CHINESE MERCHANTS — MALAY HOUSES. Ill 



vided with available funds. There is a system of 

 slavery here ; and Jolin showed me a woman, whom 

 he said would die — indeed, she appeared in the last 

 stages of disease — informing me at the same time 

 that she had cost him eight dollars, but that he would 

 sell her to me for three. Having no desire to be 

 possessed of a human chattel in this part of the 

 world, I declined his accommodating offer. I could 

 not detect any difference in the races ; both master 

 and slave were, apparently, of one family. 



There are two Chinese merchants located here, 

 who appear to monopolize the whole trade of the 

 town ; they had a mart filled with china ware, ver- 

 milion, cards, and various articles of Chinese manu- 

 facture ; amongst which they displayed, as very 

 desirable articles, some disgusting licentious paint- 

 ings on glass — the workmanship and coloring dis- 

 playing no mean artistic skill. They were eager to 

 display their possessions, and showed us a large cam- 

 phor-wood chest, filled with pice ; but, although the 

 natives were continually passing in and out, the 

 merchants manifested no apprehension of theft ; they 

 seemed systematic in their business, and, like all 

 Celestials, considered themselves the only civilized 

 nation on the face of the globe. 



The houses the Malays inhabit are built of bamboo ; 

 the first floor is raised some six or eight feet from 

 the ground, and the second about ten feet above the 

 first ; the floors are of split bamboo. These houses are 

 airy and commodious ; in the rainy season the in- 

 mates thatch the roof and cover the sides with mats, 

 to protect themselves from the weather. 



The canoes, generally, ai'c built of tamarind- 



