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.