366 



died at the Straits of Singapore in the month of 

 February in the year lo98." 



In addition to the foregoing, a great interest is 

 thrown around this spot by a current tradition that 

 just ouUrde the porch a young nun was inhumed 

 alive fur either heresy or incontinency. Her grave 

 h unmarked by a stone, but, close along side of the 

 supposed siie,are two tombstones, and whilst the 

 speclalor endeavors to decypher their foot worn 

 characters, he learns from some older inhabitant 

 the legend of the young nun lying unhouseled in 

 her naoieiess grave. 



Anotiier tradition exists relative to a subterra- 

 neous pas> age which is's^aid to have been a fur- 

 tive communication between the monastery of the 

 friendiy brothers on St Pauls and the nunnery of 

 ^' The nuither of God" on St. John s but which 

 has been filled'up for some years. The distance 

 between the two, being about half a mile, is m 

 itself a refutation of the legend. 



On the right bank of the river stands the town 

 of Malacca, inhabited chiefly by the Dutch, Por- 

 tuguese, Malays, Chinese, Chuliuhs, &c/ The 

 houses of the former are very substantial in their 

 structure, the walls being unusually massive. The 

 inhabitants do not appear to trust, nevertheless, 

 entirely to their solidity, as the beams of each flat 

 are strongly ri vetted to the walls by iron clamps. 

 The ground floors are generally bricked, and 

 mats are seldom spread over them, under the idea 

 that the houses are cleaner, and less dust accu- 

 mulated. The Dutch houses are. for the most 

 part, neatly furnished. 

 Those of the wealthy Chinese are very splen- 



