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maining in Java, (for the Bedui, though descendants of the fugitives of Pajajaran, scarcely merit notice in this respect), I proceed to mention some of the leading observations which I made in Bali. The notices regarding the prevalence of Hinduism in Bali, and of the nature of the government and country, have hitherto been so scanty, that on such interesting ground I may be pardoned for entering into some detail, without which it is impossible to convey a just notion of the subject.

The island of Bali is at present divided under seven separate authorities, each independent of the other; and, of this heptarchy, the state of Klongkong is acknowledged to be the most ancient; its princes tracing their descent from the princes of Java, and having once possessed authority over the whole island. Among the regalia of this state are reported to be still preserved the creese of Majapahit, and the celebrated gong named Bentur Kadaton; and, although the other governments do not at the present day admit of any interference on the part of this state, they still evince a marked respect and courtesy to that family, as the Asal Rajah Bali, (the stock from which they sprung).

The population is roughly estimated by the number of male inhabitants whose teeth have been filed, and whose services each prince can command, and who amount to upward of 200,000. The female population is understood rather to exceed the male; and, as it may be considered that only the active and able bodied men are included in the above

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The government is despotic, and vested in the prince alone, who is assisted in all affairs relating to the internal administra-" tion of the country, by a head Perbakal, (immediately under officers of this name, are placed the heads of villages), and by a Radin Tumung-gung, who conducts the details of a more general nature, of commerce and foreign intercourse. The constitution of each village is the same; the head or chief is termed Perbakal, and the assistant, Kalian Tempek. These officers are invariably selected from among the people of the village; the son, however, generally succeeding the father, if competent to perform the duties. Under the head Perbakal, who has the designation of Perbakal Rajah, are several inferior Perbakals for general duties and communications with the villages; and under the Radin Tumun'gung a similar establishment, bearing the rank and designation of Kalian Tempek. Among the heads of villages are many whose families have formerly distinguished themselves in the wars of Bali, and who are termed Gusti. The command of the military is at present vested in a chief of the Bramana cast, and who seems to

receive

receive honours and respect next They have the same appearance

to the prince himself.

Whatever, at former periods, may have been the extent and influence of the Hindu religion, Bali is now the only island in the Eastern Seas, in which that religion is still prevailing as the national and established religion of the country. That high spirit of enterprize which burst the bounds of the extensive confines of India, like the dove from the ark, rested its weary wing for a while in Java, till driven from thence it sought a refuge in Bali, where even amongst the rudest and most untutored of savages, it found an asylum. The four grand divisions of the Hindus are here acknow ledged, and the number of Bramana (Bramins) attached to the small state of B'liling exceeds four hundred, of whom about one hun. dred are termed Pandita.

Without entering into the particular tenets of the prevailing Hinduism of Bali, which can only be treated of with propriety and correctness after a more thorough acquaintance with the practical duties, and some knowledge of what is contained in their sacred records, it may be affirmed without hazard, that Hinduism, as it exists at the present day in Bali, is rather to be considered as the nationalized Hinduism of Bali, in which a large portion of the native institutions and customs are admitted, than Hinduism as it is understood to prevail on the continent of India. The Brahmins, however, are held in high veneration; and, on being questioned as to their doctrines and to what sect they belong, they answer in variably, they are Bramana. Siwa.

as Bramins wherever they are met with, and the Indian features at once distinguish them as descended from a foreign race. The town and small temples which we occasionally observed, have the appearance of a Maharatta village, and the eye is struck with every thing strictly Hindu, forming a most unexpected contrast with the present style of building and appearance of the country on passing through Java and the other Eastern Islands.

On inquiring into the relative rank and importance of their deities, they invariably described Bitara Guru as the first in rank; then Bitara Brama, the spirit of fire; Bitara Wisnu, the spirit of the waters; and lastly, Bitara Siwa, the spirit of the winds.

Beside these, they describe numerous subordinate deities, to whom they pay adoration; as Dewa Gid'e Segara, the divinity of the great sea; Dewa Gid'e Dalam, the divinity who presides over death; Gid'e Bali Agung, the great and popular deity of Bali ; Dewa Gid'e Gunning Agung, the great deity of the mountain; which last is the deity of most general worship.

Bitara Guru, though considered as the highest object of worship, is declared to be subordinate to, and only the mediator with the divinity, whom they designate by the expressive and appropriate term of Sang Yang Tung'gal, THE GREAT AND ONLY ONɛ.

The bodies of deceased persons are invariably burnt, and the wives and concubines of the higher classes perform the sacrifice of Satia. A few days pre

vious to my landing on Bali, nineteen young women, the wives and concubines of the younger rajah, who was lately put to death, sacrificed theinselves in this manner.

The written language of Bali differs but little from that of Java; but the character has a more ancient form. The Kawi is the sacred language, and understood or pretended to be understood by the Bramins. The common language is a mixture of the original language of the country and that of Java, in which the latter predominates.

Deferring until another occasion a more particular review of the religion, institutions and habits of this people, I will, for the present confine myself to such observations as occur on the contemplation of the peculiar and extraordinary character they exhibit for the Balinese differs widely both in appearance and character from the Javan, and indeed from every other inhabitant of the Archipelago.

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The natives of Bali are about the middle size of Asiatics; larger and more athletic than the Javans or Malays, and possessed of an air of independence different altogether from the appearance of their more polished neighbours on the coast of Java. The women, in particular, are well proportioned. They seem to be on a perfect equality with the men. They are not secluded from society ; and their general intercourse with strangers, even Europeans, is frank and cheerful. They are fairer than the women in Java; and, wearing no cover ing above the waist, the natural

beauty and symmetry of their shape is neither restrained nor concealed.

