INHABITANTS OF SUMATRA. 95 



camphor, for the produce of which the Chinese formerly paid its weight in gold ; 

 from this region Europe also received its first consignments of gutta-percha {geta 

 pertja), of which family there are several varieties. Sumatra was also probably the 

 centre of dispersion of the cinnamon plant, of which it possesses ten species, a 

 larger number than occurs in any other region. 



The Sumat]-an fauna differs even more than its flora from that of the neigh- 

 bouring island. It possesses the orang-utan, confined however to a district on 

 the north-east coast, besides other remarkable apes, such as the galeopithecus, or 

 flying lemur. The elephant, exterminated in Java, is still common in the 

 northern jungle, where, according to the natives, two quite distinct species are 

 found. The small species of rhinoceros met in the Sumatran forests also differs 

 from the large Javanese variety ; but, notwithstanding the statement of Marsden, 

 the hippopotamus does not appear to be a member of the Sumatran fauna, which, 

 including domestic animals, comprises, according to Hagen, sixty species of 

 mammals and one hundred and twenty of birds. 



Inhabitants of Sumatra. 



The Malay populations of Sumatra are diversely intermingled with other 

 elements presenting considerable contrasts in the different provinces in their 

 social usages and degrees of culture. Thus the Achiuese, or people of Atjeh, in 

 the extreme north, regard themselves as a nation quite distinct from the other 

 islanders. Their nobles claim Arab descent, and really seem to be of mixed origin. 

 For the five centuries preceding the arrival of the Portuguese, the trade of 

 Indonesia was largely in the hands of the Arabs, who intermarried with the native 

 women. By the end of the twelfth century the kingdom of Atjeh had embraced 

 Islam, and later became a centre of Moslem activity, with its theologians, who 

 cultivated Arabic letters, and its sectaries, who preached a new pantheistic creed, 

 dying for their faith like the martyrs of the western world. 



Although in recent times Arab influence has much diminished, the Achinese 

 have preserved numerous usages introduced by their instructors ; and their Malay 

 dialect, written in the Arabic character, has been affected by many foreign 

 elements. The nobles wear the flowing robe and turban, like the merchants of 

 Jeddah, although the women do not go veiled. 



The Achinese, to whom the virtues of courage and industry are not denied, 

 are stigmatised as cruel and treacherous, like all peoples who dare to defend their 

 liberties. Skilful agriculturists, they raise heavy crops of rice and sweet potatoes, 

 deriving from the soil the resources which have enabled them to maintain the 

 struggle against the Dutch for fifteen years. Like the Hindus and Indo-Chinese, 

 they are said to have succeeded in taming the elephant, employing him as a beast 

 of burden. They also disj)lay much skill in working the jjrecious metals, and as 

 silk and cotton weavers, and construct solid vessels with which th(^y carry on an 

 extensive traffic with the surrounding lands, and occasionall}^ scour the seas as 

 dreaded corsairs. The chief centres of their trade beyond Sumatra are Penang 



