CHAPTER X.Excursion further inland—Dense forest—An extensive swamp—Parasitical plants—Fungi—The pitcher plant—Return to Singapore—The wild Pine-apple—Use of that plant—Manufactory of Pearl Sago—Visit to the Rajah of Johore—Interview with his Highness—Excursion to St. John’s Island—Pulo Panjang—Impenetrable jungle—New Harbour—Agar-agar.
Excursion further inland—Dense forest—An extensive swamp—Parasitical plants—Fungi—The pitcher plant—Return to Singapore—The wild Pine-apple—Use of that plant—Manufactory of Pearl Sago—Visit to the Rajah of Johore—Interview with his Highness—Excursion to St. John’s Island—Pulo Panjang—Impenetrable jungle—New Harbour—Agar-agar.
After breakfast we continued our excursion much further inland, passing through several extensive cleared spots, embellished by Gambir and Pepper plantations; the residence of the proprietor, or a Gambir boiling-house, appeared amidst a thicket of plantain, jack, and other trees. The grounds near the residences of the planters were decorated by the crimson flowers of theHibiscus rosa chinensis,[70]the simple butdelicateVinca rosea, or the perfumed jasmine distributed its agreeable fragrance through the ambient air, all of which seemed favourites with the expatriated Chinese. Around these cleared spots, a dense forest appeared mingled with a profusion of rich vegetation, and a small, narrow pathway would occasionally permit us to penetrate into its recesses. Trees and shrubs, of infinite variety, gave a rich and beautiful appearance to the wilderness, and enabled me to enrich my botanical collection with numerous valuable specimens.
Occasionally, the noisy and mischievous monkeys would be seen gambolling and springing from tree to tree, keeping up a continual chattering on our approach; a gun fired at them produced great consternation among this ludicrous, but active race; they bounded away (although none had received injury) with great rapidity, screaming dreadfully, and overwhelmed with horror and dismay, as if they had instinctive knowledge of our destructive powers. One unfortunate monkey, the nearest to us, and theone at whom the gun had been levelled, was so frightened, (and certainly with good cause,) although he had not received any injury, that in springing away to a tree, at some distance, he nearly missed it, and hung for a few minutes by one arm, in an exposed and insecure situation, upon a small twig, screaming most dreadfully. The branches crashed as the monkey rapidly made his retreat, as his companions had just done before; and his screams were heard for some time after he had buried himself in the thick forest.
Upon many of the trees beautiful ferns of the generaAchrosticum,Pteris,Polypodium,Scolopendrium, &c., abounded, mingled with various curious and elegant parasitical plants; and upon the prostrate trunks of the dead trees, which often lay across the forest, levelled by the tempest or axe, differing varieties of fungi, glowing in red, golden, or other colours, were mingled with lichens.
On our arrival at an extensive swamp, in which, however, the denseness and beauty of the forest scenery had not in the slightest degree diminished, the lofty trees and profuse tropical vegetation, afforded, by their umbrageous coverings, a cool and agreeable shelter from the fervour of a noon-day tropical sun, and rendered the excursion particularly pleasant. The only passageover these swamps (which were occasioned by numerous springs of very excellent fresh water) was by the trunks of trees laid prostrate on a cleared but very narrow space, which would, perhaps, be called a pathway, and extended for the distance of probably a mile. Walking over these slippery, and often unsteady bridges, rendered us often liable to some immersion of our lower extremities.
About these swamps, partially immersed in the crystal water, and partially entwining to some height the slender trees in the vicinity, a species ofNepenthes, or Pitcher plant, the Moniet, manko, or Monkey-cup, of the Malays, (because they suppose those creatures to use them as drinking cups,) abounded; a large cluster of small and colourless cups surrounded the roots, as well as at certain parts of the stem. The plant rose far above the stream, and entwined itself around the trees in its vicinity, even to the height of twelve feet. The termination of the leaves had the cup-like appendages of various sizes, filled with water, in which several insects were immersed, the cups were ornamented over their surface with striæ, and dots of a dark red colour; sometimes those around the stems would be colourless, but varied occasionally, by being greenish and small, and also covered likethose at the extremity of the leaf, with dark-red spots. I collected numerous specimens of this curious and interesting plant.
