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- 



