or must custom be allowed to supersede all
other influence, both moral and physical? In other respects they differ
little in their customs relating to marriage from the rest of the island.
The parents of the girl always receive a valuable consideration (in
buffaloes or horses) from the person to whom she is given in marriage;
which is returned when a divorce takes place against the man's
inclination. The daughters as elsewhere are looked upon as the riches of
the fathers.

CONDITION OF WOMEN.

The condition of the women appears to be no other than that of slaves,
the husbands having the power of selling their wives and children. They
alone, beside the domestic duties, work in the rice plantations. These
are prepared in the same mode as in the rest of the island; except that
in the central parts, the country being clearer, the plough and harrow,
drawn by buffaloes, are more used. The men, when not engaged in war,
their favourite occupation, commonly lead an idle, inactive life, passing
the day in playing on a kind of flute, crowned with garlands of flowers;
among which the globe-amaranthus, a native of the country, mostly
prevails.

HORSERACING.

They are said however to hunt deer on horseback, and to be attached to
the diversion of horseracing. They ride boldly without a saddle or
stirrups, frequently throwing their hands upwards whilst pushing their
horse to full speed. The bit of the bridle is of iron, and has several
joints; the head-stall and reins of rattan: in some parts the reins, or
halter rather, is of iju, and the bit of wood. They are, like the rest of
the Sumatrans, much addicted to gaming, and the practice is under no kind
of restraint, until it destroys itself by the ruin of one of the parties.
When a man loses more money than he is able to pay he is confined and
sold as a slave; being the most usual mode by which they become such. A
generous winner will sometimes release his unfortunate adversary upon
condition of his killing a horse and making a public entertainment.

LANGUAGE.

They have, as was before observed, a language and written character
peculiar to themselves, and which may be considered, in point of
originality, as equal at least to any other in the island, and although,
like the languages of Java, Celebes, and the Philippines, it has many
terms in common with the Malayan (being all, in my judgment, from one
common stock), yet, in the way of encroachment, from the influence, both
polit