An early "Singaporean's" visit to China

The early "Singaporean" here is Parameswara. His destination, today's Nanjing, in Jiangsu province, China. The date, 1411 CE.

Parameswara was the founding ruler of the Malay Kingdom circa 1400 CE that became the Melaka Sultanate. He had originally been the ruler of Singapura before being turned out of the place in ~1396 CE. His reign in Melaka lasted till 1414 [1,2]. 

Nanjing was the capital of early Ming dynasty in China, from 1368, the start of the reign of the first Ming emperor Hongwu 洪武 till 1420 towards the near the end of the reign of the third emperor Yongle 永乐, when the capital was moved northwards to Beijing. 

Parameswara (拜裡迷蘇剌 Bai li mi su la) as a King of a vassal state to China, paid a homage visit to imperial capital of the Ming Dynasty in the 9th year of Yongle reign (1411). He and his gigantic entourage of 540 people got a lift from Zheng He's fleet which was returning back to China after their third voyage to the 'Western Seas' [2] 

Parameswara's visit to the Ming imperial capital was recorded in the 《太宗文皇帝实录》 "The Veritable Records of the Taizong Wen Emperor (Emperor Yongle)". These are part of 明实录"The Veritable Records of the Ming Dynasty" which is an official compilation of the accounts of all the Ming emperors' reigns [3]. Here are the extracts from the Veritable Records that relates to Parameswara's visit:

Yongle Year 9, Month 7, Day 15 (4th Aug 1411)

...满刺加国王拜里迷苏刺来朝遣中官海寿礼部郎中黄裳等往宴劳之... [4]

The King of Melaka Parameswara arrived. Officials Hai Tao, Huang Shang and others were sent to feast their arrival...

Yongle Year 9, Month 7, Day 25 (14th Aug 1411)

...满剌加国王拜里迷苏刺率其妻子及陪臣五百四十馀人入朝初 上闻之念其轻去乡土跋涉海道以来即遣官往劳复命有供张会同馆是日奉表入见并献方物 上御奉天门宴劳之... [4]

The King of Melaka Parameswara led his wife and accompanying officials to the number of more than five hundred and forty to attend the imperial court (at Fengtian dian (palace) 奉天殿 [5]). The emperor commanded to set up tent (provide lodging?) at 会同馆 (Huitong guan (building)).... The Emperor feasted the visitors at 奉天门 (Fengtian men (gate))...

Yongle Year 9, Month 7, Day 28 (17th Aug 1411)

赐满刺加国王拜里迷苏刺及其妃八儿迷速里等宴于会通馆…[4]

(The emperor) gifted a banquet to Parameswara, his wife and entourage at 会通馆 (Huitong building)...

Yongle Year 9, Month 9, Day 1 (18th Sep 1411)

宴满刺加国王拜里迷苏刺及榜葛刺古里等国使臣云南木邦军民宣慰司等处所遣头目于午门 [6]

Melaka King Parameswara, envoys from Bangla, Kuli (Calicut) and others were banqueted at 午门 (Wu men or 'Noon Gate')

Yongle Year 9, Month 9, Day 15 (2nd Oct 1411)

满刺加国王拜里迷苏刺辞归赐宴于奉天门... [6]

The King of Melaka bade his farewell and was banqueted at 奉天门 (Fengtian Gate)...

And finally away, home they go...

Yongle Year 9, Month 9, Day 18 (5th Oct 1411)

...命礼部宴饯满刺加国王及榜葛刺古里诸国使臣于龙江驿仍赐宴于龙潭驿… [6]

(The emperor) commanded an official to banquet the King of Melaka at 龙江驿 (Longjiang yi or literally "Dragon River Stop"), and again at 龙潭驿 (Longtan yi or literally "Dragon Pool Stop"). 

So what are some of these places that Parameswara visited? One can imagine the glory and bustle of Nanjing during the early days of the Ming. Today, unfortunately most of these spots are long gone. 

午门, 奉天门, 奉天殿

The mostly ruined or razed grounds of the imperial palace, where much of the feasting and feting took place, can still be visited. It is well worth a visit, and it is near to the excellent Nanjing Museum, and not too far away from a major sight of Nanjing, the World Heritage Site of the Mausoleum of the first Ming emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.

