The heep being left upon the open heaths, feek to thelter themselves from the inclemencies of the weath er, amongst the fhallows upon the Jee fide of the mountains; and here they are frequently buried under the fnow for feveral weeks together. In this fituation, they eat their own and each others wool, and hold out won derfully against cold and hunger; but even in moderate winters, a confiderable number are found dead after the foow has difappeared, and in rigorous feafons few are left alive. Meanwhile the fleward or factor, hard preffed by letters from the gaming-houfe, or Newmarket, demands the rent in a tone which makes no great allowance for unpropitious feafons, the death of cattle, and other accidental misfortunes; the laird's wants must be supplied. his fons, brothers, and fiequently an aged parent; and embarks in a fall open boat, in queft of herrings, with no other provifions than oatmeal, potatoes, and fresh water; no other bedding than heath or brushwood; one end of the boat being covered with an old fail, to defend them from the inclemencies of the feas and skies. Thus provided, he fearches from bay to bay, through turbulent feas, frequently for feveral weeks together, before the foals of herring are difcovered. The glad tidings feem to vary, but not to diminish his fatigues. Unremitting pightly labour, pinching cold winds, heavy feas, uninhabited fhores, covered with fnow, or deluged with rains, contribute towards filling up the measure of his difireffes: while to men of such exquifite feelings as the Highlanders generally poffefs, the fcene which awaits him at home does it most effectually. Having realized a little money among country purchasers, he returns with the remainder of his capture, through a long navigation, frequently amidft unceafing hurricanes, not to a comfortable home and cheerful family, which would make him forget his toils, and fmile at paft dan Such is the fate of farming, if it may be fo called, throughout the interior parts of the Higlands; but as that country has an extenfive coast, and many islands, it may perhaps be fuppofed that the inhabitants of thofe fhores are in a much better fituation. This is, however, as yet, by no means the cafe; thofe gifts of nature, which in other commercial countries would have been fubfervient to the moft valuable purposes, are here loft, or near-gers; but to a turf cabin, environed ly fo, to the natives and to the public. The only difference, therefore, between the inhabitants of the interior parts, and thofe of the most diftant coaft or island, confifts in this; that the latter, with the labours of the field, have to encounter alter nately the dangers of the ocean, and all the fatigues of navigation. To the diftreffing circumftances at home, which have been already defcribed, new difficulties and toils await the devoted farmer when abroad. In hopes of gaining a little money to pay his rent, or a little fish to fupport his family, he leaves his wife and infants at the commencement of the hery in October, accompanied by with fnow, and almost hid from the eye by its great depth. Upon entering his folitary manfion, Le generally finds part of his family lying upon heath or ftraw, languishing the want or epidemical difeafe, while the few furviving cows, which pol fefs the other end of the cottage, infead of furnishing further fupplies of milk and blood, demand his im mediate attention to keep them in exiftence. The feafon now approaches, when he is again to delve and labour the ground, on the fame flender profpe&t of a plentiful crop, or a dry harvest. The cattle which have furvived the feverity of the winter, are turned out to the mountains; and having put his domeftic affairs into the best fituation, which a train of accumulat ed misfortunes admit of, he resumes the oar in fearch of the white fishery. If fuccefsful in this, he fets out in his open boat upon a voyage of two hundred miles, to vend his cargo of cod, ling, &c. at Greenock or Glaf gow. The produce, which feldom exceeds in value twelve or fifteen pounds, is laid out, in conjunction with his companions, in meal and fishing tackle; and he returns through the fame tedious navigation*. The autumn calls his attention again to the field; the ufual round of difappointment, fatigue, and diftrefs, await him: thus he drags through a wretched existence, in hopes of foon arriving at that country where the weary fhall be at rest. In the time of war, thefe poor wretches, while engaged in the fifheries to keep their drooping families in existence, are indifcriminately preffed, without regard to cafes or cir cumftances, however diftreffing to the unhappy victims or their families. These virtuous, but friendless men, while endeavouring by every means in their power to pay their rents; to fupport their wives, their children, and their aged parents; in short, while they are acting in every refpect the part of honeft, inoffenfive fubjects, are dragged away from their frmilies and connexions. The aged, the fick, and the helplefs, look in vain for their return. They are heard of no more. Lamentations, cries, and despair, pervade the village or the district. Thus deprived of their main fupport, the rent unpaid, the cattle fold or seized, whole families are reduced to the extremity of want, and turned out amidft the inclemencies of the winter, to relate their piteous tale, and implore from the wretched but hofpitable mountaineers, a little meal or a little milk, to preferve their infants from perishing in their arms†. AN ACCOUNT OF THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE ISLAND BORNEO. THE [By Mr Von Wurmb] HE Biadjoos, or Dajakkefe, for the most part inhabit an extenfive district in the interior part of Borneo, on the weft fide of the river Banjer. The