SINGAPORE.
TRADE OF SINGAPORE--CHINESE TRADERS--BUGIS
TRADERS--SIAMESE AND COCHIN CHINESE--ARAB
SMUGGLERS--BORNEO--TRADE WITH CALCUTTA--
COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS.
The trade of Singapore has, until within the last three years, gone on
increasing; but it has now, in the opinion of many people, reached its
ultimatum. The harbour is visited regularly by native vessels from all
the neighbouring islands, as well as from the Continent; and I shall
proceed to notice the nature and value of their trade, respectively,
class by class.
And first as to the China junks. These unwieldy vessels visit the Island
in numbers varying from one hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty
per annum, their size ranging from fifty to five hundred tons: they are
manned and navigated entirely by Chinese. They of course come with the
monsoon, and reach Singapore in the months of January, February, and
March. Their cargoes form a very material item in the trade of the
place, and consist of tea, raw silk, camphor, Nankin (both yellow and
blue), immense quantities of coarse earthenware, and supplies of all
kinds for the myriads of Chinese that reside on this and the
neighbouring islands. The season of their arrival is one of great
activity in the Chinese bazaars, and gives an impulse to the trade of
the importer of Manchester and Glasgow manufactures. Their commanders
and supercargoes are cautious dealers, and usually sound the market well
before disposing of their commodities. Sometimes, however, they
overstand their market, and suffer by refusing the first offers made.
This was particularly the case in the season of 1841, in the article of
tea, which fell in price with every overland mail that came in, making
these wary men rue their having declined the offers that had been made
them previously. Most of them are opium-smokers; and their countrymen,
with whom they deal, take care to keep them well supplied with this
luxury, and obtain many a good bargain from them when under its
influence.
The export cargoes of this class of vessels consist principally of raw
cotton, cotton yarn, cotton goods, opium, béche-de-mer or sea slug,
pepper, tin, rattans, edible birds'-nests, deers' sinews, sharks' fins,
fish maws, &c. Of the first three articles, they have of late taken
annually the following quantities:--raw cotton, 20,000 bales of 300
lbs. each; cotton goods, 50,000 pieces of 40 yards each; opium, 2000
chests of 164 lbs. each; the aggregate value of which I put down, in
round numbers, at two millions of dollars.
Many of the small junks that arrive with the last of the north-east
monsoon in April, are fast-sailing craft, and come expressly for opium,
to pay for which they bring nothing but bullion: they take their
departure early in May, and smuggle the drug into Canton by paying the
usual bribe to the Mandarins. All the large junks have sailed on their
return voyage by the end of June. Some few of them that waited in 1841
till the middle of July, in the hope of getting opium cheaper than their
neighbours who sailed earlier, encountered heavy gales in the Chinese
sea; and one or two of them were lost with valuable cargoes. This lesson
has not been lost upon their successors, who have since taken care to
run no such risks. Advantage is taken of the opportunity afforded by the
return of these junks, every season, by the Chinese residents, to make
remittances to their families in China; and the masters of them are
entrusted with their remittances, which usually consist of money,
though, occasionally, rice and other useful articles are sent. The
shipper pays the master a per-centage on the sum transmitted; and
instances of fraud on the part of the latter are extremely rare. A boy
about fourteen years of age whom I had as a servant in my house at
Singapore, used to ask me for a month's wages in advance, to send to his
mother in Macao. Hundreds of similar instances might be adduced. This is
one of the bright traits in the Chinese character.
The native traders next in importance to the Chinese, are the Bugis.
These arrive in October and November, bringing in their uncouth-looking
vessels, large quantities of coffee of very good quality, gold-dust,
tortoise-shell, native clothes (celebrated all over the Archipelago for
their durability), béche-de-mer, deer-sinews, rice, &c. They come from
the different ports on the islands of Celebes, &c., but principally from
Macassar. They are a shrewd race, but are no match for their Chinese
competitors. On the arrival of a boat, her _hakoda_ (or commander) lands
with nearly every man on board; and he may be seen walking all over the
place for a few days before making any bargain. They are a troublesome
set to deal with, and require the exercise of more patience than a
European in these parts generally possesses. They are, however, always
received with a hearty welcome by the Chinese of the Island, who,
inviting them to be seated, immediately hand round the _siri-box_
(betel-nut, arica leaf, &c.) among them; and over this universal luxury,
they will sit and talk on business matters for hours, during which time
it may be fairly calculated that both host and guests tell a lie per
minute, without betraying by their countenances the slightest
consciousness of having been thus engaged. This strange sort of
preliminary negotiation goes on, probably, for a week; at the end of
which the passer-by may see the contents of the different Bugis boats
entering the Chinese shops or stores, as the case may be. On getting rid
of his import cargo, the Bugis trader takes a few days more to rest and
refresh himself, before he begins looking round for a return cargo,
which usually consists of opium, iron, steel, cotton yarn, cotton goods,
gold thread, &c. He seldom or never takes money away with him. On an
average, two hundred of these boats come to Singapore in the fall of the
year, each manned by about thirty men. Their crews are not allowed to
land armed with the _kriss_ or any other weapon; a wise precaution, as
they are rather too fond of having recourse to them in the event of any
quarrel or misunderstanding with those with whom they deal.
