SKETCH ÓF BORNEO. 49 



xvlio are tlie free inliabitants, there are a consi- 

 derable number of Slaves, many of vvhom are 

 Javanese, and the rest of all the ether Eastern 

 tribes ; there are also a few ruii-away Lascars 

 from different vessels. The character of the 

 Malays is nearly the sarhe at Pontiana as in 

 olhor Eastern to\vn«; ; phlcgmatic, indolent and 

 proud, and few of them possess much wealth. 

 The Arabs live by trade ; they are generally 

 poor when they settlC:, but are respectod on ac- 

 count of their religions character by the Ma- 

 lays. They are^, however^ neither such cecono- 

 mists as the Bugis^ nor so expert as the Chinese 

 in trade, and at present few of them possess pro- 

 perty to the amount of 20,000 Dollars. The 

 Chinese seldoni acquire property above this 

 amount at Pontiana^ though they are industri- 

 ous and expert in trade. They are fond of good 

 living, and addicted to gambling, opium, and 

 nierry making. They follow the occupations 

 of raerchants, mcchanics and labourers, cultivate 

 the ground, distill arrack, make sugar, search 

 for gold-dust, and trade to the interior as wcll 

 as along the Coast. The Chinese of Montera- 

 do and Salakan, two places very near each other^ 

 and situated a short way to the North of Mam- 



G 



