“I remarked, that, on his approach, the natives squatted down, as a mark of respect: a custom similar to which prevails in several of the Polynesian islands.”
The buildings of his highness and followers were now in some degree improved, being surrounded by a neat chunamed wall, and the entrance was by a gateway of brick, which had been only recently completed. Since my last visit his highness had caused a house to be constructed after the style of the European residents at Singapore, and it was situated exterior to the old boundary of his domain. We were ushered into the new house, the rooms of which were furnished after the English style, with wall-lamps, bookcase, (minus books,) tables, chairs, &c.; ascending to the upper room, chairs were placed for our accommodation, and the punka was caused to be moved to cool our frames. When we were all seated, a yellow painted armed-chair was placed at the head of the room, as a regal seat for his highness; his prime minister came to us, and, as we thought, seemed puzzled for what so large a party of Europeans could require an audience.
At last a messenger entered the room, and, squatting down near the minister, whispered something to him, which it seemed was a desire that we should adjourn from this to the old thatched residence of the Tuan rajah. We adjourned, therefore; and, on arriving at the old residence, the rajah, one of the greatest curiosities of the human race perhaps ever seen, waddled, bending with infirmities, and seated his carcase in the aforesaid yellow chair, which had been brought from the other house, and placed in a suitable situation; and there, with his corpulent body completely jammed between the arms of the chair, received us in a most gracious and condescending manner, if such a figure really could look gracious or condescending.
The creature was tame, and both mentally and physically more debilitated than when I last saw him, in 1830: he appeared not even to possess the intelligence of an orang-utan; he was attired in a dirty sarong around his waist, and a loose baju, or jacket, exposing the corpulency of his delicate form. A Moorman’s cap ornamented a small portion of his cranium; his look was listless, and without any expression: he appeared every moment to be in danger of an attack of apoplexy. The gentlemen who spoke the Malay language, on addressing him, received a grunt, or his language was so unintelligible that his minister was obliged to repeat the answers. All the attendants sat down upon their haunches in his presence, out of respect.
On asking him his age, he replied (or rather his minister for him) by demanding how old we thought he was; we certainly thought he had not yet attained the age of reason. We were afterwards told his age was not exactly known, but it was supposed the creature was fifty. As but little could be made out of this pitiable object of humanity, we released him from what certainly must have been to him a misery, by taking our leave. On viewing the edifices in his enclosure, previous to departing, we found the creature amused himself with building. Besides the new residence and wall, he was erecting a residence and wall for himself, neat and extensive in construction, and in something of a Chinese style of architecture. This building was certainly wanting, for the old thatched palace near it seemed ready to fall about his ears.
Society at Singapore is extremely agreeable to a visitor—for only as one can I judge of it. Whether in intercourse among themselves they are divided into the mechanical and aristocratical party, I cannot say, having only heard a whisper to that effect. I have found, during two visits to the little settlement, unbounded hospitality, and every attention to my scientific inquiries, of course some taking more interest in my researches than others.
At daylight one morning I set off, accompanied by the Rev. Mr. Darrah, in a large sailing-boat, belonging to my friend Mr. Boustead, on an excursion to visit St. John’s Island, or Pulo Sijang of the Malays, New Harbour, &c.; we had but little wind, but contrived, with a numerous Malay crew, to pull out soon to the first island, and landed on a fine sandy beach. The only inhabitant was an old Malay, whose small thatched habitation was surrounded by cocoa-nut, orange, guava, plantain, and other tropical fruit-trees; and the beach was strewed with the plants and bell-shaped purplish flowers of the Ipomœa soladenella, or sea-side convolvulus, which grew in very great profusion.
The Morinda citrifolia was here abundant, as also among the islands forming the eastern Archipelago, where it is used as props for the pepper-vines, or planted as a shade for the coffee-plants, and is named by the natives Mangkudu.[77] The roots of this species are only mentioned as being used as a dyeing material in the eastern Archipelago. The Morinda is indigenous also to the Philippine Islands, where it is named in the Tagalo Tambungaso. The natives of these islands, when a limb is fractured, use the leaves of this shrub, anointed with oil, to lay over the surface of the fractured limb; and it is considered by them of benefit in allaying the inflammatory action.
This shrub attains the height of ten or twelve feet. At Tahiti, and most of the Polynesian Islands, where it is also found indigenous, the inner bark of the root is used for dyeing the native cloth of a fine yellow colour: this is done by infusing the bark in water, into which the cloth intended to be dyed is afterwards placed, and being suffered to remain for some hours, is taken out and dried in the sun. At Tahiti the shrub is called Nono, or Aari; at the Sandwich Islands it is called Noni. The fruit is eaten at some of the Polynesian Islands in seasons of scarcity.
The island, which is elevated, was profusely covered with various kinds of fruit-trees, growing in wild luxuriance, mingled with several pretty flowering shrubs and plants, but spreading about in almost every direction. The pine-apple plants, at this time in fruit, at different stages of advancement towards maturity, and some decked with their delicate blue flowers, were seen sometimes mixed with rich vegetation, and at others kept cleared.