The World of Waters - Mrs. David Osborne
CHARLES. "Sumatra is, next to Borneo, the largest island in the
Eastern seas. It is situated in the midst of the torrid zone, is
upwards of 1000 miles long, nearly 200 in breadth, and is divided
from Java by the Straits of Sunda.
"The Sumatrans are a well-made people, with yellow complexions,
sometimes inclining to white. They have some of the customs of the
South Sea Islanders; amongst others, those barbarous practices of
flattening the noses, and compressing the heads of children
newly-born, whilst the skull is yet soft or _cartilaginous_. They
likewise pull out the ears of infants to make them stand at an angle
from the head. They file, blacken, and otherwise disfigure the
teeth; and the great men sometimes set theirs in gold, by casing the
under row with a plate of that metal."
GEORGE. "Is Sumatra a gold country?"
"Why," said Mr. Wilton, smiling, "have you never heard of the gold
of Mount Ophir? Well, that is the name of the highest mountain in
Sumatra."
GEORGE. "Then there is gold in Sumatra, and I suppose it is washed
down by the rivers. Is there any other metal there?"
MR. WILTON. "Gold is the most abundant; but saltpetre and naphtha
are among the products. Quantities of rice are grown here, and a
singular method is adopted for separating the grain from the ear.
The bunches of paddy are spread on mats, and the Sumatrans rub out
the grain under their feet, supporting themselves, for the more easy
performance of this labor, by holding with their hands a bamboo
placed horizontally over their heads."
[Illustration: A WATER SPOUT]
CHARLES. "I should hope they wash the rice after this process:
although, as rice is so dry, they doubtless consider it unnecessary:
I find Sumatra is a foggy island, and contains only one important
kingdom.--viz., Acheen."
MR. BARRAUD. "Fogs are not its worst calamities: thunder-storms and
water-spouts off the coasts are very frequent."
GEORGE. "What produces water-spouts?"
MR. BARRAUD. "Dr. Franklin supposed that water-spouts and whirlwinds
proceed from the same cause. A fluid moving from all parts
horizontally towards a centre, must at that centre either mount or
descend. If a hole be opened in the bottom of a tub filled with
water, the water will flow from all sides to the centre, and there
descend in a whirl; but air flowing in or near the surface of land
or water, from all sides towards a centre, must at that centre
ascend, because the land or water will hinder its descent."
MR. WILTON. "As Charles states, Acheen, with regard to business
transactions, is the only place of note in the island of Sumatra.
The inhabitants have no coin, but make their payments in gold dust,
which they keep in divided parcels, contained in pieces of bladder,
and these are weighed by the person who takes them in payment. They
have some odd forms about them; for instance, in _marriage_ and
_burial_. The bride is bargained for with the parents, and if
settled satisfactorily, the young couple partake together of two
different sorts of rice, and the ceremony is concluded by the father
of the lady throwing a piece of cloth over them.
"When a man of rank dies, his body is kept in a coffin for several
months; the soft parts dissolving during that interval are conveyed
in a fluid state by a bamboo tube, from the bottom of the coffin
into the earth."
EMMA. "How very disgusting! and how very unwholesome for the
relatives of the deceased, in such a hot country too. I wonder the
inhabitants do not all die from infection."
MR. STANLEY. "These practices do vastly increase the mortality; but
old customs are not easily abolished. Do you sail as far north as
the Bay of Bengal, Charles?"
CHARLES. "No, sir, all that portion of the ocean has been navigated:
our next island is Borneo."
MR. STANLEY. "But I suppose there would be no objection to my
putting in a word on the Burman Empire, which probably you are not
_much_ acquainted with. Parts of it are in the same longitude as the
north of Sumatra; and I merely wish to mention some peculiarities
connected with the Burmese. The government is entirely despotic, and
the sovereign almost deified. When anything belonging to him is
mentioned, the epithet 'golden' is invariably attached to it. When
he is said to have heard anything, 'it has reached the golden ears:'
the perfume of roses is described as grateful to the 'golden nose.'
The sovereign is sole proprietor of all the elephants in his
dominions; and the privilege to keep or ride on one is only granted
to men of the first rank. No honors here are hereditary. All
officers and dignities depend on the crown. The 'tsaloe,' or chain,
is the badge of nobility, and superiority of rank is signified by
the number of cords or divisions."
GEORGE. "Is it true that they are a proud, consequential people?"
