38 Malacca. 



pay tribute of their health, suffering from a certain disease, 

 which makes them lose either their skin or their hair. And 

 those who escape consider it a miracle, which occasions many 

 to leave the country, while the ardent desire of gain induces 

 others to risk their health and endeavor to endure such an 

 atmosphere. The origin of this town, as the natives say, 

 was very small, only having at the beginning, by reason of 

 the unhealthiness of the air, but six or seven fishermen who 

 inhabited it. But the number was increased by the meeting 

 of fishermen from Siam, Pegu, and Bengal, who came and 

 built a city, and established a peculiar language, drawn from 

 the most elegant modes of speaking of other nations, so that 

 in fact the language of the Malays is at present the most re- 

 fined, exact, and celebrated of all the East. The name of 

 Malacca was given to this town, which, by the convenience 

 of its situation, in a short time grew to such wealth, that it 

 does not yield to the most powerful towns and regions roun'd 

 about. The natives, both men and women, are very courte- 

 ous, and are reckoned the most skillful in the world in com- 

 pliments, and study much to compose and repeat verses and 

 love-songs. Their language is in vogue through the Indies, 

 as the French is here." 



At present a vessel over a hundred tons hardly ever enters 

 its port, and the trade is entirely confined to a few petty 

 products of the forests, and to the fruit, which the trees 

 planted by the old Portuguese nowjaroduce for the enjoyment 

 of the inhabitants of Singapore. Although rather subject to 

 fevers, it is not at present considered very unhealthy. 



The population of Malacca consists of several races. The 

 ubiquitous Chinese are perhaps the most numerous, keeping 

 up their manners, customs, and language ; the iiidigenous 

 Malays are next in point of numbers, and their language is 

 the Lingua-franca of the place. Next come the descendants 

 of the Portuguese-;— a mixed, degraded, and degenerate race, 

 but who still keep up the use of their mother-tongue, though 

 ruefully mutilated in grammar; and then there ai'e the 

 English rulers, and the descendants of the Dutch, who all 

 speak English. The Portuguese spoken at Malacca is a use- 

 ful philological phenomenon. The verbs have mostly lost 

 their inflections, and one form does for all moods, tenses. 



