The men frequently cut their hair fhort, not appearing to take any pride in it: the women encourage their's to a confiderable length, and I have known many inftances of its reaching the ground. The men are beardlefs, and have chins fo remarkably fmooth, that were it not for the Malay priefts difplaying a little tuft, we should be apt to conclude that nature had refufed them this token of manhood. It is the fame in respect to other parts of the body, with both fexes; and this particular attention to their perfons, they efteem a point of delicacy, and the contrary an unpardonable neglect. The boys, as they approach to the age of puberty, rub their chins, upper lips, and thofe parts of the body that are fubject to fuperfluous hair, with chunam, (quick lime,) efpecially of fhells, which deftroys the roots of the incipient beard. The few pile, that afterwards appear, are plucked out from time to time with tweezers, which they always carry about them for that purpose.

Were it not for the numerous, and very refpectable authorities, from which we are affured that the natives of America are naturally beardless, I fhould think that the common opinion on that fubject had been rafhly adopted, and that their appearing thus at a mature age, was only the confequence of an early practice, fimilar to that obferved among the Sumatrans. Even now I must confefs that it would remove fome fmall degree of doubt from my mind, could it be ascertained that no fuch cuftom prevails.

It is allowed by travellers, that the Patagonians have tufts of hair on the upper lip and chin. Captain Carver fays, that among the tribes he vinted, the people made a regular practice of eradicating their beards with pincers. At Bruffels is preferved, along with a variety of ancient and curious fuits of armour, that of Montezuma, king of Mexico, of which the vizor, or mafk for the face, has remarkably large whiskers; an ornament which thofe Americans could not have imitated, unlefs nature had prefented them with the model.

The complexion of the Rejangs is properly yellow, wanting the red tinge that conftitutes a tawny or copper colour. They are in general lighter than the Meftees, or half bred, of the ret of India; thofe of the fuperior clafs, who are not exposed to the rays of the fun, and particularly their women of rank, approaching to a great degree of fairness. Did beauty confist in this one quality, fome of them would furpafs our brunettes in Europe. The major part of the females are ugly, and many of them even to difguft; yet there are thofe among them, whofe appearance is ftrikingly beautiful; whatever compofition

of perfon, features and complexion, that fentiment may be the refult of.

The fairness of the Sumatrans, comparatively with the other Indians, fituated as they are, under a perpendicular fun, where no season of the year affords an alternative cold, is, I think, an irrefragable proof that the difference of colour in the various inhabitants of the earth, is not the immediate effect of climate. The children of Europeans, born in this ifland, are as fair, and perhaps in general fairer, than thofe born in the country of their parents. I have obferved the fame of the fecond generation, where a mixture with the people of the country has been avoided. On the other hand, the offspring and all the defcendents of the Guinea and other African flaves, imported there, continue in the last inftance as perfectly black as in the original ftock.

I do not mean to enter into the merits of the queflion which naturally connects with thefe obfervations; but fhall only remark, that the fallow and aduft countenances, fo commonly acquired by Europeans who have long refided in hot climates, are more afcribable to the effect of bilious diftemper, which almost all are fubject to in a greater or lefs degree, than of their expofure to the influence of the weather, which few but feafaring people are liable to, and of which the impreffion is feldom permanent. From this circumftance, I have been led to conjecture that the general difparity of complexions in different nations, might poffibly be owing to the more or lefs copious fecretion, or redundance of that juice, rendering the skin more or lefs dark, according to the qualities of the bile prevailing in the conftitutions of each. But I fear fuch an hypothefis would not ftand the teft of experiment; as it must follow, that, upon diffection, the contents of a negro's gall bladder, or at leaft the extravafated bile, fhould uniformly be found black, Perfons fkilled in anatomy, will determine whether it is poffible that the qualities of any animal fecretion can fo far affect the frame, as to render their confequences liable to be tranfmitted to pofterity in their full force.

The small size of the inhabitants, and efpecially of the women, may be in fome measure owing to the early communica tion between the fexes; though, as the inclinations which lead to this intercourfe are prompted here, by nature, fooner than in cold climates, it is not unfair to fuppofe, that being propor tioned to the period of maturity, this is alfo fooner attained to, and confequently that the earlier ceffation of growth of these people is agreeable to the laws of their constitution, and not occafioned by a premature and irregular appetite. 4 A 2

The

The men of fuperior rank encourage the growth of their hand-nails, particularly thofe of the fore and little fingers, to an extraordinary length, frequently tinging them red with the expreffed juice of a fhrub called eeni; as they do the nails of their feet alfo, to which, being always uncovered, they pay as much attention as to their hands. The hands of the natives, and even of the half-bred, are always cold to the touch; which I cannot account for, otherwife than by a fuppofition that from the lefs degree of elasticity in the folids, occafioned by the heat of the climate, the internal action of the body, by which the fluids are put in motion, is lefs vigorous, the circulation is proportionably languid, and of courfe the diminished effect is most perceptible in the extremities, and a coldness there is the natu rál confequence.

