追古思今: 红毛路（Northam Road）基督教墳場

今天馬來西亞各族為“一個土族”和“馬來穆斯林”兩個課題在鬧哄。一個公認的真理：“歷史”就是“事實”，誰都掩蓋和改變不了歷史事實。

墳場是一部提供給後人的歷史証據，碑文的存在，說明除了馬來人，其他種族包括英國人和華人，早在200多年前，也已經在檳城落地生根。

入口處有兩塊由檳城市議會與古跡信托會在1993年豎立的墳墓指示牌，引導到訪者尋找知名先賢的墳墓。

這個墳場有約250多座的古墓，信仰上帝的同道，以一牆之隔，劃分基督教徒與天主教徒兩個派系的葬地。

雖然被列爲檳城一級文物保護的古跡單位，可惜大部分墓碑殘損不堪，字跡不清，讓人無法確認墓中人。我將依稀可讀到的幾個墓碑拍下，只能做為參考，墓內所葬何人，有待考究。

走進墳場，碰到很多蚊子和小飛虫，可說是個諷刺的環境問題。想當年，開埠偉人萊特氏就是病亡於蚊子傳染的瘧疾，在檳僅住八年。

州政府要做好文物遺產的工作，那需要進一步清理墳場，保持古墓遺址清潔，讓到訪者能安心憑吊先賢古跡，也好讓後人知道開荒先驅者的開埠偉績。

根據檔案記錄，第一個埋藏在這裏的死者,是在1787年去世的炮兵團中尉， Willian Murray。 1941年二戰期間，在日本轟炸機的濫炸下，數座墳墓被炸毀，如今Willian Murray的墓碑和下葬位置已無跡可尋。

Cornelia Josephine van Someren

1890年殖民政府增闢西方路的基督教新墓園，Mdm Cornelia Josephine van Someren 成爲最後一名下葬在此墓園的女性死者。

在這座墓園内，還有一小片華人的墳墓，最早年份可以追溯至1860年清朝同治年代。可能是太平天國起義失敗後，被清廷通緝追捕的客籍教徒。也有可能是為殖民地主人工作後二該信教的華人。

2020年5月7日修訂

此將墳墓指示牌簡介抄錄如下：

The Protestant Cemetery, Penang 1789-1892.

The first cemetery to be opened after the founding of the Settlement of Prince of Wales Island in 1786 by Capt. Francis Light.

The graves of many important persons who were involved in the growth of “PULO PINANG” are to be found in the cemetery.

Francis Light himself is buried as are several Governors of the Settlement and their young families.

Colonel John Alexander Bannerman, William Petrie, Phillip Dundas and the infant children of Governor William Edward Phillips.

Other notable individuals of the period were Reverend R.S Hutchings, the founder of Penang Free School; Quinton Dick Thompson, the Brother-in-law of Sir Stamford Raffles; James Scott together with Light Co-Founder of Penang George Samuel Windsor Earl, Author of “Easter Sea” and Thomas Leonowens, husband of Anna Leonowens, Governess to the children of the King of Siam in the mid-19th century.

Also buried within the cemetery are families who names are familiar to all Penang Residents. The Brown of Glugor, The Scotts of Ayer Rajah, The Family of A.A Anthony, The Logan Brothers, H.D.D.Cunningham whose memorial is the earliest recorded in 1789 and Cornelia van Someren, the last to be interred in Northam Road in 1892 while the majority of the graves are British, identification of German, French, Dutch, American, Armenian, Indian and Australian memorials have been made.

The cemetery also contains 12 Chinese Christian graves. The occupation of which had fled the Boxer Rebellion （義和團事變） in China and the persecution of Christian, only to succumb to the health perils of the East.

Of the approximately five hundred graves, more than a quarter cannot be identified due to decay and natural weathering.