1/6 OCCUPATIONS OF THE NATIVES & CHATIACTRB. 



the people lliat they have so many resources against 

 idleness and had seasons, I here are also disadvantage* 

 attending it. The prolonged a raw nee of heat's of 

 families exposes the females to temptations, iihi«*h 

 their faulty education and the nistom of the parties 

 marrying at an early a^e, and often without previous- 

 ly having seen each other t do not always fit them 

 to resist. Fidelity is, however, a more common vir- 

 tue than might, under such a condition of society, 

 have been looked for ; and one of the reasons un- 

 doubtedly is that, although perhaps equally jealous 

 as an Indiau husband ean be, the Malay does not 

 immure his wife or deny her the privilege of going 

 abroad, or conversing* with his sex. 



But if thus tolerant, he feels too, in a degree pro* 

 portionate to the abuse of his indulgence, and fre- 

 quently resents that abuse by killing the oft'euding 

 parties. Such acts should be viewed with reference 

 to the education of the Malays, and especially of 

 those who were born beyond the British territory. 

 The respectable Malay is highly sensitive to slights 

 and premeditated insult, ami he fancies, perhaps 

 rightly, that no law can compensate the injury sus- 

 tained. His feelings are, therefore, but ton apJ to 

 lead him not merely to a criminal, but absurdly cri- 

 minal excess. Thus it has sometimes happemd thrit 

 a Malayan couple, having 1 been formally separated by 

 mutual consent and by order of tlje tuan khnlie, or 

 native judge of matters of caste, and the w oman hav- 

 ing married another man, the first husband has mur- 

 dered both him and her. In such a case, it is proba- 

 ble that he had his suspicions of her former infidelity 

 confirmed. Under Malayan rule, murder, unless 

 coupled with treason, has generally its expiatory 

 price, and can, without much danger, be perpetrated 

 by a rich man, A native of India will, on the con, 



