2J0 FlREAlUte — PIRACV. 



are numerous. But although the Chinese run make 

 im!< raMe furniture, they arc cureless and seldom 

 finish well, unless watched. 



Ironmongers of the same class abound, and they 

 may be observed in their work-shops, which are open 

 to the street, all day long, fabricating muskets* swi- 

 vels and blunderbusses — the polUh to which is i>es- 

 towed on the outside of the barrel*, leaving; a rather 

 rough bore. These arms find a ready sale amongst 

 lb* name*, and from their appearance, one might be 

 apt to imagine that, in using them, the danger would 

 be urea test to lie users el" them. Arms were once 

 contraband articles here, but as it would be bard to 

 deny to the honest trader the means of defending 

 himself, and us the pirate might always be able to get 

 arms somewhere, the prohibition to sell them has been 

 removed, 



I do not think however that the chief argument 

 formerly advanced to justify the permission to fabricate 

 or sell arras is altogether an undeniable one ; namely, 

 that natives are less dangerous with fire-arms in their 

 hands than with their national weapons. 



If pirates conidUe prevented from obtaining fire- 

 arms, the petty traders would doubtless not be mo- 

 le-led as Hit v now are. In regard «o piracy it is quite 

 clear, that as the Malayan states decay— and the de- 

 terioration is now goii-g on rapidh — it will increase, 

 und that there are only two modes of putting it down. 

 The first would be the eontrouling of all the native 

 Malayan states; a measure as yet perhaps precluded 

 by political considerations. The second, the employ- 

 ment of fleets of boats, occasionally disguised like the 

 native pralms j a plan which could be carried into 

 effect, ah hough at a very considerable expense, if ex- 

 tensively acted on. But if piracy be thus considered 

 as a practice identified uitli the very being of the 



