[*I Was So Fortunate As To See Two Adult Male Jakuns And One Female, But
My Information Respecting Them Is Derived Chiefly From Mr. Syers,
Superintendent Of Police In Selangor, And From Mr. Maxwell, The
Assistant-Resident In Perak.]
The Rayet, or Orang Laut, "subjects," or men of the sea, inhabit the
coast and the small islets off the coast, erecting temporary sheds when
they go ashore to build boats, mend nets, or collect gum dammar and
wood oil, but usually living in their boats.
They differ little from
the Malays, who, however, they look down upon as an inferior race,
except that they are darker and more uncouth looking. They have no
religious (!) beliefs but in the influence of evil spirits, to whom at
times they perform a few propitiatory rites. Many of them become
Mohammedans. They live almost entirely upon fish. They are altogether
restless and impatient of control, but, unlike some savages, are
passionately fond of music, and are most ingenious in handicrafts,
specially in boat-building.
The Chinese in the Peninsula and on the small islands of Singapore and
Pinang are estimated at two hundred and forty thousand, and their
numbers are rapidly increasing, owing to direct immigration from China.
It is by their capital, industry, and enterprise that the resources of
the Peninsula are being developed. The date of their arrival is
unknown, but the Portuguese found them at Malacca more than three
centuries ago. They have been settled in Pinang and Singapore for
ninety-three and sixty-three years respectively; but except that they
have given up the barbarous custom of crushing the feet of girls, they
are, in customs, dress, and habits, the exact counterparts of the
Chinese of Canton or Amoy.
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