MR. STANLEY. "Yes, quite true. Men of rank have their barges tugged
by war-boats, common watermen not being admitted into the same boat
with them.
"A singularly absurd custom takes place in this country, in certain
forms of political homage shown to a white elephant,--a
preternatural animal kept for the purpose,--superbly lodged near the
royal palace, sumptuously dressed and fed, provided with
functionaries like a second sovereign, held next in rank to the
king, and superior to the queen, and made the recipient of presents,
and other tokens of respect from foreign ambassadors."
CHARLES. "Well, that _is_ an odd superstition. I am much obliged to
you for going out of the track to tell us these strange 'sayings and
doings' of the Burmese. Are we now to resume our station?"
MR. WILTON. "You are pilot. Charles; we rely on your guidance! Go
where you please: we are not to control your movements."
CHARLES. "Then, like Sir James Brooke, I will go to Borneo; but I do
not expect to be made a rajah for my trouble: indeed I scarcely know
if I should like to live there, although it is the largest island in
the world, and is very fertile, and contains diamond mines and vast
quantities of gold."
MR. STANLEY. "By-the-by, that reminds me of the fact that the petty
prince of Mattan, in Borneo, is in possession of one of the largest
diamonds in the world. It was obtained a hundred years ago from the
mines of Landak, and is worth 269,378_l_."
EMMA. "Which are the other large diamonds?"
MR. WILTON. "The Great Russian diamond, which is valued at
304,200_l._; and the Great Pitt diamond, valued at 149,605_l_. But
we are departing from our subject. Borneo is, next to New Holland,
the largest island in the world. It is 900 miles long, and 700
broad."
DORA. "When did Sir James Brooke go to Borneo, and what was his
object in going?"
MR. WILTON. "In August, 1839, he anchored off Borneo; and his object
was purely philanthropic. He went to spread abroad the glorious
truths of Christianity--to arouse the slumbering energies of these
interesting people--to increase trade--to suppress piracy,--and to
gain information for the profit of his own native land. Such were
his principal motives. Particulars of his success, of the benefits
he has conferred on thousands of his fellow-creatures, and of his
travels and adventures, may be seen in his own published journal, to
more advantage than I can possibly set them before you."
MR. BARRAUD. "Since Sir James Brooke's visit, the Dido and several
other vessels of war have cruised in the Asiatic Archipelago, all
tending to suppress piracy, and encourage native trade and commerce.
The island of Labuan, off the north-west of Borneo, has been ceded
to England, and Sir James Brooke appointed agent for the British
Government,--an appointment which confers on him additional power
and influence; besides which, the Sultan has nominated him Rajah of
Sarawak. Thus in the course of a few years has a complete revolution
been worked in one of the finest portions of our globe, and a new
and better system of things been established, all through the
enlightened and philanthropic energy of a single individual."
CHARLES. "Borneo is the chief of the Sunda group, is extremely
fertile, producing all sorts of tropical fruits, and various spices
and drugs. Much of the interior is covered by immense forests,
inhabited by wild animals, and aboriginal tribes of human beings
almost as wild. It is in Borneo that the largest of the monkey
tribe, the ponga, equalling the human race in stature, is to be
found; also the ourang-outang, or Simia Satyrus, which comes nearer
to man in his looks, manners, and gait. Some writers assert that
these animals light fires, at which they broil their fish and rice;
but these accounts are not verified by recent observers. Wild bees
are so numerous here, that their wax forms a very extensive article
of export."
MRS. WILTON. "Borneo is called, by the natives, Pulo Kalamantan.
Borneo was the name of a city, the residence of a powerful prince in
1520, when Magellan went there: hence the Spaniards concluded that
the whole island belonged to this prince, and they called it all
Borneo. There are a great many tribes of Indians in this large
island, and the sea-coasts are inhabited by Malayans, of whom Sir
James Brooke speaks in the higher terms, as regards honesty,
cleanliness, &c. They understand the art of cutting, polishing, and
setting their diamonds. Gold and silver filigree works they excel
in; and they are otherwise ingenious, but can scarcely be considered
industrious."
DORA. "South-west of Sumatra, in latitude 12 deg. south, longitude 97 deg.
east, are the Cocos or Keeling Islands, which are entirely coralline
in their formation; very fertile, with a salubrious climate. In
1830, Captain Ross and Alexander Hare, Esq., undertook to cultivate
these islands, and render them productive. They succeeded, and they
now form a fine settlement."
