J 83 
M A L A C C A. 
with excellent fifh, together with nmhergrife, pearls, and 
thoii'e delicate bird-nelts fo much in requeft in China, 
formed in the rocks with the fpawn of fillies and the foam 
of the fea, by a fpecies of linall-fized fwallow peculiar to 
thofe feas. Thefe curious little fabrics are of an oval 
(liape, arranged in regular rows, compofed of fine fila¬ 
ments, cemented together by vifcous matter; and, when 
white and t ran ('parent, are faid to be worth their weight 
in filver. 
Notwithftanding all this plenty, however, the Malays 
are miferable. The culture of the lands, abandoned to 
(laves, is fallen into contempt. Thefe wretched labourers, 
dragged inceffantly from their ruftic employments by their 
reltiefs mafters, who delight in war and maritime enter- 
prifes, have never time or refolution to give the neceflary 
attention to the labouring of their grounds; of confe- 
quence the lands for the molt part are uncultivated, and 
produce no kind of grain for the fubfiftence of the inha¬ 
bitants. The fago-tree indeed fupplies in part the defeCt 
of grain. It is a fpecies of the palin-tree, which grows 
naturally in the woods to the height of about twenty or 
thirty feet; its circumference being fometimes from five 
to fix. Its ligneous bark is about an inch in thicknefs, 
and covers a multitude of long fibres, which, being inter¬ 
woven one with another, envelope a mafs of a gummy 
kind of meal. As foon as this tree is ripe, a whitilh dult, 
which tranfpires through the pores of the leaves, and ad¬ 
heres to their extremities, indicates that the trees are in a 
Hate of maturity. The Malays then cut them down near 
the root, and divide them into feveral feCtions, which they 
fplit into quarters ; they then fcoop out the mafs of mealy 
fubftance, which is enveloped by and adheres to the fibres ; 
they dilute it in pure water, and then pafs it through a 
(training-bag of fine cloth, in order to feparate it from the 
fibres. When this pafte has loft part of its moifture by 
evaporation, the Malays throw it into a kind of earthen 
velfel of different (hnpes, where they allow it to dry and 
harden. This pafte is wholefome nourifiting food, and 
preferves for many years. 
The Malay doofoons , or villages, are frequently fituated 
on the borders of a lake, and generally command an emi¬ 
nence difficult of accefs. Their lioufes are raifed from 
the ground on polls or ftandards, in the manner of the 
granaries in England; the frames are of wood; the floor¬ 
ing confifts of layers of bamboo, over which is a lath of 
bamboo fplit thin, and tied down with the filaments of 
the rattan. This elaftic floor is covered with mats of va¬ 
rious kinds. The fides of the houfe are clofed in with 
paloopo, which is the bamboo half fplit, opened, and 
rendered flat, by notching the circular joints withinfide, 
laying it to dry in the fun, preffed down with weights. 
The houfes are commonly covered with the altafs, a fpe¬ 
cies of palm-leaf; the larger houles have three pitches 
in the roof; the middle one, under which the door is 
placed, being much lower than the other two ; in fmaller 
houfes there are but two pitches, and the entrance is in 
the fmaller, which covers a kind of hall or cocking-room. 
The afcent to thefe dwellings is by a light fcaling-ladder 
of notched bamboo, which is (eidom fattened to the tim¬ 
bers, and is fometimes taken in at night, to guard againft 
the fudden incurlions of ferocious animals. The furni¬ 
ture is Ample as the edifice; the bed is no other than a 
fine mat, with pillows embelliffied with Come fliowy ma¬ 
terial refembling foil; a canopy compofed of party-co¬ 
loured cloth is fufpended over the head ; neither chairs 
nor tables are neceflary articles to the Javanefe, who fit 
on the floor reclining on the left fide, fupported on the 
left hand. With the ufe of knives and ipoons they are 
wholly unacquainted ; they ufe falvers called the doolong, 
which move on feet; on thefe are placed the crofs waiters, 
and in them are the cups containing their curry and rice, 
which at their meals is always taken up between the right 
thumb and fingers. The houfes have not the convenience 
of chimneys; the fire-places are formed of loofe bricks or 
(tones arranged on the landing-place before the door. 