午门 or "Noon gate" (Figure 1), where some of the banquets that Parameswara attended were held, is the main entrance into the palace. Some of its bulky majestic structure are still left.

Figure 1. 午门 or "Noon gate". The entrance to the Ming Imperial Palace.

Entering the Noon Gate, a couple of hundred metres later is what is leftover of 奉天门 (Fengtian Gate), where more banquets were held. 

Figure 2. The remains of 奉天门 (Fengtian Gate).午门 or "Noon gate". The entrance to the Ming Imperial Palace.

  

To pay homage to the Ming Emperor, Parameswara will have to attend the court session by entering via Fengtian Gate, where 奉天殿 (Fengtian Palace) is situated (Figure 3 and 4). This is the largest and most majestic building on the palace grounds and was used for court assembly and the most important official events [7].  

Figure 3. The marker of the original location of 奉天殿 (Fengtian Palace). 

Figure 4. The green patches of grass and the patch between them marks the original footprint of 奉天殿 (Fengtian Palace).

Figure 5. Google map snapshot of The Nanjing Ming Palace Museum Relics Park with the landmarks mentioned above. The imperial palace grounds cover roughly the green patches in the middle of the figure. Notice the moat around (blue colour waterways), which marks the approximate boundary of the Imperial Citadel 皇城.

After the capital of the Ming Dynasty was moved to the north (Hence Beijing or Northern Capital) in the 1420s, and Nanjing became Nanjing (Southern Capital), the palace lost its purpose. The invasion by the Qing troops and later warfare during late Qing times 1850-1860s razed the palace grounds to almost nothing. In 1927, the whole place was converted to an airfield! The Nanjing Ming Palace Museum Relics Park was designated a National level protected cultural area in 2006 and is nowadays a pleasant park (Figure 6). 

Figure 6. Plaque proclaiming the Nanjing Ming Palace Museum Relics Park as a National level cultural protected site.

会同馆, 龙江驿, 龙潭驿

To figure out where the other places that Parameswara had been, I had to look up《洪武京城图志》[8] "The maps of the Hongwu Imperial Capital", which is a series of maps of Nanjing, officially commissioned and published in 1395 (28th year of Hongwu Emperor's reign. Hongwu being the reign era of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding Ming emperor and father of Zhu Di, the Yongle emperor). Another reference used is the famous《郑和航海图》(The maritime charts of Zheng He's voyages) [9].   

Figure 7. 官署图 (map of government buildings) from《洪武京城图志》(The maps of the Hongwu Imperial Capital) The red box outlines the Imperial Citadel, that contains the Imperial Palace. The blue box outlines Huitong Building. North is roughly towards the top.

 

Figure 8. 京城山川图 (map of the hills and rivers of the imperial capital) from《洪武京城图志》(The maps of the Hongwu Imperial Capital). The lower red box outlines the Imperial Citadel. The red box on the top left is outlines Huitong Building. North is roughly towards the top.

While in Nanjing, Parameswara was banqueted and probably stayed at 会同馆 (Huitong building), which was the governmental lodge for visiting envoys and dignitaries [8]. This lodge laid on 长安路 [8], a main thoroughfare leading southwest from the south gate 承天门 of the Imperial Citadel 皇城 (The city within the city which contains the major governmental edifices, major sacrificial altars and temples, and the imperial palace grounds). The road and the lodge no longer exist. Figure 7 above shows the 官署图 (map of government buildings) from《洪武京城图志》(The maps of the Hongwu Imperial Capital) where I have marked out the 'Imperial Citadel' (in red) and 'Huitong building' in blue, somewhat southwest of the imperial citadel.

On his departure from Nanjing to return home, Parameswara stopped at 龙江驿 (Longjiang Yi) for yet another banquet. According to《洪武京城图志》, 龙江驿 (Longjiang yi) is another government travel lodge, perhaps serving like a caravanserai, and is situated outside 金川门 (Jinchuan men or literal translated as 'golden river gate'), along the Yangzi jiang river [8]. You can see on the map in Figure 8, 京城山川图  or 'map of the hills and rivers of the imperial capital' from 《洪武京城图志》. In the top left box, is 金川门 which is a gate of the inner city wall, and the great Yangzi jiang river not far beyond. As for Parameswara's next stop, 龙潭驿 (Longtan yi), there are no records in the 《洪武京城图志》. However the place 龙潭 (Longtan) is featured in《郑和航海图》[9], which is shown in Figure 9 below in the blue box. 龙潭 (Longtan) is supposed to be about 60 'li' (chinese miles) from Nanjing [9].  Presumably 龙潭驿 (Longtan yi) is in 龙潭 (Longtan) and therefore can be reached from 观音门 (Guanyin men or Guanyin gate) which is one of the gates of the outer city wall of Nanjing [8] which you can see marked out in the box at the top right of the map in Figure 8.  

