Stone from Batu Pahat
A short note by D.F.A. Hervey addressing the provenance of stone used in the construction of the Portuguese fort at Malacca, with a brief preliminary linguistic observation on the Pantang Kâpur dialect.
Summary
The note opens with a brief comparison of Pantang Kâpur vocabulary against a list Hervey published in 1879, noting that most words are radically the same with only differences in pronunciation or prefix form. He observes that the word “kabo” in Logan’s list for “tired” appears to confirm the identity of Pantang Kâpur with the original Jakun dialect, as “kebok” carries that meaning among the Jakuns of the Madek (p. 168).
The main body addresses a tradition attributing the cutting of stone for the Malacca fort to the Siamese at Batu Pahat, which Hervey regards with doubt given the availability of good stone much nearer to hand (p. 169). He supports this scepticism by quoting Raffles’ “Translation of a Malay Manuscript” (1879), which lists multiple sources of iron-stone for the fort—Kwala Linggi, Pulau Upeh, Batu Bras, Pulau Jawa, Teluk Mas, Pesan Pringgi, Pulau Burong, and the interior of Malacca—along with the prices paid for stone, mortar eggs, lime, and labour over the thirty-six-year construction period (pp. 169–170).