All the women had the lobes of the ears enormously distended, from wearing, when very young, round pieces of wood, polished and ornamented, or rolls of leaves in them: the richer classes wear large ornaments of gold and silver: the old women have the lobes hanging down to a great length, but without ornament; that they formerly had placed them in the lobes was evident by the distended orifices, which, having lost their elasticity, prevented their retention as before. The poorer classes are content with neatly polished and ornamented round pieces of wood, or a roll of the plantain or some other kind of leaf, as a substitute for those of gold and silver worn by the higher and richer classes. The lower class of females were usually attired in cotton cloth _sarongs_, and the _cabaya_, passing over the head, of a black colour, or other dark patterns. As we passed their dwellings, they came forth, with the usual feminine curiosity, to view the strangers: indeed, we appeared to be as much objects of curiosity among them, as I had before been when landing upon many of the unfrequented islands of the Polynesian Archipelago; and the natives, that arrived in the boats with Areka-nut, from the villages on the coast, seemed to regard us as wonders, and surrounded the entrance of the poop-cuddy at meal-times, as if to satisfy themselves how such animals fed. We had an offer of some of the rajah’s horses to ride about the village: at first it was thought that some dun cows, with horns cut off close to the head, and a preternatural erection of the ears, were the animals offered; but it appears they were real ponies: if we had ridden them, however, it must have been without any saddle or bridle, for there were no articles of that description to be procured at Pedir. The barque at present at anchor in Pedir roads, under the Acheenese flag, was captured from the rajah of Trumong, on the west coast of Sumatra, by the man-of-war grab belonging to the rajah of Acheen: the cause of it was this:—the Trumong rajah is tributary to the king, or rajah, of Acheen: he had not paid tribute for three years; and on its being demanded, the Trumong rajah returned for answer, that he intended paying it with _iron balls_; war was therefore declared against this rebellious rajah, and the barque was captured by the following stratagem: the commander of his Acheenese majesty’s grab fell in with the barque at sea, assured her commander that all differences had been adjusted between the two rajahs, and requested him to come on board. The captain of the barque unsuspectingly accepted the invitation, taking presents with him. On stepping upon the deck of the grab, himself, crew, and presents were detained, and a boat, with a number of men well armed, sent on board the barque; and having secured the guns, hauled down the Trumong rajah’s colours, and hoisted those of his Acheenese majesty, the vessels will sail, in company, for Acheen in a few days.