xxi] THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO 339 



and the general aspect of the forest In Malacca we stayed 

 only two days, being anxious to get into the country as soon 

 as possible. I stayed with a Roman Catholic missionary ; 

 there are several here, each devoted to a particular portion of 

 the population — Portuguese, Chinese, and wild Malays of the 

 jungle. The gentleman we were with is building a large 

 church, of which he is architect himself, and superintends the 

 laying of every brick and the cutting of every piece of 

 timber. Money enough could not be raised here, so he took 

 a voyage round the world, and in the United States, Cali- 

 fornia, and India got enough subscribed to finish it. It is a 

 curious and not very creditable thing, that in the English 

 possessions of Singapore and Malacca, there is not a single 

 Protestant missionary ; while the conversion, education, and 

 physical and moral improvement of the non-European in- 

 habitants is left entirely to these French missionaries, who, 

 without the slightest assistance from our Government, devote 

 their lives to christianizing and civilizing the varied popula- 

 tion under our rule. 



" Here the birds are abundant and most beautiful, more 

 so than on the lower Amazon, and I think I shall soon form 

 a fine collection. They are, however, almost all common 

 species, and are of little value, except that I hope they will 

 be better specimens than usually reach England. My guns 

 are both very good, but I find powder and shot actually 

 cheaper in Singapore than in London, so I need not have 

 troubled myself to bring any. So far both I and Charles 

 have had excellent health. He can now shoot pretty well, 

 and is so fond of it that I can hardly get him to do any- 

 thing else. 



■ The Chinese here are most industrious. They clear and 

 cultivate the ground with a neatness which I have never seen 

 equalled in the tropics, and they save every particle of 

 manure, both from animals and men, to enrich the ground. 



"The country around Malacca is much more beautiful 

 than near Singapore, it being an old settlement with abund- 

 ance of old fruit and forest trees scattered about Monkeys 

 of many sorts are abundant ; in fact, all animal life seems more 



