CHAPTER VII.The jesuits’ church and college of San José—The gardens—Sail from Macao for Singapore—Pass Pedro Blanco—Island of Singapore—The town—Treaty for the cession of the island to the British—Hills—Salubrity of the settlement—European burial-ground—Vicinity of the settlement—Government hill—Grand prospect—Commercial prosperity—New roads.
The jesuits’ church and college of San José—The gardens—Sail from Macao for Singapore—Pass Pedro Blanco—Island of Singapore—The town—Treaty for the cession of the island to the British—Hills—Salubrity of the settlement—European burial-ground—Vicinity of the settlement—Government hill—Grand prospect—Commercial prosperity—New roads.
I visited also the jesuits’ church and college of San José. On entering the gate a high flight of granite steps leads up to the church; and, turning off to the right, on gaining the ascent, takes the visitor to the door, which leads him into those portions of the building devoted to the college residences of the professors, &c.; in a long room were some small but well-executed paintings of Portuguese famed in days of yore. Among others the poet Camoens, and Alvares, the discoverer of the Brazils, could be recognized. The college was founded for a certainnumber of Chinese students, who were to study the Latin and Portuguese languages, so as to prepare them to proceed as missionaries into the interior provinces. They were sent to the provinces of Quang, ton, Quang, shee, and Fookien; this class was paid by the Macao Portuguese government; they were limited to ten, and the expense, defrayed by government, was twelve rupees a month to the padres, for which they were to provide the scholars with food, raiment, and lodging. Portuguese students are now admitted upon the foundation, the expenses being paid by the parents, which amount to eight dollars a month, the scholars having board and lodging, but providing themselves with clothing. The number of these is not limited; they are instructed in Latin, Portuguese, Chinese, writing, and other branches of education: the establishment of the church, &c. is supported by the government.
The gardens attached to the establishment are kept in a very neat order, but present little attraction in flowers, either for butterflies or botanists. Among a number of vegetables under cultivation in one of the gardens was thePe, tsai, (Pe, white; tsai, vegetable,) or kind of cabbage, used in large quantities, and held in high estimation by the Chinese.
The gardens attached to this institution were planted upon terraces; in them a species ofAlthæawith blue flowers, as well as another species bearing very large and splendid yellow blossoms; several large and apparently old trees of theFicus religiosa, and loftyPlumeria; that beautiful species ofDracænawith dark red foliage and stem;Crotons, with variegated foliage, imparting beauty to the gardens, were all particularly worthy of notice.
The church had nothing attractive in its internal decorations, being fitted up in the usual tawdry style of Roman Catholic churches, without elegance or taste.
On the 13th of November I sailed from Macao for Singapore, with fine weather, and the wind from north-east to east-north-east. On the 19th, Cape Varella was seen at noon, bearing north-west about thirty miles distant, and with continued breezes from the north-east and north-north-east: saw Pulo Sapata at noon of the 20th, the bearing being west half-south, about eighteen miles distant. On the 22nd, after squally weather, a hawk was for several mornings seen about the ship, occasioning the fowls to make a great noise at his presence; we were then in latitude 6° 34′ north, and longitude 106° 28′ east. On the 24th at noon, Pulo Aor was in sight, bearing south-westhalf-west; Pulo Pisang, west by south; Pulo Tinian, west half-north by compass. All these islands were elevated, and densely wooded.
