I\ THE MEiVANGKABAW STATES. 173 



ljuilt lor the occasion, but were ahead y 

 fillet] with people. There was a quarter ap- 

 propriated for the lodfjnieTit of tlie Mahiy 

 priests and hadjis; another for the corimion 

 Malays, and a third for the use of Chinese. 

 We turned towards the last, and were re- 

 ceived by the Chinese whith the iis«al urba- 

 nity and politeness characteristic of that 

 nation. We entered the bouse of a Chinese, 

 which we were immediately invited to do 

 by the owner, a cJiief of the miners, wlio 

 with kindness ceded to us the half of his 

 lodjjinj;. After having cleaned our clotlies 

 a little (which were the ordinary lay dress 

 of a gentleman, the sonton being too cum- 

 bersome in such journeys), we asked that 

 we migiit be allowed to see the king; we 

 were then introduced into the palace, around 

 which we perceived many tents pitched in 

 several places; and in the middle of a large 

 place a liigh and rich tent, for the use of 

 the new spouses, and communicating with 