Figure 9. Part of 《郑和航海图》 covering the area east of the imperial capital [9]. The 'map' is orientate roughly opposite from the preceding two maps (Figure 7 and 8), i.e. south is top. Note the Yangzi Jiang river near the bottom of the chart. The blue box marks 龙潭 (Longtan) and the nearby red box marks  观音门 (Guanyin gate) which also appears Figure 8. The big rectangle on the right of Figure 9 is the Imperial Citadel.

Where Parameswara went after that, I have no idea as The Veritable Records and Ming Shi say nothing. However, he must have taken a boat somewhere soon after, and returned home. He most definitely did not take the boats of Zheng He's 4th voyage which did not leave China till 1413. We do know he did safely reach home, as he then dispatched his nephew to visit Nanjing, who arrived in Nanjing in July 1412 [3].

References

[1] The Malay Sultanate of Malacca, Muhammad Yusoff Hashim (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, KL, 1992)

[2] Wang Gungwu, "The First Three Rulers of Malacca". JMBRAS 41, 1 (July 1968), 11-22.

[3] Southeast Asia in the Ming Shi-lu. An Open Access Resource.  yihttp://epress.nus.edu.sg/msl/

[4] 《太宗文皇帝实录卷一百十七》

[5] 《明史, 卷三百二十五, 列传第二百一十三, 外国六, 滿剌加》

[6] 《太宗文皇帝实录卷一百十九》

[7] 《中国宫殿史》（修订本）, 雷从云，陈绍棣，林秀贞 (百花文艺出版社, 天津，2005)

[8] 《洪武京城图志》南京稀见文献丛刊 (南京出版社, 南京, 2017)

[9] 《郑和航海图》整理：向达 (中华书局, 北京, 1961) , pg 24.

Date of my visit to Nanjing: 22nd May 2016

Some Treasures at the Museum Nasional, Jakarta

One of best things I did during my visits to Jakarta was to visit the treasure-filled National Museum of Indonesia (Museum Nasional). Here, I will mention a few of these treasures that are somewhat related to Singapore.

The front view of the Museum Nasional in Jakarta.

The Gajah Sculpture

The main museum building is also known locally as the Gedung Gajah or elephant building. It is named so because of the elephant statue standing in front of the building. This bronze elephant is a gift from King Chulalongkorn of Thailand during his visit to Batavia in 1871. This elephant has a twin in Singapore, which sits right in front of Singapore's old Parliament House (currently called the Arts House). 

The elephant twins. Gifts from Chulalongkorn to (L) Batavia and (R) Singapore during his first trip overseas in 1871.

The Thai King Rama V, better known as Chulalongkorn, made a trip (the very first overseas trip by a Thai monarch) to Singapore and Batavia in 1871 from 9 March-15 April [1]. This pair of handsome elephant statues were gifts from Chulalongkorn to Batavia and Singapore, respectively, to commemorate the visits. 

Raffles' Bust

Bust of Stamford Raffles

In a room immediately to the left after the main entrance of the old wing, where some of the old colonial artefacts are placed, is a bronze bust statue of Sir Stamford Raffles. This bust is probably the 1929 copy commissioned by the Royal Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences (Koninklijk Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen) for their 150th anniversary celebration [2]. This society and the collections that it amassed formed the basis of the National Museum of Indonesia. This bust is a copy of the famous Chantrey bust in the collection of the London Zoological Society. 

From 1811 till 1816, Raffles was the Lieutenant-Governor of Java. He was also deeply interested in the culture of Java. In 1813, he helped revive the society (then known as the Bataviaasch Genootschap der Konsten en Wetenschappen or the Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences), and was made president of the society [3].   

