Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstrai9101882roya).pdf/196

 of people going to be married, nor can they be worn by the common people.

In our habits of life, such as our way of eating, drinking, sit- ting, standing, &c., we are like the Chinese, but differ a little in some things. The Chinese have the custom of nailing pieces of paper to their doors with the names of their idols (To Peh Kong) written on them. We, on our doors, write the name of God and his Prophet.

It is easy to distinguish the Chinese from the Hué-Hué rice- shops. In the latter, the fowls and ducks exhibited for sale have all been killed by their throats being cut; while in the shops kept by the Chinese there is no mark of a knife on the bodies of the dried poultry. In their shops, too, there are many things contrary to the Moslem faith.

In Hainan, there are only four mosques, as that is a small coun- try, but in the other provinces mosques are very numerous. The Korân is written in Arabic, interlined with a Chinese translation, and this practice is pursued in the other Arab books translated into Chinese.

All the Hué-Hué's in China are of the Khanafi sect, and there are none of the Shaféi. They speak Chinese and therefore few come to the Straits; many however go on the Mecca pilgrimage. I have heard that, in the time of our grandfathers and great- grandfathers, we were very powerful and were independent, but the death of Raja marked the commencement of the decline of Mahomedan power in China.

The majority of us are rice-cultivators, cocoa-nut and pinang (betel-nut) planters and gardeners. There are also amongst us many fishermen, but no large merchants.

The foregoing is a short sketch of our position in China.

I, Haji, can speak Hainan, Macao, Téchew, and know a little Keh, but I cannot read or write more than a few characters.

Singapore, May, 1882.