Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Straits Branch

“ In India, Jony Leyden, the shepherd's son, was the privileged companion and favoured protegé of the most illustrious men in power, by whose interest and support he had unstinted facilities given him in his special and peculiar pursuits. Logan, the son of a gentleman, had none of this. What he attained was due solely to his own labour and indomitable perserverance; these being exercised at the same time under the distracting influences of a laborious profession by which he honourably maintained himself. ”

“ The inroads of the Malays have driven them from the borders near the sea to the centre of the country, where still exist the primeæval forests in which they can remain unmolested by their fellow men, whom they fear more than the wild beasts with whom they live."
"The features of the Sakei, or "plains" men, are those of the Negro, and it is a matter for students of the dispersion of races to decide how and from whence come the dark skin, wooly hair, flat noses, and thick lips so prevalent amongst the Sakei of the Malay Peninsula. ”

“ Making but few friends in society, and being of a particularly retiring disposition, he seemed to reserve an overfull share of his attractions for those that could heartily sympathise with him in old fellowship. ”

“ Fate was adverse to both; neither brought their labours to full consumation. Under happier circumstances, both would have illuminated the world with best stores of yet dormant mysteries, wherein the complex skein of human races on this earth would have been disentangled and brought within our ken. While I mention Leyden and Logan as being men of much the same genius and power, it would be neglectful not to denote their differences. Leyden was born of the humbler classes, Logan of the middle. This is only interesting in so far as it points a moral and illustrates life's antithesis. ”

“ It should, however, be observed that the Malay writing is so far phonetic that the Roman characters, according to the system recommended by the Committee, will in the main give the spelling as well as the sound. Again, in order to help persons unacquainted with, or possessing but little knowledge of the language, it has been found absolutely necessary to mark the difference between short and long vowel sounds by accents of some kind, and great care is required to make these as intelligible as possible: and for simplicity's sake, as few as may be. ”

“ But in addition to those vowel sounds which may be fairly represented by the five vowels marked as long and short, there is another of exceedingly frequent occurrence in Malay which is so vague and indefinite that no natural representative at once suggests itself, and Malay scholars have given different renderings of it. After long and careful deliberation the Committee have come to the conclusion that there will be the least danger of misunderstanding if this sound be uniformly expressed by the letter e so written. ”

“ The agglomeration of families into communities, united socially but not politically, is also to be considered. Lastly, the Clan, Society, Tribe or Nation as a political unity, either isolated, confederate, or subordinate, must be investigated in all its institutions, customs and relations ... ”

“ They build no houses, seldom stop more than two days in one spot, and pursue a thoroughly nomadic life, having no flocks or herds, existing from hand to month, but free and this they prize to a wonderful degree. Nothing will induce a Sakei to become civilized, even so much as the Malay of the interior; he is never happy except while roaming in his native forest, and, although he will eat rice and smoke tobacco, which he can only get from the Malays, he rushes off after satisfying his craving for the weed (of which he is inordinately fond) and does not appear again for months. ”

“ The work of Ordinary General Meetings shall be the transaction of routine business, the reading of papers approved by the Council, and the discussion of topics connected with the general objects of the Society. ”

“ Both were borderers, both men of intense energy and great powers of application. With all this Leyden was a poct, a poet above mediocrity. I am not aware that Logan ever wrote a verse. It is in the science of language that Leyden and Logan aro akin in genius, but Leyden's sphere was translation, Logan's analysis and comparison. Leyden was an antiquarian, Logan an explorer of things as they are, a far more difficult and deeper subject than the former, requiring great and comprehensive knowledge, a highly matured judgment, and close acuteness of critical powers. ”

“ At the time, I personally thought little more of it, but of his seriousness (if I had any doubts on the subject) he gave ample proof in his devotion of every spare mouent to an examination of the geology of Malacca and its neighbourhood, exposing himself in this pursuit the live long day to the full rays of the tropical sun. Few men were gifted with such intense energy. ”

“ I was told that when a man wanted to marry he first of all spoke to the girl, if she agreed, he then went to the father and mother, taking some jungle produce as a gift. The terms of purchase were then arranged—usually a piece of iron, some roots and flowers; and when these were forthcoming a day was fixed for the ceremony, which consisted simply of a feast in the neighbourhood of an ant-hill (where the Malays suppose that spirits reside) , after which the couple leave and proceed to some favourable spot for their honey moon, returning at leisure to the tribe. ”

“ Polygamy is allowed, but is seldom practised; while the punishment for adultery is death—usually carried out by a relative, who invites his victim to a hunting excursion, and, after tiring him out, beats his brains out with a club while he is asleep, and leaves him to rot on the earth denying to his remains the rough sepulture given to those who die in an honourable way, whose remains are laid on a log of wood, in a sitting posture, and buried a foot or two under the ground. ”

“ If we confine our attention to it, the great mass of its characteristics are soon lost in a dark and seemingly impenetrable antiquity. But although each race, when thus taken by itself, vanishes along its separate path, it assumes an entirely new aspect when we compare it with other races. ”

“ On this subject, his range of enquiry was as wide as it was persevering. I finally left the Far East in 1855, before he had entered into the midst of his labours in this direction: yet I had had fair opportunity of seeing his close application to the science of language. All languages were equally attacked by him European, Asian, African, American, and Polynesian—in their glossarial, phonetic and idiomatic phases, and particularly the latter. ”

