Singapore
By Francis L. Hawks. Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan: Performed in the Years 1852, 1853 and 1854, under the Command of Commodore M.C. Perry, United States Navy, by the Order of the Government of the United States. New York, 1856.
The port of Singapore is a great resort for ships of all nations. Vessels from China, Siam, Malaya, Sumatra, and the various commercial countries of Europe and America, are to be seen anchored together at the same time. The products of these different parts of the world are all to be found in Singapore, brought thither for reciprocal exchange. The policy which has made Singapore a free port has been fully justified by the prosperous result. Its commerce, being entirely unshackled, flourishes even beyond the most sanguine anticipations of those enlightened and enterprising men who but a few years ago established Singapore as a free port.
Notwithstanding the restricted productions of the place, which could do no more than supply business for the scant trade of a few vessels, Singapore has been, by the liberal policy pursued, elevated to the imposing position of a great commercial mart. Its trade embraces China, India, and the archipelagos of the oriental seas, Australia, Europe and America. Nearly the whole world of commerce seeks, in a greater or less degree, its ever crowded harbor.
The commerce with China is very considerable, and is carried on by means of Chinese vessels. The junks come down from the China seas with the northeast moonsoon, and remain in port, retailing their cargoes of teas, silks, and other products, until the southwest moonsoon is fairly set in, when they return to prepare for another voyage, and thus keep up a succession of periodical trading visits. They bring large numbers of enterprising Chinese emigrants, together with abundant supplies of dollars, teas, silks, chinaware, tobacco, cassia, nankeens, gold thread, and the thousand “nicknackeries” of cunning invention for which Chinese ingenuity is famous. They take back the pernicious opium, edible birds’ nests, and various articles of European manufacture.
The town of Singapore is built upon an island, separated from the Malay peninsula by a narrow and scarcely navigable strait. The ancient capital of the Malayan Kingdom, or, as it was sometimes called, the Kingdom of Malacca, formerly stood upon the site of the present town. This old city was built in the twelfth century, and conquered by a chief from Java, who transferred the royal residence to Malacca. From that period its population and wealth gradually declined, so that in 1819, when the English took possession, there were but few vestiges of the former city, which indeed had become but a haunt for pirates, where, as well as in the neighboring islands and passages, they found a secure retreat from the vessels of the English and the Dutch sent in pursuit of them. The natives still offer for sale models of the various descriptions of the Malay war, pirate, and sailing proas; and most of them present exceedingly beautiful specimens of graceful form. So much was the Commodore struck with the beauty of the model of the sailing proa that he purposed sending one home to the New York yacht club.
The town bears all the appearance of being in a most prosperous condition; its port, as we have said, is always crowded with shipping, and its traders are thriving and wealthy. Marine storehouses are seen throughout the place, but chiefly along the front of the harbor and upon the quay. The principal merchants occupy commodious and tasteful residences, built fronting the bay. There is a striking contrast in the dwellings of those who have settled in this thriving place, between the elegant and convenient town and country houses of the colonial officials and merchants, and the ill ventilated and filthy domiciles of the Chinese, or the frail tenements of the Malays. The latter ordinarily select some marshy ground in the suburbs, near a road or pathway, and rear upon piles their wooden houses, the only entrance to which is by means of temporary bridges, often constructed of a single plank.
The prosperity of Singapore, so apparent even to the casual observer, is mainly to be attributed to the sagacious and energetic Sir Stamford Raffles, who pursued with untiring zeal, in spite of the opposition of many in higher authority, his determined purpose of carrying out his favorite projects of policy in the administration of the colony.
The population at the period of the Mississippi’s visit was estimated at eighty thousand, a number which shows a very rapid increase since it fell into the possession of the British, at which time there were scarce two hundred on the whole island of Singapore. The inhabitants are made up of Jews, Chinese, Arabs, Malays, and natives of the neighboring countries. The Europeans count the least, and the Chinese the largest number; of these last it was stated that there are no less than sixty thousand, who are the artisans, fishermen, laborers, and small dealers of the place; an industrious class, to which the colony is indebted for much of its trading activity.
These various people who inhabit Singapore retain their national habits and customs, and their peculiar modes of worship. The Chinese lets grow his tail, smokes his opium, and offers incense to Joss; the Arab sports his turban, invokes the name of the prophet, and prostrates himself within the mosque, while the European shaves his beard, drinks London porter, and takes his seat in the church pew. Most of the different nations have their places of worship; there are Chinese temples and Mahommedan mosques, as well as Christian Churches. A curious confusion of religions seems to have resulted from the intermingling of sects, as may be inferred from what was seen by the Commodore on a visit to a Chinese temple. In one of the recesses of the place the devil was represented in human form, but of exceedingly hideous physiognomy, while in front of him was placed an image of the virgin and child. This was certainly a very strange assortment of company, and naturally set the Commodore to conjecturing as to what could possibly have brought together such very opposite characters; whether the intention was to represent the mother and child as at the mercy of the devil, or the reverse, was not very clear, although, from the decidedly uncomfortable expression of his satanic majesty’s face, it might be inferred that he was less at his ease than any of the company, and quite out of his element. It was, however, concluded that the bringing of Christian personages into a Chinese temple was in some way connected with the early introduction of the Romish religion by the Portuguese missionaries.
