48 



M A L A Y A N I S L E S. 



<« wards faw another lift of thefe culprits, at the jail-keeper's at 

 " Soiira Charta, and found that they perfedly correfpondcd 

 " with each other, and with the diiferent informations which I 

 " afterwards obtained. 



" I WAS prefent at fome of thefe melancholy ceremonies, 

 <' and defired different delinquents to bring with them fome 

 " pieces of the wood, or a fmall branch, or fome leaves of this 

 *' wonderful tree. I have alfo given them filk cords, defiring 

 *' them to meafure its tbicknefs-. I never could procure more 

 *' than two dry leaves that were picked up by one of them 

 *' on his return ; and all I could learn from him concerning the 

 *' tree itfelf, was that it ftood on the border of a rivulet, as de- 

 " fcribed by the old prieft; that it was of a middling fize; that 

 " five or fix young trees of the fame kind fhood clofe by it ; but 

 " that no other flirub or plant could be feen near it ; and that 

 " the ground was of a brownifii fand, full of fiones, almoft im- 

 " pradicable for travelling, and covered with dead bodies. 

 *' After many converfations with the old Malayan prieft, I quef- 

 " tioncd him about the firft difcovery, and alked his opinion of 

 " this dangerous tree ; upon which he gave me the following 

 *' anfwer : 



*' We are told in our new Alcoran, that above an hundred 

 «' years ago, the country around the tree was inhabited by a 

 « people ftrongly addicSled to the fins of Sodotn and Gomorrha ; 

 " when the great prophet Mahomet determined not to fufter 

 " them to lead fuch deteftable lives any longer, he applied to 

 *« God to puniQi them; upon which God caufed this tree to grow 



" out 



