182 
MALACCA. 
ef'cape. The Dutch loft about i500, chiefly by the plague. 
Thus the Portugucfe, after a pofleliion of nearly 130 years, 
loft this valuable fettlement, then efteemed, after Goa, 
the richeft in the Eaft Indies. Malacca, which is re. 
prefented as a ftrong place, was taken poflefiion of by the 
Englilh in Auguft 1755. The Malay empire is now added 
to the dominions of Great Britain in the Eaft by the cap¬ 
ture of Java; in confequence of which, Britain is become 
the miftrefs of the whole of the Malayan Archipelago. 
The Malays, whofe origin is not fatisfaftorily afcer- 
tained, are in general a well-made people, fomewhat be¬ 
low the middle ftature. Their limbs are fmajl, but well 
fbnped, and they are particularly flender at the wrifts and 
ankles. Their complexion is tawny, their eyes large, 
their nofes feem to be flattened more by art than nature ; 
and their hair is very long, black, and (Lining. As the 
Malays refeinble the Chinefe and Tartars in their features, 
it lias been fuggelted as probable that they are defcended 
from thofe nations. Their progrefs from Malacca,acrofs 
the narrow ftrait of that name, to Sumatra, from thence 
to Java, and from Java to all Polynefia, was fo eafy, even 
in the moft frail veflels, that there is no difficulty in ac¬ 
counting for their being found, as they really are, in pof- 
feflion of the fea-coafts of alnpoft every ifland, Mr. Marf- 
den, in the laftedition of his valuable work, feems to have 
retracted the opinion which he once held of Malacca be¬ 
ing the original country of the Malays, and to think that 
they pafl'ed thither from Sumatra. Not only their phyfi- 
cal appearance, but their mannners and cuftoms, as well 
as language, have undergone a confiderable change by the 
overwhelming influence of the Arabs, who, from the 9th 
to the 14th century, appear to have enjoyed the exclufive 
commerce and dominion of the oriental iflands, the greater 
part of which has received the religion of Mahomet. 
Thefe people in former times pofiefled great powers, and 
made a very confiderable figure on the theatre of Alia ; 
and their country was well cultivated and populous. The 
fea was covered with their fhips, and their commerce was 
very extenfive. At different times they fent out various 
colonies, which in fuccefflon peopled a great part of Su¬ 
matra, Java, Borneo, Celebes, Macaflar, the Moluccas, the 
Philippines, and thofe innumerable iflands of the Archipe¬ 
lago which bound Afia on the eaft, and which occupy an 
extent of 700 leagues in longitude from eaft to weft, and 
about 600 in latitude from north to fouth. Every-where 
the people feem to be the fame. They fpeakalmoft the fame 
language, and they have the fame laws and the fame man¬ 
ners. Kasmpfer fays, in his Hiftory of Japan, that the Ma¬ 
layans had in former times the greateft trade in the Eaft In¬ 
dies, and frequented with their merchant-fhips not only all 
the coafts of Afia, but ventured even over to the coafts of 
Africa, particularly to the great ifland of Madagafcar. That 
the Malayans have not only frequented Madagafcar, but 
that they have been the progenitors of fome of the pre- 
fent race of inhabitants, is confirmed by the teftimony of 
M. de Pages, who vifited that ifland lb late as 1774. The 
title which the king of the Malayans afl'umed to himfelf, 
fays Kaempfer, of “Lord of the Winds and Seas to the 
Eaft and Weft,” is an evident proof of their extenfive 
migration; but much more the Malay language, which 
Ipread almoft all over the Eaft, after the fame manner as 
formerly the Latin, and of late the French, did all over 
Europe. 
