the latter have been accused of partiality to
strangers. Whatever justice there may be in the
former accusation,—and to ascribe less warmth of
constitution to those who live almost exclusively
on vegetable food, than to those into whose diet a
larger share of animal food enters,—appears not
unreasonable ; the latter seems highly improbable as
a feature of national character with any people, '
more particularly where the women are neither
treated with cruelty nor neglect.
The respective tribes may be counted industrious
or indolent in proportion to their civilization
or barbarity. Wherever tranquillity and security
exist to any degree, the islanders are found to be
industrious like other people in the same circumstances.
* Their frames are suited to the climate
they live in ; they have no constitutional listlessness
nor apathy, and wherever there exists a reasonable
prospect of advantage, they are found to
* “ They are endued with good natural wits, are ingenious,
nimble, and active when they are minded ; but generally
very lazy and thievish, and will not work except forced
by hunger. This laziness is natural to most Indians; but
these people’s laziness seems rather to proceed, not so much
from their natural inclinations, as from the severity of their
prince of whom they stand in awe : for he dealing with them
very arbitrarily, and taking from them what they get, this
damps their indfistry, so they never strive to have any thing
but from hand to mouth.”—Dumpier s Voyages, Vol. I.
p. 326.
labour with vigour and perseverance. But as civilization
among even the most improved is but in
an early stage, and even their best formé of government
are wretched, and confer little security
on person and property, their character feels the
influence, and they may one and all be pronounced
an indolent race, many of them to listlessness
and apathy. Ordinary European observers
perceiving this character, and making no
allowance for the powerful agency under which it
is formed, hastily pronounce the whole race incurably
and constitutionally indolent. The Dutch
have been fond of comparing the Javanese to their
own favourite animal the buffalo, and denounce
them as dull, sluggish, and perverse. Both the
man and the animal, I believe, are calumniated.
It would be more just to observe, that the Javanese,
like his buffalo, is slow, but useful and industrious,
and, with kind treatment, docile and
easily governed.
The Indian islanders are throughout gifted with
a large portiop of fortitude, but their courage consists
rather in suffering with patience, than in braving
danger. They are almost always superior to
the fear of death, and when their vengeance is
roused, are capable of acts of desperate valour,
bordering almost on insanity. *
* “ The punishments inflicted at Batavia ara excessively