_Variations in the Process._—Although there are different methods, the Batik process, as usually meant, is a means of dyeing in which, before immersing the goods in the dye-pot, the patterns are carefully drawn in molten beeswax, applied from a little copper cup with a fine spout called a _tjanting_. Frequently, however, to save time, the Javanese apply the wax by means of a metal die or block, made by inserting thin strips of sheet brass in a wooden frame, so that the edges of the brass form the desired pattern. These blocks, provided with a handle covered with cloth, are first dipped into the molten wax, and then the excess is removed by pressing against a pad, which is kept warm by being near the fire of the melting pot. The pattern is thus stamped onto the cloth instead of being poured onto it, through a small spout, out of a cup. This Batik process is sometimes used by native craftsmen in other parts of the Far East. Plate I, for instance, shows a specimen of East Indian work, part of a long piece of stout cotton bought, years ago, at Liberty’s in London, with an elaborate design made with molten wax, applied by brush or tjanting. Even in the plate the characteristic ‘crackle’ shows plainly. _Wax._—In Java, the wax used for pouring is a mixture of paraffin and beeswax, or an impure wax imported from Japan for this purpose. For stamping the patterns it is necessary to use a stiffer wax made from rosin and paraffin, sometimes mixed with varnish gums. _Dyes._—The principal colors used are indigo and a beautiful golden-brown dye made from the bark of the mango tree. The combination of these gives a black, so that the fine old sarongs usually contain white, blue, brown, and black. Indigo is dyed first, and, before dyeing, all the cloth, excepting that which is to come out blue or black, is carefully covered with the wax. After the indigo bath (the Javanese use a fermentation vat) the color is set by oxidation. The old wax is then all washed off with boiling soap and water, and after drying, the wax is again applied to all parts, whether white or blue, which are not to receive the brown dye. The latter is made from a strong, syrupy extract of bark, and is used without mordanting, the color being set by exposure to air. As the dyes must be used cold, to avoid melting and obliterating the pattern, the goods are usually dipped in each dye-bath and exposed, several times, before reaching the desired shade. After the final dyeing, the wax is removed by a hot bath of wood ashes or soap, and the garment is pressed out ready to wear. When a red color is desired, the natives use a variation of the old Turkey red process, dyeing with madder or munjeet upon cloth mordanted with alum and oil. The wax in this case acts as a resist against the alum mordant, which is applied cold, and thus prevents the dyestuff, which is applied at the boil, from coloring the cloth in the protected portions.