ÖÖI 8x 3 ^c- 0 - Acehbooks.org

S U M A T R A.
Kingdom of Acheen—Pre/oil Jlale of it's Commerce—Air and
foil—Inhabitants—Government—Revenues—Modes of punifloing
criminals.
-'TCHEEN (properly Aché)* is the only kingdom of Sumatra, that
evcr arrived to fuch a degree of political confequence in the world
as to occafion it's tranfactions becoming the fubjecft of general hiftory.
But it's prefent condition is widely different from what it was, when by
it's power the Portuguefe were expelled from the ifland, and it's princes
received embaffies from all the great potentates of Europe.
It's fituation occupies the North Weft extreme of the ifland. The ex- Situation.
tent, ftrictly fpeaking, reaches no farther, inland, than about forty or
fifty miles, to the fouth eaft, and now but little farther even on the fea
coaft; though formerly it's king boafted a dominion as far down as Indrapoui'y
and poflefled complete jurifdidtion at 1"icoo. A place called Carty,
not far diftant from Battoo Bara river, forms the boundary on the
eaft coaft; the principal intermediate towns being Pedecr, Samerlonga,
and Pa/ay. On the Weft coaft it extends to Baroos; between which and
Acheen, lie Tappoos, Sinkell, Tatnpat Tooan, Labooan Hadjee, Sorfoot Nalaboo,
Arigas, and Dyah.
The interior inhabitants, from Acheen to Sinkell, are diftinguifhed into
thofe of Alias, Reeah, and Carrow. The Achenefe manners prevail
among the two former, but the Carrow people refemble the Battas,
whofe country they are divided from by a chain of mountains.
On a river which empties itfelf near the North Weft point, or Acheen c -L
head, ftands the capital, about two miles from the qualloe or mouth, in
a wide valley, formed like an amphitheatre, by two lofty ranges of
* It is faid, by the Malays, to have been fo named from a fpecies of tree called Ache, peculiar
to that place.
hills