CHARLES. "I shall feel greatly obliged if Mr. Stanley will take the
helm, and steer us across the Indian Ocean; for there are such
hundreds, I might almost say thousands, of islands, that I feel
convinced I shall run you all ashore, where none of you are disposed
to go."
MR. STANLEY. "Come, then, I will relieve you for a while, because it
would be most unpleasantly awkward for the ladies to be cast ashore
on a desert island; and equally so on an inhabited one, if they
possessed no letters of introduction to the natives.
"In crossing the Indian Ocean, we must sail by a great many islands;
but I do not think it will be prudent to go ashore until we arrive
at the Isle of Bourbon, and there we can pass a few days very
comfortably before we sail for Madagascar."
EMMA. "Oh, yes! Bourbon is quite a civilized island. It belongs to
the French, does it not, mamma?"
MRS. WILTON. "Yes, my dear; but the discovery was not theirs.
Mascarenhas, a Portuguese navigator, claims the credit. He
discovered it in 1545, and it bore his name until the French took
possession of it in the next century. When they first occupied it,
the sides of the mountains were covered with forests, which reached
even to the shores. The whole of the lower lands have since been
cleared; but the centre of this island is still covered with its
primitive vegetation, which affords forty-one different species of
woods serviceable for arts and manufactures. The coasts abound with
fish and large turtles, and furnish also coral and ambergris.
Bourbon contains a college, and numerous schools, sixteen churches,
two hospitals, two establishments for the relief of the poor, and
two prisons."
MR. BARRAUD. "Why are we to take no notice of the fine colony of
Mauritius, or Isle of France? It is quite as large as Bourbon:
moreover it is a British possession."
MR. STANLEY. "I see no just cause or impediment why we should not
land there. Let us see, what is its size?"
CHARLES. "Its circumference is about 140 miles. Port Louis is its
principal town, and is said to contain 30,000 inhabitants; it has an
excellent harbor, capable of containing 50 large vessels; and it is
well protected by nature from the violence of the weather, and from
the attacks of enemies, by strong fortifications."
GEORGE. "Now to Madagascar. I am longing to go there; for I know
nothing about either country or people."
MRS. WILTON. "Madagascar is a large and beautiful island, with
mountains, valleys, lakes and streams, diversifying its whole
extent. It is between 800 and 900 miles long, and between 200 and
300 broad. The metals dug here, are gold, silver, copper, steel, and
iron; and a great variety of precious stones are found in the rivers
and brooks of Madagascar. Civet is plentiful, and is taken from the
civet cat; and the natives obtain musk from the crocodile, and call
it tartave. Tananarievo, the capital, stands on the summit of a
lofty hill, and commands an extensive prospect of the surrounding
country. The principal houses are of wood, and the palace of the
king is about the centre of the town, enclosed in a high palisading
of strong poles."
GEORGE. "If the palace be so homely, what can the poor folks' houses
be like?"
MR. WILTON. "Oh! they are of wood too, but mere huts; they have no
chimneys, and the door and window affording the only means of escape
for the smoke arising from the fires, which are kindled on the floor
of the house, the soot collects on the inner side of the roofs of
their dwellings, where it is never disturbed by the people, who
consider it a badge of honorable ancestry to have large quantities
of soot hanging in long black shreds from the roof of their
dwelling."
EMMA. "What a dirty badge! Are they dirty people?"
MR. STANLEY. "They are not exactly dirty, but very slothful; and
when not compelled to exert themselves in husbandry or war, they
pass their time in sleep. They have little thought for the morrow;
and, in fact, seem to be a thoroughly contented happy race; and so
they ought to be, in one sense, for they are surrounded by every
comfort, and even luxury, which the hand of nature can produce.
Their characteristic feature is simplicity; and they regard the
example of their forefathers as authority for every action."
DORA. "They are Christians, I believe?"
MRS. WILTON. "I wish I could say they are, my dear Dora. Some
Christians there certainly are in Madagascar; but the majority are
ruled by superstition. They acknowledge one only true God, the
Creator of heaven and earth, and the Supreme Ruler of the universe,
and they call him 'Ungharry,' or 'Zanhare,' which signify the
'Highest God,' or 'God above.' They believe him to possess infinite
power; but they consider him too great a being to condescend to
attend to the concerns of mortals: they therefore suppose that four
inferior spirits are appointed, to whom are delegated the affairs of
the world. These are denominated the Lords of the North, South,
East, and West. The East is supposed to be the dispenser of plagues
and miseries to mankind, by the command of the Great God. The other
three are employed in the dispensation of benefits. Besides this,
they have faith in a _world_ of spirits, and believe that every
family has its guardian angel, which is generally supposed to be
the soul of a particular ancestor; and, strangely enough, although
they believe in the immortality of the soul, they deny that there
can be a future punishment, or that the soul can suffer evil after
its separation from the body; but they assert that bad men will be
punished in this world by a complication of misfortunes, and that
the good will be rewarded by health, constancy of friends, increase
of fortune, and obedience of children."
