3S INDIA BEYOND THE GANGES. 



<« miferablc ; the culture of the lands, abandoned to ilaves, is 

 " fallen into contempt. Thefe wretched laborers, dragged in- 

 *' ceflimtly from their ruftic employments, by their rciUefs 

 '' marters, who delight in war and maritime enterprifes, have 

 " rarely time, and never refolution, to give the neceiTary atten- 

 '* tion to the laboring of their grounds; their lands, in general, 

 *' remain uncultivated, and produce no kind of grain fur the 

 " fubfiftence of the inhabitants." 



Malacca abounds with quadrupeds, efpecially with tigers, and 

 others of the moft favage kind. It is cuftomary here and in 

 Pegu, for the tyrants of the country to make baniftiment into the 

 woods, for a certain time, a punilliment ; the unhappy objects 

 arc fure of never returning; they quickly become a prey to the 

 tiger, or if they chance to efcape the fangs of that cruel animal, 

 fall victims to hunger or corroding fear. 

 Civr.T An'imal. The only peculiar quadruped feems to be the Civet defcribed 

 by M. Sojtnerat *, an elegant fpecies, of the fize of a common 

 cat ; the ground color is a perlaceous grey, darkeft on the up- 

 per part of the body; above the eyes is a line of four fmall fpots; 

 on the hind part of the head commence three black bands ending 

 on the fhoulders ; another divides the belly lengthways; on 

 the reins are three, which end at the tail; on the fides and 

 thighs are itvtn rows of round black fpots, fixty-one in 

 number; the tail is long, and annulated with bhck and grey. 

 This animal inhabits the woods, leaps from tree to tree, and is 

 extremely fierce. It diilils from the opening placed near the 

 genitals, a mufky liquor, which the Malayes colledt, and pretend 



* Vol. ii. 144. tab. xci. 



that 