Kota Kapur Inscription

On this stone is inscribed the oldest known dated writings in the Malay language. This stone inscription was found at Kota Kapur on Bangka island and is dated to 686 CE. During this time, the area was under the suzerainty of the Srivijaya empire. The Old Malay was inscribed in the Later Pallava script, and contains a curse against those who do evil and who are disloyal to the King. It also talks about the King's planned invasion of Bhumi to subject it to Srivijaya's rule [4]. Old Malay is the direct ancestor of Bahasa Indonesia (official language of Indonesia) and Bahasa Melayu (official/national language of Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore), which are essentially the same language. Well, to be exact, Bahasa Melayu is the national language and one of the official languages in Singapore. 

(L). The Kota Kapur Inscription. Dated 686 CE. (R) A closer look at the inscribed Pallava script.

Also of interest is another stone inscription near the Museum entrance, known as the Telagabatu Inscription, written also in the Old Malay language using the Later Pallava script. This inscription is also dated to the 7th century CE.

Regalia of the Riau-Lingga Sultanate

On the fourth level of the new wing (this level is only accessible by elevator, and seems to be missed by most visitors) is the Treasures and Ceramics gallery.

In this gallery are exhibited many artefacts which were the heirlooms of by-gone sultanates which were annexed by the Dutch when they were in power. One of these defunct sultanates that has their regalia housed here is the Riau-Lingga Sultanate. The Riau-Lingga Sultanate royal regalia on display [5] includes two jogan (ritual fans or State lances by different accounts), one silver and one gold. There are also two pedang (swords) on display.     

Items of the royal regalia of the Riau-Lingga Sultanate. (L) The silver Jogan and (R) the gold Jogan (picture taken from [5]). Written on the gold Jogan is the claimed lineage of the sultan, and how he has the legitimacy of rule over the Tanah Melayu ...etc... [6].

How are these items related to Singapore's history? In Feb. 1819, in order to have someone pliable to sign a 'Treaty of Friendship and Alliance' to set up a trading post in Singapore, Raffles effectively installed Tengku Hussein as the Sultan of Johor and Singapore. This was done when there was already a Sultan Abdul Rahman, who as the Sultan of Johor-Riau, was supposed to reign over Singapore as well. 

How did Raffles manage to pull it off? Well, things were not so straightforward. Since the previous Sultan, Mahmud died in 1812, different factions in the royal court supporting either Tengku Abdul Rahman or Tengku Hussein had been jockeying and trying to install their own candidate as sultan. Abdul Rahman, the younger half-brother of Hussein, won out with the support of the Dutch and the Bugis. Now, one of the list of things you need to check off if you want to be properly installed as a Sultan is to have the royal Regalia in your possession. Unfortunately for Abdul Rahman, the royal Regalia was under the custody of Engku Puteri Rajah Hamida, who was the main royal wife of Sultan Mahmud (Abdul Rahman and Hussein were sons of two minor commoner wives of Mahmud). She did not accept the legitimacy of Abdul Rahman's installation as sultan, and refused to hand over the Royal Regalia. And so the succession dispute dragged on for years. 

In early 1819, as it would not be possible to sign a treaty with Sultan Abdul Rahman who was under the thumb of the Dutch, rivals to the British commercial interests, Raffles and company seized this opportunity to their advantage to install their own puppet sultan whom they could then 'legally' sign a treaty with.  

Eventually, when all the dust had settled when the 'higher powers' in Europe thrashed out the 1824 Anglo-Dutch treaty, the erstwhile Riau-Johor Sultanate was partitioned into the Riau-Lingga and Johor-Singapore Sultanates, under the Dutch and British spheres of influence, respectively.  

The royal regalia was later taken forcibly away from Engku Puteri Rajah Hamida by the Dutch to give to Sultan Abdul Rahman. The Riau-Lingga sultanate was annexed by the Dutch in 1911, and the regalia eventually ended up in the museum's collection. 

It is not known exactly when these items on display were made and they could have been made post-1819 (the labels were not very specific about the ages of these artefacts). However it is probable and I would like to think that they were part of the regalia that was withheld by Engku Puteri Rajah Hamida in the dramatic days of 1810s and that I am looking at artefacts that had a role in the founding of modern Singapore. I suppose these artefacts could go even further back in time and originated from the Malacca sultanate. Pure speculations.

And if you have some time to spare after the museum trip, do drop by the nearby Museum Taman Prasasti to take a look at the tombs of Olivia Raffles and John Leyden. 

