SINGAPORE. 397 



From Mr. North we obtained a number of rare Malay and Bugis 

 manuscripts, forming a collection which is said to be the largest now 

 in being, that of Sir Stamford Raffles having been lost. Some of them 

 are beautifully written. 



One of the most amusing incidents that occurred during our stay at 

 Singapore, was a visit to a ship of the king of Cochin-China, which 

 we made by express invitation. The whole trade of Cochin-China is 

 a monopoly in the hands of the king who owns the ships, which like- 

 wise compose part of his navy. They are built after the European 

 model of some half a century back. The vessel that furnished it 

 belonged to France, and was wrecked on their coast many years ago, 

 after which missionaries and artisans were sent out by Louis XVI., 

 who taught them many of the arts of Europe. The outward form of 

 the old French ship appears to have been pretty well imitated, but the 

 stern is more elaborately carved and ornamented with gilding. The 

 internal arrangements also show a great variation from the model, 

 and in them the notions of the Cochin-Chinese prevail, unmixed with 

 those of Europeans. The two ships were about five hundred tons 

 burden ; they are very roughly built, have huge sterns, and exceed- 

 ingly thick sides. Indeed every thing on board is unsightly, and all 

 the work is of the rudest description, giving no very high idea of the 

 proficiency of the mechanics of Cochin-China. 



These vessels have a middle deck, which is pierced for guns. The 

 cabin, into which we were shown, had a josh-temple, and with josh- 

 sticks burning. There were two cabins ; that under the poop had small 

 rooms, and was very low between decks. There were no fixtures, but 

 simply a mat to lie on. The binnacle is a bed of sand, in which the 

 compass-box is set for security; and a number of small, coloured sticks 

 were stuck into the sand, which were represented to be markers, by 

 which the way of the vessel was noted. A manuscript chart, which 

 the captain took great pride in exhibiting, was shown us. This was 

 evidently a copy of an English one, but all the names were in Chinese. 

 The crew had a decided Malay look, and were small men ; they are 

 in form stout, but are not athletic. There did not appear to be any 

 mixture of races among them. As we passed around the deck, we 

 observed a party of five or six of the men engaged in gambling with 

 cards, in which they were so much engrossed, that they heeded not 

 the command of their officers to desist and make room for us. This 

 vessel was furnished with rattan-cables, which were exceedingly well 

 made. The wheel for steering appeared odd, on account of its small 

 size, and the helmsman sits when he takes his trick. On either side of 

 the deck, just abaft the foremast, there is a cook-house, formed of a 



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