The stay of the Mississippi at Singapore was so short that there was but little opportunity to see much of the European society. Visits and salutes were exchanged with the acting governor and with the commander of the military forces; these, together with some official business transacted with the United States consul, constituted the extent of the Commodore’s intercourse with the European residents. With, however, a Chinese merchant, who seemed to be imbued with the true spirit of hospitality, many of the officers of the ship formed an agreeable acquaintance, and were hospitably entertained at his house. This gentleman’s name is Whampoa, a man of courteous bearing and great intelligence, and who had made considerable progress in the English language, which he spoke with some fluency. His country residence was the most beautiful on the island. The house was large, commodious, and tastefully furnished, and its rooms were filled with objects of curiosity and vertu. Surrounding the dwelling were extensive pleasure grounds and plantations, on which the various productions of the island, the useful as well as ornamental, were cultivated to great perfection. There were collections of animals and rare birds, among which were the cassowary and crowned pigeon from New Guinea, and a singular breed of perfectly white pea-fowl. The residence of the hospitable Whampoa, where the Commodore dined and spent the night, was surrounded by all that could delight the eye, or add to the enjoyment of life. Among other luxurious appanages of the establishment, there was a beautiful white Arabian horse, kept by Whampoa for his own especial use under the saddle, and the Commodore was very much struck by its symmetry of form, purity of color, and excellence of temper, for it was as docile as a lamb.
In a military and geographical point of view, Singapore is of great importance to England. By means of it, and with an effective naval force, this entrance to the China seas may be commanded. Its position is vastly advantageous in a commercial point of view, from which it has become an entrepot for the neighboring kingdoms of Sumatra, Borneo, Siam, Cambodia, and Cochin China.
To Sir Stamford Raffles, who proved himself a master spirit in every enterprise he undertook, the British government and the East India Company are indebted for this valuable acquisition, and there was, it must be confessed, some show of equity in his mode of proceeding. Raffles actually purchased from the Rajah of Jahore and Singapore the right of sovereignty over the island and its dependencies for a stipulated sum and an annual pension, and it is believed that the payments have been regularly made. This is an example which has been very rare among the European governments, who have generally seized violently upon the finest countries without scruple, and subjected the inhabitants to political, if not to social, servitude. The Rajah had reason to pride himself upon his bargain with Raffles, when he reflected how much better he had been treated than his royal ancestors, who had been driven from their homes and despoiled of their possessions by the former European invaders.
The present Rajah, with his numerous wives and children occupy a native village about a mile from the English town. The Commodore did not see him, but his son, a fine intelligent youth, came on board the ship to pay his respects. His father probably thought his dignity called for the first visit from the Commodore, which, however, was prevented by reason of engagements.
As a stopping place and depot for coal, Singapore is of great importance to the English mail-steamers. The wealthy and enterprising Oriental Steam Navigation Company have erected at New Harbor, about two and a half miles from the town, a magnificent depot, comprising wharves, coal-sheds, storehouses, workshops, and other buildings, such as would do credit to any English colonial establishment; and this is no slight praise. Singapore is in the course of the regular mail route between India, China, Australia, and Europe. There is a constant postal communication, by means of the English and one or more Dutch steamers, with Hong Kong, Penang, Batavia, Shanghai, Calcutta, Madras, Bengal, Bombay, Ceylon, the Mauritius, Cape of Good Hope, and, by the Red Sea, with Europe and America.
Supplies of most kinds required by vessels can be obtained at fair prices in the port of Singapore. The water is good, and is supplied from tanks, under the supervision of an official of the place, the master attendant. There was not a pound of coal, however, to be purchased at Singapore, and there was reason to fear that the Mississippi would be deprived of her necessary supplies. It was not practicable to make any arrangement with the Labuan Company, for the whole produce of the mines under their control was exhausted by the Oriental and Pacific Company, with which a contract existed for a supply of one thousand tons per month. Fortunately for the Mississippi, however, the stock of the last-named company at Hong Kong was falling short, and, as it was difficult to procure vessels to transport an additional supply, the agent of the company at Singapore agreed to lend the Commodore two hundred and thirty tons, provided it would be returned at Hong Kong. By this arrangement both parties were accommodated, the Mississippi obtaining her necessary supply at Singapore, and the company securing what they wanted at their principal Chinese depot, without the expense of its conveyance.
