the golden chersonese and the way thither-及5准
梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ○ 賜 ★ 辛酔堀貧和鍬匈梓囚徒貧議 Enter 囚辛指欺云慕朕村匈梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ● 辛指欺云匈競何
!!!!隆堋響頼紗秘慕禰厮宴和肝写偬堋響
live in houses which are more or less tasteful and secluded。 They are
well clothed in garments of both native and foreign manufacture察they
are a settled and agricultural people察they are skilful in some of the
arts察specially in the working of gold and the damascening of krises
the upper classes are to some extent educated察they have a literature
even though it be an imported one察and they have possessed for
centuries systems of government and codes of land and maritime laws
which察in theory at least察show a considerable degree of enlightenment。
Their religion察laws察customs察and morals are bound up together。 They
are strict Mussulmen察but among the uneducated especially they mix up
their own traditions and superstitions with the Koran。 The pilgrimage
to Mecca is the universal object of Malay ambition。 They practice relic
worship察keep the fast of Ramadhan察wear rosaries of beads察observe the
hours of prayer with their foreheads on the earth察provide for the
;religious welfare; of their villages察circumcise their children察offer
buffaloes in sacrifice at the religious ceremonies connected with
births and marriages察build mosques everywhere察regard Mecca as the
holy city察and the Koran察as expounded by Arab teachers察as the rule of
faith and practice。
Much learning has been expended upon the origin of Malayan察but it has
not been reliably traced beyond the ancient empire of Menangkabau in
Sumatra。 Mohammedanism undoubtedly brought with it a large introduction
of Arabic words察and the language itself is written in the Arabic
character。 It has been estimated by that most painstaking and learned
scholar察Mr。 Crawfurd察that one hundred parts of modern Malayan are
composed of twenty´seven parts of primitive Malayan察fifty of
Polynesian察sixteen of Sanskrit察five of Arabic察and two of
adventitious words察the Arabic predominating in all literature relating
to religion。 Malay is the lingua franca of the Straits Settlements察and
in the seaports a number of Portuguese and Dutch words have been
incorporated with it。
The Malays can hardly be said to have an indigenous literature察for it
is almost entirely derived from Persia察Siam察Arabia察and Java。 Arabic
is their sacred language。 They have察however察a celebrated historic
Malay romance called the Hang Tuah察parts of which are frequently
recited in their villages after sunset prayers by their village
raconteurs察and some Arabic and Hindu romances stand high in popular
favor。 Their historians all wrote after the Mohammedan era察and their
histories are said to contain little that is trustworthy察each State
also has a local history preserved with superstitious care and kept
from common eyes察but these contain little but the genealogies of their
chiefs。 They have one Malay historical composition察dated 1021 A。H。
which treats of the founding of the Malay empire of Menangkabau in
Sumatra察and comes down to the founding of the empire of Johore and the
conquest of Malacca by Albuquerque in 1511。 This has been thought
worthy of translation by Dr。 Leyden。
Their ethical books consist mainly of axioms principally derived from
Arabic and Persian sources。 Their religious works are borrowed from the
Arabs。 The Koran察of course察stands first察then comes a collection of
prayers察and next a guide to the religious duties required from
Mussulmen。 Then there are books containing selections from Arabic
religious works察with learned commentaries upon them by a Malay Hadji。
It is to be noticed that the Malays present a compact front against
Christianity察and have successfully resisted all missionary enterprise。
They have a good deal of poetry察principally of an amorous kind
characterized察it is said察by great simplicity察natural and pleasing
metaphor察and extremely soft and melodious rhyme。 They sing their poems
to certain popular airs察which are committed to memory。 Malay music
though plaintive and less excruciating than Chinese and Japanese察is
very monotonous and dirge´like察and not pleasing to a European ear。 The
pentatonic scale is employed。 The violin stands first among musical
instruments in their estimation。 They have also the guitar察the
flageolet察the aeolian flute察a bamboo in which holes are cut察which
produce musical sounds when acted upon by the wind察and both metallic
and wooden gongs。
They have no written system of common arithmetic察and are totally
unacquainted with its higher branches。 Their numerals above one
