304 Ohjervations on the Straits of Malacca, 



without taking care to give them any idea of religion, or of 

 other knowledge, except what is immediately neceflary to 

 their maflers. 



Thofe who poflefs a whole family of flaves, nevor fell any 

 individual of that family, becaufe there have been numerous 

 inftances in fuch cafes of the father's or mother's dying 

 ihrouffh grief, pf becoming melancholy, or of dellroying 

 themfc'vcs. The names given to thefe Haves are generally 

 thofe of the months in which thev have been born or pur- 

 chafed. The commerce by fea with the Malays is an armed 

 commerce. All fhips engaged in this trade carry a confi- 

 derable number of guns, and from ten to twenty fcpoys or 

 black fildiers. When a (hip comes to anchor in any of the 

 Malay ports, a beam is laid acrofs the deck before the niain- 

 niaft to ferve as a barrier between the buyers and the fellers, 

 £n.l drift watch is at the fame time kept by the fepoys, with 

 thtir arms loaded and their bayonets fixed. If a Malay have 

 any [articular bufinefs to IranfaCl with the captain that re- 

 quires 1' nger time, he is admitted into the cabin in the 

 after-part of the {hip, but he nnift firfi: fuffer himfelf to be 

 fcarchel, (o fee whether he has about him a knife or any 

 kind of wenpons. Negleft of this precaution has occafioned 

 the Infs of many lives as well as veil'els. The treacherous 

 Malay can never entertain any friendfliip for the Europeans; 

 even if they fliould live in habits of intiniacv with him for 

 a dozen or twenty years, when a favourable opportunity 

 occurs of promoting his own intereft, he will make no cere- 

 mony of doing it by facrificiiig his old friend. I could here 

 give many infiances of this kind, but I am convinced by 

 uhat I have feen that the Europeans often give occafion to 

 this villainy by their own conduft. Being once on board 

 a large Bombay (liipj bound from Manilla to Madras, we 

 difcovered in the (traits of Malacca five large Malay veflels, 

 which, on difcoverinsf us, anchored between us and the land, 

 except two, which were further out at fea. As it was nearly 

 calm, and the fhip made little way, the captain, in a fit of 

 intoxication, fent one of his officers on board them to a(k 

 whence they came, and whither they were bound. Their 

 anfwer was, that they came from |lio, were bound to Ma- 

 lacca 



