SKETCH OF n O RN EO. 53 



The Sultan of Pontiana has a rcg'ular dis- 

 ci'pliiied force, hut all the inhabitanls are oblii»;-. 

 cd to act as soldiers whco neccssity icquire.s The 

 Malavs and Bugis are always ready and willing 

 to turn out for battle, and the Chinese are oblig'* 

 ed to assist Ukewise iii case of any emergency» 

 though the Malays place little or no confw 

 dence in thein. When an alarm has been given, 

 the whole force of the place has repeatedly, as 

 Mr. Biirn asserts, turned out in half an hour or 

 less, and the activity displaycd on such occasions 

 forms a striking contrast to the usual listlessness 

 of a Malay town. They manufacture their 

 own povvdcr and shot at Pontiana. 



The soil of Pontiana' is low and marshv. but 

 the cllmate is healthy, and the only distempcr 

 from which they suiTcr is the sniall pox^ which 

 makes grcat havock ainong thom, as they are 

 unacquainted witli cither inoculation or vacci- 

 nation. Pontiana does not produc^ so nuich 

 rice or fruit as the settlenuMits of the interior, 

 but this is only through the defect of cuUiva- 

 tion. There is abondance of sea and river fish, 

 and the Chinese raise great quantities of stock, 

 especially hog?, which are both chcap and ex* 

 cellent ia quality. 