The country had generally an undulating character, and our peregrinations extended into dense forests, in which, among the larger productions of the vegetable kingdom, small, delicate ferns were often abundantly seen, enjoying the luxury of shade and moisture. Upon extensive cleared tracts, covered by Gambir, Pepper, and other plantations, the neat habitations of the planters, surrounded by fruit-trees and flowering shrubs, formed a pleasing variety, from the grand and magnificent wildness of nature, to the more cultivated improvements of art—beautiful in contrast.
Although the weather had been remarkably fine during the first part of the day, we experienced a heavy shower of rain, which the Malays accounted for by my having gathered and carried in my hand a large quantity of theNepenthes, or Pitcher plants, which, they said had occasioned the rain to fall.[71]
There are said to be about two thousand Chinese inhabiting and cultivating the soil in the interior of the island. They have neatly-constructed, although not well-furnished habitations. They offered us tea, (and it was poured out in the usual Lilliputian cups,) fruits, rice cakes, and more substantial articles of diet; indeed they always appeared ready to give us the best they had. After taking a rustic dinner, we returned to the sampan by the same route we came. On the road we observed a Malay lad collecting some plants, as he informed us, for medicine: those I examined consisted merely of several grasses. He said it was for a patient suffering under small-pox. The plants were to be boiled, mixed with rice, and employed as an external application to the body.
We rejoined our sampan at the Singapore creek, and arrived at the town early in the evening.
Early one morning I visited a plantation of aChinese, (in company with Mr. Lorrain and the Rev. Mr. Darrah,) situated in the vicinity of the settlement, for the purpose of witnessing the preparation of the fibres from the leaves of the Ananas, or wild pine apple, which fibres, after being prepared by a very simple process, are exported to China, and used in the manufacture of linens, &c. The Chinese, who prepared the leaves before us, said, he got one rupee and a half the catty for the fibre; it was in texture, when manufactured, very similar to the New Zealand flax, of a fine quality, and there is also some similarity in the manner in which it is wrought. The leaves recently gathered (and the longest and oldest are those which appear to be selected for the purpose) are laid upon a board, and the epidermis is removed by a broad knife, not unlike in form to a shoemaker’s paring knife; upon its removal from the upper surface of the leaf, the long and beautiful fibres were seen lying upon the lower and denser epidermis, running in a longitudinal direction; the fasciculi of fibres were then readily detached either by the hand or by being raised with the broad knife.
Some quantity of this material is annually exported to China, and at Manilla a very delicate and beautiful fabric is made from the fibresof this plant. The aloes likewise yield a fine fibre applicable for various manufactures.[72]I am surprised that the New Zealand flax, the fibres from the foliage of the pine-apple plant, and others, are not used in our manufacturing kingdom, where, there is no doubt, they would form a valuable addition to our raw materials for use in various novel manufactures, either by themselves or in conjunction with other materials. The first appearance of the pine-apple fibre would not cause one to suppose it to be so remarkably fine as it really is; but, by taking one coarse fibre, it is found to be capable of being subdivided into threads of such delicacy as to be barely perceptible, and yet sufficiently strong for any purposes.[73]This plantation abounded inpepper plantations, as well as a great number of various kinds of fruit trees.