References
[1] Lim, Patricia Pui Hue, Through the eyes of the King : the travels of King Chulalongkorn to Malaya (Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, 2009).
[2] Bonny Tan, "Raffles' Bust" from Singapore Infopedia (National Library Board, Singapore, 2005). link
[3] John N. Miksic (Ed.), Icons of Art: The Collections of the National Museum of Indonesia (BAB Publishing, Jakarta, 2007) p. 47.
[4] ibid. pp. 102-103
[5] ibid. p. 143

[6] During my first visit to the museum in Oct. 2012, I could only take the pictures of the silver Jogan as the gold Jogan was out on loan. During my second visit in Oct. 2014, I finally got to see the gold Jogan. Unfortunately, this time round, no photography was allowed due to security reasons, presumably because of the recent burglary from the National Museum (see link here). In its place, I pinched a picture from [5].

Dates of visits: 7th Oct. 2012, & 12th Oct. 2014

Where Olivia Mariamne Raffles and John Caspar Leyden rest...

About 10 minutes walk from the National Museum of Indonesia in Jakarta, by Jalan Tanah Abang, is a small cemetery, or what is left of a bigger one. Nowadays, it is known as the Museum Taman Prasasti (Park of Memorial Stones Museum). It is the remnant of the old European cemetery. This is where many luminaries of old colonial era Batavia still rest [1].

Entrance of the Museum Taman Prasasti, Jalan Tanah Abang, Jakarta.

From 1811 till 1815, Java was under the colonial rule of the British, and Thomas Stamford Raffles was the Lieutenant-Governor. During that period, two persons dearest to him died and were buried here.

John Casper Leyden (1775-1811)

John Caspar Leyden. Picture Source.

Leyden was a great friend of Stamford Raffles and his first wife, Olivia. Leyden is most famous for his translation into English, of Sulalatus Salatin, more popularly known as Sejarah Melayu or Malay Annals [2]. Stamford Raffles and Olivia first met him in 1805 in Penang [3]. Leyden was already an established scholar when they met, and the two men hit it off right away. Raffles, who had not much formal education gained much from his teacher/friend. Leyden was the catalyst to Raffles later scholarly pursuits of the history, culture and politics of the Malay world, which Singapore was part of.  The fact that Raffles knew about the ancient pedigree of Singapore may have been a contributing factor to Raffles' choice of Singapore as the trading post in 1819.

Title page of Malay Annals. Translated by John Leyden. Published posthumously in 1821, with a foreword by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. (from my private collection)

Leyden died not too long after the British invaded Java in 1811 [4]. His grave is a rectangular platform, with two plaques on the top. This present grave is probably not the original one, as the marble slab platform looks like a modern day patch job.  

John Leyden's grave at Museum Taman Prasasti. 

The top plaque reads... 

SACRED

TO THE MEMORY OF

JOHN CASPER LEYDEN MD

WHO WAS BORN

AT TEVIOTDALE IN SCOTLAND

AND WHO DIED

IN THE PRIME OF LIFE

AT MOLENVLIET NEAR BATAVIA

ON THE 28TH AUGUST 1811

TWO DAYS

AFTER THE FALL OF CORNELIS

while the bottom plaque reads...

THE POETICAL TALENTS AND SUPERIOR LITERARY

ATTAINMENTS OF DR LEYDEN, RENDERED HIM A

ORNAMENT OF THE AGE IN WHICH HE LIVED_

HIS ARDENT SPIRIT AND INSATIABLE THIRST AFTER

KNOWLEDGE WAS PERHAPS UNEQUALLED

AND THE FRIEND OF SCIENCE MUST EVER

DEPLORE HIS UNTIMELY FATE_

HIS PRINCIPLES AS A MAN WERE PURE AND SPOTLESS_

AND AS A FRIEND HE WAS FIRM AND SINCERE

_ FEW HAVE PASSED THROUGH THIS LIFE

WITH FEWER VICES OR WITH A GREATER

PROSPECT OF HAPPINESS IN THE NEXT

Right beside Leyden's grave, lies Olivia, the first wife of Stamford Raffles.