On the 26th we passedPedro Blanco, a reef of rocks some distance above the water, and situated in about the centre of the straits; a large number of birds, apparently terns, were about them. I had much doubt in my mind, whether the white appearance of the upper surface of these rocks was the effect of the dung of birds, but rather conjectured, in the absence of ocular proof, that it was of a calcareous nature. Observing a group of rocks not far distant from the settlement of Singapore, exhibiting the same white appearance on the surface above water as the Pedro Blanco, I determined to visit them for the purpose of examining their structure; on the evening of the day on which I observed it, I went out in a boat with some friends, but a very heavy swell prevented the attainment of my object at this time. The Malays in the boat, when they heard what I wished to ascertain, declared it to be produced by the first-mentioned cause; but on the following morning I succeeded in getting upon it, when my previously formed opinion was confirmed,by finding the upper surface calcareous, at some parts more or less discoloured. The formation of the rock was secondary, being of a red sandstone, and in many specimens, which I broke off, I observed a very minute line of sandstone, running through the calcareous substance; although other parts of this rock were also calcareous, yet they had not a white appearance, from being covered and discoloured by marine conferva and minute crustaceous animals, to such an extent as to entirely lose their white appearance unless broken; and the marine animals being constantly in the other rocks washed by the sea, which the high and white rock was not, caused a still further increase of marine weeds, &c. upon them. I collected some excellent specimens, showing the two different strata very distinctly.
About tenP.M.of the 26th, we anchored in Singapore roads; and upon the following day I landed and took up my residence, during my stay at the settlement, with my friend Mr. Boustead.
The island of Singapore,[48]at the part on whichthe settlement has been formed, has a very picturesque and beautiful appearance, when seen from the ships at anchor in the roads; and does not prove less attractive to the stranger on landing: the government hill, with its neat bungalow and flag-staff, forms a prominent feature in the view; and the undulating character of the land, with the thickly-timbered country in the distance, imparts a pleasing variety. Who can regard this settlement, so very recently established, yet now become a place of importance by the enterprise of British merchants, (almost unaided by any assistance from government,) without feeling how just the conclusionis, that commerce can elevate the most barren and unproductive spot to a place of high importance? Look at the magnificent private mansions, warehouses, and the extent of commerce, showing the present and increasing wealth of this rising settlement. The town is erected upon the banks of a salt-water creek, more commonly named the Singapore river: one side contains the warehouses, offices, stores, &c. of the merchants and shopkeepers, as well as the native streets, bazaars, &c. Opposite to it is an extensive plain, adorned by several elegant mansions; and beyond the Kampong Glam,[49]and Malay town, with the residence of the sultan of Johore and his followers: from him the island was purchased by the British government, for which he still receives the annual pension which had been stipulated at the time. Close to the creek, which has received the more dignified appellation of the “Singapore river,” wharfs extend from and opposite to the offices and warehouses of the merchants. The two most extensive and splendid buildings are those recently erected by Messrs. Armstrong and Gemmil. The Commercial Square contains somevery good buildings, used as offices, shops, and residences; the most conspicuous of which, for elegance, is the building used as offices and warehouses by the firm of Rawson, Holdsworth, and Co. The river, at the lower part of the settlement, always presents an animated scene, from the arrival and departure of native boats, with fruit, vegetables, and live stock, as well as from the number of neat sampans plying for hire, or attending upon the commanders of vessels, who employ them, in this sultry climate, in preference to exposing their crews to a tropical sun: many native boats lie waiting or delivering cargoes of the various productions of the fertile islands in the vicinity. At night, the flickering and brilliant lights from the numerous boats upon the river, make an animated appearance.
Rains are frequent at Singapore throughout the year, but more especially during the months of November, December, and January. The principal buildings are constructed of bricks, and roofed with red tiles; but many of the Chinese dwellings and shops are constructed of wood. The roads in the town, and also in the vicinity of the settlement, are excellent, being of a mixture of sand with a clay iron ore, which make very durable roads. The markets at Singapore are well supplied with all kinds of provision,vegetables, and fruit; and considering how little the island in itself produces, and that the supplies are brought from Malacca and the neighbouring islands, are sold at a very cheap rate. The population of the settlement of Singapore consists of nearly twenty thousand, exclusive of the troops and convicts, (the troops being about five hundred, and the convicts eight hundred in number,) the majority of which is formed by the Chinese.
Singapore Chronicle, Feb. 7, 1833.
