124 ON THE MALA'YU NATION. 



quarter may easily be obtained. Though the interior of these islands 

 still possess an original population, their government has long been 



Malayan. 



As nothing beyond an imperfect description of a few original tribes, 

 lias yet been obtained, respecting the inland population of Borneo, it may 

 be inferred, that as there appears to have been no original nation, of au- 

 thority or extent adequate to reach the shores, or to be known by any of 

 the states that have been established on the coast, their institutions, if 

 they possess any, cannot be of importance, as they have not had any 

 effect on the general population of the eastern Archipelago. 



On Sumatra, Mr. Marsden has so well and diligently trodden the 

 ground, that we cannot perhaps, contrary to his assertion, expect to find 

 written laws and institutions^ among any of the original nations. The 

 compilation that has been made there by the English residents, will form 

 a valuable standard for comparison with the laws and customs of the 

 more eastern islands, but at the same time, a more extensive research 

 into the interior, if unsuccessful in its principal object, cannot fail to be 

 interesting in as far as it may lead to a more intimate acquaintance with, 

 the Battas and Menangcdbaws, the former of which may be considered 

 as the original population of the island ; while the establishment of the 

 Menangcdbaws may be compared to that of the Moguls, on the continent 

 of India. In the Ketik& lima or five times, of the Battas, adopted by the 

 Malays, (of which I have a copy) the divisions of lucky and unlucky 

 times, for undertaking any affair, are expressed by the terms Mesewdra, 

 Bisnii, Brekma, Sri, Cdla, corresponding to the Hindu deities more cor- 

 rectly pronounced Maheswara, Vishnu, Brahma, SmandCALA: ths 

 table for calculating these superstitious observances is extremely simple.. 



