355 



culture ia the interior. The effects of this judi- 

 cious measure are, however, all but neutralized 

 by the same laud system, which checked the 

 growth of the gambier. 



The principal curiosity of Singapore is a large 

 stone at the point of the river, the one face of 

 which has been sloped and smoothed, and upon 

 which several liees of engraven characters are still 

 visible. The rock being^, however, of a schistose 

 and porous nature, the inscription is illegible. It is 

 said that Sir Stamford Baffles endeavoured* by 

 the applicatinn of powerful acids, to bring out the 

 characters with the view of decyphering them, 

 but the result was unsuccessful. Where such an 

 eminent person has failed, it oiay be thought pre- 

 sumptuous in me to hazard a conjecture on the sub- 

 ject of the language in which the inscription was 

 penned, biitl may perhaps be permitted to make 

 an attempt to throw some light upon a subject so 

 confessedly obscure. Resorting to the Malayan 

 Annals, which, ^loaded as they undoubtedly are 

 by iable and allegory, yet contain many a valua- 

 ble pi^ce of informaiion, ^e find therein mention 

 made of three remarkable stones at Singhapura. 

 The first tliat 1 shall mention is that recorded at 

 pa^e 82 of Ley den's Malay Annals, in which the 

 translator, following his author, tells us "that 

 there was a man of Pasei, named Tun Jana Kha- 

 teb, who went to Singhapui-a with two compani- 

 ons, named Tuan de Boiigoran, and Tuan de Sa- 

 langot^ One day Tun Jana Khateb was walking 

 in the market place of Singhapura, and drew, 

 near to the palace of the Rajah,* where one of 



