168 
Malays of Ceylon. 
were never accounted good soldiers, being neither so hardy 
nor so brave as the Sepoys ; and were seldom employed in the 
Englisli service. I'he Ereiich, however, very generally had corps 
of tliein at Pondicherry, and their other settlements. 
The Malays are another race, who form a considerable- propor- 
tion of the inhabitants of Ceylon. This race, vriiich is known 
to Emopeans chiefly by the accoimts of its barbarous ferocity, 
is widely scattered over the .eastern parts of India. Their ori- 
ginal empire lies in the peninsula of Malacca ; and from thence 
they have extended themselves over Java, .vSumatra, , the Mo- 
luccas, the Phillippines, and a vast number of other islands in 
.the Archipelago of India. It is difficult to determine the date 
of their first introduction into Ceylon ; but it has for many 
years been customary for the Dutch to bring them to this and 
their other setllenients in Asia and Africa, for the purpose of 
carrying on various branches of trade and manufactures, and 
also to emplo}^ them as soldiers and servants. 
The religion, laws, manners, and customs of the Malays, as 
well as their dress, colour,, and persons, differ very much from 
those of all the other inhabitants of Asia. The ATalays of the, 
various islands and settlements also differ among themselves, 
according to the habits and appearance of the nations among 
whom they are dispersed. Yet still they are all easily distin- 
guished to be of the Malay race. For, although they inter- 
marry with the Moors and other casts, particulariy in Ceylon, 
and by this means acquire a much darker colour than is natural 
to a Malay ; still their characteristic features are so strikingly 
predominant, that they cannot be mistaken. Those who are 
born and brought up in the European colonies naturally con- 
tract more of the habits of civilized society; they never indeed 
