375 THE BATTAS O? MANDHELING AND PERTIBf. 
The Batta’ “are not deficient in intellect. They have a t*’ue 
and keen memory, and, so far as it is not falsified by foreign 
influence, by passion or superstition, a sound and strong 
judgment respecting all matters which fall within the circle of 
their comprehension. In their assemblies they manifest now 
a grave, and now a lively, eloquence, which generally remains 
free of bombast. They are very able and very exact in their 
narrations, provided they be not interrupted in their discourse, 
for they have great difficulty in taking up the simplest link. 
In a population so calm in temparament, the number of in¬ 
sane persons deserves attention, the more so as, from their laws, 
it appears that in former ages it was no better in this respect, and 
many families maybe found in which insanity has been hereditary 
for some generations. Constant melancholy, sudden perplexi¬ 
ty of spirit, total furiosity,-—all these phases, and the degrees 
which exist between them, appear frequently. It is also as¬ 
certained that the cases on the mountains and at their feet 
are more numerous than any where else, but this ought to be 
brought to the proof of statistical examination. In Holland 
and France the number of the insane is in proportion to the 
population, if I do not err, as one to one thousand ;—while 
here you seldom pass a day in any Kampong without meeting 
one or more idiots. As far as concerns Great and Little Mand- 
heling we can state, from the facts communicated to us by the 
heads, that, one with another, at least one insane person is to 
be found in each Kampong, and this gives for 100 K am pongs 
with 7,300 families or about 36,800 souls, the distressing pro¬ 
portion of 1 to 368. This is the more remarkable, if we adopt 
the opinion that the highest stage of civilization, where the 
passions are most developed, produces also the greatest pro¬ 
portion of insanity, while a lower stage has just the contrary 
effect. Neither want, nor stupifyingliquors, nor ambition, 
can be considered common predisposing causes in this coun¬ 
try : under correction, I should suspect the causes to be in the 
frequent fevers, the gambling, and the hard lot of the women. 
For the rest, the character of the Battas is a mixture of 
virtues and vices, like that of all mortals; with th m how¬ 
ever the scale inclines towards the good ; because they have 
long remained free from foreign contagion. 
Laying aside gambling, there are scarcely any passions, 
which exercise a considerable influence upon them. Love 
with them is pacified by an early marriage; polygamy, the soft 
nature of women, and their great industry, in general preserve 
concord during the whole marriage. The articles mermayan 
and menyompo contained in the laws give the best evidence of 