Singapore is the principal, if not the only place in the East, where the refining or manufacturing of the pearl sago is carried on; the process is said to be a recent one, and the invention of the Chinese. According to Crawford, it was first practised in Malacca about twenty years ago, and was only introduced into Singapore in 1824. I availed myself of the establishment of many of the manufactories of this article, in and about the settlement, to visit one,[74]in which I found a number of Chinese, all of whom were busily occupied in different stages of the operation. The sago, or sagu, is imported in large quantities into Singapore from Sumatra in native boats, who bring it at all seasons of the year; and a few days since eighteen proas of different sizes arrived in the creek, laden with this article alone in its raw state. The tree from which the raw material is produced is namedRumbiyaby the Malays, and has been too often described to render an account necessary here.[75]
The raw sago is imported in cone-shaped packages, each probably weighing about twenty pounds; the mass is of rather soft consistence, and of a dirty white colour, occasioned by being mingled with several impurities, and the whole is enveloped in the leaves of thePandanustree.[76]It first undergoes several different washings in large wooden tubs, being also strained, after washing, through cloth-strainers. When the raw material has undergone sufficient ablutions, the masses which remain at the bottoms of the vessels are collected, broken into pieces, and placed upon platforms in the sun to dry; being broken into still smaller pieces as the drying proceeds.
As soon as the pieces are sufficiently, although still not always thoroughly, dry, they are pounded and sifted upon long benches, through sieves made of the midrib of the leaves of the cocoa-nut palm,and placed at certain distances in a longitudinal direction, so as to cause the pulverised or rather broken masses of sago to pass through it only of the required size. Having been passed through the sieve, a certain quantity at each time is taken, placed into a large cloth, tied to cross sticks, in the form of a bag, hanging by a cord from the roof of the building; a Chinese is then employed in shaking the bag backwards and forwards, by aid of one of the longest crossed sticks to which it is attached, occasionally shaking up the sago powder; this is continued constantly for about the space of ten minutes, when it is turned out granulated. It is then placed in small wooden hand tubs, looking beautifully and delicately white, but still so soft as to break instantly, with the slightest pressure, under the fingers, and carried to several Chinese, whose occupation is to make it undergo the drying process in large iron pans over a fire. They are constantly stirring it about when in the iron pan with a wooden instrument; it is then resifted at another bench and rebaked, after which it is considered prepared. It is then of a fine pure white colour, and being spread thinly over a long and large bin, in the course of time it becomes both harder and of a darker colour.
At this establishment there appeared to beabout fifteen or sixteen Chinese employed, and they said six or seven peculs could be manufactured in one day. The pearl, or refined sago, is exported in large quantities to Europe, our Indian empire, the Cape, &c. in wooden boxes, each containing rather more than a pecul; ten boxes containing nearly fifteen peculs. It is sold at two and a half to three dollars the pecul, which includes the expense of boxes. A piggery is attached to this sago establishment, the inhabitants of which must fare very well upon the refuse of the sago washings.
One evening, accompanied by several gentlemen resident in the settlement, I went to pay a visit to the rajah of Johore. During a former visit to this settlement, in 1830, I had an interview with this exalted personage, of whom at that time I penned the following description:—“Being near the village of Kampong Glam, I observed a poor-looking bungalow, surrounded by high walls, exhibiting effects of age and climate. Over the large gateway which opened into the inclosure surrounding this dwelling were watch-towers. On inquiry, I found this was the residence of the rajah of Johore, who formerly included Singapore in his dominions. The island was purchased of him by the British government, who now allow him an annual pension. He isconsidered to have been formerly a leader of pirates; and when we saw a brig he was building, it naturally occurred to our minds whether he was about to resort to his old practices. We proposed visiting this personage; and, on arriving at the gateway, were met by a peon, who, after delivering our message to the rajah, requested us to wait a few minutes, until hisHighnesswas ready. We did not wait long, for the rajah soon appeared, and took his seat, in lieu of a throne, upon the highest step of those which led to his dwelling. His appearance was remarkable: he appeared a man of about forty years of age—teeth perfect, but quite black, from the custom of chewing the betel constantly. His head was large; and his shaven cranium afforded an interesting phrenological treat. He was deformed; not more than five feet in height, of large body, and short, thick, and deformed legs, scarcely able to support the ponderous trunk. His neck was thick and short, and his head habitually stooped; his face bloated, with the lower lip projecting, and large eyes protruding, one of them having a cataractal appearance. He was dressed in a short pair of cotton drawers, a sarong of cotton cloth came across the shoulders in the form of a scarf, and tarnished, embroidered slippers, and handkerchiefaround the head, (having the upper part exposed,) after the Malay fashion, completed the attire of this singular creature.
