The servants are Chinese, with the exception of the seis (coachmen or grooms), who are Bengalese.  Every spring, whole shiploads of Chinese boys, from ten to fifteen years old, come over here.  They are generally so poor that they cannot pay their passage.  When this is the case, the captain brings them over on his own account, and is paid beforehand, by the person engaging them, their wages for the first year.  These young people live very economically, and when they have a little money, return generally to their native country, though many hire themselves as journeymen, and stop altogether.

The Island of Singapore has a population of 55,000 souls, 40,000 of whom are Chinese, 10,000 Malays, or natives, and 150 Europeans.  The number of women is said to be very small, in consequence of the immigrants from China and India consisting only of men and boys.

The town of Singapore and its environs contain upwards of 20,000 inhabitants.  The streets struck me as being broad and airy, but the houses are not handsome.  They are only one story high; and, from the fact of the roof’s being placed directly above the windows, appear as if they were crushed.  On account of the continual heat, there is no glass in any of the windows, but its place is supplied by sun-blinds.

Every article of merchandise has here, as at Canton, if not its own peculiar street, at least its own side of the street.  The building in which meat and vegetables are sold, is a fine handsome edifice resembling a temple.

As a natural result of the number of persons of different nations congregated upon this island, there are various temples, none of which are worthy of notice, however, with the exception of that belonging to the Chinese.  It is formed like an ordinary house, but the roof is ornamented in the usual Chinese fashion to rather too great an extent.  It is loaded with points and pinnacles, with circles and curves without end, all of which are formed of coloured tiles or porcelain, and decorated with an infinity of arabesques, flowers, dragons, and other monsters.  Over the principal entrance are small stone bas-reliefs, and both the exterior and interior of the building can boast of a profusion of carved wood-work richly gilt.

Some fruit and biscuits of various descriptions, with a very small quantity of boiled rice, were placed upon the altar of the Goddess of Mercy.  These are renewed every evening, and whatever the goddess may leave is the perquisite of the bonzes.  On the same altar lay pretty little wooden counters cut in an oval shape, which the Chinese toss up in the air; it is held to be a sign of ill-luck if they fall upon the reverse side, but if they fall upon the other, this is believed to betoken good fortune.  The worthy people are in the habit of tossing them up until they fall as desired.

Another manner of learning the decrees of fate consists in placing a number of thin wooden sticks in a basin, and then shaking them until one falls out.  Each of these sticks is inscribed with a certain number, corresponding with a sentence in a book of proverbs.  This temple was more frequented by the people than those in Canton.  The counters and sticks seemed to exercise great influence over the congregation, for it was only round them that they gathered.