COTTON, 



Soiitliem States. Having gathered it from the ripe 

 boliSj they take out the seeds by running it between 

 two wooden or ii-on cylinders, which are made to re- 

 volve by a treadle, and are so near together, that 

 the seeds, ^'^hich are saved for the next season, can- 

 not pass through. The fibres are very short, com- 

 pared to the average product raised in our country, 

 but it sei^ves a good purpose here, where they make 

 it into a coarse thread, which they weave by hand 

 into a cloth for kabayaa and chilanas. 



The maniage rites and laws here are nearly the 

 same as those I have already describe*! at Taba Pa- 

 naiijong, except that the price of a bride here is just 

 that of a buffalo, or about eighty guilders (thirty-two 

 dollars). Unless a young man has a buffalo or other 

 possessions of equal value, therefore, he cannot pur- 

 chase a wife. Near Baruaiyu there is a peculiar peo- 

 ple known as the Rembang people, who live in four 

 or five ^dllages at some distance from the river. They 

 are very willing to learn to read and write their own 

 language, but will not allow themselves to be taught 

 Dutch or Malay. Last night the river rose still 

 higher, and now it has overflowed its banks, which 

 appear much lower than they are between Lamat 

 and Muara Inem, During the day we have had 

 several showers. At 5 p. m. we anived at Sungi 

 Rotan, the last village on the Lamatang before its 

 confluence with the Musi, It is a small and poor 

 \-illage, the land here being generally too low for 

 rice, and the cocoa-nut pdms yielding but little 

 compared to what they do higher up. Farther 

 down toward Palenibang they yield still less. This 



