354 
CUE soltman’s narration. 
now serve only to harden the hearts, corrupt the passions, and streng- 
then the hands of royal and noble families, which keep the people 
in a state of insecurity with respect both to personal liberty and to 
industry. We might have said that the age for Malay governments 
has passed away. It certainly has, and we should rejoice to see the 
whole Peninsula under European government, as most of it would 
have been long ago, by the desire of its chiefs, if the policy of our In ¬ 
dian government had not prevented it. We have much sympathy 
for the people of the Peninsula, very little for the best of their rulers, 
and none for the greater number of them. If England will not take 
upon herself the burden of government, even when the rajas entreat 
her to do so, she ought at least to remember that wherever she can 
legitimately use her influence with despotic and noxious native go¬ 
vernments, for the amelioration of the condition of the people, it is 
her duty to do so. We shall return to this subject. 
With a view to illustrate the operation of the institutions and cus¬ 
toms of the Archipelago, as well as to convey a more familiar view 
of the present state of society in it, we propose from time to time to 
give short narratives of the lives of individuals written down from their 
own mouths. The reader must make allowance for occasional ex¬ 
aggeration. 
i. 
CHE SOLIMAN’S NARRATION. 
I was born in THwdng in the kingdom of Sambawd. My father 
Pangawd (called by the Malays Jinnang) Pleisa was of Bugis des¬ 
cent, and my mother Rdmla was a pure Sambawanese. They had a 
large family. All w r ere daughters except Ore my elder brother and 
myself. Their names were Miriam, Masia, Sitf, Sara, Slldm, Mi- 
nassi, and Sema. My father also had three concubines, but had on¬ 
ly two children by one of them, Hamza and Biseh, When I was 
still a boy my father asked leave of Radin Dianti Desa, who governs 
Tliwang, to go to Tanah Bugi's (Bugis-land) to visit the descendents 
of his grandfather who live there. Permission was given, r prahu 
pidev'd was purchased, and we embarked, 37 persons in all, and 
