scene-Dream-land-Return to things earthly-Unsuccessful search for prahus-The sea-breeze-The race-Short rations A tropical shower-Early breakfast-The Malay piratical soirée - Jadee upbraids them for being surprised-Preparing for action-Demeanour of English and Malay seamen-Malay charm for shooting straight-My coxswain; his piety-Burn- ing, sinking, and destroying-The renegade turns traitor- The large reptiles of Langkawi-The tale of the oular-besar, or great snake-The snake choked by a holy man-A remark- able fossil-A pirate's hiding-place- Lovely scenery-The CHART, QUEDA H. CHAPTER I. INDIA TWENTY YEARS AGO-SINGAPORE IN THE MONTH OF MAY -CHINESE JUNKS READY FOR SEA-PRAHUS-SINGAPORE BOATS-MINIATURE JUNKS-ORIGIN OF THE FORM OF JUNKSSOUND REASON FOR JUNKS HAVING ONE EYE ON EACH SIDEARAB BOATS-SAMPAN-PUCHATS-SINGAPORE OF OLD-COMMERCIAL SINGAPORE A SEPOY MARTYR -COURT-HOUSECHURCHES WITH STEEPLES-THE HYACINTH IN PORT. ON the 29th of May 1838, the Hyacinth, one of her Majesty's 18-gun ship-rigged corvettes, made her number to the signal-staff over the Governor's residence at Singapore, and, aided by the light airs peculiar to that latitude, flapped, rather than sailed, into the anchorage. Twenty years have made vast improvements in that great emporium of the Eastern Archipelago; but even that most thoughtless of all human beings, a British midshipman-for such I then was-could not but remark the signs of vitality and active commercial enter prise which have since borne such good fruits. Perhaps this struck one all the more when coming from Ceylon and Hindostan, as we had done. There, it was true, the stranger from Europe could not but observe the air of English comfort and well-to-do which pervaded everything; but, somehow or other, it struck one as being wonderfully stagnated: the feeling that India was highly respectable, highly conservative, but very much mildewed and very much astern of the world, forced itself equally on the mind. Steam was still an agent which Indian quidnuncs questioned the success of in India, whatever it might do elsewhere. A solitary steamer, the Diana, was almost as much a curiosity to the European residents of the Straits of Malacca as she was to the Malays or Chinese; and poor Lieut. Waghorn, of our navy, had not yet enlightened Leadenhall by showing them the advantages of the Overland Route; indeed, it was nothing unusual even at that time, to receive letters five months old, and to consider one's self remarkably lucky in getting such late intelligence. Now, if a letter was as many weeks old, the merchant of Singapore would complain of the irregularities of the mail-boats. However, it is with Singapore of the past I have to deal. Before the town, and at the distance of a mile from it, lay numerous huge junks, all glittering with white and red and green and black; their strange eyes staring with all the vacuity of a Chinaman, and apparently wondering how they would ever find their way to China. Thither they were now bound, with the strength of the south-west monsoon to blow them, "viénto a pópa," into the ports of the provinces of |