In three large volumes, 8vo. handsomely printed, with f BLACKWOOD's EDINBURGH MAGÁ

This work will be found to contain a more full and
accurate account of the Indian Islands, than any other
which has hitherto appeared. The author's residence in
the countries which he describes, and his official oppor-sies.
tunitics of acquiring Information regarding the history,

ANASTASIUS: or MEMOIRS of a GREEK, manners, and customs of their inhabitants, render his de

written at the close of the Eighteenth Century.tails on these subjects peculiarly valuable. The Books Printed for John Murray, Albemarle Street. on Agriculture and that on Commerce, (now that the India trade is partially opened) will be read with particular interest by those who are directing their capital to this little explored field of commerce; and a great

Journal of Belles Lettres, Arts, Sciences, etc.

This Journal is supplied Weekly, or Monthly, by the principal Booksellers and Newsmen throughout the Kingdom: but to those who may desire its immediate transmission, by post, we beg to recommend the LITERARY GAZETTE, printed on stamped paper, price One Shilling.

SATURDAY, MAY 27, 1820.

Of the love songs which are perfectly in.
the style of the age assigned to them,-thegreatest merit or originality.
following are among the better order.
Cease t' exaggerate your anguish,
Ye, who for the gout complayne!
Louers, that in absence languish,
Onely know, indeed, what's payne.
If the choyce were in my power,
Sooner much the racke I'de choose,
Then, for th' short space of an hour,
My deare Stella's sight to lose.
Sometimes feare, sometimes desire
Seaze (by cruell turnes) my heart;
Now a frost, and then a fire

And how to gayne a neuer-fading blisse.

"Twill make thee see that truely none doe raigne,

But those who scrue our common souuerayne.
Nulla Fides.

For God's sake marcke that fly :

See what a poore, weake, little thing itt is.
When thou hast marck'd, and scorn'd itt; know

that this

This little, poore, weake fly

Has kill'd a pope; can make an emp❜rour dye.
Behold yon sparcke of fire:

How little hott! how neare to nothing 'tis !
When thou hast donne despising, know that this,
This contemn'd sparcke of fire,

Has burn't whole townes; can burne a world

entire.

That crawling worme there see:
Ponder how ugly, filthy, uild itt is.

and its breadth thirty degrees, of latitude,
from the parallel of 11° south to 19° north
latitude, thus comprehending, with the in-
tervening seas, an area of 4 millions of ge-
ographical, or about 5 millions of statute
miles."

When thou hast seene and loath'd itt, know that such as Macassar, Molucca, China Sea,

this

This base worme thou doest see,

Has quite deuour'd thy parents; shall eate thee.
Honour, the world, and man,

What trifles are they! Since most true itt is
That this poore fly, this little sparcke, this
So much abhorr'd worm, can
Honour destroy; burne worlds; deuoure up

man.

Chinese, Hindu, Arabian, Dutch, and Spanish colonists; aud the whole population displays man in every intermediate condition, from the brute savage of New Guinea, to the more civilized inhabitant of Sumatra or Java.

