The Grave-Stone of Sultan Mansur Shah of 
Malacea (1458-1477 A. DB.) 
By J. P. MoquerrTe. 
(Translated by Dr. R. O. Winstedt from the Journal of the 
Batavian Society, Vol. LIX, Part 6). 
imine Jz Re A S., S..B.) June 1918, pp. 47-48, Dr. RB, Q. 
Winstedt gave a description with photos of two grave-stones pur- 
porting to be from the tomb of Sultan Mansur Shah of Malacca. 
It occurred to me at once that the two stones in no way match- 
ed, either in shape or ornament or workmanship. The head-stone 
undoubtedly once was placed on a tomb, while the other stone* be- 
longs to the kind that lies on the ground. On all tombs and graves 
known to me head and foot stones correspond and it would be 
very strange if there were any departure from this custom at 
Malacca especially in the resting place of Sultan Mansur Shah. 
For the rest I could not learn much from the plates accompanying 
the article since the inscriptions, blackened for clearness, were thus 
made illegible. 
Winstedt gave readings of the inscriptions on the head-stone 
and on the sides of the stone from a version procured by Mr. 
Blagden from Hervey (op, cif. p. 47). 
I was certain that after the word Mansur should come the 
name of his father and that the date given was impossible, because 
(1) one word was not accounted for and (2) the Malay word dua 
seemed very strange in a purely Arabic inscription. 
Fortunately I met Mr. I. H. Evans, Curator of the Taiping 
Museum, who promised to look up the stones for me at Singapore. 
Both the stones are in Raffles Museum and plaster-casts were made 
for me by Mr. Valentine Knight, then acting for Major Moulton 
the Director. Both, as shown in Dr. Winstedt’s photos, are black- 
ened. ‘The head-stone has apparently been broken off the tomb, 
so that the inscription on the lowest line is damaged, and the other 
stone has a large round hole making the middle line of obverse and 
reverse illegible. As I am positive that the second stone neither 
came from the grave of Sultan Mansur nor from any other tomb, 
I shall leave it out of this discussion. 
* Nore. The stone, in my opinion, has no historical value. Heer G. 
P. Rouffaer informs me that the round hole in it shows that it was used 
for the taking of oaths. Should the headstone belonging to it be 
<liscovered, possibly my view might not stand. [There is a stone at 
» Pengkalan Kempas, Negri Sembilan, with a round hole in it, which 
tradition avers will tighten on the arm of the person who takes a falsq 
@ath R-:O. W..]: . 
Jour. Straits Branch R. A. Soc., No. 85, 1922. 
