Isabella L. Bird
Table of Contents
PREFACE
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER
The Aurea Chersonesus — The Conquest of Malacca — The Straits Settlements — The Configuration of the Peninsula — A Terra Incognita — The Monsoons — Products of the Peninsula — The Great Vampire — Beasts and Reptiles — Malignant and Harmless Insects — Land and Water Birds — Traditions of Malay Immigration — Wild and Civilized Races — Kafirs — The Samangs and Orang-outang — Characteristics of the Jakuns — Babas and Sinkehs — The Malay Physiognomy — Language andLiterature — Malay Poetry and Music — Malay Astronomy — Education and Law — Malay Sports — Domestic Habits — Weapons — Slavery and Debt Bondage — Government — “No Information”
LETTER I
The Steamer Volga — Days of Darkness — First View of Hong Kong — Hong Kong on Fire — Apathy of the Houseless — The Fire Breaks Out Again — An Eclipse of Gayety
LETTER II
A Delightful Climate — Imprisoned Fever Germs — “Pidjun” English — Hong Kong Harbor — Prosperity of Hong Kong — Rampageous Criminal Classes — Circumspice!
LETTER III
The S.S. Kin Kiang — First View of Canton — The Island of Shameen — England in Canton — The Tartar City — Drains and Barricades — Canton at Night — Street Picturesqueness — Ghastly Gifts — Oriental Enchantments — The Examination Hall
LETTER IV
“Faithful unto Death” — “Foreign Devils” — Junks and Boats — Chinese Luxury — Canton Afloat — An Al Fresco Lunch–Light and Color — A Mundane Disappointment — Street Sights and Sounds — Street Costume — Food and Restaurants — A Marriage Procession — Temples and Worship — Crippled Feet
LETTER IV (Continued)
Outside the Naam–Hoi Prison — The Punishment of the Cangue — Crime and Misery — A Birthday Banquet — “Prisoners and Captives” — Prison Mortality — Cruelties and Iniquities — The Porch of the Mandarin — The Judgment–Seat — The Precincts of the Judgment–Seat — An Aged Claimant — Instruments of Punishment — The Question by Torture
LETTER IV (Continued)
The “Covent Garden” of Canton — Preliminaries of Execution — A Death Procession — The “Field of Blood” — “The Death of the Cross” — A Fair Comparison
LETTER V
Portuguese Missionaries — A Chinese Hospital — Chinese Anaesthetics — Surgery and Medicine — Ventilation and Cleanliness — A Chinese “Afternoon Tea” — A New Inspiration
LETTER VI
A Cochin China River — The Ambition of Saigon — A French Colonial Metropolis — European Life in Saigon-A Cochin–Chinese Village — “Afternoon Tea” in Choquan — Anamese Children — Anamite Costume — Anamite River–Dwellings — An Amphibious Population — An Unsuccessful Colony — “With the Big Toe” — Three Persecuting Kings — Saigon
LETTER VII
Beauties of the Tropics — Singapore Hospitality — An Equatorial Metropolis — An Aimless Existence — The Growth of Singapore — “Farms” and “Farmers” — The Staple of Conversation — The Glitter of “Barbaric Gold” — A Polyglot Population — A Mediocre People — Female Grace and Beauty — The “Asian Mystery” — Oriental Picturesqueness — The Metamorphosis of Singapore
LETTER VIII
St. Andrew’s Cathedral — Singapore Harbor Scenes — Chinese Preponderance — First Impressions of Malacca — A Town “Out of the Running”
LETTER IX
The Lieutenant–Governor of Malacca — A Charming Household — The Old Stadthaus — A Stately Habitation — An Endless Siesta — A Tropic Dream — Chinese Houses — Chinese Wealth and Ascendency — “Opium Farming” — The Malacca Jungle — Mohammedan Burial–Places — Malay Villages — Malay Characteristics — Costume and Ornament — Bigotry and Pilgrimage — The Malay Buffalo
LETTER X
Malacca Mediaevalism — Tiger Stories — The Chinese Carnival — Gold and Gems — A Weight of Splendor — New–Year Rejoicings — Syed Abdulrahman — A Mohammedan Princess — A Haunted City — Francis Xavier — The Reward of “Pluck” — Projects of Travel
A CHAPTER ON SUNGEI UJONG
The Puzzles of the Peninsula — Sungei Ujong — A Malay Confederation — Syed Abdulrahman — The Revenue of Sungei Ujong — Scenery and Productions — The New Datu Klana — A “Dual Control”
LETTER XI
