VERNACULAR PRESS IN THE STEAITS. 53 



12. The paper is surprisingly free from all personalities, ex- 

 cepting in letters having reference to Mahomedan customs of 

 religion and law (Adat) ; not infrequently, however, passages occur 

 with those ironical allusions well known to Malays as " Sendiran." 



13. From a literary point of view it will doubtless tend to set- 

 tle the language and to give an uniformity to the various dialects of 

 Malay, an object which the original projectors claim to have had 

 in view. Its influence can scarcely fail to be considerable on the 

 written language. 



14. The " Jawi Peranakkan's " agents are numerous, and 

 hold their agencies in London, Penang. Malacca, Klang, Kwala 

 Kangsa, Johor, Deli, Padang, Batavia, and Sarawak. 



15. In order to give an idea of the actual character of the 

 Paper, and the manner in which it is edited here, a short resume 

 follows of the contents of a late number of the "Jawi Peranakkan," 

 bearing date the 12th of January, 1880. 



16. It is a small paper arranged in columns very much in the 

 style of English newspapers. It commences by quoting the present 

 state of the market, devotes a column or so to advertisements, by 

 which, however, it is said not to make more than $60 per annum, 

 and proceeds to give in full a Grovernment Circular (English and 

 Malay) detailing the management of the Malay College at Telok 

 Blanga, and exhorting Malay Rajas and others to make more use 

 of the College. 



17. Of the next para., a translation is appended, which reads 

 as follows : — 



" The Hekayat Abdullah has been re-printed by the members 

 " of the Asiatic Society, and is exceedingly clearly done ; whoever 

 " now wishes to buy it can obtain it from the officer in charge of 

 " the library at the Museum adjoining the Eaffles' Institution." 



18. The paper then touches on the recent death of the Datoh 

 Klana of Sungei TJjong while on his return from a pilgrimage to 

 Mecca. It appears that the Datoh, having accomplished his pilgri- 

 mage and having lost four of his followers, was returning to 

 Jeddah when he was overtaken by death at a resting place near the 

 latter town. 



