History
The Horsburgh Lighthouse was named after Captain James Horsburgh (September 28, 1762 – May 14, 1836), a Scottish hydrographer from the East India Company, who mapped many seaways around Singapore in the late 18th century and early 19th century. He was called "The Nautical Oracle of the World". His charts and books allowed ships to navigate through treacherous areas of the ocean, saving many lives and property on the seas between China and India. On the wall of the visitors room of the lighthouse there is the following memorial:
| “ | Pharos Ego
Cui nomen praebuit Horsburgh Hydrographus In maribus Indo Sinicis praeter omnes proeclarus Angliae Mercatorum nisi imprimus indole Ex imperii opibus Anglo Indici denique constructa Saluti nautarum insignis viri memoriae Consulo A.D. MDCCCLI W. J. Butterworth, c.b., Prov: Malacc. Proof. |
” |
A.D. 1851
which in translation reads: The Horsburgh Lighthouse is raised by the British enterprise of British Merchants, and by the liberal aid of the East India Company, to lessen the dangers of navigation, and likewise to hand down, so long as it shall last, in the scene of his useful labours.
To the Memory of the Great Hydrographer whose name it bears.
Col. W. J. Butterworth, c.b.
Governor in the Straits of Malacca.
Read more about this topic: Horsburgh Lighthouse
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“Boys forget what their country means by just reading “the land of the free” in history books. Then they get to be men, they forget even more. Liberty’s too precious a thing to be buried in books.”
—Sidney Buchman (1902–1975)
“English history is all about men liking their fathers, and American history is all about men hating their fathers and trying to burn down everything they ever did.”
—Malcolm Bradbury (b. 1932)
“History is more or less bunk. It’s tradition. We don’t want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker’s damn is the history we make today.”
—Henry Ford (1863–1947)