Respecting the first settlement of Singapore: “In the first agreement,” says Crawford, “with the native chief, the arrangement amounted to little more than a permission for the formation of a British factory and establishment, along two miles of the northern shore, and inland to the extent of the point-blank range of a cannon-shot. There was, in reality, no territorial cession giving a legal right of legislation. The only law which could have existed was the Malay code. The native chief was considered to be the proprietor of the land, even within the bounds of the British factory; and he was to be entitled, in perpetuity, to one half of such duties of customs as might hereafter be levied at the port. In the progress of the settlement, these arrangements were of course found highly inconvenient and embarrassing, and were annulled by the treaty I am about to describe.
“The island of Singapore belonged to the Malayan principality of Johore, a state which probably was never of much consequence, and for the last century had been of none at all. Sultan Mahomet, the last prince, died about the year 1810, leaving no legitimate issue. No prince of his family assumed the throne in immediate succession to him, and the country was dismembered among his principal officers. The Bindhara (treasurer or first minister) took to himself the territory of Pahang, on the eastern coast of the Malay peninsula, and is now commonly designated rajah of that place. The Tumangung, or chief judge, seized upon the corresponding territory, on the western side, with the adjacent islands. This is the person from whom we received the first grant of our factory. He informed me,” continues Crawford, “that he had settled in Singapore for the first time, in 1811, a few months before our expedition passed through the harbour, on its route to the capture of Java.
“Sultan Mahomet had two illegitimate sons, who were competitors for the throne, but the claims of neither were attended to, and they continued in a state of vagrancy and poverty until the Dutch and English governments, for their own purposes, thought it necessary to patronize respectively one of the parties. One of them, now acknowledged Sultan of Johore, and who still resides in the island, came over to it a short time after our first occupation, and was, in due course, placed upon our pension list. It was with this individual, and the inferior chief already named, that a treaty for the cession of the island was concluded in August, 1824. They received for the sovereignty and fee-simpleof the island, as well as of all the seas, straits, and islands lying within ten miles of its coasts, the sum of sixty thousand Spanish dollars, with an annuity of twenty-four thousand Spanish dollars during their natural lives; and it was farther guaranteed that they or their successors should receive a donation of thirty-five thousand Spanish dollars, should they be desirous at any time of quitting the British territory and retiring into their own dominions. Other articles of the treaty provided that neither party should interfere in the domestic quarrels of the other; that their highnesses should receive at all times an asylum and a hospitable reception at Singapore, should they be distressed in their own dominions; and that slavery, under whatever name or modification, should have no existence within the British territories.
“This last subject had been a source of great annoyance, both to the native chiefs and to the local administration. Their highnesses claimed as slaves, not only their own retainers, but every Malay, coming from whatever part of the state of Johore. Their followers, where every one else was free, and labour well rewarded, were naturally impatient of this assumption; and the disputes which arose were the frequent cause of serious difficulties, both in maintaining the peaceof the settlement, and in the administration of justice. At present slavery is totally unknown in the island, for the treaty emancipated even the retainers of the native chiefs.”[50]
I have quoted the foregoing extract to serve as an explanation of the first treaty, and to show how the possession of the island was permanently obtained by the British, which will be interesting to the many who may not have had an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the circumstances.
Besides the Government-hill, which rises in picturesque beauty behind the plain, upon which the settlement has been formed, there is an elevated hill to the westward, known by the name of Blackan Mattee,[51]on which there is a signal station, removed from St. John’s Island. There are other elevated hills clothed with lofty timber trees, and rising inland, which bestow a picturesque character upon the scenery of the coast; many of thetrees are found, on a nearer view, to be curious in their growth, and some of them valuable for their timber; on their elevated summits, ferns of the generaAchrosticum,Asplenium, &c., or several parasiticalOrchideousplants, are seen growing in profusion.
