Early in the morning, on the 11th, we were off the north-west side of “Prince’s Island,” and the land wind brought with it a delicious balmy fragrance; the extensive reef, running out a long distance from the south-west point, on which a heavy surf broke, was distinctly seen. This island, low at one part, is high and mountainous at another. It was late in the afternoon before we had a clear view of its lofty peaked mountain. The island was densely wooded, having a picturesque and verdant appearance. During the morning, which was showery, we slowly coasted along the island, at about four or five miles distant. As the weather cleared up about noon, the scenery gratified the eye with its varied tints, refreshed by the genial showers, and recalled to my memory those gems of the ocean distributed over the Polynesian Archipelago. As we proceeded along the Java coast, having the lofty Crokatoa Peak, and others of the adjacent islands in view, light and variable winds and calms, with adverse currents, rendered our passage slow and tedious, and often obliged us to anchor. We were, on these occasions, visited by canoes, with fowls, eggs, turtle, &c. The outline of this island is at some parts low, wooded, and uninteresting; whilst at others, lofty mountains rise one above the other, until the towering “Mount Karang” terminates the view. The varied tints of the vegetation, covering the mountains from the margin of the sea to the loftiest summits the eye could attain, had a rich and beautiful appearance, as the setting sun cast its rays over the landscape. Occasionally the thatched Javanese habitations became visible, peeping from beneath a canopy of wood. Most Malay villages are buried amidst the foliage of tropical fruit and other trees, which form a cool and agreeable shelter; but such situations cannot be regarded as conducive to health. After a tedious passage since making the Island of Java, we passed “Onrust Island,” which is the marine depôt, where ships are hove down and repaired; there are some neat buildings erected upon it, with rows of trees before them, in the usual Dutch style: but silence reigned; there was no bustle; and the black countenances of two sepoys were all the human beings visible. We anchored in Batavia Roads on the 21st; and the scene before us was a low wooded coast, lofty mountains in the distance; a few tiled houses, or native huts, scattered among the trees; and an extensive jetty, which is erecting on each side of the river: the town being built on a swamp, and planted with trees, was entirely concealed from the shipping in the roadstead.[130]