490 



IVlalacca, and each of the suitors provided him- 

 self with a ho^t of unscrupulous wilu(5ssc8. In 

 order to guard against the consequent coafliction 

 of evidence, it was proposed that all the witness- 

 es should take the oath in the teuiplei but, on 

 their arrival there, they were withstood by some 

 of tiie leaduig men of their nation, who declared 

 that the multitude of faUe oaths would pollute 

 the temple, and that the perjurers would perish as 

 the other niiterable wretch had done. The par- 

 tits, who were anxious to elicit the truth, endea- 

 voured to efi'ect a compromise by propo^tn^? that 

 only one of each side should swear on behalf of 

 their respective witnesses, but without success 

 as a repetition ofthe jiidgfment of God wa^ expect- 

 ed by the more influential members of the socie- 

 ty- 

 Revenge is repeatedly a great iocentive to per*- 

 jury. If one Chinaman either has been, or con- 

 ceives himself to have been, injured by another 

 upon whom he cannot otherwise wreak his ven- 

 geance, recourse is had to false swearing against 

 him. Some years ago, two Chinese, desperately, 

 and, as it was supposed, mortally, wounded, were 

 brought into the Government Civil hospital at 

 Malacca, Their depositions were taken, after 

 they had been solemnly warned that the surgeon 

 did not entertain hopes of their recovery, and that 

 It therefore behoved them to speak the truth. 

 They both persisted in positively affixing t!ie 

 crime to another Chinese, who was accordingly 

 thrown into jail to await the result of their wounds. 

 After lingering for some time in a hopeless con- 

 dition, they both une^fpectedly recovered, and 



