The History of Java, v. 1-2Raffles, Thomas Stamford, Sir
History
The History of Java, v. 1-2
Raffles, Thomas Stamford, Sir
Java (Indonesia) -- History
Of the bambusa, the _pring-ápus_, the stem of which may be considered
arborescent, furnishes the cheapest ropes. These are made with great
expedition, being split into thin strips, which are twisted on the spot
into cords fit for all common purposes, although they are serviceable
only for a few days. They are uniformly used, in travelling, for
securing baggage, &c. Among shrubs principally employed for these
purposes are the _werúng_, _urís-urísan_, _dalúmpang_, _che-plákan_
and _glúgo_; among plants, the _widúri_ and _rámi_; the fibres of the
latter afford very strong and durable cords, which are chiefly employed
for nets or lines, and used in fishing: they greatly resemble the
sunn of western India, and would probably be found to answer the same
purpose, as well in furnishing the bags called in India gunny-bags,
for the transportation of goods, as for the manufacture of paper in
Europe. This remark applies also to the _lúlub_ of several of the other
shrubs mentioned. Several species of _písang_ or plantain yield the
materials for ropes and cords of various fineness, according to the
methods employed in preparing them. In the Manilla Islands, cables
are made from these fibres; and in the first volume of the Batavian
Transactions a mode is described of preparing from them a substance
resembling cotton. The leaves of the '_nanas_, or pine-apple, contain
also abundance of useful fibres, which are easily separated in a
bundle, after scraping off the coriaceous substance. It is very fine,
and the separate fibres are employed by the natives in sewing without
any preparation; but it may also be spun, and is made into a kind of
stuff resembling silk, gauze, &c.
Mats are made from several species of pandanus, from a kind of grass
called _méndong_, and from the leaves of various palms, particularly
the _gebáng_. The latter affords the most common kinds, coarser and
less durable than the others, as well as bags (straw sacks) resembling
very coarse mats.
The paper in common use with the Javans is manufactured from the
_glúgo_, (morus papyrifera.)
A variety of vegetable substances are used in dyeing: the principal
of which, however, are the _tom_, or indigo, which is extensively
cultivated throughout the island; and the _wong-kúdu_, which affords
a lasting scarlet. A black dye is obtained from the bark of several
exotic trees, united with the rind of the _mangústin_ fruit. A yellow
dye is also obtained from an exotic wood, heightened by the addition of
the bark of the _nángka_ tree, and a variety of the mango.
Extensive forests of the _játi_, or teak of India[30], are found in
almost all the eastern provinces; but the most valuable and important
are in the central districts, situated inland, between _Semárang_ and
_Sidáyu_, and particularly in the districts of _Blóra_, _Jípang_, and
_Padáng'an_.
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