M. le Poivre, cited by Mr. Pennant in his Outlines 
of the Globe, fays, that travellers, who make obferva- 
tions on the Malays, are aftonifhed to find in the centre 
of Afia, under the fcorching climate of the line, the laws, 
the manners, the cuftoms, and the prejudices, of the an¬ 
cient inhabitants of the north of Europe. The Malays 
are governed by feudal laws, “ that capricious fyftetn, 
conceived for the defence of the liberty of a few againft 
the tyranny of one, whilft the multitude is fubjebf to 
iiavery and oppreflion.” Thus we have herea chief, who 
has the title of king or fultan, iffuing his commands to 
his great vaifals, who obey when they think proper j thefe 
have inferior vaflals whofe conduct is funilar to that of 
thejr fuperjors. The Oramcqi, or nobles, forming a fmall 
part of the nation, live independent, and nobly fell their 
fervices to thofe who are difpofed or able to give them 
the belt price; whilft the body of the nation is cotnpofed 
of flaves, and lives in perpetual fervitude. \yith thefe 
laws, fays M. le Poivre, the Malays are reftlefs, fond of 
navigation, war, plunder, emigrations, colonies, defperate 
enterprifes, adventures, and gallantry. They talk incef- 
fantly of their honour and bravery, whilft they are uni- 
verfally confidered by thofe with whom they have inter- 
courfe as the moft treacherous and ferocious people on 
the face of the globe; and yet, which appears extremely 
Angular, they fp.eak the fofteft language of Afia. The 
ferocity of the Macafiars is the reigning eharafteriftic of 
all the Malay nations ; and, as an evidence of their faith- 
Jefl'nefs and treachery, it is alleged, that their treaties of 
peace and friendship never fubfift beyond that felf-intereft 
by which they were induced to make them ; and they 
are almoft always armed, and either at war among thern- 
felves, or employed in pillaging their neighbours. Their 
ferocity, mifnamed courage by the Malays, is fo well 
known to the Europeans who have fettlements in the In¬ 
dies, that they have univerfally agreed in prohibiting the 
captains of their fhips, who may put into the Malay iflands, 
from taking on-board any feamen of that nation, except 
in the greateft diftrefs, and then on no account to exceed 
two or three. It is not uncommon for a few of thefe ra¬ 
vages fuddenly to embark, attack a veflel by furprife, 
poignard in band, maflacre the people, and make them¬ 
felves mafter of her. Malay barks, with twenty-five or 
thirty men, have been known to board European (hips of 
thirty or forty guns, in order to take poflefiion of them, 
and murder with their poignards great part of their crew. 
Thofe Malays who are not flaves always go armed ; and 
they would think themfelves difgraced if they went abroad 
without their poignards, or crifl'es. 
The attire of the males confifts of pantaloons with a 
wide robe of blue, red, or green ; the neck is bare, but the 
head is covered with a turban. The female drefs, like 
that generally ufed in the Eaft Indies, is a long narrowr 
petticoat, reaching from the brealt to the feet, whilft the 
other parts are naked, and the hair is commonly tied. 
The women are reckoned more intelligent than molt 
others in the eaft; and their conversation is of courfe fen. 
fible and agreeable. 
The other inhabitants of Malacca are Portuguefe, 
Moors, and Chinefe, and fome fettlers from Bengal and 
Guzerat. The chief articles of commerce are azd- wood 
and camphor from the kingdom of Pahang; tin, gold, 
pepper, pedra de porco, and ivory. The manufactures 
are various articles of drefs, worn here and in Hindooftan, 
cottons, chintz, &c. and fome articles of copper. When 
Malacca came into the poffeiTion of the Dutch, the Dutch 
Eaft-India company appointed the governor, under whofe 
controul were feveral factories, fome in, the peninfula, 
and others on the coalt of Sumatra. The factories are 
thole of Peirah, or Perah, on the Malay coalt, for the tin- 
trade ; of Keidah, or Quedah, on the fame coalt, for car¬ 
rying on commerce with the petty king of Xeedab, for 
tin, gold, and ivory ; of Oedjan-Salang, for tin and ivory ; 
of Andrigiri, on the coalt of Sumatra, for pepper and 
gold. The Dutch alfo traded with Ligor and Tanaferim, 
in the dominions of Siam, for tin; and with Bangkoelo, 
for gold and pedra de porco; before the Englilh eltablilhed 
themfelves there. The ifland Dending was alfo confidered 
as a dependence of Malacca. 
The country poflefied by the Malays is in general very 
fertile. It abounds with odoriferous wpods, fuch as the 
aloe, the fandal, and caflia. The ground is covered with 
.flowers of the greateft fragrance, of which there is perpe¬ 
tual fucceffion throughout the year. There are abun¬ 
dance of mines of the moft precious metals, flaid to be 
richer .even than thofe of Jlrafil or Pern ; and in fome 
places are mines of diamonds. The fea alfo abounds 
with 
