THE MONKE Y FAMIL K 167 



with it, confirmed me firmly in the opinion which I had long enter- 

 tained of his entire family. Having observed his mild demeanour, 

 and his placid countenance, I felt satisfied that if ever the animal 

 had been subject to paroxysms of anger when free in its native 

 woods, those paroxysms had been effectually subdued since it had 

 become a captive under the dominion of civilised man. Acting under 

 this impression, I asked permission to enter the apartment in which 

 it was confined, and permission was immediately granted by a keeper 

 in attendance. As I approached the orang-outang, he met me half- 

 way, and we soon entered into an examination of each other's per- 

 sons. Nothing struck me more forcibly than the uncommon softness 

 of the inside of his hands. Those of a delicate lady, could not 

 have shewn a finer texture. He took hold of my wrist, and fingered 

 the blue veins therein contained, whilst I myself was lost in admi- 

 ration at the protuberance of his enormous mouth. He most 

 obligingly let me open it, and thus I had the best opportunity of 

 examining his two fine rows of teeth. We then placed our hands 

 around each other's necks, and we kept there awhile, as though we 

 had really been excited by an impulse of fraternal affection. It were 

 loss of time in me, were I to pen down an account of the many 

 gambols which took place betwixt us; and I might draw too much 

 upon the the reader's patience. Suffice it then to say, that the sur- 

 rounding spectators seemed wonderfully amused at the solemn farce 

 before them. Whilst it was going on, I could not help remarking 

 that the sunken eye of the orang-outang, every now and then, was 

 fixed on something outside of the apartment. I remarked this to 

 the keeper who was standing in the crowd at a short distance. He 

 pointed to a young stripling of a coxcomb. " That dandy," said he, 

 " has been teasing the orang-outang a little while ago ; and I would 

 not answer for the consequence could the animal have an oppor- 

 tunity of springing at him." This great ape from Borneo exhibited 

 a kind and gentle demeanour, and he appeared pleased with my 

 familiarity. Having fully satisfied myself how completely the natural 

 propensities of a wild animal from the forest may be mollified, 

 and ultimately subdued by art, and by gentleness on the part ol 

 rational man, I took my leave of this interesting prisoner, scraping 

 and bowing with affected gravity as I retired from his apartment. 