Biadjoos are of large flature and well built. Their women are faid to be fair and handsome; but they never bring them to Banjer, or any other of the places where they trade. The drefs of the Biadjoos has a great refemblance to that of the Malays. Their women, and even the wives of their princes, go naked to the middle, and, in general, have nothing around their body but a fhort gown. The men paint their bodies with figures of various kinds, as is the cafe among the other natives of the island, and throughout all India. They come to Banjer to fell their gold, canes, and rice, for which they receive in exchange coarse Chinese porcelain, copper and earthen vesfels, or tampayangs, on which are reprefented dragons, fnakes, and other figures fuited to their taste. Their marriages are accompanied with fome very fingular ceremonies. When a bachelor has conceived an attachment for a young woman, he employs fome female to ask her in marriage from her parents; but he is fure * Should the Crinan Canal be completed, and the dues fufficiently low, this ted ous navigation will be avoided. + Knox's View of the British Empire, vol. i. p. 126. fure of receiving a denial, unless he has given a proof of his courage by cutting off the head of an enemy. If his offer is accepted, he carries to his bride a prefent which confifts of a male or female flave, two dreffes, and a water pot, on which fome of their favourite figures are reprefented. When the wedding-day arrives, the bride and the bridegroom each give an entertainment at their houses; at the conclufion of which the bridegroom, in his beft apparel, is conducted to the refidence of the bride, where he finds at the door of one of her relations, who imeares over him the blood of a cock which has been killed for that purpofe; and the fame ceremony takes place in regard to the bride, with the blood of a hep. They then prefent to each other their bloody hands; but it is confidered as a bad omen, if the blood, in confequence of this joining of hands, fpirts out too far around them. The new married couple then remain together, and the whole folemnity ends with a fecond entertainment. When the wife lies in, the husband affumes the office of nurse, and no other care is ufual on this occafion than that one of their conjurers, whom they call balian, gives the newly-delivered woman fome medicines, amid finging, and beating on certain inftruments named gindang. If the wife die, the husband cannot enter again into the married ftate until he has cut off the head of fome individual of another nation, and thereby aveng. ed the death of his wife. When a Biadjoo dies, the body is put into a coffin, and kept in the houfe until all the remaining males of the family, father, fon, and other near relations, have purchased a flave; who is to be beheaded on the day when the body is burnt, in order that he may attend the deceased in the other world. Before this unfortunate wretch is butchered, it is earnestly recommended to him, to be faithful to his master on the other fide of the grave. The ashes of the burnt body are afterward collected in one of the above defcribed water-pots, and the pot, together with the head of the flave who has been ftrangled, is depofited in a small edifice, or tomb built for that purpose. A year often elapfes before the relations of the deceafed are in a condition to purchase a flave to ferve him in the next world. Their houfes are conftructed of boards joined together, and have neither windows nor partitions, except that which feparates a fmall corner for fleeping in. The whole family refide together along with their slaves, forming in the whole fometimes a hundred perfons. They have nothing to afford them light but a thin piece of pine-wood, which burns no longer 'than till about eight in the evening. Over their doors they fufpend the heads which they cut off in their fkirmishes, and often while they are ftill bloody. Whenever they conceive a defire of displaying their courage by cutting off heads, they set out on an expedition for that purpose. On fuch occafions, the perfon who wishes to gratify his bloody intention, makes known his defign to his friends and relations, who deliberate with him on the means to be purfued, and who accompany him, together with their dependants and flaves. They then proceed, in great fecrecy, to the river Banjer, and lie in wait for fome fmall veffel belonging to Banjer fishermen, whom they either furprise in the night-time, or attack and carry away in the open day. One or, perhaps, two of thefe unfortunate captives are then deftined to become a facrifice to their infatiable rage for murder. When the Dajakkefe bring home a head, the whole village, men, women, and children, teftify their fatisfaction by every demonftration of joy. People who beat on gongs, which is a kind of mufical inftrument of cop, per, per, are stationed in a row in the ftreet to conduct the conqueror, with the head in his hand, to his own houfe, where he is received by all the women prefent, who dance around him. When he approaches the door, he finds, where the gongs ceafe, a cafhion placed for him, on which he fits down, and where the head is taken from him by the women. The fortunate head-hunter receives prefents from all the company, who dance and afterward partake of a repaft. At the fame time fome food is thrust into the mouth of the head, and a little drink is poured into it; after which it is hung up as a perpe tual trophy of victory. Thefe people, however, before they undertake expeditions of this kind in queft of Banjerele heads, always endeavour to deduce fome omen of good or bad fortune from the flight of a kind of hawk, called Falco Milvus. With this view, they entice the bird to perch on the ground, by ftrewing rice on it, and