The chief articles of export from Singapore are tin, nutmegs, sugar, drugs, tortoise shell, and some minor commodities, the product of the neighboring countries. The British settlement of Singapore embraces not only the island of that name, but a number of smaller ones scattered about in the neighboring seas. The main island, Singapore, is about twenty-five miles long, and fifteen in breadth, containing an estimated area of two hundred and seventy-five square miles. Inland, the surface of the country is diversified with not very lofty hills and shallow valleys, while the sea shore is low and overgrown with mangroves, and occasionally broken by the entrances of salt creeks, which, penetrating sometimes to the extent of six or seven miles, overflow their banks, and convert the neighboring soil into marsh.
When the English first obtained possession of Singapore, the island was covered with a forest, and entirely without cultivation. Now in the neighborhood of the town, and extending more or less into the interior, there are considerable plantations, which have been chiefly cultivated by the industrious immigrants from China. Rice, coffee, sugar, and other agricultural productions of the warmer latitudes are obtained, but the supply is not sufficient for the consumption of the island. The tropical fruits grow readily, among which the mangusteen reaches great perfection, although its taste did not equal the anticipations formed from the boasted deliciousness of its flavor. The fruit, however, was not in full season during the ship’s stay, and it may possibly not have reached the height of its excellence. The nutmeg is cultivated with considerable success, as well as the cocoa-nut, orange, and other tropical fruits.
Various European animals have been introduced into the island. The horse in use is a stumpy, fiery little creature, wonderfully strong for its size. It is generally harnessed to a light carriage which is in common use on the island, and may be hired in the streets of the town at a moderate price for the day. The driver seldom takes his seat upon the box, but runs at the head of his horse, and keeps up a speed in company with the animal of six, and sometimes even seven or eight miles an hour. This plan suggests a good hint for the prevention of cruelty to animals, as it has the effect of securing a humane consideration for the beast, which is not likely to be over driven, when for every step it takes its driver takes two, and is thus forcibly reminded of a fellow feeling which cannot fail to make him “wondrous kind.”
The native animals are generally the same as those of the adjacent peninsula, from which many of them migrate. The tigers especially entertain a great partiality for Singapore, and resort there in great numbers by swimming across the strait which separates the main land from the island. These are the genuine animals, which have no hesitation in pouncing upon a passing traveller, or snatching up and making a meal of any unfortunate Chinaman or native who may happen to be in the jungle, busy in cutting wood, clearing land for the rice plantations, or otherwise occupied. It was stated on the best authority that not a day passes without the destruction of one human being at least by these ferocious beasts. The Commodore was at first somewhat disposed to be incredulous of this statement, but as the acting governor and commander of the forces both confirmed it, he could no longer hesitate to accept it as truth. He was told by them that so much of an every day occurrence was this fatality, that many of the cases were not reported, in order to avoid the trouble and expense of a coroner’s inquest, which the laws require. “Death by tiger,” however, is a verdict that might be rendered daily were the legal formalities complied with.
It is said, and probably with truth, that the tiger, after he has once tasted of human flesh, becomes so fond of it that he prefers its flavor to that of his ordinary venison or wild boar, and will make every effort to obtain a supply of his favorite food. It is this intense longing for human flesh which makes the tiger so very dangerous to the inhabitants of Singapore, especially to the poor Malay or Chinese who may be obliged to expose himself in the jungle and the forest. It was said, too, that the animal showed decided preference for a Chinaman.
Nor do these stories of the tiger seem very wonderful, when the fact is well established, that those savages who are addicted to cannibalism become passionately fond of their horribly unnatural food. There is a tribe of Malays, called Battas, who, like their fellow Malay tigers, are said by Sir Stamford Raffles to eat one another, and to prefer such food to any other. Nor are they to be classed entirely among barbarians, for these Battas can read and write, and have codes of laws of great antiquity; and yet, according to the authority just named, not less than from sixty to a hundred Battas are eaten annually, even during a time of peace.
In addition to the tigers there are deer and wild boars found upon the island, and several varieties of smaller animals, the monkey, the wild hog or peccary, the porcupine and the sloth. Birds abound, and among them are some of great beauty. Serpents are not very numerous, but among them is the venomous cobra. A singular animal, called the water buffalo, was more particularly observed at Singapore. It approaches in size to the ox of our country, and like it is used as an animal for draught, being harnessed to the shafts of a cart and guided by a driver, who holds a rope which is fastened to a ring or thong passed through the cartilage which divides the nostrils of the animal. The skin of this beast is rough, and not unlike that of the rhinoceros, and though the water buffalo has somewhat the general appearance of the ox, its head is altogether different. Notwithstanding the seeming thickness and toughness of its hide, it suffers greatly from the flies, and to avoid them keeps, except during feeding time, in the water; hence, probably, its name.
Inquiries were made about two remarkable inhabitants of the waters about Malacca and Sumatra, described by Raffles: the sailing fish, called by the natives ikan layer, and the duyong, mentioned by Valentin, and so long talked of as the mermaid; but the Commodore was told by the inhabitants of Singapore that these fish had become very scarce, if not entirely extinct. Shells collected upon the adjacent coasts and along the Straits of Malacca are brought in large quantities to Singapore for sale, and some excellent specimens were obtained.
From the Internet Archive.
