032 



JAVA. 



Java. 



Malays. 



Slaves. 



the Eastern Archipelago, as well as around the coast of 

 ' Java. They are the principal shop-keepers, the most 

 skilful gardeners, the most ingenious artificers, on the 

 island. They are free masters of whatever they can 

 earn by trade or agriculture, beyond the assessments 

 levied by the Company's government ; and in the ra- 

 tional hope of obtaining the reward of their exertions, 

 they readily undertake the most toilsome occupations, 

 which the oppressed and plundered Javanese would 

 regard and would probably experience to be lost la- 

 bour. But, with all these industrious habits, they are 

 extremely addicted to gaming ; and the houses licensed 

 for the purpose in their quarter of Batavia, are so nu- 

 merous as to yield an annual tax of 8000. Though 

 sufficiently pusillanimous and effeminate, they are ex- 

 tremely turbulent, and apt to break out into open in- 

 surrections, for which they were otten punished by the 

 Dutch in the most sanguinary and summary manner, 

 (See BATAVIA) ; but, of late years, it has been the more 

 humane policy of the Company's government to divert 

 their attention by perpetual amusements, and to keep 

 them in subordination by officers of their own nation. 



The Malays are also a numerous class of the inhabi- 

 tants of Java, but are a most worthless and ferocious 

 race of people. They are sufficiently active, bold, and 

 enterprising in the pursuit of plunder, and passionately 

 addicted to every kind of gaming. They will fre- 

 quently stake upon the issue of a cock-fight their last 

 morsel of bread, their whole bodily clothing, and even 

 their wives and children. They are treacherous in 

 their dealings, remorseless in their enmities, and ca- 

 pricious in their friendships. Their rage is of the most 

 ungovernable description, resembling a kind of mental 

 frenzy ; and their revenge is inflexible in its aim, how- 

 ever fatal its consequences to themselves. A blow, 

 especially, is an indignity which they never forgive, 

 and which makes them lose all consideration for their 

 own existence. Under the influence of revenge or dis- 

 appointment, a Malay sometimes adopts the desperate 

 resolution of running a muck (as it is vulgarly called, 

 from the word amock to kill) ; and, arming himself 

 with a dagger, he sallies forth after swallowing a large 

 dose of opium, attempting to kill every person who comes 

 in his way. He is of consequence soon knocked on 

 the head like a mad dog, or sometimes secured alive 

 by means of a long pole armed with irou hooks ; and, 

 in this case, was usually put to death by torture, to 

 deter others from imitating the example. But, since 

 the abolition of the gambling houses by order of Lord 

 Minto, not a single instance of these frantic bursts of 

 despair has occurred at Batavia. 



The last class of inhabitants are the slaves, who are 

 imported chiefly from Malabar, Celebes, Timor, Mada- 

 gascar and Mosambique. They are distinguished in 

 the towns by having their legs and feet uncovered ; 

 and are employed either in domestic services, or trained 

 to useful trades, by which they generally earn for the 

 use of their masters a higher interest for the money ex- 

 pended in their purchase and subsistence, than could 

 be procured by employing it in any other way. The 

 most numerous and useful are Malays, from the diffe- 

 rent islands of the Eastern Archipelago, who are ex- 

 tremely prompt at imitation, and expert in all handi- 

 craft trades. Those from Malabar are mild and pas- 

 sive, willing to be instructed, but slow of apprehen- 

 sion, ill adapted for hard labour, and generally used as 

 personal attendants on their proprietors. Those from, 

 Madagascar and Mosambiqne are also a harmless and 

 pliant race, tall, and athletic, but remarkable for their 



simplicity, and devoid of all ingenuity. The greater Java. 

 part of the female slaves are brought from Pulo Nias, a S ""V" - ' 

 small island on the western side of Sumatra, and are 

 greatly esteemed for their smooth skins, elegant shape, 

 and lively dispositions, sometimes selling at the rate of 

 a thousand dollars. The slaves of both sexes are well 

 fed and lightly worked ; but frequently treated with 

 great severity. In consequence of the excess in the 

 proportion of females, and the little care taken of their 

 offspring-, who are seldom the fruit of a connubial tie, 

 there is required a large annual importation to keep up 

 their number ; and it is estimated, that more than a 

 thousand are imported every year for the citizens of 

 Batavia alone. There is little occasion, indeed, for this 

 class of beings in a place where thousands of free Chi- 

 nese, the best and most handy servants in the world, 

 are ready to serve in every department, on the most 

 moderate terms. Their treatment at least will now be 

 greatly ameliorated, by the abolition of all farther trade 

 in slaves in the British settlements, of which the good 

 effects have already extended to the island of Java. 



The Jawa or Javanese language, though now sup- Language, 

 planted by that of the Malays, on the coast, is admitted 

 to be the most ancient, and seems to have at one time 

 been current throughout the whole extent of the island. 

 In the interior, not one native among ten thousand can 

 speak the Malay language ; and the two people are not 

 in the least intelligible to each other in their speech. 

 The Jawa is sufficiently copious, and overflows with 

 words of pure Sanscrit. The Hindoo names for the 

 days of the week, though now obsolete, are universally 

 known to the learned Javanese. The alphabet of Ja- 

 va is nevertheless peculiar ; and has no resemblance, in 

 the order of the characters, to the Deva Nagari. The 

 simple letters are twenty in number, besides compound 

 characters. Each letter has an inherent vowel, as in 

 the Bengalee, which is always pronounced like a in the 

 English word ample, and is always sounded in read- 

 ing, unless when a mark indicates its suppression. 

 The other vowels are always joined to the consonants, 

 and have generally one determinate sound. The com- 

 pound characters are commonly placed beneath the 

 simple letters ; and then the inherent vowel of the 

 upper letter is suppressed, while that of the compound 

 one is sounded. The plural is formed, as in the Ma- 

 lay, by merely repeating the word ; and there is no 

 variation on account of number or person in the verbs. 

 The orthography is extremely simple, and the con- 

 struction not unlike that of the Malay. 



There is satisfactory evidence, that the Javanese once 

 professed the Hindoo religion in some form ; but as 

 there is no appearance of the grand Brahminical dis- 

 tinction of casts having ever prevailed among them, it 

 is conjectured that the most prevailing system was 

 that of Buddha. The traditions, however, of their 

 ancient belief, the superstitious observances still extant, 

 and the temples and idols peculiar to the Hindoo wor- 

 ship, with inscriptions in the sacred language of that 

 faith, found in various parts of the island, furnish suffi- 

 cient evidence, that the tenets of Brahma had also ob- 

 tained a footing. Many of the penances inculcated in 

 the Hindoo ritual are occasionally practised by the Ja- 

 vanese; and all who are descended of the royal 

 blood, scrupulously abstain from using the flesh of 

 the cow. Many idols of Brahma, Vishnu, Mahadeva, 

 and Bhavani, both of stone and metal, have been found 

 in the island ; and that of Ganesa with his elephant 

 head, was frequently recognised by the British officers, 

 during their late campaigns in Java. More than 100 



