OF THE ISLANDS NEAR SINGAPORE. 
577 
as the Orang Bugis of Wadju. In one house we found two men 
and two women afflicted with fever of a remittent type, merging 
into intermittent, 3 children were subject to intermittent fever, 
(Dimam Kora) although at the moment I was there they were 
not labouring undfcr a paroxysm. The only inmates of the house 
who were unafflicted were 2 children under two years old. In 
another house, also inhabited by Bugis, were 3 men, 3 women, 
and 3 children, all had a most sickly appearance, and in spite of the 
good features and fine eyes of the women, they looked gastly; all 
have had intermittent fever, and one child died lately of remittent 
fever (Dimam Kapihlu) after 14 days sickness. In this house as 
well as the other, all the inmates, men, women, and children, ex¬ 
cept the two just mentioned, had enlarged spleens. Close to this 
house is a sandy promontory which forms one of the horns of the 
bay, extending into the sea to the distance of 80 yards from the 
beach and covered with mangroves. On this spot some time ago 
18 Chinamen lived, occupied in collecting and burning coral, which 
abounds on each side. Of these 18, the Bugis told us 12 had died of 
the fever and the rest had left for Singapore in fear and horror. In 
June 1847, 4 houses remained tenanted where there had been 
10 to 12 ; while in May 1848 of the four only two remained. 
The remains of houses are still pointed out by the inhabitants that 
are left, while they can distinctly enumerate how many of their 
friends were cut off in this year and that. In other island during 
the course of my enquiries amongst the natives concerning fever, 
the frequent answer was, “ if you want to find that, go to Bl&kang 
Matf,” which seems to have been one of the first places wdiere the 
Bugis settled, being near New Harbour, the original settlement of 
the Malays on Singapore. In all the other islands amongst the 
Bugis, every family can tell of one or two of its members, who have 
left their bones on that fatal spot. Its very name betrays its cha¬ 
racter, a village on the other side of the hill being called Blak&ng 
Matf, on account of its being situated, behind the place of the dead. 
In contrasting the living with the dead, the latter have a fearful pre¬ 
ponderance, f- of those who have lived there have there died of fever, 
and not one has escaped the fiery ordeal, though some have pass¬ 
ed through it, scathed and impaired for ever. In fact, on contrast¬ 
ing this small spot of ground with all the other localities that I 
have heard, or read, or seen, to it must be conceded the awful su¬ 
periority of having in a smaller extent of territory an endemic fever. 
