Maldivian tongue is, however, cultivated with fome care. In teaching children to write, they make use of a bodkin on a finooth board covered with fand. But their writings, which are inṛ tended to be durable, are on a kind of paper, made of the leaf of a tree.

Children have a profound veneration for their mafters and parents; and with this, fo many good qualities are generally united, that it muft be the want of good examples alone that renders them vicious or diffipated. Where a due respect is paid to age and authority, the young might be trained to any thing.

Metallic money is only of one fort, called lar, rins, about the value of eight pence. Inftead of fmall change, they make use of cowries, twelve thousand of which make a larrin. Gold and filver are imported from the continent, and go by weight, when employed as the medium of exchange,

Merchants refort to the Maldives, principally to purchase the cocoa-nuts and cowries. When Laval refided here, upwards of one hundred fhips annually reforted thither to purchase cocoas, and the balance of trade feemed to be in favour of these islanders.

Some of the festive customs of the Maldivians are very fingular. If they intend to compliment a friend with an entertainment, they fend the viands to his house; as they seldom eat in the prefence of others. Inftead of a table, they cover the floor with a mat; and for cloths and napkins, make use of banana leaves. Their dishes are of earthen or china ware.

The poor are treated with great humanity, and none will offer them food that they do not think

fit to eat themselves. The indigent are regarded as the fervants of God, and it would be reckoned profane to treat them with offals.

During their meals they are very filent, and think it indecent to be long at table. They never drink till they have finished their repast, and even then only drink once of water or cocoa wine. No man muft meddle with cookery, or his fex would avoid him as a difgrace to them.

No fooner do children come into the world than they are washed fix times a day in cold water, and then anointed with oil. The mothers, from the highest to the lowest rank, fuckle their offspring. At the age of nine months they generally begin to walk; and when they arrive at nine years old, they commence the ftudies and exercifes of the country.

When the Maldivians wake from fleep, they immediately wash their faces, and rub them with oil, before they falute any one. Betel is univerfally chewed, and they mutually prefent it to each other on occafional interviews. Cleanliness is not only an article of their religion, but an inbred habit among them.

They have many fuperftitious obfervances when they begin a journey, or take any bufinefs of importance in hand. If any unlucky incident befals them, they impute it to fome unpropitious perfon whom they have met or touched,

With the Mahometan faith they mix many Pagan rites. They addrefs themselves to the king of the winds, when they are going on any expedition by water; and in every ifland there is a defolate place, where thofe who have escaped fhipwreck make their offerings. They alfo pay a fuperftitious refpect to the king of the fea, whence

whence they think it impious to spit to the windward of the fhip.

All natural and incidental ills they impute to the intervention of the devil; and to avert his vengeance, they make him occafional offerings of flowers or banquets. The latter is fometimes carried off by the poor, when fuperftition is not ftronger than hunger.

They attribute a wonderful virtue to certain characters, which they always carry about them in little boxes. These are believed to be of powerful efficacy in curing or alleviating diseases, in procuring love and fafety, and preferving them from malice and danger. The magicians, who are alfo the phyficians, drive a lucrative trade in thefe charms or amulets.

In thefe iflands are no inclofed towns, the houfes lying fcattered without regularity or diftinction of streets. Their dwellings are generally built of cocoa wood, and covered with the leaves of the fame tree; but perfons of quality have ftone buildings, of a black colour, the materials of which they draw out of the fea, with much labour and ingenuity.

So expert are they in diving and fwimming, that Laval fays, they drew up the cannon and anchors of the French fhip that was caft away; and he was an eye witness of their clearing the Harbour of Male within a few days, which was fo choked up with rocks that no fhip could enter it.

The royal palace has many fine apartments, but no regular architecture. It is furrounded with gardens, adorned with fountains and refervoirs. The ceiling and walls of the palace are hung with filk tapestry, and floored with mats.

The

The king's beds, and those of the grandees, are fufpended with cords, upon a beam supported by two pofts; and in them they are rocked to fleep.

The mofques are not inelegant ftructures, and round them are fquare inclofures, in which they bury the dead. Each mofque has its prieft; and each ifland, that has any confiderable population, is dignified by having a catibe, who is principal mafter of all public exercises, and governs the inferior priests.

They retire to the mofques five times a day; but the indolent are allowed to fay their prayers at home. An abfolute neglect, however, of this religious exercise subjects the indevout to all the pains and penalties of excommunication: no one will eat or converse with them. They offer their penitential prayers with a loud voice, and by this means expofe the most secret transactions of their lives; but where impurity of any kind is fcarcely regarded as a blemish in the eyes of men, this publicity of confeffion is not regarded as a ferious difficulty.

Males are circumcifed at seven years of age, on which occafion the parents and relations keep a feftival for fourteen days. Particular operators perform this painful rite, and from this only they derive a livelihood. Girls also undergo a kind of circumcifion when they are only two years old; but this is attended with no folemnity. The operator, however, on both sexes is always confidered as a parent.

The Maldivians celebrate several festivals. Friday, being their Sabbath, is devoted to feafting and religious obfervances. The catibe compofes a new prayer for every Friday in the year. He repeats without book, and if he makes a fingle

mistake

whence they think it impious to fpit to the windward of the fhip.

All natural and incidental ills they impute to the intervention of the devil; and to avert his vengeance, they make him occafional offerings of flowers or banquets. The latter is fometimes carried off by the poor, when fuperftition is not ftronger than hunger.

They attribute a wonderful virtue to certain characters, which they always carry about them in little boxes. These are believed to be of powerful efficacy in curing or alleviating diseases, in procuring love and fafety, and preferving them from malice and danger. The magicians, who are alfo the phyficians, drive a lucrative trade in thefe charms or amulets.

In these islands are no inclofed towns, the houfes lying fcattered without regularity or diftinction of streets. Their dwellings are generally built of cocoa wood, and covered with the leaves of the fame tree; but perfons of quality have ftone buildings, of a black colour, the materials of which they draw out of the fea, with much Jabour and ingenuity.

So expert are they in diving and fwimming, that Laval fays, they drew up the cannon and anchors of the French fhip that was caft away; and he was an eye witness of their clearing the Harbour of Male within a few days, which was fo choked up with rocks that no fhip could enter it.

The royal palace has many fine apartments, but no regular architecture. It is furrounded with gardens, adorned with fountains and refervoirs. The ceiling and walls of the palace are hung with filk tapeftry, and floored with mats.

The