The two aboriginal races of human beings Borneo, New Guinea, and Sumatra, are inhabiting the Indian Islands, are as different islands of the first rank; and among the from each other“ as both are from all the other innumerable islands, (exclusive of the rest of their species. This is the only portion Malayan Peninsula) are Java, Celebes, Lu- of the globe which presents so unusual a zon or Luconia, Mindanao, Bali, Lambok, phenomenon. One of these races may geSambawa, Chandana, Flores, or Mangarai, nerally be described as a brown complexionTimur, Ceram, Buroe, Gelolo, Pulawan, ed people, with lank hair, and the other as Negros, Samar, Mondora, Panay, Leyte, a black, or rather sooty-coloured race, with Zebu, &c. &c. better known to the majority woolly or frizzled hair. The brown and neof our readers, as the Philippine Islands,gro races of the Archipelago may be consiIsles of Sunda, &c. &c. or by the names of dered to present, in their physical and moral the more frequented seas that are near them, character, a complete parallel with the white and negro races of the western world. The Bay of Bengal, &c. &c. first have always displayed as eminent a re"The Indian Archipelago is throughout lative superiority over the second as the race of a mountainous nature, and its principal of white men have done over the negroes of mountains from one extremity to another are the west, All the indigenous civilization volcanoes. It is very generally covered with of the Archipelago has sprung from them, deep forests of stupendous trees. The num- and the negro race is constantly found in the ber of grassy plains is very small, and there most savage state. That race is to be traced are no arid sandy deserts. It is distinguish- from one extremity of the Archipelago to ed from every cluster of islands in the another, but is necessarily least frequent world by the presence of periodical winds, where the most civilized race is most numerand from all countries whatever by the pecu-ous, and seems utterly to have disappeared liar character of these. Animal and vege- where the civilization of the fairer race has table productions either differ wholly from proceeded farthest." The brown coloured those of other countries, or are important tribes are in person short, squat, and rovarieties of them. In one quarter, even the bust; their medium height, males about

History of the Indian Archipelago; containing an Account of the Manners, Arts, Languages, Religions, Institutions, and Commerce of its Inhabitants. By John Crawfurd, F. R. S. late British Resident at the Court of the Sul-principal article of food is such as man no-5 feet, 2 inches; females, about 4 foot, 11

tan of Java. Edinburgh and London. 1820. 8vo. 3 vols.

where else subsists upon. The productions
of the ocean are not less remarkable for
abundance and variety than those of the
land."

inches, or nearly four inches below the Eu-
ropean standard. They are not a well look-
ing people. The Papua, or woolly-haired
race, is a dwarf African negro.
A full
grown male brought from the mountains of
Queda, was no more than 4 feet, 9 inches
high; and the author never saw one from
any part whose height exceeded 5 feet.
Their frames are spare and puny; their skins
not the jet black of Africa, but of a sooty
colour; and they are in several physical
points so strikingly distinguished from the
African Negro, as to be considered a distinct
and very inferior variety of the human spe-
cies. Whenever they are encountered by
the fairer races, they are hunted down like
the wild animals of the forest, and driven
to the mountains or fastnesses for the only

This copious work is so abundant in useful information, that it will be quite The aboriginal inhabitants are, like those of impossible, confined as our limits are, the most southern promontory of Africa, of to furnish more than a very cursory in- two distinct races; one of a fair, or brown sight into its contents. Its general cha-complexion, and the other a negro race racter may, however, be very briefly There are besides many varieties introduced by summed up it is a complete history of Since Mr. Crawfurd wrote, two savages that interesting portion of the earth, from the Andaman islands have been brought to known by the name of the Indian Archi-Penang, by the crew of a Chinese Junk, who pelago; and which consists of by far the largest group of islands on the globe: and it places in one point of view the intelligence heretofore to be sought for in Harris's Collection of Voyages, (in-paunches. One is elderly and of ferocious as-safety they can find.

captured them. When pursued in the water,
they dived like ducks, and reappeared at a dis-
tance. Their limbs and arms are uncommonly
small; but they are not ill-formed. One is 4 ft.
6 in., the other 4 ft. 7 in. high; and the weight
of each only 76 lbs. avoirdupois. They have large

cluding Stavorinus), Old Purchas, Mar-pect; the other a boy of 17, and of a pleasing And their cruel hunters are as weak as co Polo, Dampier, Sonnerat, Linscho-expression of countenance. They appear dull ten, Symes, Forrest, Marsden, Hamil- and heavy, extremely averse to speaking: when ton, Raffles, and other authors, to whose stores Mr. Crawfurd has added the fruits of his own observation, during a residence of nine years in the countries of which he gives an account.

