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english or American and singular as it may seem all the China &c is english the cotton goods are all American. there are a number of English merchants here who drive on a profitable business in the pepper and Nut Meg trade. There is no fort here of any account near the water is a saluting battery, in the rear of the town is a fine hill with the signal staff. the govener [sic] lives there also the roads are first rate as good as I ever saw there is a large chain gang always at work on them. The English have made first rate laws, About their criminals. A man is never confined to a chain gang where he lives but is transported and I found that here all the chain gang were hindees or parsees, whilst the Chinese are sent to Sidney. Hindoostan &c the Malays are also sent off, Shortly after we came in the Chinese held their festival of New Year and kept it up for 10 or 15 days. they Made a great noise fireing crackers and guns and letting off fire works, they also kept up a continual Howing [sic] of squeaking trumpets playing some outlandish tune. I also saw several acts of plays in different parts of the town. They are called sing-songs by the English residents. Their plays are said to have more of the comedie than of the tragic about them, their songs are always sung in an unnatural voice and it seems to be with great difficulty that they sing any thing their music is of a very rude kind such as almost to shock one. it appeared to me something like the sharpening of a saw and the rattleing of a cart. The Malays here are a very piratical race and are remarkable for being a desperate set of fellows neither giving or receiving quarter. they are mortal enemies to the chinese and kill them on every opportunity. such is the dread of the Chinese for the Malay that they have formed secret bands for the purpose of protection and should a Malay be killed by one of this band no other of the band or other chinese dare give evidence against him, The Chinese here are two thirds of the population and no doubt will soon drive the Malays out of the country. The Malays are very much like our indians in these respects, in their war dances in their marriages and in their scalping the dead. another thing they resemble the Indians in is their inordinate desire for spirits and their fast disappearance before as well as their dislike to civilized life. During our stay at this place there was at least 12 murders it seems as if half civilized nations are more blood thirsty and greater knaves than either savages or civilized people. so true is it that evil is more easily learned than good, that in all countries a sure indication is of improvement or rather of advancement in civilization is to see gambling and other vices practiced by Europeans copied by them, the Malay proas are beautiful modeled boats and remarkable