Japanese islands.

Everywhere, the male Javanese carry the kris or native knife in the
girdle. There is much variety in the blades, handles and sheaths of
those weapons, real native damascene blades costing considerable sums.
One taking a superficial trip through the island is at a loss to
understand why the natives should be armed. According to all accounts,
they are a peaceably inclined people, and give their Dutch rulers very
little trouble; and if they were at all quarrelsome amongst themselves,
the handy weapon would be a source of grave danger. In course of time,
perhaps, the knife will disappear as did the sword of civilised Europe a
century or more ago. A traffic in Birmingham manufactured krises and
knives is done at Djocjakarta and Soerakarta, as well as at Samarang,
Sourabaya and Batavia, and anyone who wishes to make a collection of
native weapons should be careful to have the assistance of an expert to
detect the sham from the real.

The same remark applies to the purchase of sarongs. The ordinary sarong
of commerce is manufactured in Lancashire, whence an excellent imitation
of the native manufacture is exported. Tourists are also catered for in
a n