From the north of the great continent of New Holland, to the southern shores of Africa, this mighty clustering of islands extends and fills the ocean. In length, the whole chain " embraces forty degrees of longitude close to the line, namely, from the western extremity of the Island of Sumatra, to the parallel of the Araoe Islands, not including in this estimate, the greater portion of the immense island of New Guinea,

alone, and they think unobserved, they make a
noise like the cackling of turkies. Their skins
are jet black, and of an extraordinary glossiness;
their bodies tattooed all over; their appetites
voracious; and they crunch the bones of fowls
as dogs would do. In climbing trees they re-
semble monkeys. They go quite naked, and
being much plagued with insects, their first ope-
ration in the morning is, to cover themselves
with mud, which drying on, preserves them
from bites and stings. Their salutations are per-
formed by lifting up one leg, and smacking the
lower part of the thigh with their hand. They
are altogether in the most deplorable state of
savage nature; and an Andaman (one of a po-
pulation of from 2 to 3000) may be ranked per-
haps as the lowest human being in the scale of
creation. Ed.

they are cruel. "All the faculties of their minds are in a state of comparative feebleness; their memories are treacherous and uncertain; their imaginations wanton and childish; and their reason more defective than the rest, when exerted on any subject above the more vulgar train of thought, commonly erroneous and mistaken. No man can tell his own age, nor the date of any remarkable transaction in the history of his tribe or country. If a peasant has been present at some remarkable transaction, such as a murder or a robbery, and is examined ten days after in a court of justice, the probability is, that he can tell neither the hour of the day, nor the day at which such transaction took place, still less give a clear account of what happened."

them the manner in which he had murdered | ty to remain on the face of the land, and let
his good master, and expressed his repent- their property of every description be con-
ance and abhorrence of the crime he had fiscated. Should the parents or children of
committed. This he did with great com- the sorcerer reside in a distant part of the
country, let them be found out and put to
out in the bitterest complaints of unquench-death, and let their property, though con-
able thirst, and raved for drink, while no cealed, he sought for and confiscated.
one was allowed to alleviate, by a single
drop of water, the excruciating torments he
underwent."

From the chapter devoted to the description of the manners and customs of the Indian Islanders, we shall now proceed to make a few selections, such as seem to possess the greatest novelty, and to be best cal-posure, yet an instant afterwards he burst culated to illustrate Mr. Crawfurd's talents as a historian. For the first characteristic feature, however, we are indebted to Stavorinus, whom Mr. C. quotes as having justly exemplified the patience and fortitude of the natives. A macassar slave was impaled; and the circumstances of this dreadful execution are thus related.