The art which is celebrated as having been carried to the 
greateft perfection among the Malays, is that of gold and 
filver fillagree. It is the minutenefs of the parts, and the 
delicacy of finger required in the manipulation, for which 
this manufacture is jultly admired ; and Mr. Marfden re¬ 
marks the ufual rudenefs of implement, and dexterity of 
life, which diftinguith the arts of an uncultivated peo¬ 
ple. They manufacture filk and cotton cloths for their 
own confumption. “Some of their work,” fays Mr. Marf¬ 
den, “ is very fine, and the patterns prettily fancied.” 
But no branch of induftry appears to be purfued among 
them to any confulerable extent. 
In literature, it would appear that the Malays have ra¬ 
ther made a greater progrefs than in government and the 
arts. Their language is cetebrated for its loftnefs and 
melody. See the article Language, vol. xii. p. 167. The 
mod numerous clafs of writers, of courfe, are the poets ; 
but Dr. Leyden l’eems not to hold them in great account. 
Hiltorical narratives, he fays, abound; occafionally,” he 
doubts not, “ embellifhed by fiCtion.” He alfo affirms, 
that “the juridical cuftoms, or traditions of the Malays, 
have been collected into codes.” And the mod ancient 
of their legal regulations, he thinks, have been derived 
from the Javanele. “ Malayan literature,” fays Mr. Marf¬ 
den, f‘ confifts chiefly of tranfcripts and verfions of the 
Koran ; commentaries on the Muffulman law ; and hif- 
toric tales, both in profe and ver(e, refembling in fome 
refpeCt our old romances. Many of thefe are original 
pompolitions; and others are tranflations of the popular 
tales current in Arabia, Perfia, India, and the neighbour¬ 
ing ifland of Java.” The cultivation of the lciences they 
appear not to have begun. Tens of thoufands are the 
higheft clafs of numbers the Malay language has a name 
for. 
One of the mod remarkable peculiarities in the defcrip- 
tion of the Malays is their religion. It is the Mahometan, 
derived immediately from connexion with the Arabs. 
It is fufficiently known, that during the thirteenth cen¬ 
tury, to which the converfion of the Malays is affigned, 
the Arabs were a maritime people, and conduced a trade 
of confiderable extent with the iflands and continents of 
the eaft. By what means they recommended their reli¬ 
gion to the Malays is yet buried in obfcurity ; but they 
founded the city of Malacca about the year iz 6 o, when 
it appears not that any thing deferving the name of a city 
was yet poffeffed by the Malays. The introduction of 
the Muffulman religion was alfo the introduction of the 
Muffulman law, the Koran being the divine ftandard of 
both. As the Koran, however, is fufficiently vague, and 
Hill more fo the laws or traditionary cuftoms of the Ma¬ 
lays, a worfe amalgamation might ealily be made. The 
Malays, too, embraced the religion of the prophet with a 
kind of laxity, retaining a large proportion of their anci¬ 
ent feelings and ideas; and it is not the pureft and mod 
rigid Mahometanifm which they profefs. Their laws, ac¬ 
cordingly, are a mixture of their own cuitems with the 
regulations which the Mahometan doctors have pretended 
to draw from the facred text. Of the form of their tri¬ 
bunals, or the modes of procedure, we have as yet recei ved 
no information. 
The moral character of the Malays is painted by Mr. 
Marfden in the molt unfavourable colours: “They retain 
a ftrong (hare of pride, (fays lie;) but not of that lauda¬ 
ble kind which reitrains men from the commiffion of mean 
and fraudulent actions. They poffels much low cunning, 
and plaulible duplicity ; and know how to diiiemble the 
(trongeft paflions, and mod inveterate antipathy, till the 
opportunity of gratifying their refentment offers. Vera¬ 
city, gratitude, and integrity, are not to be found in .the 
lift of their virtues ; and their minds are almoft (trangers 
to the fentimentsof honour and integrity. They are jea¬ 
lous and vindictive. Their courage is defultory, the ef¬ 
fect of a momentary enthufiafm, which enables them to 
perform deeds of incredible delperation ; but they are 
ltrangers to lteady magnanimity, and cool refolution in 
battle. 