A Mangrove Swamp — Jungle Dwellers — The Sempang Police Station — Shooting Alligators — The River Linggi — A Somber–Faced Throng — Stuck Fast at Permatang Pasir — Fair Impediments
LETTER XII
The Tomb of “A Great Prophet” — “Durance Vile” — Fragile Travelers — Our Craft — A Night in the Jungle — Nocturnal Revelations — January in the Perak Jungle — Glories of the Jungle — Activity and Stillness — An Uneasy Night — A Slim Repast — Betel–Chewing — A Severe Disappointment — Police Station at Rassa
LETTER XIII
The Appurtenances of Civilization — Babu — Characteristics of Captain Murray — An Embodied Government — Chinese Mining Enterprise — A Chinese Gaming–House — The “Capitans China” — New–Year Visits — Sittings “In Equity” — A Court of Justice — The Serambang Prison — “Plantation Hill” — A Monster Bonfire — An Ant World — An Ant Funeral — Night on “Plantation Hill” — The Murder of Mr. Lloyd — A Chinese Dragon Play — A Visit to a Malay Prince — The Datu Bandar’s House — A Great Temptation — The Return Journey — An Obituary Quotation
A CHAPTER ON SELANGOR*
Selangor — Capabilities of Selangor — Natural Capabilities — Lawlessness in Selangor — British Interference in Selangor — A Hopeful Outlook
LETTER XIV
The S.S. Rainbow — Sunset at Malacca — A Night at Sea — The Residency at Klang — Our “Next-of-Kin” — The Decay of Klang — A Remarkable Chinaman — Theatrical Magnificence — Misdeed of a “Rogue Elephant” — “A Cobra! A Cobra!”
LETTER XIV (Continued)
Yachting in the Malacca Straits — A Tropic Dream — The Rajah Moussa — Tiger Stories — A Grand Excitement — A “Man–Eating Kris” — A Royal Residence — A Council of State — The Sultan’s Attendants — The “Light of the Harem” — The Sultan’s Offering
LETTER XV
Tiger Mosquitoes — Insect Torments — A Hadji’s Fate — Malay Custom — Oaths and Lies — A False Alarm
LETTER XVI
A Yachting Voyage — The Destruction of Selangor — Varieties of Slime — Swamp Fever — An Unprosperous Region — A “Deadly–Lively” Morning — A Waif and Stray — The Superintendent of Police
LETTER XVII
The Dindings — The Tragedy on Pulu Pangkor — A Tropic Sunrise — Sir W. Robinson’s Departure — “A Touch of the Sun” — Kling Beauty — A Question and Answer — The Bazaars of Georgetown — The Chinaman Goes Ahead — The Products of Pinang — Pepper–Planting
A CHAPTER ON PERAK
The Boundaries and Rivers of Perak — Tin Mining — Fruits and Vegetables — The Gomuti Palm — The Trade of Perak — A Future of Coffee — A Hopeful Lookout — Chinese Difficulties — Chinese Disturbances in Larut — The “Pangkor Treaty” — A “Little War” — The Settlement of Perak — The Resident and Assistant–Resident
LETTER XVIII
Province Wellesley — Water Buffaloes — A Glorious Night — Perak Officials — A “Dismal Swamp” — Elephants at Home — An Epigrammatic Description — The British Residency at Taipeng — Sultan Abdulla’s Boys — A Chinese Mining Town — The “Armed Police” — An Alligator’s Victim — Major Swinburne — A Larut Dinner Party — A Morning Hymn
LETTER XIX
The Chinese in Larut — “Monkey Cups” — Chinese Hospitality — A Sikh Belle
LETTER XX
Novel Circumstances — The Excitements of the Jungle — Eternal Summer — The Sensitive Plant — The Lotus Lake of Matang — Elephant Ugliness — A Malay Mahout — A Novel Experience — Domestic Pets — Malay Hospitality–Land Leeches — “A Fearful Joy” — The End of My First Elephant Ride — Kwala Kangsa
LETTER XX (CONTINUED)
Mystification — A Grotesque Dinner–Party — Mahmoud and Eblis — Fun and Frolic — Mahmoud’s Antics — A Perak Jungle — The Poetry of Tropical Life — Village Life — The Officials of the Mosques — A Moslem Funeral — The “Royal Elephant” — Swimming the Perak — The Village of Koto-lamah — A “Pirate’s Nest” — Rajah Dris
LETTER XX (Continued)
A Joyous Welcome — A Severe Mortification — The British Resident — Daily Visitors — Rajah Dris — A Tipsy Ape — Marriage Ceremonies — Marriage Festivities — Malay Children — The Rajah Muda Yusuf — A Dreary Funeral — Fascinating Companionship — A Cocoa–Nut Gatherer — The Argus Pheasant — An Opium Wreck — Rhinoceros Horns — Elephant–Taming — Petrifying Influences of Islamism — A Dwindling Race
LETTER XXI
