A lad at one residence, who had charge of the horses, threatened to leave his master’s service, on some of the horses getting sick, unless a monkey was procured for the stable; one of the Lampong kind was consequently purchased to attend upon the sick quadrupeds. Soon after the monkey had been in attendance, the sick horses began to recover, and in a short time were declared fit for duty; thus proving (whatever our grooms may think on the subject) that a monkey of the veterinary doctor species is an invaluable appendage to a stud of horses, and ought to be imported and bred by the Zoological Society for this express purpose. An accident, however, occurred shortly after the monkey had taken up his residence in the stable, which placed him on the sick list, and made him a subject of surgical care. Being tired of driving away the flies which tormented his patients, he sought for variety, and observing, in the horses’ tails, some grey hairs mingled with the black, to prevent the animals looking older than they really were, he began in the kindest manner to pluck them out. A kick, which laid poor Jacko prostrate at a distance, with a swollen physiognomy and fractured fore-arm, was the ungracious return made for this piece of service, thus reversing the old saying of “one good turn deserves another.”[132] After dinner we drove round the vicinity, passed Weltervreden,[133] where are the barracks for the troops; the situation is considered salubrious. There is also a fine building at this place, used as the state-rooms for the governor, and some part of it for government offices; opposite to this building, in the centre of the square, is a small column surmounted by a lion, erected in commemoration of the battle of Waterloo. I was much gratified during the drive with the neat appearance of the houses, most of which were surrounded by gardens, rendered both brilliant and fragrant, by tropical trees and shrubs, gay with the vivid colouring imparted by their blossoms; and as evening closed, the powerful and delicious odour of the tube-rose (which bears the appellation of “Intriguer of the night” among the Malays) communicated to us the information that those simple white liliaceous flowers were growing not far distant.[134] In a few of the gardens I remarked that curious, large herbaceous plant, called the “Traveller’s-tree;” (from a refreshing stream of limpid water gushing out from the stem when cut;) it is rare, and not indigenous, I understand, to Java. I recollect first seeing this tree at the Mauritius, and think it was mentioned as having been brought from Madagascar. The native houses in the vicinity of Batavia are almost concealed by the luxuriant foliage of Cocoa-nut, Banana, Jack, and other tropical trees. A neat building we passed, I was informed, was the “English church,” and is under the direction of the Rev. Mr. Medhurst. After extending our drive round the “Kœnig,” or “King’s Plain,” we returned to our hotel.