ducks and wild-geefe, come not under the protection of the game laws. The bird in queftion, I will not call a goofe-this bird, I fay, was on the wing; John fhot, and unfortunately brought it down. How could he tell it came from the farmer's yard? From the moment it quitted its reclaimed quality of anfer domefticus, [tame goofe,] from that moment it became fera natura, [of the wild kind,] and free for the firft occupant. This, gentlemen, I take to be law. I have made it my itudy." He hemmed, and looked important." But, an pleafe your worships, admitting the fact, that the bird in queftion actually was the property of the farmer for infecus, [out of doors,] there is a mifnomer in the charge; as I have evidence ready to prove, on oath, that it was not a goofe, but a gander; and femina pro mas, [female for male,] muft, in any court of judicature, quafh the indictment, and nonfuit the plaintiff," The juftices looked very wife: they put their heads together; they agreed it was a difficult cafe, and did not chufe to decide upon it. They ordered the parties, therefore, to be bound over to the next feffions. The meeting clofed with the appearance of a pretty innocent-looking wench, with a big-belly. She feemed much confounded, and the tears ran down her crimson checks plentifully. "Here, you ftrumpet!" fays juftice Formal, "nothing but fornication goes forward, and the parishes are loaded with baf tards." "An please your worfhips," faid fhe, fobbing, "mine is no baftard; for John always promised, and was very willing, to marry me, if your worship had not preffed John for a foldier the very night we were at the clerk's writing the banns, for fear that, as he was fettled in your worship's parish, we and our family might fome time or other be burthenfome; but, I'll warrant your worships, John had rather have worked his fingers to the bone, than let us want." "Hold your tongue, you impudent gypfy!" cried juftice Forward," did not I catch you with him behind the hay-ftack, the very evening my hay was carried!-If fome punishment, Mr. Manftein, is not inflicted on thefe jades we fhall have more baftard-children born in the parifh than pigs. I hope you will order her mittimus for the houfe of correction, as foon as she has lain-in, and deter others, by fuch wholefome severities, from the like practices." My uncle looked a little grave, "To be fure, (faid he,) Mr. Formal, the cafe is fomewhat hard; but, to oblige your 4 D 2 worship, worship, I shall not refuse my confent to put the law in force, as I hope you will oblige me on another occafion.-What fay you, Mr. Guzzle ?" "With all my heart, Mr. Chairman-I can't fay I was hearkening to the cafe-with all my heart-Gentlemen, here's to ye!" and he gave the tankard a confiderable elevation. The poor creature wept bitterly whilft her commitment was making out by Mr. Mittimus. It grieved me: I stepped out as the conftable took her away, and, flipping a guinea into her hand, bid her hold her tongue, and not cry, and I would try if I could not get John for her husband, notwithstanding the juf tice. She was carried back to her parish 'till she had lain-in. I rode that way the next day, and, calling at the cottage where the dwelt, I asked if fhe was fure John would marry her if the went to him. "Marry me! God bless your honour! yes, to be fure; he never meant no other." John, I found, was quartered at Plymouth. I gave her five guineas, and bid her fay nothing, but march off as foon as poffible, and get married; when the might either follow him in the fervice, or bring back the certificate of her marriage to her friends. She looked at me with a face of furprize, delight, and almost adoration. "God blefs your honour !" fhe cried, the big tears of gratitude ftanding in her eyes," the unborn fha'l pray for you!" She decamped that very evening with her bundle, and I had the pleafure to hear they were married, to their great joy, the day after her arrival at Plymouth. The dinner was called for; the company fell to heartily, and church and king went round brifkly. My uncle, brim-full of my fifter's marriage and India, began to display his learning to the company by an account of the eaft; and faid, the Mogul was a Gentoo, who never killed a flea, though he caught it fucking him, for fear he should dif lodge the foul of his grandfather. Mr. Quirk, who had a little fmattering of knowledge, prefumed to fet my uncle right; and faid, his worship was somewhat mistaken, for that the Great Mogul was a Mahometan My uncle, you know, could not bear contradiction. He told Mr. Quirk, very abruptly, that was his ignorance. The difpute grew warm-the company was appealed to-juftice Formal, as Mr. Manftein had fo lately obliged him, fided with my uncle-juftice Guzzle acknowledged he understood not not thefe outlandish matters-and I held my tongue, though I fcarcely could my countenance. Mr. Quirk feeing my uncle in a heat, and hoping fome time or other to fucceed Mr. Mittimus as juftice's cierk, gave up the point-and we parted all very good friends. As we were returning home in the chaife," Nephew, (faid he,) don't think me quite fo ignorant on this fubject, which we have been difputing, as I appeared to be. I prefently recollected I was mistaken; but when I have faid a thing, I think it makes a man in company look little to draw back, and confefs he is wrong." There, Jack, is a fubject to laugh over; I fhall be happy if it entertains you.. Defeription of the Perfons, Cuftoms, and Manners of the REJANGS, a People who are Inhabitants of the Island of Sumatra. By WILLIAM MARSDEN, F. R. S. T [Continued from page 557.] HE original cloathing of the Sumatrans is the fame with that found by navigators among the inhabitants of the South-Sea iflands, and now generally called by the name of Otaheitean cloth, It is ftil ufed among the Rejangs for their working drefs; and I have one in my poffeffion, procured from thofe people, confifting of a jacket, fhort drawers, and a cap for the head. This is the inner bark of a certain fpecies of tree, beat out to the degree of fineness required; approaching the more to perfection, as it refembles the fofter kind of leather, fome being nearly equal to the most delicate kid-fkin; in which character it fomewhat differs from the South-Sea cloth, as that bears a refemblance