the  TJland  of  Sumatra.  163 
moded  by  it  (even  in  the  mid  ft  of  the  day)  fo  much  as  I 
have  frequently  been  on  a fummer’s  day  in  England, 
Rain  is  very  frequent  here ; fometimes  very  heavy,  and 
almoft  always  attended  with  thunder  and  lightning. 
Earthquakes  are  not  uncommon;  we  have  had  one  in 
particular,  fince  my  arrival,  which  was  very  violent,  and 
did  much  damage  in  the  country.  There  are  feveral  vol- 
canos on  the  ifland ; one  within  fight  of  Malbro’,  which 
almoft  conftantly  emits  fmolce,  and,  at  the  time  of  the 
earthquake,  emitted  fire. 
The  Englifh  fettled  here  (exclufive  of  the  military) 
are  between  feventy  and  eighty,  of  which  about  fifty  are 
at  Malbro’.  They  live  full  as  freely  as  in  England,  and 
yet  we  have  loft  but  one  gentleman  during  the  laft  fix 
months ; a proof  that  this  climate  is  not  very  unhealthy. 
The  people  who  inhabit  the  coaft  are  Malays,  who 
came  hither  from  the  peninfula  of  Malacca:  but  the 
interior  parts  are  inhabited  by  a very  different  peo- 
ple, and  who  have  hitherto  had  no  connexion  with  the 
Europeans.  Their  language  and  character  differ  much 
from  thofe  of  the  Malays,  the  latter  ufing  the  Arabic 
character;  but  all  the  interior  nations  which  I have 
vifited,  though  they  differ  from  one  another  in  lan- 
guage, ufe  the  fame  character. 
Vol.  LtXVJII,  Y 
The 
