information was obtained from him. He could give some account of almost
every island that lies off the coast, and when a doubt arose about their
position he ascertained it by taking the rind of a pumplenose or
shaddock, and, breaking it into bits of different sizes, disposing them
on the floor in such a manner as to convey a clear idea of the relative
situation. He spoke of Engano (by what name is not mentioned) and said
that their boats were sometimes driven to that island, on which occasions
they generally lost a part, if not the whole, of their crews, from the
savage disposition of the natives. He appeared to be acquainted with
several of the constellations, and gave names for the Pleiades, Scorpion,
Great Bear, and Orion's Belt. He understood the distinction between the
fixed and wandering stars, and particularly noticed Venus, which he named
usutat-si-geb-geb or planet of the evening. To Sumatra he gave the
appellation of Seraihu. As to religion he said the rajas alone prayed and
sacrificed hogs and fowls. They addressed themselves in the first place
to the Power above the sky; next to those in the moon, who are male and
female; and lastly, to that evil being whose residence is beneath the
earth, and is the cause of earthquakes. A drawing of this man,
representing accurately the figures in which his body and limbs were
tattooed, was made by Colonel Trapaud, and obligingly given to me. He not
only stood patiently during the performance, but seemed much pleased with
the execution, and proposed that the Colonel should accompany him to his
country to have an opportunity of making a likeness of his father. To our
collectors of rare prints it is well known that there exists an engraving
of a man of this description by the title of The Painted Prince, brought
to England by Captain Dampier from one of the islands of the eastern sea
in the year 1691, and of whom a particular account is given in his
Voyage. He said that the inhabitants of the Pagi islands derived their
origin from the orang mantawei of the island called Si Biru.

SI PORAH OR GOOD FORTUNE.

North-westward of the Pagi islands, and at no great distance, lies that
of Si Porah, commonly denominated Good Fortune Island, inhabited by the
same race as the former, and with the same manners and language. The
principal towns or villages are named Si Porah, containing, when visited
by Mr. John Saul in 1750, three hundred inhabitants, Si Labah three
hundred (several of