6S2 



INHABITANTS TRADE — SLAVEKY. April 



Southern Keeling Island, which he thought a favourable place 

 for commerce, and for maintaining a seraglio of Malay women, 

 whom he confined to one island, — almost to one house. 



In 18^6, or within a year of that time, Mr. J. C. Ross, 

 some time master of a merchant ship, took up his abode on 

 the south-eastern islet of the group ; and in a very short time 

 Hare's Malay slaves, aggrieved by his harsh treatment of 

 them, especially by his taking away the women, and shutting 

 them up on an island which the Malay men might not ap- 

 proach, deserted in a body, and claimed protection from Mr. 

 Ross. Hare then left the Keelings, and about a year after- 

 wards was arrested in his lawless career by death, while 

 establishing another harem at Batavia. 



From that time Mr. Ross and the Malays lived peaceably, 

 collecting cocoa-nut oil, turtle, tortoise-shell, and bicho do 

 mar; and occasionally sailing to the Mauritius, Singapore, or 

 Batavia, to dispose of them, and buy necessaries with their pro- 

 duce. Another Englishman, Mr. C. Leisk, who had served as 

 mate of Mr. Ross's ship, lived with him, and they both had wives 

 (English) and children, the whole party residing together 

 in a large house of Malay build — just such a structure as 

 one sees represented upon old japanned work. At the time of 

 our visit Mr. Ross was absent on one of their trading excur- 

 sions, and his deputy, Leisk, was left in charge of everything. 



By some strange misconception, not intentional act of injus- 

 tice, Mr. Ross had refused to give Hare's slaves their freedom, 

 for fear that the executors of that man should demand their 

 value from him ; but he paid them each two rupees a week, in 

 goods (at his own valuation), provided that they worked for 

 him, both men and women, as he thought proper. Mr. Leisk 

 told me this, and said that " many of the Malays were very 

 discontented, and wanted to leave the island.*" " No wonder," 

 thought I, " for they are still slaves, and only less ill used 

 than they were by the man who purchased them." 



These Malays were allowed to rear poultry, which they 

 sometimes sold to shipping. They were also allowed to have 

 the produce of a certain number of cocoa-nut trees, and 

 might catch fish and turtle for their own use ; but the sale of 