“As much grace and dignity was displayed in our reception as such a figure could show, and chairs were placed by the attendants for our accommodation. He waddled a short distance, and, notwithstanding the exertion was so extraordinary as to cause large drops of perspiration to roll down his face, conferred a great honour upon us by personally accompanying us to see a tank he had just formed for fish, and with a flight of steps, for the convenience of bathing. After viewing this, he returned to his former station, when he reseated himself, with a dignity of look and manner surpassing all description; and we took our departure, after a brief common-place conversation.
“I remarked, that, on his approach, the natives squatted down, as a mark of respect: a custom similar to which prevails in several of the Polynesian islands.”
The buildings of his highness and followers were now in some degree improved, being surrounded by a neat chunamed wall, and the entrance was by a gateway of brick, which had been only recently completed. Since my last visit his highness had caused a house to be constructed after the style of the European residentsat Singapore, and it was situated exterior to the old boundary of his domain. We were ushered into the new house, the rooms of which were furnished after the English style, with wall-lamps, bookcase, (minus books,) tables, chairs, &c.; ascending to the upper room, chairs were placed for our accommodation, and the punka was caused to be moved to cool our frames. When we were all seated, a yellow painted armed-chair was placed at the head of the room, as a regal seat for his highness; his prime minister came to us, and, as we thought, seemed puzzled for what so large a party of Europeans could require an audience.
At last a messenger entered the room, and, squatting down near the minister, whispered something to him, which it seemed was a desire that we should adjourn from this to the old thatched residence of the Tuan rajah. We adjourned, therefore; and, on arriving at the old residence, the rajah, one of the greatest curiosities of the human race perhaps ever seen, waddled, bending with infirmities, and seated his carcase in the aforesaid yellow chair, which had been brought from the other house, and placed in a suitable situation; and there, with his corpulent body completely jammed between the arms of the chair, received us in a most gracious and condescending manner, if such afigure really could look gracious or condescending.
The creature was tame, and both mentally and physically more debilitated than when I last saw him, in 1830: he appeared not even to possess the intelligence of an orang-utan; he was attired in a dirty sarong around his waist, and a loose baju, or jacket, exposing the corpulency of hisdelicateform. A Moorman’s cap ornamented a small portion of his cranium; his look was listless, and without any expression: he appeared every moment to be in danger of an attack of apoplexy. The gentlemen who spoke the Malay language, on addressing him, received a grunt, or his language was so unintelligible that his minister was obliged to repeat the answers. All the attendants sat down upon their haunches in his presence, out of respect.
On asking him his age, he replied (or rather his minister for him) by demanding how old we thought he was; we certainly thought he had not yet attained the age of reason. We were afterwards told his age was not exactly known, but it was supposed the creature was fifty. As but little could be made out of this pitiable object of humanity, we released him from what certainly must have been to him a misery, by taking our leave. On viewing theedifices in his enclosure, previous to departing, we found the creature amused himself with building. Besides the new residence and wall, he was erecting a residence and wall for himself, neat and extensive in construction, and in something of a Chinese style of architecture. This building was certainly wanting, for the old thatched palace near it seemed ready to fall about his ears.
Society at Singapore is extremely agreeable to a visitor—for only as one can I judge of it. Whether in intercourse among themselves they are divided into the mechanical and aristocratical party, I cannot say, having only heard a whisper to that effect. I have found, during two visits to the little settlement, unbounded hospitality, and every attention to my scientific inquiries, of course some taking more interest in my researches than others.
At daylight one morning I set off, accompanied by the Rev. Mr. Darrah, in a large sailing-boat, belonging to my friend Mr. Boustead, on an excursion to visit St. John’s Island, or Pulo Sijang of the Malays, New Harbour, &c.; we had but little wind, but contrived, with a numerous Malay crew, to pull out soon to the first island, and landed on a fine sandy beach. The only inhabitant was an old Malay, whose small thatched habitation was surrounded by cocoa-nut,orange, guava, plantain, and other tropical fruit-trees; and the beach was strewed with the plants and bell-shaped purplish flowers of theIpomœa soladenella, or sea-side convolvulus, which grew in very great profusion.
