I have among my papers three distinct speciments of the Batta alphabet, written by different natives at different periods, and all of them are horizontal-Marsden, History of Sumatra.—London, 1811.
From the circumstance of their written with an iron style on bamboos and from the resemblance of the letters to the Batta characters, I should rather imagine that the ancient Tagala mode of writting was from the botton to top.
+ Marks the commencement of the writting, which proceeds horizontally, from the left hand to the right, the series of lines descending, most usually from the top of the page; but not unfrequently the bottom line is the first written, and the others in succession towards the top. This practice (common to other tribes) appears to have given rise to the idea that the Battas are accustomed to writte perpendicularly «from the bottom to the top of the line.»