thousand are borrowed from the Hindus察and their manner of counting is
the same as that of the Ainos of Yezo。
Their theory of medicine is derived from Arabia察and abounds in mystery
and superstition。 They regard man as composed of four elements and four
essences察and assimilate his constitution and passions to the twelve
signs of the zodiac察the seven planets察etc。察exaggerating the
mysterious sympathy between man and external nature。 The successful
practice of the hakim or doctor must be based on the principle of
;preserving the balance of power; among the four elements察which is
chiefly effected by moderation in eating。
They know nothing of astronomy察except of some meagre ideas derived
through the Arabs from the Ptolemaic system察and Mr。 Newbold察after
most painstaking research察failed to discover any regular treatise on
astronomy察though Arabic and Hindu tracts on interpretations of dreams
horoscopes察spells察propitious and unpropitious moments察auguries
talismans察love philters察medicinal magic and recipes for the
destruction of people at a distance察are numerous。 They acknowledge the
solar year察but adopt the lunar察and reckon the months in three
different ways察dividing them察however察into weeks of seven days
marking them by the return of the Mohammedan Sabbath。 They suppose the
world to be an oval body revolving on its axis four times within a
year察with the sun察a circular body of fire察moving round it。 The
majority of the people still believe that eclipses are caused by the
sun or moon being devoured by a serpent察and they lament loudly during
their continuance。 The popular modes of measuring distance are
ingenious察but察to a stranger at least察misleading。 Thus Mr。 Daly察in
attempting to reach the interior States察received these replies to his
inquiries about distance;As far as a gunshot may be heard from this
particular hill察─ If you wash your head before starting it will not be
dry before you reach the place察─etc。 They also measure distances by
the day's walk察and by the number of times it is necessary to chew
betel between two places。 The hours are denoted by terms not literally
accurate。 Cockcrowing is daybreak察1 P。M。察and midnight察9 A。M。察Lepas
Baja察is the time when the buffaloes察which cannot work when the sun is
high察are relieved from the plough察Tetabawe is 6 P。M。察the word
signifying the cry of a bird which is silent till after sunset。 The
Malay day begins at sunset。
They are still maritime in their habits察and very competent practical
sailors and boat´builders察but though for centuries they divided with
the Arabs the carrying trade between Eastern and Western Asia察and
though a mongrel Malay is the nautical language of nearly all the
peoples from New Guinea to the Tenasserim coast察the Malays knew little
of the science of navigation。 They timed their voyages by the constant
monsoons察and in sailing from island to island coasted the Asiatic
shores察trusting察when for a short time out of sight of land察not to
the compass察though they were acquainted with it察but to known rocks
glimpses of headlands察the direction of the wind察and their observation
of the Pleiades。
They have no knowledge of geography察architecture察painting察sculpture
or even mechanics察they no longer make translations from the Arabic or
create fiction察and the old translations of works on law察ethics察and
science are now scarcely studied。 Education among them is at a very low
ebb察but the State of Kedah is beginning to awake to its advantages。
Where schools exist the instruction consists mainly in teaching the
children to repeat察in a tongue which they do not understand察certain
passages from the Koran and some set prayers。
As to law察Sir Stamford Raffles observed in a formal despatch察 Nothing
has tended more decidedly to the deterioration of the Malay character
than the want of a well´defined and generally acknowledged system of
law。; There are numerous legal compilations察however察and nearly every
State has a code of its own to a certain extent察there are maritime and
land codes察besides ;customs; bad and good察which override the written
law察while in Perak察Selangor察and Sungei Ujong an ill understood
adaptation of some portions of British law further complicates matters。
;The glorious uncertainty; of law is nowhere more fully exemplified
than on this Peninsula。 It is from the Golden Island察the parent Empire
of Menangkabau察that the Malays profess to derive both their criminal
and civil law察their tribal system察their rules for the division of
land by boundary marks察and the manner of government as adapted for
sovereigns and their ministers。 The existence of the various legal
compilations has led to much controversy and even bloodshed b