TheMorinda citrifoliawas here abundant, as also among the islands forming the eastern Archipelago, where it is used as props for the pepper-vines, or planted as a shade for the coffee-plants, and is named by the natives Mangkudu.[77]The roots of this species are only mentioned as being used as a dyeing material in the eastern Archipelago. The Morinda is indigenous also to the Philippine Islands, where it is named in the Tagalo Tambungaso. The natives of these islands, when a limb is fractured, use the leaves of this shrub, anointed with oil, to lay over the surface of the fractured limb; and it is considered by them of benefit in allaying the inflammatory action.
This shrub attains the height of ten or twelve feet. At Tahiti, and most of the Polynesian Islands, where it is also found indigenous, theinner bark of the root is used for dyeing the native cloth of a fine yellow colour: this is done by infusing the bark in water, into which the cloth intended to be dyed is afterwards placed, and being suffered to remain for some hours, is taken out and dried in the sun. At Tahiti the shrub is called Nono, or Aari; at the Sandwich Islands it is called Noni. The fruit is eaten at some of the Polynesian Islands in seasons of scarcity.
The island, which is elevated, was profusely covered with various kinds of fruit-trees, growing in wild luxuriance, mingled with several pretty flowering shrubs and plants, but spreading about in almost every direction. The pine-apple plants, at this time in fruit, at different stages of advancement towards maturity, and some decked with their delicate blue flowers, were seen sometimes mixed with rich vegetation, and at others kept cleared.
On the summit of the island, the old signal post, formed from the trunk of a tree, remained, but the signal station had been removed to a more elevated and convenient site upon the hill, called Blackan Mattee. The view from the summit of this elevated island, was both extensive and beautiful; the small islands near us were either covered by a wilderness of wood, or else the jungle was clearedaway. The pine-apple plants, which grew in natural profusion, formed extensive plantations, and many of the poorer class of Malays obtained a decent livelihood by taking them in sampan loads, when ripe, for sale to Singapore. The distant verdant islands also added to the beauty of the landscape, and small boats, gliding with a gentle zephyr over the glassy surface of the water, or a thatched habitation, nearly buried in a dense tropical vegetation, gave an additional charm to the scene.
Having collected a few fine ripe pines, we resumed our little voyage to Pulo Panjong, or Long Island, on which the elevated mount, called Blackan Mattee is situated; we refreshed ourselves with some pines, but our Malays, I observed, did not eat the pines until they had dipped them previously in salt-water, by which they considered the fruit was rendered more wholesome. I did not relish following their example, nor did I feel any ill-effects, from what many have called my imprudence. The pines we gathered contained a quantity of small brown flat seeds.
We landed on Pulo Panjong, among some neat Malay houses, near a sandy beach. The thatched houses, towering cocoa-palms, plantain trees, with rude plantations of sugar-canes, yams, &c., reminded me of many of the islands forming the Polynesian Archipelago; and theappearance of the half-naked Malays did not tend in any degree to dissipate the reality of the comparison, but rather tended to confirm it. A kind of millet, called Sukue, (Pennisetum italicum, Brown,) was also cultivated in small patches by the Malays, and several magnificent trees of theBombax pentandrium, or silk cotton-tree, rose in towering beauty, mingled with the cocoa-palm above, the dwellings. Only a very small portion of this island was cleared, the remainder forming an almost impenetrable jungle, a refuge only for monkeys and wild hogs. We found it very difficult to penetrate the luxuriant and entangled branches of the pine-apple plant, as we walked from one part of the island to another to join the boat, at a very short distance.