The settlement and island of Singapore is considered very salubrious. The small-pox, however, has lately been committing great and deadly ravages among the native residents; of these, however, there were none upon whom vaccination had been performed. Many have been surprised at the healthy state of Singapore as a residence, when it is so near the equator, and the town surrounded by swamps, and even built upon a swamp; but I have had occasion to remark more than once, that when the swamps result from salt-water creeks, the miasmata producing fever are not generated, as from freshwater marshes, which usually abound in a very profuse and rank vegetation; and Singapore may be said to be entirely destitute of rivers, the absence of which, however, is compensated by numerous salt-water creeks about the coasts, some of them extending inland for the distance of several miles. There is no deficiency, however, of good fresh water, which is procured from rivulets and springs, abundant about the island.
The European burial-ground is situated in rather a conspicuous spot, on a part of the declivity of the Government-hill; one part, is planted with bamboos, which have a tasteful appearance, and the gloomy nature of the spot would be diminished if the fence of these trees was continued the whole way round the cemetery.
On riding or driving in the vicinity of the settlement, the character of the country and soil appears well calculated for the cultivation of coffee, sugar,[52]cotton, pepper, and other tropical productions, as well as of the vine. But most of the land is permitted to continue in a state of primitive jungle, industry and cultivation having been checked by the enormous quit-rents imposed upon the purchasers, or tenants of land, by the government. Until this ill-judged and ill-advised measure is changed, the cultivation of this beautiful island, now for the most part covered by a continued forest, cannot advance.
At this season but few flowers decorated the jungles, or sides of the roads; the one most commonly seen was the Melastoma, or Singapore rose, it principally animated the country by itsblossoms, and charmed the eye, fatigued by continually gazing on the green foliage without variety, although it gratified no other sense.
A pleasant evening drive, or promenade, is obtained upon the winding road leading to the Government-hill, which passes close by what was formerly, and even still retains the name of, the Botanic or Experimental Garden. Many of the hedges on this road are formed by an elegant small leaved bamboo, with its pendent branches drooping in graceful tufts, the tree itself not attaining the elevation usual with other more useful but less ornamental species: this bamboo forms a very beautiful, as well as compact fence. On attaining the gentle and gradual rise of the hill, the view that expands itself is both extensive and grand; embracing a wide portion of this splendid island, and causing feelings of regret in the mind of the spectator, that so much fertile land should be permitted to lie waste. Turning our eyes in another direction from the gloomy mass of forest scenery and undulating land, extending to the horizon, a more animated and pleasing scene is spread before us. Neat white houses and elegant mansions are seen on the open plain, or peeping above the dense vegetation when constructed upon a gentle rising hill. As far as the eye can reach over the tranquilwaters, small wooded islands stud the ocean, and more distant, land indistinctly appears. The river, or creek, is animated by numerous native boats of all classes, passing and repassing, engaged in various occupations, or lying tranquilly at rest, like the sea-bird upon the waters, after its toil is over.
In the roadstead the commercial prosperity of the settlement is indicated by the large number of ships of all classes, that there repose at anchor upon the bosom of the green waters, conveying merchandize to supply the wants of nations far distant. Flags of various European and eastern nations float in the breeze. The peculiar Cochin Chinese, Siamese, and Chinese junks, as well as the Bugis, and other prows, clustered together, animate the waters by their presence, showing to what a state of commercial prosperity this juvenile settlement has already attained. Long may it remain, still increasing, nor have its bright hopes crushed by party spirit or misgovernment, and may it one day cause the tide of civilization to flow over the immense extent of wilderness, inhabited by savage tribes, known to us only as the Malayan peninsula: such a day will doubtless appear—civilization, commerce, and religion, hand in hand, will be diffused amongstthese uncultivated people, for nothing is invincible to perseverance and industry.
Excellent roads are forming in the vicinity of the settlement, and there is one commenced to extend directly across the island. The road-gangs are composed of convicts from India, and the plans are under the able superintendence of Mr. Coleman, the colonial architect.