^Different classes
Of society.11
ing many of the vices of civilisation without its refinement,- and the ignorance
and defiteiencies of a rude state-without its simplicity,'. The people in the
iie^hb'ourhoodpf Batavia are the: worst in the island,'.andathe.' long intercourse
with strangers has been almost equally fatal to the -morals; o%the
lower part of Bantam. The population collected at.the-native capitals jj|
naturally influenced,- to a certain extent,- by the vices of the court,-; bu%the
further they are removed from European influence and foreign, intercourse,
the better are'their morals apd the happier are the people,
• In attempting to exhibit some of the more striking features of ihe Javan
character, it becomes necessary to distinguish between the. privileged glasses
of society and the mass of the‘people. Long, continued oppression, rpay
have injured the character of the-latter, and obliterated some of. its brighter
traits; but to the former; the constant ’exercise,of absolute dominion has
dbhe'a more‘serious injury, by removing ‘ every salutary restraint on .the
passions, and encouraging the growth of rank and odious In the
peasantry - we observe all that is simple, natural, and ingenuous.: in||h p
higher orders we sometimes discover violence,' deceit,'and gross^e&spajjty.
jj Where"’ hot corrupted by indulgence on the^one hand, ;or‘ s'bpifip.Jlby
oppression on the other, the: Javans appear to he .a generous and warmhearted
people. - In their domestic relations they 'are. kind, affectionate,
'gentle,'and contented; in their public, hthey are - obedient,'"honest, and
faithful.' -‘In th e ir’intercourse with society they display, mlajiigb degree,
the vStues of honesty, plain dealing, and candour.. \Ih e jr ingenuousness
such' that as the first Butch authorities have acknowledged,'; prisoners
brought to the bar on criminal charges, if really guilty, . nine' times opt, of
ten" confess, without disguise or equivocation, the full {extern '{and'. exact
circumstances of their' offences, and communicate,' when required,-, more
information on -the ihattec at-issue than all the rest of the:evidence. Although
this may, in some degree, be the result of the former use-of .torture,
it cannot be wholly-so.
Though not much addicted to excess, and of rather a slow temperament,
Hlfey are in general liberal and expensive,' according to their means, seldom
hoarding their wealth or betraying a penurious disposition. Pond.of shew
and pomp, they lay out: all their money, as soon as it is acquired,, in the
purchase of articles of! dress,- horses, splendid trappings, &c. ; but they
possess a quality which is not always joined with a love of splendour, either
' ‘&HARACTÈS OF THE 'J’ÆtâÉsns? 249
in nationaLOibimdivkiuals^atlfeyJtaire : cleanly-^ife« their persohsj and pay the:
■-greatestjattentimi tonneatness,,sas;3wtM1 asJt-drglaré'-and -finery ƒ 1A
I- Hospitalit^iisiuni^^sal.'tnmong.' them ; Ad s e’njöingddby-their- most an-
cient.iûs.titûtîôns,' and* praci&sedowith ;readine'sM - and '-zCal^The .Javans- afe
-eXcdedingly|jsè;ftsîbl@ Éofj^aisè'<Q.r-^harnie»* Au'dï^nibitiousJoptp'öW'er-1 and Ppfà