rather to paper, or the manufacture of the loom. The country people now conform in a great measure to the drefs of the Malays, which I fhail therefore describe in this place; obferving, that much more fimplicity ftill prevails among the former; who look upon the others as coxcombs, that lay out all their fubftance on their backs, whilt, in their turns, they are regarded by the Malays with contempt, as unpolished ruf tics. A man's drefs confifts of the following. A clofe waistcoat, fleeves, but having a neck like a fhirt, buttoned clofe up to the top with buttons, often of gold fillagree. This fort of drefs is peculiar to the Malays. Over this they wear the badjoo, which refembles refembles a morning-gown, open at the neck, but fastened close at the wrists, and half way up the arm, with nine buttons to each fleeve. The hadjoo worn by young men, is open in front no farther down than the bosom, and reaches no lower than the waift, whereas the others hang loofe to the knees, and fometimes to the ankles. They are made ufually of blue or white cotton cloth; for the better fort, of chintz, and, for great men, of flowered filks. The cayen farrong is not unlike a Scotch Highlander's plaid, in appearance, being a piece of party-coloured cloth, about fix or eight feet long, and three or four wide, fewed together at the ends; forming, as fome writers have described it, á wide fack without a bottom. This is fometimes gathered up, and flung over the shoulder, fomewhat like a fafh, or elfe folded and tucked about the waift and hips; and, in full drefs, it is bound on by the creefe (dagger) belt, which is of crimson filk, and wraps feveral times round the body, with a loop at the end, in which the fheath of the creese hangs. They wear fhort drawers, reaching half way down the thigh, generally of red or yellow taffeta. There is no covering to their legs or feet. Round their heads they faften, in a particular manner, a fine coloured handkerchief, fo as to resemble a small turban; the country people ufually twifting piece of white or blue cloth for this purpofe. The crown of their head remains uncovered, except on journeys, when they wear a toodong, or umbrella-hat, which completely fcreens them from the weather. The women have a kind of bodice, or fhort waiftcoat rather, that defends the breafts, and reaches to the hips. The cayen farrong, before described, comes up as high as the arm-pits, and extends to the feet, being kept on fimply by folding and tucking it over at the breaft, except when the tallee pending, or zone, is worn about the waift, which forms an additional and neceffary fecurity. This is ufually of embroidered cloth, and fometimes a plate of gold or filver, about two inches broad, faftening in front with a large clafp of fillagree and chafed work, with fome kind of precious ftone, or imitation of fuch, in the centre. The badjoo, or upper gown, differs little from that of the men, buttoning in the fame manner at the wrifts. A piece of fine, thin, blue cotton cloth, about five feet long, and worked or fringed at each end, called a falendang, is thrown acrofs the back of the neck, and hangs down before; ferving alfo the purpose of a veil to the women of rank when they walk abroad. The handkerchief is carried, either folded fmall in the hand, or at length, over the fhoulder. There are two modes of dreffing the hair, one termed coondye, and the other fangoll. The first resembles much the fashion in which we see the Chinese women women reprefented in paintings, and which I conclude they borrowed from thence, where the hair is wound circularly over the centre of the head, and fastened with a filver bodkin or pin. In the other mode, which is more general, they give the hair a fingle turn as it hangs behind, and then doubling it up, they pafs it cross-wife, under a few hairs feparated from the reft, on the back of the head, for that purpose. A comb, often of tortoifefhell, and fometimes fillagreed, helps to prevent it from falling down. The hair of the front, and of all parts of the head, are of the fame length, and, when loofe, hang together behind, with most of the women, in very great quantity. It is kept moist with oil, commonly of the cocoa-nut; but those who can afford it, make ufe of an empyreumatic oil, extracted from gum Benjamin, as a grateful perfume. They wear no covering, except ornaments of flowers, which, on particular occafions, are the work of much labour and ingenuity. The head-dresses of the dancing girls by profeffion, who are ufually Javans, are very artificially wrought, and as high as any modern English lady's cap, yielding only to the feathered plumes of the year 1777. It is impoffible to defcribe in words thefe intricate and fanciful matters, fo as to convey a juft idea of them. The flowers worn in undrefs are, for the most part, ftrung in wreaths, and have a very neat and pretty effect, without any degree of gaudinefs, being ufually white, or a pale yellow, fmall, and frequently only half blown. Thofe generally chofen for thefe occañons, are the boongo-tanjong and boongo-melloor: the boongo-choompaco is ufed to give the hair a fragrance, but is concealed from the fight. They fometimes combine a variety of flowers in fuch a manner as to appear like one, and fix them on a fingle ftock; but thefe, being more formal, are lefs elegant than the wreaths. Among the country people, particularly in the fouthern countries, the virgins (orang gaddees, or goddeffes, as it is ufually pronounced,) are diftinguished by a fillet, which goes across the front of the hair, and faftens behind. This is commonly a thin plate of filver, about half an inch broad: those of the first rank have it of gold, and thofe of the lowest class have their fillet of the leaf of the nepah-tree. Befides this peculiag ornament, their fate of pucellage is denoted by their having rings or bracelets of filver or gold on their wrifts. Strings of coins round the neck are univerfally worn by children; and the females, before they are of an age to be cloathed, have what may not be inaptly termed a modefty piece, being a plate of filver in the fhape of an heart, hung before by chain of the fame metal, paffing round the waift. The young women, in the country villages, manufacture themfelves the cloth that conftitures the |