ToYiih of a ISlalaij Prophet. 245 



This individual, so honoured in death, was, if we are to 

 believe the Malays, a direct descendant of Mahomet, named 

 Sheikh Joseph, who, expelled from Batavia by the Dutch 

 Government for political reasons, settled in the colonv about 

 a century and a half ago, and died and was buried in the 

 neighbourhood of Zandvliet. An especial deputation came 

 over from Malacca to Cape Colony to fetch away the corpse 

 of the defunct prophet, for conveyance to the land of his 

 birth ; but at the disinterment it happened that the little 

 finger of the prophet, in spite of the most perseverino- re- 

 search, could nowhere be found. This circumstance appeared 

 to those simple believers sufficient reason for erecting a monu- 



