166 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES, 
of people going to be married, nor can they be worn by the com- 
mon people. 
In onr habits of life, such as our way of eating, drinking, sit- 
ting, standing, &c., we are like the Chinese, but differ a little in 
some things. The Chinese have the custom of nailing pieces of 
paper to their doors with the names of their idols (To Peh Kong) 
written on them. We, on our doors. write the name of God and 
his Prophet. 
It is easy to distinguish the Chinese from the Hué-Hué rice- 
shops. In the latter, the fowls and ducks exhibited for sale have 
all been killed by their throats being cut; while in the shops kept 
by the Chinese there is no mark of a knife on the bodies of the 
dried poultry. In their shops, too, there are many things contrary 
to the Moslem faith. 
In Hainan, there are only four mosques, as that is a small coun- 
try, but in the other provinces mosques are very numerous. The 
Koran is written in Arabic, interlined with a Chinese translation, 
and this practice is pursued in the other Arab books translated into 
Chinese. 
All the Hué-Hué’s in China are of the Khanafi sect, and there 
are none of the Shaf¢i. They speak Chinese and therefore few 
come to the Straits; many however go on the Mecca pilgrimage. 
I have heard that, in the time of our grandfathers and great- 
grandfathers, we were very powerful and were independent, but 
the death of Raja Tane-wane marked the commencement of the 
decline of Mahomedan power in China. 
The majority of us are rice-cultivators, cocca-nut and pinang 
(betel-nut) planters and gardeners. There are also amongst us 
many fishermen, but no large merchants. 
The foregoing is a short sketch of our position in China. 
J, Haji Manomep Art, can speak Hainan, Macao, Téchew, and 
know a little Keh. but I cannot read or write more than a few 
characters. 
Singapore, May. 1882. 