The natives of the hills, through the whole extent of the ifland, are fubject to thofe monftrous wens from the throat, which have been obferved of the Vallais, and the inhabitants of other mountainous diftricts in Europe. It has been usual to attribute this affection to the badnefs, thawed state, mineral quality, or other peculiarity of the waters; many skilful men having applied themfelves to the investigation of the fubject. My experience enables me to pronounce, without hefitation, that the diforder, for fuch it is, though it appears to mark a distinct race of people, (Orong Goonong,) is immediately connected with the hillinefs of the country; and of courfe, if the circumstances of the water they ufe contribute, it must be only fo far as the nature of that water is affected by the inequality or height of the land. But on Sumatra, neither fnow nor other congelation is ever produced, which militates against the most plaufible conjecture that has been adopted concerning the Alpine goiters. From every research that I have been enabled to make, I think I have reafon to conclude that the complaint is owing, among the Sumatrans, to the fogginefs of the air in the valleys between the high mountains, where, and not on the fummits, the natives of these parts refide. I before remarked, that between the ranges of hills the caboot, or dense mist, was vifible for feveral hours every morning; rifing in a thick, opake, and well defined body, with the fun, and feldom quite difperfed 'till after noon. This phænomenon, as well as that of the wens, being peculiar to the regions of the hills, affords a prefumption that they may be connected; exclufive of the natural probability that a cold vapour, grofs to an uncommon degree, and continually enveloping the habitations, fhould affect with tumours the throats of the inhabitants. I cannot pretend to say how far this folution may apply to the cafe of the goiters, but I

recollect

recollect it to have been mentioned, that the only method of curing thefe people, is by removing them from the valley, to the clear and pure air on the tops of the hills; which feems to indicate a fimilar fource of the diftemper with what I have pointed out. The Sumatrans do not appear to attempt any remedy for it, the wens being confiftent with the highest health in other refpects.

The perfonal difference between the Malays of the coaft, and the country inhabitants, is not fo ftrongly marked but that it requires fome experience to diftinguish them. The latter, however, poffefs an evident fuperiority in point of fize and ftrength, and are fairer complexioned, which they probably owe to their fituation, where the atmosphere is colder; and it is generally obferved, that people living near the fea-fhore, and efpecially when accustomed to navigation, are darker than their inland neighbours. Some attribute the difparity in conftitutional vigour, to the more frequent ufe of opium among the Malays, which is fuppofed to debilitate the whole frame; but I have noted that the Leemoon and Batang Affy gold tra lers, who are a colony of that race fettled in the heart of the island, and who cannot exist a day without opium, are remarkably hale and fbout; which I have known to be obferved with a degree of envy by the opium fmokers of our fettlements. The inhabitants of Paffummah alío, are defcribed as being more robust in their perfons than the planters of the low country.

T

[To be continued.]

IMPERIAL CLEMENCY..

A MORAL

TALE.

[Continued from page 541.]

HE comte, who was to the full as much in love as if he

had been making it for years, and whofe intentions towards the object of his wishes were every way honourable, was by no means defirous, as yet, to difcover the fecret to his father. After fome deliberation, he procured lodgings for Maria in the neighbourhood. But who can ftop fame in a country village? The short space of two hours brought the whole affair, with additions, to the marechal; who immediately furprized the enamoured couple tete-a-tete in their new apartment. "Heighday!" exclaimed he, at entering, but not in a tone of paffion; "what! monfieur le comte getting the girls into a corner already! The comte made no anfwer; and he proceeded, "Well,

"Well, Mifs! and fo I find you have been laying love-baits for my fon; but-" Here Maria, trembling in every limb, threw herself at his feet, and entreated him, with a voice of fupplication which must have touched even a Nero, not to condemn her unheard. There was a fomething even in Maria's afpect that pleaded moft irrefiftibly in her favour, before her lips uttered a fingle fyllable; and fo fweet were the accents which flowed from that fource of candour and truth, that, had the afked for empires, no other idea would have refulted from the requeft, than bow they might be procured for her. Maria was fuffered to proceed: the told the marechal, in a few words, not one of which failed to reach his heart, that the presumed he was equally mistaken as to her defigns and character. She faid, like Lavinia, fhe had been left a folitary fhepherdess of the woods; with this difference, that Lavinia found comfort in the arms of a tender parent, whilft fhe had been configned to the care of a relation, who feemed to find a malicious pleasure in aggravating her diftrefs. At the mention of the park-fcene, the marechal could not help exclaiming to his fon," What! attempt the virtue of an innocent female, and steal a march upon her, when she was afleep too!"

The comte foon undeceived the marechal in his hafty conjectures; and when he came to the part aunt Dorothe had acted in the affair, the old gentleman's muscles took a very different turn, and gravity was the leaft prevailing paffion in his face. Maria then discovered her name and family, at which the marechal feemed greatly affected; protefting, in a tone of angelic fweetnefs, that he had none of those bafe defigns on the comte his fon, which the marechal had unkindly fuggefted. "I believe you, child, moft fincerely," faid the marechal, taking one of her hands in both his; " but what do you fuppose were my fon's defigns on you?" Maria blushed, and was filent. The comte, on being afked the fame queftion, immediately replied,

Matrimony." "Matrimony!" exclaimed the marechal : "what, no fooner enlifted in the fervice of Mars, than that of Venus must follow! Well, I always afferted that they were clofely connected together." The paufe of a minute which followed thefe apoftrophes, made the two young lovers tremble for the event. Maria conceived the old gentleman's hefitation to originate in her want of fortune: but how different would her prefentiments have proved, had fhe known what paffed in the marechal's heart during that short interval! He seized Maria's trembling hand, with an emotion that appeared evidently in every feature, and preffed and kiffed it with an ardour that shewed at once the fulness and candour of his heart." And

are