OF THE INDO-CHINESE NATIONS, IpS 



books, the greater part of which are still extant, 

 especially in the interior, among the tribes who still 

 adhere to their ancient religion. On the sea coast, 

 the Mahummedan religion prevails, and their books 

 resemble more the later Chcritras of the Malays. In 

 1603, the Mimgkasar Rajah, with the whole Mung- 

 kasar nation, by one of the most singular revolutions 

 on record, renounced their ancient religion, and not 

 only adopted Islamism, but compelled a number of 

 the inferior states to imitate their example. 



The Bug'is language, on the coasts, is much 

 mixed with the eastern Alalai/u, and is found pure 

 only in the ancient b(>>ks, and in the intericr of 

 Celebes, It exhibits strong features of originality 

 in its vocables, but resembles the Malay u and Tagala 

 in its construction. With Malayu, Ja^oanese and 

 Tagala it exhibits many coincidences, but it contains, 

 in its original state, almost no words of Sanscrit ori- 

 gin. Witli the ancient Tarnata, or Molucca lan- 

 guage, it also exhibits some coincidences, but as 

 I have had no favourable opportunity of studying 

 the Bugis, and none at all of examining the Ta?^- 

 tiata, with any degree of accuracy, I cannot pretend 

 to determine the nature of this connection. Com- 

 pared with the Malaya or Javanese^ it has certainly 

 more the air of an original than of a derivative 



tongue. 



The Bug'is alphabet consists of twenty-two letters^ 

 which are varied by the six vocalic sounds a, u, i, e, 

 o, ung. The form of the character is peculiar^ 

 though it appears to belong to the same class as the 

 Batta and Tagala. The power of the characters 

 comcides nearly with that of the Javanese letters, 

 though they differ a little both in numba- and in. the 



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