Title
A Voyage to the East Indies: Page 55
Description
The Dress of both sexes is thin & light. The Men, (or at least those who can afford) wear next their Bodies a thin kind of shirt, open before without Sleeves, & reaching generally as low as ours. Over that when he goes abroad he has a long Gown made of Muslin Doria or fine thin Cloth, which fits Close to the Body & Arms, & buttons round the Neck, but falls from the Waist in Folds, gather’d like our Ladies Gowns in England, which reach to the Ground. Under, they have Trousers, & some of them wear shoes, with curling Tops. A long Volume of fine Cloth forms thin Turban which they wrap closely round their Heads. No Dress could be better calculated for this Country, where the Heat of the Sun is so intense & its Rays falling so directly on their Heads. The poorer sort wear only a Piece of coarse Stuff wrapp’d round their Middles. The Women have a long Piece of Coloured Cloth & sometimes Silk tho very seldom, folded round their Bodies in various Forms, passing obliquely from one Hip to the opposite shoulder whereby, a Part of their Bodies only is conceal’d. Their Toes, Fingers, Legs, Arms & even Noses are loaded with Ornaments, according to the ability of the Father or Husband, but even the poorest amongst them have their Ornaments on their Arms & Toes. The poor women are obliged to perform all laborious work, such as fetching of wood, water, & other kinds of Burthen, whilst perhaps the Husband is indulging himself in Indolence. [end page 55]