GRANDY. "There was at one period great hopes concerning Madagascar.
Missionaries went out, and were cordially welcomed by the
authorities, although the people, from ignorance, were hostile. But,
poor creatures! white men had never visited their shores but to
carry away their children and friends to sell them for slaves in
different parts of the world; and, of course, they were very
suspicious; so much so, that when the missionaries first endeavored
to establish schools in Madagascar, the parents refused to allow
their children to attend, alleging that the white men wanted them
for no other purpose than to eat them; for they attributed all their
sorrows to the cannibalism of the white people, believing that the
slaves they captured were caught, as wild animals would be, only for
food. They carried their antipathy so far, that, rather than permit
their little ones to enter the schools, they hid them in rice holes,
where they were often suffocated. King Radama reigned at that time,
and, being a convert himself, he naturally desired the conversion of
his people. He reasoned with them, and prohibited the secretion of
the unfortunate children, and after a time, by God's blessing, the
people became aware of the advantage of the schools and many were
converted from the error of their ways, and died rejoicing in God
their Saviour. But Radama died also; and there arose a sovereign who
knew not God; enemies crept into the fold, and endeavored to destroy
the good work of the pious missionaries. They partially succeeded;
and in 1837 these worthy men were obliged to quit Madagascar, and
have never since been able to revisit it with any prospect of
success. We cannot understand why this great work should be allowed
to fall to the ground; but God in His wisdom appears to have
withheld his blessing for a season, and we must in patience await
the issue."
GEORGE. "The Malagasses were never cannibals, were they?"
MR. WILTON. "No. Their ordinary food consists of the natural produce
of the soil; principally rice, dressed in the simplest manner, and
seasoned with pepper; and they usually drink hot water or broth from
the boiled meats; wines, of which they make several kinds, are
reserved for the entertainments of their friends on occasions of
festivity or ceremony. Their usual dinner hour is ten in the
morning, and that of supper four in the afternoon."
MR. STANLEY. "Although not cannibals, their superstition prompts
them to many acts of cruelty; for instance, one half of the infant
population is murdered by the misfortune of being born on an unlucky
day; and, to prove the truth of the dogma, they are deliberately
killed. One mode of perpetrating this unnatural deed, is by taking
the infant to a retired spot in the neighborhood of the village,
digging a grave sufficiently large to receive it pouring in a
quantity of water slightly warmed, putting a piece of cloth upon the
infant's mouth, placing it in the grave, filling this up with earth,
and leaving the helpless child, thus buried alive, a memorial of
their own affecting degradation, and the relentless barbarism of
their gloomy superstition, and a painful illustration of the truth
of God's word, which declares that 'the dark places of the earth are
full of the habitations of cruelty.'"
MR. WILTON. "We cannot enlighten these people without help from on
high; and their circumstances are too melancholy to dwell on. Let us
continue our voyage, and pray for their conversion. Who can inform
me how many bays there are around this great island?"
GEORGE. "I can, papa. There are fourteen on my map; and the Bay of
Antongil, up in the north-east, is the largest"
MR. WILTON. "So it is, George; and near it lies the Island of St.
Mary, which once formed the principal retreat of the pirates who, in
the 17th century, infested the Indian Ocean. It is a delightful
island, abounding in every necessary of life. Now, I have a droll
story to tell you, and that will conclude our remarks on
Madagascar.
#Translation of a Malagassy Fable, accounting for the enmity between
the Crocodile and the Dog.#
"A serpent and a young crocodile dwelt in the same part of the
country. The serpent fixed itself in a tree by the water-side; and
underneath the same tree the young crocodile watched for prey. After
a time a dog came to drink; the crocodile pursued him; down came the
serpent to stop the crocodile. "What have you to do with me?" said
the crocodile.--"Why, you are seeking to eat everybody that passes
this way," replied the serpent--"Be quiet,"--said the crocodile,
"lest I give you a blow with my tail, and cut you in two."--"And
pray what are you?" asked the serpent: "I suppose you are thinking
that, because I have neither hands nor feet, I can do nothing; but,
perhaps, you have not looked at _my_ tail, how sharp it is."--"Cease
your noise," replied the crocodile, "or I'll just break you in two."
