280 THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE MALAYS. 
The sarong palekat is the finest and thinnest of all the sarong 
cloths, and its colours are also the most beautiful. Its use is 
principally confined to women. The ordinary material is cot¬ 
ton, but silk sarongs are common, although they are only 
worn on full dress days They are very seldom worn by men. 
The most choice and expensive are made of cloth either 
wrought entirely of gold thread (songket)> or having it inwo¬ 
ven in stripes, flowers &c (bUabor) all over, or merely at one 
end {bekapala ) Cotton cloth saronas are sometimes adorned 
with flowers of gold leaf applied to them with gum (bepirada 
mas or tittpo). Sarongs manufactured in Europe are now 
extensively used from their cheapness, although they are 
very infeiior in strength and beauty to those made in the 
Archipelago. The baju is commonly of white cotton cloth of 
various degrees of quality and texture. But coloured chintzes, 
black cloth &c are in much use. Those who can afford it 
wear bajus of woolen cloth, velvet and other fine materials on 
great days ; and many of the young nobility whenever they ap¬ 
pear in public; their bajus are also frequently embroidered 
with gold thread or made of cloth of gold. Those worn by 
brides and bridegrooms, and on festive days by children, are 
sometimes ornamented with flowers made of solid gold, which, 
are sewed on (baju berpakan/can mas or berbuuga mas ) 
In Malayan countries the use of certain kinds of cloth, 
either universally or within certain limits, is confined to the 
royal family, and prohibited, under severe penalties, to all 
others. The crime of wearing yellow cloth, unless with the 
express license of the Raja, is punishable with death. Within 
the precincts of the court it is unlawful to wear cloth of a fine 
texture, such as muslin, without a similar license, and the 
breach of the law subjects the wearer to a fine, or to have the 
cloth torn from his person and be driven out ignominiously 
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