"When the proper cord is touched, there is hardly any thing too gross for the belief of the Indian islanders. Some years ago it was The Indian Islanders are also superstitious; discovered, almost by accident, that the and the author tells us, that "It would re- scull of a buffalo was superstitiously conquire a volume to describe all the forms ducted from one part of the island to an"The criminal was led, in the morning, under which these weaknesses are displayed. other! The point insisted upon was neto the place of execution, being the grass They believe in dreams, in omens, in for- ver to let it rest, but keep it in constant proplat, which I have before taken notice of, tunate and unfortunate days, in the cast-gressive motion. It was carried in a basket, and laid upon his belly, being held by four ing of nativities, in the gift of supernatural and one person was no sooner relieved from men. The executioner then made a trans-endowments, in invulnerability, in sorcery, the load than it was taken up by another; for verse incision at the lower part of the body, enchantments, charms, philtres, and relics. the understanding was, that some dreadful as far as the os sacrum; he then introduced There is not a forest, a mountain, a rock, imprecation was denounced against the man the sharp point of the spike, which was or a cave, that is not supposed the habita- who should let it rest. In this manner the about six feet long, and made of polished iron, tion of some invisible being, and not content seull was hurried from one province to aninto the wound, so that it passed between with their own stock of these, their compre- other, and after a circulation of many hunthe back bone and the skin. Two men drove hensive faith has admitted those of Westerndred miles, at length reached the town of it forcibly up, along the spine, while the ex- India, of Arabia, and of Persia. To lend an Samarang, the Dutch governor of which ecutioner held the end, and gave it a proper implicit belief to all these, characterizes seized it and threw it into the sea, and thus direction, till it came out between the neck alike the high and the low, from the prince the spell was broke. The Javanese expressand shoulders. The lower end was then put to the peasant. These superstitions are gc-ed no resentment, and nothing further was into a wooden post, and rivetted fast; and nerally harmless and inoffensive, but, at heard of this unaccountable transaction. With the sufferer was lifted up, thus impaled, and other times, the delusions to which credu- | whom, or where it originated, no man could the post stuck in the ground. At the top of lity exposes these people operate in the tell. In the month of May, 1814, it was the post, about ten feet from the ground, most dangerous and formidable manner. Of unexpectedly discovered, that in a remote there was a kind of little bench, upon which the less dangerous forms which it takes, I but populous part of the island of Java, a the body rested. The insensibility or forti- shall give as an example the frequent prac- road was constructed, leading to the top of tude of the miserable sufferer was incredible. tice of professed robbers in Java of throw the mountain Sumbeng, one of the highest He did not utter the least complaint, excepting a quantity of earth from a newly opened in the island. An enquiry being set on foot, when the spike was rivetted into the pillar; grave into the house they intend to plun- it was discovered that the delusion which the hammering and shaking occasioned by it der, with an implicit belief in its potency gave rise to the work had its origin in the seemed to be intolerable to him, and he then in inducing a deadly sleep. Having suc- province of Banyumas, in the territories of bellowed out for pain; and likewise once ceeded in casting a quantity of this earth the Susunan, that the infection spread to again, when he was lifted up and set in the into the house, and, if possible, into the beds the territory of the Sultan, from whence it ground. He sat in this dreadful situation of the inhabitants, they proceed with con- extended to that of the European power. till death put an end to his torments, which fidence in their plunder. It is not the rob- On examination, a road was found constructfortunately happened the next day, about bers alone that has an entire belief in the effi-ed twenty feet broad, and from fifty to sixty three o'clock in the afternoon. He owed cacy of this practice; the conviction is miles in extent, wonderfully smooth and this speedy termination of his misery to a equally strong on the minds of those who well made. One point which appears to light shower of rain, which continued for are the objects of his depredations. Quan- have been considered necessary was, that the about an hour, and he gave up the ghost tities of the earth, carefully preserved in road should not cross rivers, the consehalf an hour afterwards. There have been cases, have been repeatedly brought to me quence of which was, that it winded in a instances, at Batavia, of criminals who have in the course of my official duties, found on thousand ways, that the principle might not been impaled in the dry season, and have re the persons of robbers, who did not fail, be infringed. Another point as peremptorily mained alive for eight, or more days, with- when interrogated, to be very explicit in insisted upon was, that the straight course out any food or drink, which is prevented to their accounts of its effects. The baleful ef- of the road should not be interrupted by any be given them by a guard who is stationed feets of superstition on the minds of an ig- regard to private rights; and in consequence at the place of execution, for that purpose. norant and untutored people, is exemplified trees and houses were overturned to make One of the surgeons of the city assured me, in the laws against sorcery, found in the an- way for it. The population of whole disthat none of the parts immediately necessary cient code of Java, which is in force at this tricts, occasionally to the amount of five and to life are injured by impalement, which day in Bali. The following is an example: six thousand labourers, were employed on nakes the punishment the more cruel and If a person write the name of another the road, and among a people disinclined to intolerable; but that, as soon as any water on a shroud, or on a bier, or on an image active exertion, the laborious work was neargets into the wound, it mortifies, and occa- of paste, or on a leaf which he buries, sus-ly completed in two months; such was the sions a gangrene, which directly attacks the pends from a tree, places in haunted ground, effect of the temporary enthusiasm with more noble parts, and brings on death al- or where two roads cross each other, this is which they were inspired. It appeared in the ost immediately. This miserable sufferer sorcery. If a man write the name of ano sequel, that a bare report had set the whole continually complained of unsufferable thirst, ther on a scull, or other bone, with a mix- work in motion. An old woman had dreamt, which is peculiarly incident to this terrible ture of blood and charcoal, and places the or pretended to have dreamt, that a divine punishment. The criminals are exposed, same at his threshold in water, this also is personage was about to descend from heaven during the whole day, to the burning rays sorcery. Whatever man does so, shall be on the mountain Summbeng. Piety suggested of the sun, and are unceasingly tormented put to death by the magistrate. If the mat- the propriety of constructing a road to faciliby numerous stinging insects. ter be very clear, let the punishment of death tate his descent, and divine vengeance, it be extended to his parents, to his children, was rumoured, would pursue the sacrilegious and to his grand children. Let no one es- person who refused to join in the meritorious cape. Permit no one related to one so guil-labour. These reports quickly wrought on