Olivia Mariamne Raffles (1771-1814)

Raffles' first wife was Olivia Mariamne Fancourt née Devenish. They got married in March 1805, one month before they set off for Penang, where Stamford Raffles was to serve as Assistant Secretary to the Governor in the new Presidency in George Town on Prince of Wales Island (Penang). Olivia had an earlier marriage with Jacob Cassivelaun Fancourt, an assistant surgeon in Madras which ended with Jacob's death in 1800. Olivia then went back to Great Britain where she later met Raffles. She seems to have led quite a colourful life before meeting Raffles and there are plenty of interesting stories and rumours about Olivia during her younger days.    

By all accounts, the Raffles couple had a very loving relationship, and when Raffles became the Lieutenant-Governor of Java, she made an excellent 'first lady' that gave much grace and dignity to the office. 

The Governor's mansion in Bogor (then known as Buitenzorg) where Thomas Stamford and Olivia Mariamne Raffles held court. Today, it seats in the lovely Kebun Raya Bogor (Bogor Botanical Gardens). (Photo taken 9th Oct. 2008)  

When she died suddenly in Buitenzorg (Present day Bogor) on the 26th November 1814, Raffles was devastated. It came near the end of Raffles' tumultuous tenure as the lieutenant-governor of Java. Stressed and overworked, coupled with the sudden loss of Olivia, Raffles fell seriously ill, and his friends feared for his life. He survived [5]. 

Olivia was laid to rest right beside John Leyden. The tomb seats on a raised octogonal platform. There used to be a roof sheltering the gravestone, supported by eight pillars [1]. The roof has since collapsed and the pillars shortened to become the stumps that you see in the photo. 
  

Tomb of Olivia Mariamne Raffles in Museum Taman Prasasti, Jakarta. At the left end of the picture, you can see Leyden's tomb. 

On the plaque laid on the tomb, it is carved:

SACRED

To the Memory of

OLIVIA MARIAMNE

Wife of

The Hon'ble THOMAS STAMFORD RAFFLES

Lieutenant Govenor

OF JAVA

and its Dependencies

Who departed this life in

Buitenzorg

the 25th day of November 1814

Most people will probably be more familiar with the memorial that Raffles commissioned, in memory of Olivia. This graceful edifice is on the grounds of the Governor's mansion in Buitenzorg, where the couple had so much sweet memories. Today, it is located within the Kebun Raya Bogor (Bogor Botanical Gardens).

The memorial to Olivia Mariamne Raffles on the grounds of the Kebun Raya Bogor (Bogor Botanical Gardens). Erected by Raffles. (Photo taken 9th Oct. 2008) 

References
[1] A. Heuken SJ, Historical Sites of Jakarta (Cipta Loka Caraka, Jakarta, 2007) Chap. XI
[2] C.E. Wurtzburg, Raffles of the Eastern Isles (Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1954), p. 36
[3] J. Leyden (trans.), Malay Annals (Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, London, 1821)
[4] C.E. Wurtzburg, Raffles of the Eastern Isles (Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1954), p. 167
[5] ibid. p. 362

Date of Visit: 7th Oct. 2012, & 12th Oct. 2014. (Kebun Raya Bogor, 9th Oct. 2008) 

The Old Protestant Cemetery of George Town, Penang

In old George Town, along Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah (which used to be called Northam Road) is the old Protestant cemetery. It is a short walk from the E & O Hotel.  Here lie many people important to the history of Penang. Chief among them, Francis Light, the founder of George Town, Penang. There are also a few names here that are associated with the history of Singapore.

James Richardson Logan (1819-1869)

James Richardson Logan is best known as the founder and editor of the Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia (JIAEA), a journal that was based in Singapore. JIAEA "was the first attempt to promote a literary or scientific periodical in the British Settlements in the Far East..." [1]. It ran from 1847 to 1859 and contained articles on the history, geography, language, ethnography, botany, zoology, etc. of Southeast Asia and the surrounding region. Although several people contributed to JIAEA, it was very much a one man show by its editor and founder, and was popularly called Logan's Journal.

Tomb of James Richardson Logan and his brother Abraham

Despite its demise in 1862, JIAEA inspired the formation of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society and the publication of the Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, which was first published in 1878. It eventually evolved to become the present day Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 

J. R. Logan and his brother Abraham were among the first 32 shareholders of a library that was established in 1844, to be housed at the Singapore Institution [2]. This library later became the Raffles Library and eventually the National Library of Singapore.

