full length. Even the hair, which is cut, and the parings of the nails are buried in the ufual cemeteries; from an idea that being parts of the natural body, they ought to be treated accordingly. The men wear a fwathe of cloth between their legs, over which they have a piece of cotton depending to the knees, and above that a longer kind, of filk or cotton, reaching to their ankles. The waift is adorned with an embroidered handkerchief, tied before. Over all, they have a large filk fringed girdle, in the left fide of which is a pocket for carrying their money and betel, and in the right a knife is stuck.

Every male prides himself on wearing a knife, it being the only weapon the inferior ranks are allowed. The foldiers and grandees, however, carry a dagger at their fides, and when they walk abroad, a fword in one hand, with a buckler or javelin in the other.

The Maldivians place their chief perfonal decoration in the filver chains that hang from their girdle; and of these every perfon has a greater or fmaller quantity, in proportion to his opulence.

The common people seldom wear any other clothes, but what decency requires, except on feftivals; but men of quality have handfome jerkins and waistcoats, while the more foppifh anoint the fkin, from the girdle upwards, with an odorous paint, in which figures are sometimes delineated.

Turbans, of various qualities, are in common ufe; but the foldiers and grandees frequently use embroidered handkerchiefs as a covering for the head. The feet are always naked, except within doors, when wooden fandals are used.

VOL. X.

The

The women wear a filk or cotton petticoat, over which they throw a long robe without any opening, except at the neck, and this reaches to their feet. Their arms are decorated with a profufion of bracelets, according to their rank. Their ears are early pierced in the tip, from which hangs a large pendant, and the griftle is perforated in many places, and ftudded with gilt nails, fet with precious ftones or pearls. The privilege, however, of wearing ornaments of gold or jewels must be purchased of the queen; and, in like manner, the men must buy the king's permiffion for the fame indulgence.

When the women go abroad, they are deeply veiled, and their faces are difficult to be feen; but in prefence of women of fuperior rank, the etiquette requires that they fhould be unveiled.

The different quality of the women is diftinguifhed by their ornaments; and, if a wife, through vanity, affumes more coftly decorations than belong to her rank, her hufband's taxes are raised, unless he is in the royal fervice, or an in-. habitant of Male; for in that ifland there are no fumptuary laws in regard to drefs.

The king is generally clothed in a fine white robe, which reaches a little below the girdle: this is faftened with buttons of folid gold. Over the robe he wears a piece of red embroidered tapestry, depending to the heels, richly ornamented. His girdle is adorned with brilliants, and on his head he wears a fcarlet cap, laced with gold, and furmounted with a large gold knob, fet with a jewel.

But the chief enfign of royal dignity is a white umbrella, which no native is permitted to ufe. He is ufually attended by three pages: one car

ries his fan; another his sword and buckler; and the third, his betel and areca box.

M. de Laval was doomed to remain in this country long enough to acquire an intimate #knowledge of the characters and cuftoms of the Maldivians at that period. He fays that the king was generally fhut up with his women, or employed in giving audience to his courtiers. He had a tafte for the mechanic arts, and constantly employed and fuperintended a number of artifi1 cers in the various branches of elegant manufacture. His guards confifted of fix companies, under the command of as many counsellors, named mofcoulis. Besides which he had ten battalions, who ferved his majesty in various civil, rather than military capacities.

On Fridays the king went to the mofque in great pomp, attended by one hundred of his guards, his officers in waiting, and a complete band of mufic, confifting of trumpets, flutes, and drums. After fervice, he returned in the fame ftate; and, as thefe iflands afford no beafts of burthen, he walked on foot, unless when he was carried in a chair on the fhoulders of his flaves, which was not frequent.

His queens wore the fame kind of habits as the other Maldivian women, but of a much richer and more expenfive quality. Whenever they appeared in public, the women ran to meet them, and prefented them with fruit and flowers. A number of female flaves preceded them, to warn the men from approaching. The chambers where these royal prifoners lived were always lighted with lamps; fo that their lives muft, according to our ideas, be the most uncomfortable in the world.

The royal revenues arise from the crown lands, from a fifth of the grain and fruits of the whole country, from a tax on dried fish and on shells, named cowries, the current medium of exchange. In addition to these impofts, his fubjects annually prefent him with cloth enough to dress his foldiers. He likewife derives no inconfiderable revenues from goods imported by shipping, as he is principal merchant, and fells out the commodities he has purchased on what terms he pleases.

All fhipwrecks belong to his majesty, and alfo whatever ambergrife is found on the coaft. This is more abundant here than in any other part of the Indies, and is fo ftrictly watched, that whoever fecretes or appropriates it to his own use, on detection lofes a hand. The king has alfo the fole property in a kind of fea-nuts, called tannacarre, which are frequently thrown on the fhore. Thefe are as large as a man's head, and are efteemed valuable in medicine. The Portuguese call them the cocoas of the Maldives.

The government is an abfolute monarchy. Each attolon, or province, is under the fuperintendence of a naybe, or governor, who is a priest. and doctor of the law; and exercifes very extenfive powers. The naybes, however, are accountable to the pandiare, or cady, who refides in the Ifle of Male, and is the fupreme judge both in civil and ecclefiaftical caufes. The judgment of this officer can only be reversed by the king himfelf, to whom an appeal lies,

The pandiare makes an annual circuit of the Isle of Male, as every naybe does in his respective province, and condemns all to be whipped that cannot lay their creed and prayers in the Arabic tongue. When witneffes are cited in any cause,

by a fingular regulation, the evidence of three women is only equivalent to that of one man, and flaves are never admitted to give their teftimony.

An infolvent debtor is obliged to become a fervant to his creditor; and both he and his children must work the debt out, before he obtains his liberty. The ordinary punishment for criminals is whipping, and the most heinous offences, fhort of murder, may be got off for a pecuniary mulet. Stealing, however, is punithed with the lofs of a hand; but capital punishments are never inflicted, except by the king's express command.

The inhabitants are divided into four claffes: the royal family; perfons invefted with offices and dignities; the nobility and gentry; and the common people. Between the third and fourth ranks the diftinctions are very strictly observed. If a noblewoman marries a plebeian, the retains her rank, and her children are ennobled alfo ; but a woman of the lowest class derives no privileges from matching with a grandee. The king, however, poffeffes the power of elevating whom he pleafes to the third rank, by a kind of letters patent; and, of course, they are then eligible to offices of truft or honour.

The externals of religion are very ftrictly obferved among the Maldivians; but its vital influence is little felt. The groffeft vices are daily committed without fhame, and almoft without punishment. Both fexes are extremely libidinous; and chastity before marriage is neither reckoned a virtue nor a fault.

To be able to read the Koran in the original is the extent of their literary acquirements. The Maldivian

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