.tinçtion ; * but\theirtBatio,n^hp^jiEes^%nsydi'i agricultural habits hâve rendered
them {somewhat -.iMifferfenH'-toimilitary ■ glory,o and^deprived: tfrèmtóf a-great
portion ofqth'fiirbâùeient uwàrlikewêrrdrgyi ntTfiey aretmöre remarkabléiifor
passive fortitude ithan* active ecourâgej r’affidrtëndure prïv-atioffs^with c patience'
rather than make exertions- with:jspiri.tjaBd!^en'ter|ffize: 1«
Though livingnuhder i'alrgovêrnmenfeiïïwi^jyfeti^Was^èld'omua'dminis-
.jtejeed with purity or impartiality, '.aridjlwhe're,' ’0$.f®0urse,twe might texpect
toi^entheithand^of/priyate! yibldnceëstBè'fcchedi-ouf-tàpunish privates wrong,
or.-'a-general spirit of j retaliation ahd^'ffsiil’iotisl.cruelty-prevailing, • the'^Javahs
t/hâ K • ’ ■ - are,
* ■Thé:/inhhbîtan£s- oF^these islands 'are ■■strikingly-alive^ t(Mà Wé n s t e * a -feelirfg,
fyhiph is{beightened^.by the ainfluenee ' ,oPa. -straditiort.toWg .-the Malâyus,'1 thatjVon.ithej first
Mtabhshmentj c^-^e.JMal^an^na^îæ^the ishmjderg .stipplf&M* th a t jieithër, they..npr^Üféii;
desoendantuAgaU’evpr he put ta.Aame.^..'Æhe.traditLontnms. as .fpÏÏpws i ,
" ’Taen'Ampu and paling made obeisance to Sangsapurha (a prince who had arrived in Su-
“ mdtra Jfrom -Wesfern india, "and who'isS^moSed'toiha've!foundeld'tBe "Malayan empire)’ and
represented - to j-him .that Demang i«&^i®ao^^(‘oKiëflait^br’ô§d^eafiWdl^î^bârigÿtlia<h-a
.^.Sangsapurha accordingly-sent to ask her upmarriage1; but .hel-exc’used' himself;
‘{-alleging^ that she|l^pp^pro^alj^bler.str;uc^.witJiasioknep8,>Md tlm'Khe.tÿjôu{dj.onIyI resign
K her tn him,.a|j-aç^Miôn p^rf^in.^miiltipijs. .
u marrying his daughter, all the family'of sDemang, jptbar 'rmnn' slmiiu^mmht -th'çms elves- to
u him; but that Sangsapurha shoiili'eng^gé, both fo-rdlfttiKelf 'and his"posterfigv*th'at they
“ sh'pul'drreeeivh'a KBetal treatment ; and in particular, thatV'When^hey cwnihittSl* a1 fault, they
*1.jhpuld never he.expssed to sham© nor. opprobrious .languîige,,.Jmtj.,if. their -fault.was .great,
tlrat'thqy^oiddbe put to, deathip^cp^ng.tQÓhe^law.. &ngsaB«^aja^g&d^qjtheseiCoiij-
1 ‘ .ditions ; but he requested, tin his Jturn, that the .descendants, of Damang ietôt^Âàgre^hould
“ never move"'any treasonaKe practices against" Bis aescendants, .even;' maugMthey should
“-‘become1''tyrannical; c*‘ Very^welly ‘said Dewiàng' Lehar Vaon litiriÉ ynvr'dêicendanés
“>Abreak y cmn agreements,, ^ob^lylmiifè'^laddl®e-same.’ ■ TKesê;'cb’ndi'€bns Werefmutùallÿ
“ jagçeed to^and^the parties£^pre,to.perfornS tijèrn, ;impregàtingathe divme'^pngeanqg.to turp
{£ their authority upsMa down- who.ÿiould infringe these agreements. - From this condition it
thaqncme of the.Malayantajas ever expose their Malayan subpos to disgrace pit shame:
“ thêÿ never bind them, nor hang them, môr ^ive them opprobrious language ; and whbnfmmr a
-<i! raja exposes HÏÖSubjects ‘to; disgrace^(ibi^!fïife'lcêrïhin; tokfen' 'óf'ïliéÏdestructi«ûrbf->hiS^;èun-
y tty- Hêhoe.also it is, .that hone of the Malayan, racejevenengagebitiaitfejlliqnifjortum thtót
.«^faces^pm theiç,pfwn rajas, even though th'eÿ_c(®dîy;t,.be bad,;and the^r proceedings
“ .xûeal"--Malâyan Annals.