The Achenese. By Dr. C. Snouck Hurgronje. Translated by the
late A. W. S. O'Sullivan. 2 vols. (Luzac and Co. 32s. net.)— A more complete account of a nation has, we imagine, never been given than this. It is the work of an official whom we should call Minister for Native Affairs (Acheen, it will be remembered, is the northern portion of Sumatra, reaching down as far as Tamiang on the Eastern, and Barn on the Western coast). The description is founded on actual experiences,—the author suggests that earlier narratives are founded on Royal decrees, &c., not on facts. The discrepancy between these two would be great any- where; in such a country as Acheen it is vast. The subjects dealt with are, in the first volume, the ethnology and political status of the people, their economic condition, employments, &c., and their domestic life and law ; in the second volume, learning, literature, games, and religion. The Achenese profess Islam, but their practice is degenerate and corrupt. Here, and indeed every- where, survivals of pre-Islamic practice and belief crop up above the surface of life. Here is a curious example. It is the practice in Acheen for the married daughters to remain at home, the house being enlarged to suit growing requirements. But it is against the code of good manners for a son-in-law to have any communica- tion, beyond what is absolutely necessary, with his wife's kinsfolk. Whenever he approaches the house, he halts, and has a prolonged fit of coughing, a signal for his wife's relations to clear out of the way.
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