The colour of 'all the Malay tribes is a light reddish-brown, with more or less of an olive tinge, not varying in any important degree over a wide extent of country. The hair is equally constant, being invariably black and straight, and of a rather coarse texture, so that any lighter tint, or any wave or curl in it, is an almost certain proof of the admixture of some foreign blood. It is plentiful on the. head, but other parts of the body are smooth. The moustaches alone are retained on the face, other hairs being removed by pincers. The stature is tolerably equal, and is always considerably below that of the average European,—five feet two or three inches being considered the average height of a man, and that of a woman is a few inches shorter. Their bones are large and clumsily put together, but strongly knit ; arms and legs usually short compared with the length of the body; and the whole frame robust, and capable of much labour. The body is fleshy and muscular, legs remarkably so, thighs so large as to be unwieldy. Malays seldom become obese ; the breast well developed, the feet small, thick, and short, the hands small and rather delicate. Tho head is round, and elongated at the summit, broad at the back, and set on a stout, thick neck. The facial angle seldom exceeds 50 degrees, while that of the European is seldom less, and sometimes is nearly ninety, or perpendicular. The face is a little broad, and inclined to be fiat ; the forehead is broad and rather rounded, the brows low ; the eyes long and narrow, rather deep set, black or dark hazel in colour, and seldom clear about the white. The nose is rather small, not prominent, but straight and well shaped, the apex a little rounded, the nostrils broad and slightly exposed ; the cheek-bones are rather prominent ; the mouth large; the lips broad and well cut, but not pro. truding; the chin 'well formed ; cars largo and ill-shaped ; jaws wide and square ; teeth regular, large, and white, unless discoloured by lime and gambler. The Malays, when mature, are certainly not handsome, but in youth up to 15 years of age both boys and girls .have pleasing counte nances, and in their way almost perfect. Women soon show signs of old age ; they become wrinkled and haggard after bearing a few children, and in old age are hideous. With shades of difference, not to be fixed in words, this, with the exception of a few Negroes, is a description which applies to all the inhabitants of Sumatra, the Peninsula, Java, Borneo, Celebes, the Moluccas, Timor, and the whole Philippine group.
In character, the Malay is impassive. Ile exhibits a reserve, diffidence, and even bashful ness which is in some degree attractive, and leads the "observer to think that the ferocious, blood thirsty character imputed to the race must bo grossly exaggerated. He is not demonstrative. His feelings of surprise, admiration, or fear aro never openly manifested, and are probably not strongly felt. He is slow and deliberate in speech, and circuitous in introducing the subject he has come expressly to discuss. Children and women in the company of men are silent, and are gener ally quiet and obedient. When alone, the Malay is taciturn, he neither talks nor singe to himself. When several are paddling in a canoe, they occasionally chant a monotonous and plaintive song. He is cautious of giving offence to his equals, he does not quarrel easily about money matters, and practical joking is utterly repugnant to his nature. The higher class of Malay arc exceedingly polite, but this is compatible with reckless cruelty and contempt of human life, which is the dark side of their character. They are proud, and, if ill-treated, revengeful ; but under generous treatment are gentle, kind, humane, grateful, docile, and faithful. Capable of the warmest attachments, and yet impelled to madness and the commission of the most revolting deeds by real or imaginary unkindness. They are dutiful children and kind parents. They treat their aged kinsmen with the greatest kind ness, and feel it a duty to relieve the wants of an indigent relation. Old men and women are always regarded with respect.
Dr. Oxley described the character of the unso phisticated Malay as remarkable for its simplicity and honesty ; having no artificial wants, they are satisfied and content with what would be considered positive destitution by a Chinese ; they are consequently apathetic and inactive, and will not for any amount offered to them labour be yond their usual habits or customary routine ; they have little of any speculative turn ; they have a regard for truth, and may generally be depended upon in their statements. What has
so often been written of their revengeful spirit; he says, is much exaggerated ; polite in the ex treme, according to their own ideas, they never indulge in abuse one towards the other, the only reply to any deviation from this rule is the ktis, for which they will watch their opportunity, and most' certainly not afford their advertary 'any advantage it is in their power to deprive hiin of. This is their code of honour, and, being -fully aware of it amongst themselves, provocation is seldom given, and satisfaction as seldom required. When goaded, however, to the necessity, they become perfectly reckless, and should discovery attend the deed, they attempt no refutation, but sell their lives at the utmost cost they can to the captors. Too often have I known the officers of police compelled to shoot them on these occasions. Such is one species of amok, and how offenders of this description are to be dealt with can admit of but little doubt ; but there is another variety of the Orang Beramok vastly different, and by no means the least frequent, which requires dis crimination on the part of the medical jurist to prevent irresponsible persons suffering the penalty of the injured law. For instance, a man sitting quietly amongst his friends and relatives will, without provocation, suddenly start up, weapon in hand, and slay all within his reach. I have known so many as eight killed and wounded by a very feeble individual in this manner. Next day, when interrogated whether he was not sorry for the act he had committed, no one could be more contrite ; when asked, " Why, then, did you do it?" the answer has invariably been, "The devil entered into me, my eyes were darkened, I did not know what I was about." I have received this same reply on at least twenty different occasions ; on examination of these monomaniacs, I have generally found them labouring under some gastric disease or troublesome ulcer, and these fearful ebullitions break out upon some exacerbation of the disorder. Those about them have generally told me that they appeared moping and melancholy a few days before the outbreak.' The Bugis are by far the most addicted to the amok. They are a bold, self-reliant, maritime people of Celebes, of which they occupy the northern part, and they are known, in consequence, as the men of Macassar. The Bugis, originally from the same stock as the Malay, are superior to all other natives of the Archipelago in their spirit of adventure. They are a brave, active, haughty, fierce, and vigor ous race. They love justice, and are faithful to their bonds, but seldom forgive injuries. Under the name of Macassars, they form the flower of the colonial troops in the Dutch service ; they are bold hunters, and, mounted on their brisk little horses, drive the deer through the woods, and capture it with a lasso. The liugis have been the greatest colonists as well as the principal traders of the Archipelago. The ingenuity of the savage and the amenity of the civilised man, appear united in them. They have received the Koran, but not abjured the practices of their ancient faith,—the dark old idolatry once universal in the Archipelago. Stones and trees, painted red, still share their devotions with the invisible god of Islam. Women are treated honourably among th em, — a distinction in their manners not yet effaced by the Muham madan social law. They deterffiine many disputes by single combat, but never aenge themselves by personal assassination. The Sulu race, on the contrary, have no idea of putting themselves on a footing with their antagonist, but always attack him in the dark or off guard. Both the Malayan and Bugis nations are maritime and commercial, devoted to speculations of gain, animated by a spirit of adventure, and accustomed to distant and hazardous enterprises ; while the Javans, on the contrary, arc an agricultural race, attached to the soil, of quiet habits, and contented dis positions, almost entirely unacquainted with navigation and foreign trade, and little inclined to engage in either.