"I went to see him again, about three hours before he died, and found him conversing with the bystanders. He related to

the fears and ignorance of the people, and ground. When he advances and retires, he the other to destroy. One bids magnificent they heartily joined in the enterprise. The moves as if on all fours, and crawls or creeps edifices rise "like exhalations" from the old woman distributed slips of palm leaves rather than walks. There is one mode of de-earth, to delight the eye with the beauty of to the labourers, with magic letters written monstrating affection and respect, particu- their proportions, and the mind with anticiupon them, which were charms to secure larly nauseous and indelicate. It consists in pations of the commercial, the charitable, them against wounds and sickness. When the superior's offering to the inferior the or the hospitable purposes for which they this strange affair was discovered by the na- chewed refuse of the betel and areca prepa- may be intended. The other fells venerable tive authorities, orders were given to desist ration, as a mark of great affection, which trees to the ground, and robs the face of the from the work, and the inhabitants returned the latter swallows with much satisfaction." country of its greatest ornament, in deprivwithout murmur to their wonted occupa- It may be new to many to learn of what ing it of the thick and varied foliage which tions. It seldom, however, happens in Ja- this complimentary mouthful consists. The at once affords shelter to the birds, and shade va that these wide-spread delusions terminate chew is made up of the pungent and aro-to the cattle and the traveller; whilst the so happily as in the instances which I have matic leaf of a species of pepper vine, which hearts of those who have associated the requoted. They are much more frequently ac-grows luxuriantly, and with little care; a membrance of the spreading branches with companied by formidable insurrections, and small quantity of terra japonica, an agreeable every recollection of their youth, are made take place in times of anarchy, or when a bitter astringent; a minute proportion of sad by seeing them laid prostrate at the province is goaded to resistance by excessive quicklime; and, above all, the fruit of the command of a dupe, to reward the strataextortion, or other form of mal-government. areca palm, which, in one or two of the gems of a knave. He who builds confers a When a province is in this unfortunate situ- languages, we find distinguished by the name benefit on posterity. He who games too ation, the most contemptible pretender will of the fruit.' This last is gently narcotic, often affronts the memories of those who have a crowd of followers; and one of any and hence, no doubt, the charm which ren-have preceded him, by gradually parting talents will be sure to head a formidable re-ders the whole preparation so bewitching to with all that they had delighted themselves volt. Hence the crowd of pretenders under those who use it. Persons of all ranks, from in amassing for his enjoyment. He who the name of Kraman, that in all ages have the prince to the peasant, are unceasingly builds, however ruinous the pursuit may be disturbed the peace of Java. Hardly a year masticating it, and seem to derive a solace to himself in the end, employs hundreds of passes that some vagabond does not declare from it which we can scarce understand, and industrious persons in the course of it; himself a king, a saint, or a prophet, pro- which they cannot explain. When the pre- and at least leaves a memento behind him, claiming his intention of redressing some paration, through mastication, is mixed with that his fortune was not exhausted by low earthly grievance, or pointing out some new the saliva, the latter assumes a dirty brownish or vicious pursuits. He who games, on the road to heaven. Some of those impostors red, which colours the teeth, gums, and lips, contrary, at every throw of the dice injures go the length of preaching a new religion, leaving, as it dries upon the latter, a black-the innocent and the helpless; and when he Whilst others content themselves with de-coloured margin. These nauseous particu- finds himself and those who may unhappily claring their lineal descent from some populars are, to the surprise of strangers, consi-be connected with him reduced to beggary, lar monarch of ancient Javan story." dered a beauty, such is the effect of custom. through his wretched infatuation, he cannot Like other Orientalists, their ceremonies No mouth is thought handsome that is not even ascertain who has gained the property and domestic usages are widely different from engaged in chewing the betel, and in their which he knows only that he has lost, and lost those which Europeans are accustomed to poetry a lover is often described comparing for ever. I need not, however, undertake look upon as essentially polite and correct, that of his mistress to the fissure in a ripe the defence of building, for any partiality in their external demeanour. With them, pomegranate; the aptness of the simile con- I entertain towards it myself; on the confor example, "it is respectful to cover the sisting in the comparison of the stained teeth trary, the aversion I have for it, in all its head, instead of uncovering it as among us. to the red grains of the fruit, and of the black branches, even its minor departments of It is respectful to sit instead of standing. It stain on the lips, to the hue which the broken" repairing and beautifying," as the churchis the very highest degree of respect to turn and astringent rind assumes on exposure to one's back upon a superior, and often pre- the air. sumption to confront him. It is the custom to sit cross-legged and on the ground. When an inferior addresses a superior, his obeisance consists in raising his hands, with the palms joined before his face, until the thumbs touch the nose. This he repeats at the end of every sentence, and if very courtly, at the conclusion even of each clause. When equals meet, their salutation is cold and dis-in which so many of these popular Es-penters, smiths, and all the rest of the nutant, but in the ordinary intercourse of life, a says originally appeared. We shall merous tribe which modern refinements relative superiority or inferiority of condition is usually confessed, and a demonstration of it constantly takes place. If a son has been long absent from his father, he throws himself at his feet and kisses them. A demonstration of affection, less profound, would extend the embrace only to the knee; but a very obsequious courtier will sometimes take his monarch's foot and place it on his head.

