the country, and the gencral state of the Sontherii 

 Provinces. Somcthing has already been wiiitea 

 on the Nurtliern part, and the setliements former- 

 ly maiiitained by the Eiiglisb, have throwri som^ 

 Ijo-ht on the character of tiie country and habits 

 of the popuiation in that quarter ; the in- 

 lerference which has been found rcquisite, for the 

 itnmed'ate suppression of piracy in the States 

 formerlv appertaining to Sncadana, w'11 also af- 

 ford the nieans by which ranch intecesting Infor- 

 mation wiir be obtained from thence. 



Banjer Masin, in common with Java, still re« 

 tains some vestig^s of Hindu antiquity;, and 

 among others ft may not be uninterestingtonotice 

 theeircum&tanceof •the Sultan being in posses- 

 sion of a Gv^lden Tortoise with several rings, oii 

 which aieengraved the tigurrs of Ishzvara and 

 ether Hindu Deities, and impressions of the Cow 

 aud Elephaiit.* 



Of the popnhition of the Island^^all that we 

 are vet justified in saying is that the Moslems 

 appear to have established themselves in authori- 

 iy over the aborigines^ whoare generally terincd 



* The manner in which the Golden Torfoise was discovered is 

 Ihus related — " In (he rcign of the former Sultan, a native of Banjer 

 ** Masin, wl)en at Sca in campany with a KUng or native cf the Coast 

 " cf Cüromandel, ascertalueJ from conversation ihat the laticr, whi> 



