SUMATRA. 
Kfe when European women have not pafled their prime. The early 
Gornmimication between the fexes, may poffibly contribute to fliorten 
both their lives and ftatiire. Th<;y are like the fruits of the country, foon 
ripe, and foon decayed* They bear children before fifteen, are generally 
pa ft it at thirty, and grey-headed and iliri veiled at forty. I do not recol- 
leQ: hearing of any woman who had fix children, except the wife of R^d^ 
deen of Madura^ who had more, and flie, contrary to the univerfal cuf- 
tom, did not give fuck to hers. 
Treatment of Mothers carry the chUdren, not on the arm, as our nwfes do, but 
chiidrtn, ftraddUng on the hip, and ufually fupported by a cloth, which ties in a 
knot on the oppofite flioulder. This practice, I have been told, is com- 
mon in fome parts of Wales. It is much fafer than the other method^ 
» lefs tirefome to the nurfc, and the child has the advantage of fitting in a 
Icfs conftrained pofture: but the defenflve armour of ftays, and offen?- 
five weapons called pins, might be fome objection to the general intro- 
duction of the faihion in England. The children are nurfed but little i 
not confined by any fvvathing or bandages ; and being fuffered to roll 
about the floor, foon learn to walk and £hifc fx>r tliciiifelvcs.. When era- . 
dies are ufed, they fvving fufpended from the ceiling of the rooms. 
Ag« of the The country people can very feldom give an account of their age, 
being entirely without any fpecles of chronology- Among thofe wHo 
profefs thcmfelves Mahometans, to very few is the number of the HtgJra 
known ; and even of thofc who in their writings make ufe of ir, not one 
in ten can pronounce in what year of it rhey were born. After a few 
tmun paddee (harvefls) are elapfed, they are bewildered in regard to the 
date of an event, and only guefs at it from fome cotemporary circum- 
fiances of notoriety; as the appointment of a particular dupattyi the in- 
curiion of a certain enemy, or the like* As far as can be judged from 
obfervation, it would feem, that few attain to the age of fifty, and ftxty 
years is extreme long life. 
V^imm The children> among the Rejangs, have generally a name given them 
by their parents, foon after their birth, which b calkd ^* namo dagging.^ 
The 
