136 
of the Manna districts, and report on a new 
Constitution and Laws for them. This 
will be a business of some time, however 
I shall throw a good deal of the detail on 
my colleagues, I can only add, that I am 
well, and as busy as a bee.” 
Bencoolen, May 26, 1820.—** The wea- 
ther is becoming very favourable for ex- 
cursions into the interior. In general, we 
_ have here a great deal of rain, every se- 
cond or third day proving wet; and now, 
for a wonder, it has been dry for ten days. 
So near the Line, these rains are probably 
beneficial, as they cool the air; but I con- 
fess, I prefer the steady seasons of the 
continent of India, where you can almost 
calculate, with certainty, upon the state of 
the weather. We have, at present, no less 
than three Sultans here —the Sultan of 
Judrapore, and the new and ex Sultans of 
Moco-Moco. There is something farcical 
in these high-sounding titles, when applied 
to men, whose whole revenues do not 
amount to as much as we would pay a 
common writer in an office. But you will, 
perhaps, be still more amused by an idea. 
which we actually put into execution this 
morning, of appointing a committee to in- 
vestigate and report on the customs and 
histories of all the Birds of Sumatra; in 
short, to collect all the native information 
about them, for the purpose of completing 
our paper for the Royal Society. This 
Special Committee on the Birds is com- 
posed of the Sultan of Judrapore, Rajah 
Dyan Mabela, Raden Aria Surca (i e. 
Child of the Sun), Dyan Indra, and ano- 
ther Raden. I suppose it is the first 
time that Sultans and Rajahs have ever 
been so employed; however, I have no 
doubt we shall receive a very amusing 
report. 
Bencoolen, Aug. 19, 1820. — “I have 
now finished my first report on the Agri- 
cultural Society, which we think of print- 
ing, along with my account of the state of 
and some other Statistical papers, 
Dare our absence at Calcutta, Sir Stam- 
ford gave a few miscellaneous articles to 
the press, merely to Er it employed ; 
and, as these amount to a small volume, 
MEMOIR OF THE LATE MR. WILLIAM JACK. 
he thinks of bringing it out under the title. 
of Malayan Miscellanies, vol.i. Ihave ` 
added the descriptions of a few plants, and 
we shall probably continue the same plan, 
and the second volume will be much bet- 
ter than the first. It is now my intention 
to preface the descriptions and engravings 
of plants, which I formerly mentioned, 
with a general view of the Natural His- 
tory of our Eastern Islands; a plan by 
which I think the subject may be made . 
generally interesting, and attract public 
attention to this quarter. Much time and 
labour will be required to collect and ar- — 
range the materials, but the means and l 
advantages, which I at present possess, 
are such as ought not to be lost.” 
Tello Delam, Pulo Nias, Dec. 12, 1820. 
—“‘ Pulo Nias is now a British Possession, 
in full sovereignty, and our principal sta- 
tion is established at Tello Delam, the 
finest harbour on the island. It is really 
a beautiful spot : the shores are skirted by 
hills of no great elevation, covered with 
Cocoa-nut trees, except where their sides 
and bottoms are cleared for Rice fields 
and plantations of sweet Potatoes and 
other vegetables. The villages are placed 
on the tops of the hills, in very picturesque 
but inaccessible situations, having been 
builf with a view to defence, so that it 
would try the wind of any but a Nias-man 
to reach them. With the people I am, 
on the whole, highly delighted; they ex- 
hibit a mixture of barbarism and civiliza- 
tion, that makes them very interesting. In 
agricultural industry, in the building and 
internal comfort of their houses, they show 
a great advance in the arts of life; while, 
in their war-dresses and many of their cus- 
toms, they bring to mind the accounts of 
early voyagers in the Pacific Ocean. On 
our visit to the Rajah of Ilitubara,, we 
were received, at the bottom of the hill, 
by a party of twenty warriors, armed with — 
spears, shields, and sharp swords, de- 
fended by leathern coats of mail, and their - 
physiognomies rendered terrible by a hel- — 
IRR o H MH l U ĀE a o pa. ee 