Having rejoined our boat, we passed through the beautifully picturesque strait, commonly named the New Harbour, one side of which is formed by Pulo Panjong, or Long Island. The land about this harbour possesses many sites eminently calculated for beautiful European residences, and plantations, where one could gaze with delight, in peaceful retirement, upon the tranquil scenes of nature, enjoying the refreshing sea breezes, and be, at the same time, only a short distance from the bustle of a commercial town. This place would not be advisable as a resort for shipping, the present roadstead beingby far preferable, as a ship would be delayed entering this harbour or strait, by waiting for a fair wind, and her departure also retarded by a similar cause. We entering on one side, and taking our departure from the other, passed entirely through, having an excellent view of the picturesque scenery of this lovely and pleasing spot. We did not, from the extended length of our excursion, return to Singapore until about noon.
There is a plant very abundant about some parts of Singapore, theCassia alata, which may be seen in profusion by the road-side, often glowing with golden flowers; it is called G’ling gang, or Pako, g’ling, glang, (Pako signifying a tree,) by the Malays, who state that they use it in several diseases of the skin by rubbing the leaves of the plant upon the diseased surface. Mr. Oxley (civil-surgeon at this settlement,) informs me that he has used it with excellent effect in that troublesome herpetic disease called “ring-worm;” and his method of application is by bruising the leaves, mixing them with salt and lime-juice, and then using them as an external application.[78]
A kind of white sea-weed, calledAgar, agar, is found on the reefs about Singapore, but the best is procured from Malacca, where it is obtained in great abundance about the “Water islands,” in the vicinity of that settlement; and after being collected it is picked and washed. It is also brought to Singapore from Billiton, Bouton, &c.; the weed from the former place sells at three dollars and a-half the pecul, and from the latter at three dollars the pecul. This article is exported in large quantities to China, where it is used for various purposes—as stiffening linen, size for paper, &c. At Malacca and Singapore the finer kind makes a beautiful transparent jelly, which is of course perfectly tasteless, unless mixed with rose-water, sugar, and lime-juice, which render it an excellent preserve,as well as an ornament for the dinner-table. There is some trouble in refining it, as it requires frequent boilings before it attains the requisite transparency.
At Singapore I observed some filaments from a plant, which was described as growing abundantly at Malacca. These filaments display much irritability on the application of warmth, and will twist and turn about for a long period afterwards. They are namedNaga-pusingby the Malays, which signifies “to turn or twist round.” Each filament is covered with a very minute pubescence. They appear to be the awns probably of a species of Anthistiria. They are used by the natives, in form of decoction, as an external remedy in eruptive diseases.
On the 24th of November, (Sunday,) three shocks of an earthquake were experienced at the island of Singapore; the first shock lasted three minutes, and occasioned the lamps to swing, chairs to rock, &c., commencing at twenty minutes after eight,P.M.A slight shock was again experienced at threeA.M.; and another very slight shock at fiveA.M.of the following morning.
An earthquake, it seems, was felt in India, at Ghazeepore, an account of which I copy fromthe Bengal Hurkaru, of November 6th, 1833, extracted from the Calcutta Courier:—
“Ghazeepore, August 27th, 1833.—On the evening of the 26th of August, two distinct shocks of an earthquake were sensibly felt here; the first at eleven o’clock, the second at half-past eleven. The former lasted about a minute, the latter about two minutes, and was so serious that the furniture in the houses began to rock, and the doors to shake, as if done by some strong man attempting to force them. The thermometer had risen a good deal through the day, which was closer and more sultry than usual. The natives say there has been nothing of the kind since 1820. It is worth remarking that, in that year, an epidemic raged among the stud horses, and carried off a great many. This year (June 1833) the dreadful disease again broke out among them, and carried off about fifty noble steeds. The obituary also for Europeans fills a much larger space than usual, particularly as regards the children; and of cholera cases not a few.”
In another paragraph in the same paper, is another extract. “A letter from Monghyr reports that, on the 26th ult. a smart shock of an earthquake was felt a little before nine o’clock; and that in the night of the following day a largeflight of locusts passed over the station: the direction whence they came is not mentioned. We understand that a flight of locusts was seen at Jubalpore about a fortnight before.”