Marriages are celebrated with music and dancing, the former produced by the Mozambique violin, drums, and shells. Sometimes there is singing by male voices, when the but den of the sung is repeated by the whole company present. Sir NVilliam Jones was assured, that songs were composed in the 'stand. The dances resemble those of sometimes exhibiting intricate movements, but in general distinguished by contortions accompanied by more than by graceful action. At the close of every dance, a tew pieces of money are thrown at the feet of the musicians. Meantime the new married female sends presents of flowers to strangers from the place of conceal ment, where she and her friends behold what passes. On the celebration of a marriage, the husband invites all his ft lends and relations to feast and dance during eight suc cessive days, beginning at four in the afternoon, and conti nuing until morning. The guests, however, according to their ability, contribute towards defraying the expences.
The inhabitants occupy themselves in agriculture, some holding considerable estates in the interior. Several prac tise the mechanical arts, though, from the rudeness of their tools, the workmanship is coarse; and shops of goldsmiths, weavers, and the like, are to be seen. The unsettled state of the country, however, is very prejudicial to agricultural pursuits. Probably they construct their own vessels, which consist of small canoes hollowed from the trunk of a tree, and war boats capable of carrying 200 men. In their large barks they undertake long voyages, sailing as far as Bom bay and Surat, or to the isle of France ; but they seem to have little productive trade ; for notwithstanding the beau ty and fertility of their island, it seems to have few commo dities which are desired by other nations. Arms and am munition, knives, cloth, and cotton, are purchased at Bom bay ; ivory is obtained from Mozambique ; rice, a kind of bread fruit, and cattle, from the rest of the Comoro islands. Some of the chief men make expeditions to the African coast for the purchase of slaves ; the humanity of which traffic they defend on the same principle as other dealers, namely, that the objects of it would otherwise suffer death: and others are purveyors to the European vessels that an chor on the coast.
Almost all the natives of Johanna profess the Mahome dan religion ; but it is asset ted, that fetishes, that is, animals or Inanimate bodies, are venerated by the lower orders ; and it is related, that there is a small lake among the mountains of the interior, which is held sacred, as well as the water-fowl that frequent it. The higher ranks and cler gy are not entirely destitute of learning, and they possess some books among them,apparently for the most part the ological.
The government on the island is monarchical, elective, (though the right is not known to have been exercised,) and aristocratic. The extent of the Sultan's power is not explained ; he is obliged to obtain the sanction of his chiefs to certain acts, such as the declaration of peace or war ; and the latter arc said to defray its expellee by a voluntary contribution, in return for which they claim all the booty. Profound respect is entertained for the person of the Sul tan ; none of the inhabitants can address him unless kneel ing, and having touched the ground with their foreheads.
He never goes abroad but when accompanied by several chiefs and domestics, of whom one carries his betel box, other two his lances, a fourth precedes him blowing a shell, and a considerable retinue of the populace is in attend ance. The charges of government are defrayed by a tax from the villages. Formerly the other Comoro islands were subject to the Sultan of Johanna, and the present prince still claims the sovereignty of them, and the vassal age of their chiefs ; but it is very doubtful how far he re ceives any tribute. Females are not excluded from the succession.
The principal town of the island is Machadou, or Mat sanudo, on the north coast, near the bottom of a mountain. It is surrounded by walls fifteen feet high, flanked by square towers, and is said to be a mile and a half in cir cuit. But the streets are narrow and irregular, resem bling su many lanes, and the houses poor both within and without. They are commonly ranged around a small in terior court. The first apartment is open, and beyond the court is that of the women. In the former, the place for repose is separated by a chintz curtain from the rest of the room, and elevated in an angle several feet high. It is composed of successive broad steps, whereon one or two persons can rest. The middle of the apartment is appro priated for meals, where the guests either sit on low stools, or recline against the steps of the bed-place. The houses of the chief men, however, are capacious, but scantily fur nished. That of the king, which cannot merit the name of a palace, differs from the rest in having a more spacious vestibule, and a long gallery hung round with muskets and powder horns, serving both for a hall of audience and a kind of arsenal. At one end are three large windows within a balustrade, where also is an arm chair, occupied as a throne by the sovereign. Sir William Jones describes an apartment wherein the sultan received him, as " hung with old red cloth, and decorated with pieces of porcelain, and festoons of English bottles ; the lamps were placed on the ground in large sea-shells; and the bed-place was a recess, concealed by a chintz hanging opposite to a sofa." The houses are so much impregnated with the odour of musk, for which the natives entertain a remarkable parti ality, as to be exceedingly disagreeable. Machadou con tains a mosque, a small mean edifice, surmounted by a mi naret, where several Arabians are always to be seen in prayer. It was built by a female sovereign of the island, named Halimah, or Alima, who probably reigned two cen turies ago ; but is now becoming ruinous. The fort com mands the town, and being elevated high above it, at first sight presents an imposing appearance. It is gained by flights of 300 or 400 steps included between two walls. The country is rather arid in the immediate vicinity of Machadou ; but the climate is very fine, and the people healthy. Some nevertheless labour under severe distem pers. Fevers and dysentery are the most common com plaints ; and it is much to be doubted whether the climate is equally salubrious to Europeans.