by other means; and if he wheels round when he rifes, and difappears in the clouds, or flies toward that quarter to which they intend to proceed, they confider it as a fign of good fortune, and they fet out with fresh courage: but if the bird directs its flight toward a quarter oppofite to that to which they wish to go, they defer the expedition till a more favourable opportunity. It often hap. pens, that they must wait two or three days before fuch a feathered prophet appears, to inform them, when they are to expect good fortune. The Biadjoos have fcarcely any form of government, and no written laws. If a perfon is accused of theft, and if fufficient proof cannot be adduced against him, the culprit and the accufer are carried before one of the oldeft inhabitants. An earthen pot with afhes and water is placed on the ground, and a bit of wood, on which are depofited two fmall copper buttons, is laid across the pot. After an oath has been administered to each of the parties, the bit of wood is turned round in fuch a manner that the buttons fall into the water; the accufed and the accufer must then each draw one of the buttons from it, and he whole button appears as if fcoured, and rendered white by the athes, gains the process. It is faid, that the Biadjoos have fome idea of a Supreme Being, to whom they address prayers under the name of Dewatta; and, as they believe, that this Dewatta not only created, but ftill preserves and rules the world, they requeft him to grant them happiness and profperity. Refpecting the notions which they entertain of this deity, and the particular worthip they pay to him, I can give no further account. If we may judge from the character of these people, their deity must be a gloomy and revengeful being: no nation on the earth have a greater propenfity to murder and revenge. When a married woman commits adultery, and is difcovered by her husband, the latter never makes any attempt against the adulterer, but contents himfelf with putting to death two or three of his flaves; after which he imagines himself freed from all fhame. The woman, on the other hand, is punished merely with words, but fometimes with blows. Do not a people, whofe conduct is regulated by fuch laws, deferve pity? Revenge, fuperftition, avarice, and a fpirit of plundering, are often among civilifed as well as uncivilifed nations the ftrongest incitements to acts of cruelty and murder: but the Biadjoo, who attacks only poor defeneeless beings, and carries about their heads as trophies of his courage; who never attacks his enemy himself, but endea. vours to be avenged by putting to death innocent flaves, certainly fur paffes in cruelty the ravenous animal that devours others only to appease its hunger. Let us hope, for the honour of humanity, that a good deal in this imperfect relation may be exaggerated. The Biadjoos are unacquainted with polygamy. When a man wishes to feparate from his wife, in confequence of her having been guilty of fome crime, he retains her clothes and ornaments, and caufes her to pay befides, a fine amounting to thirty rials. After this, each party may again marry. These people acknowledge the fultan of Banjer as their fovereign, and they also pay him yearly a small tribute in gold duft, of the value of twenty rials. The principal part of the information respecting thefe people was obtained from a Mr Palm, who made a journey from Pontiana to Landac in the year 1779, on business of the Dutch Eaft-India company, and who, on this occafion, penetrated a confiderable way into the country. HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF PHYSIOGNOMY. • They'll find i' the phyfiognomies THE following appears to us a It certainly occupied much of the attention of ancient philofophers, but fince the revival of learning has been in a great degree difregarded. Till of late it has feldom in modern times been mentioned, except in conjunction with the exploded arts of magic, alchemy, and judicial aftrology. Within the two laft centuries, no doubt, the bounds of human knowledge have been greatly extended by means of the patient purfuit of fact and experiment, instead of the hafty adoption of conjecture and hypothefis. We have certainly difcovered many of the ancient fyftems to be merely creatures of imagination. Perhaps, however, in some inftances, we have decided too rapidly, and rejected real knowledge, which we would have found it tedious and troublesome to acquire. Such has been the fate of the fcience of phyfiognomy; which certainly merits to be confidered in a light very different from alchemy, Ed. Mag. June 1800. 34 HUDIBRAS, and thofe other fanciful ftudies with which it had accidentally been coupled. The work lately published by M. Lavater on the subject has indeed excited attention, and may perhaps tend to replace phyfiognomy in that rank in the circle of the fciences to which it feems to be entitled. It does not appear that the an. cients extended the compass of phyfiognomy beyond man, or at least animated nature, But the study of that art was revived in the middle ages, when milled probably by the comprehenfiveness of the etymological meaning of the word, or incited by the prevalent tafte for the marvellous, thofe who treated of the subject, ftretched the range of their fpeculation far beyond the ancient limits. The extenfion of the fignification of the term was adopted univerfally by thofe naturalifts, who admitted the theory of fignatures; and phyfiognomy came thus to mean, the knowledge of the internal properties of any corporeal existence from the external appearance. Boyle too adopts this extenfive fignification, which indeed feems to have been at one time the ufual acceptation of the word, and is humoroufly alluded to in the two lines from Hudi |