Olfervations oil the Straits of "Malacca. 203 



for the fum of 300 piaflres. This flave was treated by his 

 new mafter like a free man ; he received money from him 

 and permillion to go abroad on afking leave, provided he re- 

 mained to take care of the houfe in his mafter's abfence. But 

 this flave, unaccuflomed .to freedom, notwithftanding every 

 threat and admonition, when he got out of the houfe, would 

 not return in the courfe of the whole day, and at laft, after 

 being eight days in his- new fervice, he ftoie from his mafler 

 a piece of money. His mafter endeavoured to make him 

 confcfs tlie theft, with a promife of forgivenefs for this firfl: 

 offence, but witliout fuccefs. This circumftancc being told ' 

 to Kreis, he confidered it as a good opportunity of excul-, 

 pating himfclf from the charge of cruelty brought againft; 

 him by ft:rangers, as he imagined he could now prove that 

 mild treatment tofuch men woukl be entirely loft. He 

 offered alfo, not only to take back the flave, but to force him 

 to confefs. As the Engliflmian well knew that no one but 

 his flave could be the thief, he delivered him' over to Kreis, 

 who tied him to a ladder, and then caufed the ufual punifli- 

 mcnt to be inflifted. When he had received two hundred 

 blows, his body was bent, and in that condition he was 

 thrown into a hole till the next morning, when the punifli- 

 ment was renewed. He ftill continued to hold out for fome 

 time, but Kreis having threatened to continue the punifti- 

 ment till he fliould confefs, he at length acknowledged the 

 tiKft, but would not \.':\\ what he had done with the monev. 

 On the punifliment being once more applied, he confeffed 

 ,that he had fold the piece of money for a fixteenth part of 

 its v.-orth to a Chincfe; who was immediately fent for, and 

 obliged to give it up. After this he remained in the fervice 

 of Kreis, who declared that he had never after any occafion 

 of complaint againft him. 



By what I have here faid, I do not mean to iufiify the. 

 cruelties exercifcd in this country, I only thought it necef- 

 farv to ftiow, by fome examples, how cautious people ought 

 to be in forming opinions on this fubjeft. The profligacy 

 of thefe people is undoubtediv to be afcribed to their maftcrs, 

 who do not pay the-leaft attention to the formation of iheir 

 moral character. They allow them to grow up like cattle, 

 D d 2 »/ii.hout 



