l68 COMMERCE WITH or powerful.'* The description of the people and their manners is done in many respects with graphic accuracy, and accords faithfully with the character of the Indian islanders. The men, for example, always wear a short weapon of exqui- site workmanship (the kris) — they never inflict corporal punishment — the punishment of death is very frequent — execution is performed by stabbing — the people are of a resentful disposition — in their marriage ceremonies, the man goes to the woman's house, not the woman to the man's — in the disposal of the dead, some are thrown into the water, some burnt, and some buried. The account given of the exports of the country, though some of the articles appear whimsical, are exactly those of the Indian islands, as gold, pearls, rhinoceros' horns, elephants' teeth, tortoise-shell, betel-nut, black pepper, suppan and agila wood, paroquets, green pigeons, doves of various hues, &c. The only two articles not easily accounted for are silver and cotton, unless these were brought to the em- poria frequented by the Chinese, through the Hindus, and Arabs coming to the same places, and exchanging them for spices, &c. the Chinese, and then it is of course pronounced accurate- ly or nearly so ; thus Ambun, or Amboyna, is An-buii, — Bali is Ba-li — Ma-la- ka. Mo- la-ka — Bantam, properly Bantan, Ban-tan. If a place have two names, they will gladly adopt the easiest, though the least known ; thus, for Batavia, or Jacatra, they say Ka- la-pa, and for Pasuruhan, Gam-bo2iy. 6