“ Every member of the Society shall be entitled to one copy of the Journal, deliverable at the place of publication. The Council shall have power to present copies to other Societies and to distinguished individuals, and the remaining copies shall be sold at such prices as the Council shall from time to time direct. ”

“ What Leyden accomplished, therefore, was small as compared with Logan. In the science of races and languages, Logan's grasp was almost universal, enabling him to collate the lexicons, vocabularies and grammars of nations and tribes in the most distant parts of the globe, and clncidate their systems and constructions. ”

“ Hitherto the practise in the Straits has resembled that described by the famous traveller Dampier 200 years ago, who explained in his Preface "I have not been curious as to the spelling of the names of Places, Plants, Fruits, Animals &c. which in any of these remoter parts are given at the pleasure of Travellers, and vary according to their different Humours." ”

“ When we attempt to enquire into the canse or origin of any of the facts presented by our ethnic Monograph of the kind we have indicated, we find that very little light is to be obtained in the history of the particular tribe. ”

“ Skinner proposed and Mr. Irving seconded,
"That the gentlemen present form themselves into a Society for collecting and recording Scientific information in the Malay Peninsula aud Archipelago: the said Society to be, for the present, called the "Straits Asiatic Society." ”

“ Undeveloped dialects usually possess a very redundant Vocabulary in respect of objects
4. To observe carefully whether or not a word be of one syllable and if of more than one syllable whether or not it be a compound word. ”

“ But they strongly recommend that to secure identification in all important documents, Chinese names should be written in the Chinese as well as in the Roman character.
3. The difficulties in the way of writing Malay in Roman letters are not so great still there are difficulties which everybody who has attempted to deal with the subject has felt. The chief of these is to be found in the circumstance that in Malay, more frequently than otherwise, the vowels are not expressed; so that here also as in Chinese, it is sounds and not letters that have to be represented. ”

“ After leaving Dunse Academy, J. R. Logan proceeded to Edinburgh as pupil to a cousin of the same name, by profession an Advocate or Barrister. After fulfilling his time, he proceeded to Bengal, at the invitation of another cousin named Daniel Logan, of whom he used always to speak with the highest regard, where he was engaged in indigo-planting for a short time, after which he accepted the invitation of his friend and schoolfellow, the late Mr. Forbes Scott Brown, to join him at Penang. Here he soon found an opening in his profession by the departure for Europe, of a Mr. ”

“ Members shall be classed as Ordinary and Honorary.
4. Ordinary Members shall pay an annual subscription of $6, payable in advance on the 1st January of each year.
5. Honorary Members shall pay no subscription. ”

“ This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works. ”

“ Douglas moved that a vote of thanks be given to the President for his valuable and interesting address. This was cordially agreed to: and after a few words of acknowledgement from the President, the Meeting separated.
Monday, the 1st April, 1878.
Members of the Council present:
The Ven. Archdeacon Hose. President. J. D. Vaughan, Esq., Vice. President for Singapore. N. B. Dennys, Esq., Ph. ”

“ Kauffman, A. Kehding. F. Ker, W. G. Ker, Y. R. Kynnersley, C. W. S. Labuan & S'baya, Ld. Bishop of (Hon. Member.) Lambert, J. R. (H. Member.) Lambert, E. Lambert, G. K. Leech, H. W. C. Leicester, A. W. M. Little, Dr. R. Low, Hugh (Rest. of Perak.) ”

“ SINGAPORE:
Printed at the Government Printing Office.
Agents of the Society.
London and America, ... Trübner & Co.
Paris, ... Ernest Leroux & Co.
Germany, ... K. F. Koehler's Antiquarium, Leipzig.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
The Grasses and Sedges of the Malay Peninsula–by H. N. Ridley, M.A., F.L.S., 1
Outline of the History of the Dindings from the 17th Century to the present time–by E. M. Merewether, 35
Native Names of Streets in Singapore–by H. T. Haughton, 49
Notes on a Trip to Bukit Etam, Selangor–by Lieut. H. J. Kelsall, R.E., 67
Anatomical Notes on Malay Apes–by Dr. ”

“ Distribution of Minerals in Sarawak,
by A. Hart Everett 13-30 3.
Breeding Pearls,
by N. B. Dennys Ph. D. 31-37 4.
Dialects of the Melanesian Tribes of the Malay Peninsula,
by M. de Mikluho-Maclay. 38-44 5.
Malay Spelling in English–
Report of the Govt. Committee (re-printed) 45-51 6.
Geography of the Malay Peninsula, Part I.
by A. M. Skinner 52-62 7. ”

“ Page„ 34, 8th line„ from„ top„ for„ hurah read„ lurah Page„ 40, 2nd line„ from„ top„ for„ won'top read„ won't do Page„ 42, 2nd line„ from„ top„ for„ kiki read„ kaki Page„ 50, 8th line„ from„ top„ for„ no read„ ho Page„ 62, After the Titling, add the words "By Sir Stamford Raffles" Page„ 69, 4th line from top for„ virties read varies Page„ 144, 3nd line from„ bottom after the words "alone is" add the word "printed" (vide ante p.92) " ”