The serpent, then becoming excessively angry, struck the crocodile
with his tail, and wounded his loins, so as nearly to break his
body. All the fish were astonished; and, addressing the crocodile,
said, "How is this,--you that can conquer people and cattle, however
large, and anything else?" The crocodile, ashamed, dived out of
sight; while the serpent resumed his place on the tree. The
crocodile, however, hoping to repay him, kept watching for prey.
After a time, there came a goose to the water. The crocodile
pursued, and got hold of him; when down came the serpent, to stop
him, as before. "Where are you going?" cried the crocodile.--"Let
that goose alone," said the serpent, "lest I kill you." The
crocodile replied contemptuously, and the serpent, enraged,
exclaimed, "Well, this time, see if you are not the worse for it;"
and then he struck the crocodile, and wounded him on the face, and
made him scream again. So he was conquered _that_, time, and the
goose got off. Then all the little fish came again, and said to the
crocodile, "How is it that you are beaten by that foolish serpent?
You are wise and powerful, and that little fellow conies and beats
you." Completely ashamed, again the crocodile hid himself in the
water, and began to think by what means he might conquer this
serpent upon the tree. After thinking a long time, the crocodile
determined on boring a hole through the root of the tree; and for a
whole week he kept on boring. Presently, a dog came to drink;
afterwards a goose; also a man; but, the crocodile keeping at his
work, the serpent exulted in having intimidated his adversary, and
said, 'There's nothing so strong, then, as I am." The crocodile
heard him, and labored with all his might to finish boring at the
root, one branch of which remained to cut. The crocodile then
watched at the water-side a good while, when down came the dog to
drink: the crocodile pursued him; the serpent, as before, came to
oppose him, calling out, "Let that dog alone there, lest you get the
worst of it."--"You," said the crocodile, "do not fear God. Yonder
dogs deceive us, and that's the reason I pursue them: as to people,
I never touch them, unless they are guilty of witchcraft. I only
eat the small things,--so just let _me_ alone." When the serpent
heard that, he replied, "There _is_ no God; for if there were, I
should have had both hands and feet: there is no God at all. But I
will have your carcass to-day." Then the dog and the serpent
together made an attack on the crocodile; the crocodile got weaker,
and dived in the water; when all the little fish came again, and
expressed their astonishment, as before, that he should be conquered
by that little serpent, "Wait a little," said the crocodile, "and
you will see I am not conquered by him." The serpent got up the tree
as usual; the crocodile watched,--bored the hole completely,--then
looked up, and saw the serpent sound asleep on a branch overhanging
the water; then, cutting what remained of the root, the tree broke
and fell into the water, the serpent falling with it. Then all the
fishes acknowledged that the crocodile was superior, for he had got
the serpent into the water, and made him dive in it, and kept him
under water half-an-hour. The serpent, however, survived it, and
repented of what he had done. "Oh! that I had never opposed you;
only let me go, and I will never attack you again."--"Ah!" said the
crocodile; "but as often as I pursued the dog, I was pursued by you;
so you must suffer in your turn." Thus the crocodile made him
heartily repent before he let him go. "Then," said the serpent, "if
ever I touch you again, may I be conquered." After that, the
crocodile let him go. He was glad to get off; but he had been
beaten, and took an oath not to renew the attack when the crocodile
went to look out for prey. The crocodile, however, owed the dog a
grudge, because he had attacked him, and so laid all his family
under a curse to devour the dog whenever opportunity offered.
"Unless you do that," said he, "may you die without posterity; for
yonder dog took part with the serpent against me."
MR. STANLEY. "Well, George, are you like the serpent? Have you had
enough of the water?"
GEORGE. "Oh! no! I shall be very sorry when the voyages are over."
MR. STANLEY. "You have been on the ocean a weary while. Have you,
like Sir James Ross, reached either of the Poles?"
GEORGE. "No, sir; but we have been very near the North Pole; have we
not, Charles?"
CHARLES. "Yes; in the Arctic Ocean we have been as high as 80 deg.
parallel of north latitude to Spitzbergen; and in the Antarctic as
high as the 66 deg. parallel of south latitude, to the New South
Shetland Isles."