A Malay Interior — Malay Bird–Scaring — Rice Culture — Picturesque Dismalness — A Bad Spell — An Alarm — Possibilities of Peril — Patience and Kindness — Masculine Clatter
LETTER XXII
A Pleasant Canter — A Morning Hymn — The Pass of Bukit Berapit — The “Wearing World” Again! — A Bad Spirit — Malay Demonology — “Running Amuck” — An Amok–Runner’s Career — The Supposed Origin of Amok — Jungle Openings in Perak — Debt–Slavery — The Fate of Three Runaway Slaves — Moslem Prayers — “Living Like Leeches” — Malay Proverbs — A “Ten–Thousand-Man Umbrella”
LETTER XXIII
“Gang Murders” — Malay Nicknames — A Persecuted Infant — The Last of the Golden Chersonese
APPENDIX A
Residents.
APPENDIX B
Slavery in the Malay States.
APPENDIX C
THE CONTENT
APPENDIX A
Residents.
A policy of advice, and that alone, was contemplated by the Colonial Office; but without its orders or even cognizance affairs were such that the government of those Malayan States to which Residents have been accredited has been from the first exercised by the Residents themselves, mainly because neither in Perak, Selangor, or Sungei Ujong has there ever been a ruler powerful enough to carry out such an officer’s advice, the Rajahs and other petty chiefs being able to set him at defiance. Advice would be given that peace and order should be preserved, justice administered without regard to the rank of the criminal, the collection of revenue placed upon a satisfactory footing, and good administration generally secured, but had any reigning prince attempted to carry out these recommendations he would have been overborne by the Rajahs, whose revenues depended on the very practices which the Resident denounced, and by the piratical bands whose source of livelihood was the weakness and mal-administration of the rulers. The Pangkor Treaty contained the words that the Resident’s advice “_must be acted upon_,” and consequently the Residents have taken the direction of public affairs, organizing armed forces, imposing taxes, taking into their own hands the collection of the revenues, receiving all complaints, executing justice, punishing evil-doers, apprehending criminals, and repressing armed gangs of robbers. These officers are, in fact, far more the agents of the Governor of the Straits Settlements than the advisers of the native princes, and though paid out of native revenues are the virtual rulers of the country in all matters, except those which relate to Malay religion and custom. As stated by Lord Carnarvon, “Their special objects should be the maintenance of peace and law, the initiation of a sound system of taxation, with the consequent development of the general resources of the country, and the supervision of the collection of the revenue so as to insure the receipt of funds necessary to carry out the principal engagements of the Government, and to pay for the cost of British officers and whatever establishments may be found necessary to support them.” Lord Carnarvon in the same dispatch states: “Neither annexation nor the government of the country by British officers in the name of the Sultan [a measure very little removed from annexation] could be allowed;” and elsewhere he says: “It should be our present policy to find and train up some chief or chiefs of sufficient capacity and enlightenment to appreciate the advantages of a civilized government, and to render some effectual assistance in the government of the country.”The treaty of Pangkor provides “that the Resident’s advice must be asked and acted upon (in Perak) on all questions other than those relating to Malay religion and custom, and that the collection and control of all revenue and the general administration of the country must be regulated under the advice of these Residents.” It was on the same terms that Residents were appointed at Selangor and Sungei Ujong.
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Derived from the 1892 G.P. Putnam’s Sons edition.
Rendered into HTML on Saturday January 10 21:41:13 CST 2004, by Steve Thomas for The University of Adelaide Library Electronic Texts Collection.
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