SINGAPORE. 
395 
This burial-place is almost filled with graves; and there was a 
small bench or platform in front of many of the tombs, on which were 
the remains of josh-sticks, which, I was told, were here burnt annually, 
in remembrance of the dead. The Chinese appear to be fond of 
monumental inscriptions, for there were but few graves without one. 
I was very desirous of hearing some of these translated, but we had 
no interpreter with us. 
On our road to Mr. Balestier’s, we passed the burying-place of the 
Gentoos: it is quite open, and apparently a dense shrubbery; but 
near the town end is a chunam pedestal, surmounted with a lotus, 
for a drawing of which I am indebted to Mr. Peale: this sketch will 
be found at the end of this chapter. On its sides are inscriptions in 
Cingalese, and one in English, the latter of which states that “ This 
burying-ground belongs to the Hindoo people of Madras and Singapore. 
1828 .” The design was tasteful, but our admiration was somewhat 
lessened on finding that the material is not stone, to which it has a 
very strong resemblance. 
I spent a large portion of a day at the magnetic observatory, which 
is under charge of Lieutenant Elliot, of the Indian army. The instru¬ 
ments were all apparently well mounted ; but I was somewhat surprised 
at observing that several chronometers were used for marking time, 
when it could have been more conveniently and accurately made by a 
single clock. 
Lieutenant Elliot was erecting an apparatus to collect and develope 
atmospheric electricity, but he had not, as he informed me, been able 
to succeed. Considering the station was a magnetic one, it was sur¬ 
prising to me that he should be trying such experiments, when the 
two agents of electricity and magnetism are so nearly allied, and 
especially that he should have done it in such immediate contact with 
the instruments. The observatory is situated about two miles from 
Singapore. 
At Singapore there are three American missionaries, Mr. North, 
Mr. Hepburn, and Mr. Dickinson; the former, who has resided here 
six years, is the principal. The two first have a school of fifty Chi¬ 
nese boys; but as it was vacation time, we had no opportunity of 
seeing them at their exercises. Mr. North spoke to several of our 
gentlemen in high terms of the intelligence of the Chinese children. 
The Chinese boys are received at an early age, and board in the 
family of the missionaries, to whose guidance they are wholly given 
up by their parents. They seldom visit their parents, and never 
without a special request. These children are taught the rudiments 
of an English education, but no efforts are made on the adult popu- 
