d in England. They have other employments, if
fame does not belie them, not quite so creditable to their characters.
Here, also, may be found many descendants of the old Portuguese
inhabitants, who have here, as elsewhere all over the East, degenerated
sadly, and, but for their dress, could not be distinguished from the
other natives, except that the latter are a much finer race. These
Portuguese are, for the most part, wretchedly poor, and, apparently,
will soon become extinct. Very few of the descendants of the old Dutch
inhabitants are to be found here now: those still remaining are
principally shopkeepers, and are much more respectable in every way than
their Portuguese fellow subjects. Slavery, until lately, existed in a
domestic form in Malacca; it has, however, been completely done away
with through the representations and exertions of the late Governor, Mr.
Bonham.

Malacca forms a pretty picture from the sea, and, to the passer-by,
seems an attractive spot: his disappointment, on landing, however, would
be great, and few inducements to prolong his stay will be found,
excepting the climate. This, to the invalid from Bengal, is a treat, on
which I have heard many expatiate in glowing terms after their return,
with renewed health, to Calcutta.

Penang, or Prince of Wales Island, is, perhaps, the most beautiful of
the three Straits settlements, though it is certainly not the most
salubrious, being occasionally visited by a very severe fever, which, in
my time, carried off many of the European inhabitants.[13]

[Footnote 13: At this moment, I cannot recal to recollection a
single existing resident of Penang who has not arrived there
since 1829. The Europeans of that time have all, or nearly all,
been removed by death.]

Here, the nutmeg and the clove come to perfection; and the produce of
Penang commands higher prices in the London market, than the spice of
any other country with which I am acquainted. The estates of Mr. Brown
are the finest on the Island; and the hospitality of their proprietor is
unsurpassed. Of late years, the profits of spice-plantations have become
somewhat precarious, as the supply in the European markets has exceeded
the demand. This has turned the attention of several of the leading
people on the Island to the sugar-cane, which thrives here well, and is
now to be seen covering large tracts which very recently were lying
waste. The sugar-planter here, however, labours unde