The association between loftiness and humi

lity of manner, and physical superiority and inferiority, appears to be constantly present to their minds. An inferior never stands upright before a superior. If he stand at all, the body is always bent; if he sit, it is the same thing, and his eyes are fixed to the

* Kraman is a word of the Javanese language,

meaning "rebel.”

(To be continued.)

The Hermit in London; or Sketches of
English Manners. Vols. 4 and 5.
London, 1820. 12mo.

No publication can have less to say
of this work than the Literary Gazette,

merely state that these two volumes are
of a character similar to the three which
preceded them, and that they complete
the Hermit in London. We subjoin
one of the papers as a remembrancer
of their nature; and have only to add
that the writer is in the press with the
Hermit in the Country, from which we
shall present our readers with several
selections in our ensuing Numbers.

LOOKING FOR LODGINGS.

A love of building has been reckoned by some persons, as ruinous a passion as a love of gaming; yet there can scarcely be inclinations of a more opposite description, at least, as far as the province of one to create, of as far as the principles of each are concern

wardens term it, is such as to have lately reduced me to the necessity of looking for lodgings, until sundry operations should be performed in my own habitation, which I have deferred so long, that I began to be afraid of literally fulfilling the proverb of

66

pulling an old house about my ears." To remain under the same roof with a host of bricklayers, plasterers, white-washers, painters, paper-hangers, plumbers, glaziers, car

render necessary personages in the constructing or repairing of a dwelling, would be disagreeable to most men; to a hermit, like myself, impossible.-I had only, therefore, to chuse between two evils-to go to an hotel, or to take a furnished lodging. "At an hotel one has perfect liberty," said I to myself-aye and great comfort too but then it is comfort that must he paid for-and enormously; one has not the liberty of keeping one's purse in one's pocket and every time the waiter call out so briskly, "coming, Sir," he reminds me that my money is going. Shenstone has described the pleasure of being at an inn, but he says not a word of the disagreeables attendant on leaving it-therefore as I can proportion of the other, I must content mynot expect to share in one without a due