Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.2): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

6S2 INHABITANTS TRADE — SLAVEKY. April Southern Keeling Island, which he thought a favourable place for commerce, and for maintaining a seraglio of Malay women, whom he confined to one island, — almost to one house. In 18^6, or within a year of that time, Mr. J. C. Ross, some time master of a merchant ship, took up his abode on the south-eastern islet of the group ; and in a very short time Hare's Malay slaves, aggrieved by his harsh treatment of them, especially by his taking away the women, and shutting them up on an island which the Malay men might not ap- proach, deserted in a body, and claimed protection from Mr. Ross. Hare then left the Keelings, and about a year after- wards was arrested in his lawless career by death, while establishing another harem at Batavia. From that time Mr. Ross and the Malays lived peaceably, collecting cocoa-nut oil, turtle, tortoise-shell, and bicho do mar; and occasionally sailing to the Mauritius, Singapore, or Batavia, to dispose of them, and buy necessaries with their pro- duce. Another Englishman, Mr. C. Leisk, who had served as mate of Mr. Ross's ship, lived with him, and they both had wives (English) and children, the whole party residing together in a large house of Malay build — just such a structure as one sees represented upon old japanned work. At the time of our visit Mr. Ross was absent on one of their trading excur- sions, and his deputy, Leisk, was left in charge of everything. By some strange misconception, not intentional act of injus- tice, Mr. Ross had refused to give Hare's slaves their freedom, for fear that the executors of that man should demand their value from him ; but he paid them each two rupees a week, in goods (at his own valuation), provided that they worked for him, both men and women, as he thought proper. Mr. Leisk told me this, and said that " many of the Malays were very discontented, and wanted to leave the island.*" " No wonder," thought I, " for they are still slaves, and only less ill used than they were by the man who purchased them." These Malays were allowed to rear poultry, which they sometimes sold to shipping. They were also allowed to have the produce of a certain number of cocoa-nut trees, and might catch fish and turtle for their own use ; but the sale of