There are two kinds of slavery existing in Bali, and sanctioned. by the laws of the country. The fir-t is termed paniak;" by which is understood a perfect state of slavery; the second,

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kowang," which resembles the condition of the slave-debtor in Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. "Paniac" is synonimous with "humba" among the Malays, and signifies a slave. The master has complete possession of his person; and may lawfully transfer and punish with death, according to his will and pleasure, it being contrary to usage for the prince to interfere. In the mode of acquiring this absolute property there appears to be but little restriction. Prisoners taken in war, or families carried off from their countries, are daily sold and transferred; the deed of transfer, called in Bali, "padol," being authenticated by the Tumung gung. In cases where an outrage is committed in a neighbouring state in alliance, application from the injured party, transmitted through the proper chief, will cause the persons to be restored, and the perpetrators of the outrage are liable to the punishment of death; but, in cases where the countries are not immediately in alliance, or when the parties carried off from a friendly state happen to want friends to make application in their favour, no notice is taken of such occurrences If a free man wishes to marry a female slave, he may obtain her by purchase, provided he can agree with the proprietor; otherwise, he

may

may be admitted to marry her on condition that he becomes a servant with her this second degree of slavery comes under the title of "rowang." Persons convicted of offences not of the first magnitude, are generally sold for slaves by the prince, or taken to serve him as such. The term " rowang" is used to express the second, or modified degree of slavery. If a man happens to be indebted, and without the means of payment (the debt exceeding ten dollars) he may be sold by the Jaxa, and the amount for which he is disposed of is appropriated to repay his creditor; the surplus being divided between the prince, the jaxa, and the creditor, as a recompense for their trouble: the man sold in this manner becomes a rowang. This state of servitude embraces every feature of slavery, excepting that the rowang cannot be sold, put to death, nor sent out of the country. If a rowang wishes to marry, he may do so on receiving his master's consent, but the woman becomes a rowang also. But the rowang possesses this advantage, that he may redeem himself at any time, by paying the amount of the debt, or the money may be advanced for him; so that his condition is that of a debtor bound to serve his creditor until the amount of his debt is discharged. In the event of the debt not amounting to ten dollars, the party cannot be sold ; but the jaxa will order the goods and property of the debtor to be disposed of, and an obligation to be given for the payment of the remainder whenever his circumstances may admit. A person in

debted to another, and unable to pay, may make over his wife and children to the creditor, who, in such case, will become rowangs; and, on eventual payment of his debt, he may demand back his family.

In marriage, the dowry established by custom, for all persons of equal rank, is forty dollars, to be paid to the parents of the bride; but as it happens, in many cases, that the husband is unable to pay this sum, he becomes indebted to the parents for the amount, and this constitutes a third branch of slavery, under the term Tatung'gon. The man and wife reside in the house of the bride's father, and the man performs service in attendance on the family, or in assisting in the cultivation of the land. When the husband is enabled to pay the dowry, he is then at liberty to quit the father's house, and to maintain an independent establishment, under the term of "Orang Merdika," or freeman. If the new-married man, however, behaves to the satisfaction of his wife's family, it often happens, that after a certain time,, the father-in-law consents to remit the whole or part of the dowry, according to the circumstances of the parties.

The punishments for crimes are death, confinement, and selling into slavery; neither torture to obtain confession, mutilation, nor even corporal punishment are used. Theft and robbery are punished with death; and, for murder, treason, and gang robbery, in aggravated cases, the punishment of death is inflicted

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by breaking the limbs with a hatchet this, though it assimilates to the manner of breaking on the wheel, does not appear to have been adopted from Europeans, the practice being of ancient date. The party is left to linger, sometimes for several days, before death ensues. All executions are in public. Other capital punishments are usually performed with a creese. Open robbery by day-light is punished by death; but stealing, by confinement only: robbery by night invariably by death. All offences are punished in the jaxa's court, which consists of two jaxas and two kancha or registers; the perbakal being the prosecutor. The sentence of the court must be confirmed by the prince: previous to execution, his warrant or lontar, is necessary in all cases; in civil cases, the confirmation of the prince is only required when persons are sold into slavery. A regular table of fees, in civil as well as criminal cases, is exhibited in court; and the amount divided between the members and the prince. In criminal cases, when the punishment is capital, the property is confiscated, and divided in like manner; but, in other punishments, the parties retain their property. Adultery is punished with death to the man, and the woman beco nes a slave to the prince. Theft is the most prevalent crime. Adultery is uncommon; perhaps not twenty cases in a year. The husband has the power, by law, to kill both parties at the moment, if he detects them in the fact; but not otherwise.

however, the conduct of the Balinese appears unexceptionable; and there is indeed a superior delicacy to what might be expected, and their tenderness towards early age speaks strongly in favour of their natural disposition. The parental authority is exercised with such tenderness, that it is peculiarly striking when taken in the same view with the apparently rude character of the people. They seem to evince a careless indifference to the rod of despotism which hangs over their head; and an air of good humour and general satisfaction prevails throughout. Temperate in their diet, and strangers to drunkenness, the ruling passion is gaming, from cockfighting to an inordinate and unprincipled desire for conquest.-Such is the energy of the character, that it must find some powerful vent; something on which to discharge itself; and, not being subjected to a form of government calculated to repress their energies, they evidently feel no inclination to stand still in the scale of civilization. As a nation, they are certainly invincible, as to any native power in the Eastern Seas. Still maintaining a high and noble independence of character, they perhaps exhibit in a concentrated spot as much of human nature, checked by regulation, and yet not lowered or refined by it, as is to be found in any part of the universe.

ANCIENT

POPULATION OF THE
ISLANDS.

If we contemplate the various nations and tribes which inhabit the Southern peninsula of India,

In their domestic relations, and the innumerable islands com

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