ON NATURAL HISTOEY AND ETHNOGRAPHY OF MALAY PENINSULA. 419 



Trade. 



A great many statistics were obtained, in passing, about trade, the 

 figures of imports and exports being obtained for five out of the seven 

 States which go to make up the old Malay country of Patani. In some 

 cases these figures were those for the first year in which the statistics 

 had been properly kept, a Siamese clerk having been appointed to do 

 the work on the previous fii'st of April (the New Year's Day of the 

 Siamese). These statistics, therefore, may be taken as fairly I'eliable, 

 and as showing the character of the trade and the stage of development 

 of the people. 



Agricidture. 



A quantity of notes were collected about agriculture. Swamp-rice 

 (on the embankment system) and hill-rice were both grown as in the West 

 Coast States, the latter especially in 'jungly ' places. 



In most parts of the Peninsula the Malays do not habitually use the 

 sickle, but those who do use it generally prefer to have it furnished 

 with teeth. Specimens of this instrument were obtained, as well as of an 

 ingenious variety which has a long wooden crook springing from the base 

 of the handle for drawing together the heads of rice before they are cut 

 with the blade. The habitual Malay (Peninsula) reaping knife consists 

 of a blade set in a horizontal piece of wood which is afiixed transversely 

 to a short bamboo stick. The rice is often roughly threshed by striking 

 the heads of grain against the rungs of a short ladder of about three feet 

 in length, which is made to lean against the inside edge of a large tub, 

 but occasionally it is laid upon mats and trodden out by bufialoes, or in 

 smaller quantities by foot. I may add that buffaloes are similarly used 

 for breaking up the surface of the ground before the rice is planted. 



Metal-work — General. 



As regards Malay metal-work, Mr. W. Rosenhain (late of thij 

 Engineering Department of Cambridge University) last year read a 

 paper before the Association, and more recently before the Institute, in 

 which he touched upon various points of Malay metallurgy in which 

 his experience was likely to prove useful. His investigations covered 

 a portion of my notes upon Malay kris-making, copper founding, chain 

 making, and goldsmith's work. 



Ironvor'k. 



A series of specimens illustrating the Malay method of manufacturing 

 a waved and damascened ' kris ' were collected at Trengganu, together with 

 detailed notes of the operation extending over three days, and photographs 

 of the blacksmiths at work in the forge. To produce the damask a ' pile ' 

 is made consisting of layers of iron : this is welded into a rod, and heated 

 and twisted into the shape requii'ed for the design of the damask (usually 

 some kind of a scroll). The scroll is laid between other layers and welded 

 until the edges of the welds of the scroll appear thi-ough the later layers. 

 The ' waves ' are produced by heating the entire blade and then cooling it 

 with water throughout except at the point where a ' wave ' is required. 

 This portion being still red-hot gives way on being hammered, and a 

 repetition of the process with the blade reversed makes a single complete 

 ' wave.' The Malay smith uses tool-iron, and seldom if ever smelts him- 

 self ; but in one place I was shown what I believe to have been 

 telluric iron cropping out above the surface of the ground, and which I 



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