the latter place, on the main, Mr. John Marsden,
who went thither to be present at the funeral of one of their chiefs,
observed two old monuments in stone, one the figure of a man, the other
of a man on an elephant, tolerably well executed, but they know not by
whom, nor is there any among them who could do the same work now. The
features were strongly Batta.

NATAL.

Our settlement at Natal (properly Natar), some miles to the south of the
large river of Tabuyong, and on the confines of the Batta country, which
extends at the back of it, is a place of much commerce, but not from its
natural or political circumstances of importance in other respects. It is
inhabited by settlers there, for the convenience of trade, from the
countries of Achin, Rau, and Menangkabau, who render it populous and
rich. Gold of very fine quality is procured from the country (some of the
mines being said to lie within ten miles of the factory), and there is a
considerable vent for imported goods, the returns for which are chiefly
made in that article and camphor. Like other Malayan towns it is governed
by datus, the chief of whom, styled datu besar or chief magistrate, has
considerable sway; and although the influence of the Company is here
predominant its authority is by no means so firmly established as in the
pepper-districts to the southward, owing to the number of people, their
wealth, and enterprising, independent spirit.* It may be said that they
are rather managed and conciliated than ruled. They find the English
useful as moderators between their own contending factions, which often
have recourse to arms, even upon points of ceremonious precedence, and
are reasoned into accommodation by our resident going among them
unattended. At an earlier period our protection was convenient to them
against the usurpation, as they termed it, of the Dutch, of whose
attempts and claims they were particularly jealous. By an article of the
treaty of Paris in 1763 these pretensions were ascertained as they
respected the two European powers, and the settlements of Natal and
Tappanuli were expressly restored to the English. They had however
already been re-occupied. Neither in fact have any right but what
proceeds from the will and consent of the native princes.

(*Footnote. Upon the re-establishment of the factory in 1762 the resident
pointed out to the Datu besar, with a degree of indignation, the number
of dead bodies which were frequently seen floatin