Through the publication of JIAEA, James Richardson Logan contributed significantly to the intellectual environment of Singapore and the Straits Settlements. 

George Windsor Earl (1813-1865)

Tomb of George Windsor Earl

George Windsor Earl was an English navigator who was active in the seas between Batavia and Singapore in the 1830s. Based on his travels, he wrote a book entitled [3]: 

The Eastern Seas or Voyages and Adventures in the Indian Archipelago 1832-33-34,

comprising a tour of the island of Java -- visits to Borneo, the Malay Peninsula, Siam, &c.; also an account of the present state of Singapore, with observations on the commercial resources of the archipelago. 

This is an often-quoted book with detailed description of Singapore in the 1830s. G.W. Earl was also a friend of J.R. Logan and contributed articles to the Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia.

John Alexander Bannerman (1759-1819)

John Alexander Bannerman. Picture source link

Probably the most important person associated with Singapore's history who lies in the cemetery, is the fifth governor of Penang (Nov 1817- Aug 1819), John Alexander Bannerman. Modern Singapore was almost stillborn because of him.

In late December 1818, Stamford Raffles arrived in George Town, from Calcutta. With him were instructions from the Governor-General Lord Hastings (the boss of all the British East India Company officials including Raffles and Bannerman), for "the establishment of a Station beyond Malacca, such as may command the southern entrance of those Straits"[4]. The instructions also requested Bannerman and the government of Penang to assist in Raffles' mission. However, Bannerman was not supportive of Raffles' mission and even tried to prevent Raffles from leaving George Town. One main reason for Bannerman's actions was his reluctance to let a confrontation between the Dutch and British ensue if Raffles were to establish the proposed trading station. Bannerman, and indeed Raffles and Lord Hastings, well knew that the other end of the Straits of Malacca (where the southern tip of the Malay peninsula and the Riau-Lingga archipelago lies) was under Dutch hegemony [5]. There was also suspicion that Bannerman's  motives were less than honourable, stemming from jealousy of Raffles and the fear that the new trading post would eclipse the importance of Penang.

Tomb of John Alexander Bannerman, fifth governor of Penang

Drama and scheming ensued. To cut a long story short, Raffles, ever the maverick, outwitted Bannerman, sneaked out of George Town, and on Jan. 28th, landed in Singapore, and the rest is history.

Even after the founding of Singapore, Bannerman tried to undo what Raffles had done. He denied Raffles' request of troops to be sent to Singapore to help in its defence. It took a countermand by the Governor-General Lord Hastings to force Bannerman to supply the necessary troops [6].

A few months after these incidents, Bannerman died during a cholera outbreak on Penang Island.

If Bannerman had succeeded in frustrating Raffles' mission, there may not have been any modern history of Singapore to write about. Singapore may have ended up as just one of the thousands of insignificant islands that Indonesia has (for there may not have been a British Malaya as well), and Singapore today may very much be like present day Karimun Island. However, before we judge Bannerman too harshly, let us consider if history had turned out slightly differently. What if the Dutch had  decided to attack Singapore at the critical point of Singapore's nascent existence in 1819-1820? This would have set the British and Dutch forces on a war path, just as Bannerman had feared. History would then have judged Raffles a reckless adventurer, and Bannerman a cool-headed statesman. 

In the end, the Dutch decided to fight a 'paper' war instead of a military war. Letters and diplomatic maneuvers, instead of bullets and shells, flew between Batavia, Calcutta, Amsterdam and London. This eventually ended  in the 1824, when the Anglo-Dutch treaty firmly placed Singapore under the British sphere of control.  

Date of Visit: 7th Jan. 2015 

References
[1] C. B. Buckley, An anecdotal history of old times in Singapore 1819-1867 (Fraser & Neave, Singapore, 1902) p. 467.
[2] ibid. p. 419.
[3] G.W. Earl, The Eastern Seas or Voyages and Adventures in the Indian Archipelago 1832-33-34... (W.H. Allen and Co., London, 1837)
[4] C.E. Wurtzburg, Raffles of the Eastern Isles (Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1954) p. 461.
[5] M. Langdon, Penang: The Fourth Presidency of India 1805-1830. Volume One: Ships, Men and Mansions (Areca Books, George Town, 2013) pp. 297-300
[6]  C.E. Wurtzburg, Raffles of the Eastern Isles (Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1954) p. 514