st wakes not until the gandarang
nobat sounds; He the sultan Sri Maharaja Durja furthermore declares,
etc.*

(*Footnote. The following Letter from the sultan of Menangkabau to the
father of the present sultan of Moco-moco, and apparently written about
fifty years ago, was communicated to me by Mr. Alexander Dalrymple, and
though it is in part a repetition I esteem it too curious to hesitate
about inserting it. The style is much more rational than that of the
foregoing. "Praised be Almighty God! Sultan Gagar Alum the great and
noble King, whose extensive power reacheth unto the limits of the wide
ocean; unto whom God grants whatever he desires, and over whom no evil
spirit, nor even Satan himself has any influence; who is invested with an
authority to punish evil-doers; and has the most tender heart in the
support of the innocent; has no malice in his mind, but preserveth the
righteous with the greatest reverence, and nourisheth the poor and needy,
feeding them daily from his own table. His authority reacheth over the
whole universe, and his candour and goodness is known to all men.
(Mention made of the three brothers.) The ambassador of God and his
prophet Mahomet; the beloved of mankind; and ruler of the island called
Percho. At the time God made the heavens, the earth, the sun, the moon,
and even before evil spirits were created, this sultan Gagar Alum had his
residence in the clouds; but when the world was habitable God gave him a
bird called Hocinet, that had the gift of speech; this he sent down on
earth to look out for a spot where he might establish an inheritance, and
the first place he alighted upon was the fertile island of Lankapura,
situated between Palembang and Jambi, and from thence sprang the famous
kingdom of Manancabow, which will be renowned and mighty until the
Judgment Day.

"This Maha Raja Durja is blessed with a long life and an uninterrupted
course of prosperity, which he will maintain in the name, and through the
grace of the holy prophet, to the end that God's divine Will may be
fulfilled upon earth. He is endowed with the highest abilities, and the
most profound wisdom and circumspection in governing the many tributary
kings and subjects. He is righteous and charitable, and preserveth the
honour and glory of his ancestors. His justice and clemency are felt in
distant regions, and his name will be revered until the last day. When he
openeth his mouth he is full of goodness, and his words are a