250 



MALAYS & JAWI PAKANBi 



A Malay, after long training, may become a pretty 

 expert policeman, amongst Malays ; hut lie is gene- 

 ntrally loo artless, and apt to I>e duped. J J is at- 

 tempts at police craft are easily seen through, and 

 avoided by those against whom they are directed. 

 The same may be said of Malayan politicians, whose 

 attempts at Machiavelism are clumsy and abortive. 

 1 do not fere include treachery, which, although it has 

 been successfully practised by maritime Malays, is an 

 acquirement, which any people, devoid of principle 

 and possessed of sufficient animal courage, may easily 



pra<'tUf\ 



JAWt PAKANS. 

 A Jawi Pakan is the offspring of a man of Hindus- 

 tan and a Majayan woman, lie inherits the boldness 

 of the Malay, and the subtlety, acuteness, and dissimu- 

 lation of the Hindoo, He is indefatigable in the 

 pur-nit of wealth, and most usurious hi the employ, 

 mi nl of it when gained. Few employments come 

 amiss to him. He cloaks ignorance where it exists, 

 or makes up fur it by pretence and zeal. His fingers 

 aecm to have a chemical affinity for the precious me- 

 tals ; and although he avoids downright theft, yet 

 the transit of money or mone)'s worth, through the 

 former, is at a discount, vaning in amount according 

 to his calculations of detection. lie is cringing to 

 superiors, overbearing, and uhere there is no check 

 on his conduct, tyrannical to inferiors: like one of the 

 feline tribe when it has changed its quarters, he care- 

 fully obtains a perfect acquaintance with all the trap- 

 doors, outlets and hiding-crevices of the position in 

 which he is placed. These secured, he makes the 

 Mtari of that position. If he holds a public situation, 

 he tries to balance Ins peculations or malpractices 

 with the above chances of escape, and generally suc- 

 ceeds, and should this fail, he compounds for safety 

 W ith tiis dvfrauded creditors and dupes, and quashes 



