THE T E L I N G A N RACE, 



179 



means 'China-wood.' That 'cinna' really means China, is shown in 

 'cinnabar,' another article of commerce, well known to the ancient 

 Greeks and Romans : but the place referred to, is probably the Indo- 

 Chinese Peninsula; the only country, I believe, besides Ceylon, where 

 cinnamon is cultivated. 



I observe, that ' maun,' in the Tamul language of Southern India, 

 is in some respects the equivalent of the Sanscrit 'dhal;' and this 

 point, it wall be seen, involves the subject of the antiquity of the 

 Tamul language. I would add, that the Tamul literature was re- 

 garded by the missionaries, as being "equally rich with the Sanscrit; 

 although hitherto very imperfectly explored." 



The larger portion of the Indian Muslims at Singapore, and parti- 

 cularly those of the lower orders, did not appear to differ physically 

 from the Telinga people. Both the Muslim and the Chinese holy- 

 days, took place during our short visit; thus affording a favourable 

 opportunity for inspecting these two classes of the population. 



On the evening of our arrival, after witnessing various Chinese exhi- 

 bitions, I met with one of a totally different character; coniparatively 

 rude, and which I perceived at once, belonged to Hindoostan. It was 

 a procession, accompanying two boys who were dancing; their close 

 red female attire brushing the ground, while the bells on their ancles 

 chimed with the music. Their faces were whitened, and one wore a 

 tiara cap, which was higher than those I afterwards saw in Egypt. 

 They were preceded by swordsmen bearing shields, engaged in mock 

 combat. The same procession was renewed on subsequent evenings; 

 and the people were found to resort to some booths, "established tem- 

 porarily on account of the Muslim holy-days." One of the booths 

 was a place of worship, and contained an illuminated screen ; and the 

 'jos sticks,' or tapers of the Chinese temples, were also in use. This 

 was Islamism, apparently in its most corrupted form. 



The annual celebration, in memory of the death of the two sons of 

 Mohammed, took place on. the 21st of February, 1842. Among three 

 or four thousand persons who took part in the ceremony, many bore 

 the marks, more or less obvious, of partial White descent: and such 

 individuals were often distinguished by being more robust ; but un- 

 mixed Whites were rare. I saw but one green turban; the badge of 

 the lineal descendants of the founder of the religion. Neatness and 

 decorum prevailed throughout. This was not the case in the disor- 

 derly proceedings I witnessed at the same celebration, held on the 