Notwithstanding this salutary regulation, I have witnessed serious
disturbances, ending, on more than one occasion, in bloodshed, between
these traders and the bazaar shopkeepers of Singapore. What I refer to
occurred many years ago, however, and is not very likely to happen
again, as the reins are kept much tighter over them than of yore. They
are essentially a maritime people, and are not, as far as I have ever
heard, addicted to piracy. They generally sail in small fleets, and are
quite prepared to defend themselves against the common Malay pirate, who
meets a stout resistance when he meddles with them. Like most, or, I may
say, all the inhabitants of this part of the world, they deal more or
less in slaves; and it would not be difficult to prove their having sold
boys and girls in Singapore within these ten years, though I firmly
believe that the disgraceful traffic has been put an entire stop to of
late. These men visit, during the months in which the south-east monsoon
prevails, Torres Straits, and the numerous islands in that
neighbourhood, for the purpose of gathering béche-de-mer and
tortoise-shell. They pick up, also, slaves from Papua (New Guinea), for
whom they find a ready market in Celebes. Our settlement of Port
Essington has long been a favourite resort of the Bugis trader; and were
the Government to encourage Chinese and other settlers, by giving them
grants of land, to establish themselves there, there can be no doubt
that it would soon become a very important place, instead of a mere
military station, or rather place of banishment, for some fifty royal
marines. As for its being a refuge for shipwrecked seamen, I have never
heard of an instance of a crew of the numerous vessels annually lost in
Torres Straits seeking shelter there. This state of affairs would be
altered, however, were the port thrown open to the commercial world. As
it is, a shipwrecked crew landing there, might have to remain a
twelvemonth for an opportunity to get away again; consequently, every
seaman placed in that unfortunate position, pushes on in his open boat
to the Dutch settlements on the island of Timor.
Next in importance to the Bugis, I may rank the Siamese and Cochin
Chinese traders, who arrive at Singapore during the north-east monsoon.
The trade of these two countries used to be carried on entirely in junks
peculiar to each of them respectively; but the state of things has been
materially altered of late. The sovereigns of Siam and Cochin China have
recently built and fitted-out several square-rigged vessels, those of
Siam being commanded by Europeans, and manned by natives of that
country. These vessels are the private property of the kings whose flags
they bear, and are loaded on their account and at their risk. Their
cargoes consist principally of sugar and rice, which find ready
purchasers in Singapore. The sugar of Siam is of very superior quality,
and is sent up in large quantities to Bombay, whence it finds its way up
the Indus and the Persian Gulf. The rice of Siam is a superior article,
and has of late been sent in considerable quantities to London. The
grain is liable to the disadvantage of not keeping so well as that of
Bengal or Java; but this fault might, I think, be obviated, partially at
all events, by adopting the Calcutta plan of putting a pound or two of
rice-dust and lime into each bag: this not only tends to preserve the
rice, but repels the destructive weavil; a little black insect that
makes its appearance in wheat and rice, in immense numbers, in those
warm latitudes.
The Cochin Chinese ships generally bring each four thousand _peculs_ of
sugar, which is of three qualities; namely, sixteen hundred _peculs_ of
first quality, the same quantity of second, and eight hundred _peculs_
of the third sort. The first two are good articles, though not equal to
the sugars of Siam. The cargoes of these ships are so carefully put up,
that I have purchased and re-shipped them without opening or weighing
more than five bags out of each hundred, and have never had cause to
repent the confidence thus placed in the seller, who is an _employé_ of
His Cochin Chinese Majesty. In addition to sugar and rice, the Siamese
vessels bring gamboge and cocoa-nut oil of a superior quality: the
former is bought up for the London and Continental markets, and the
latter for consumption in the Straits' settlements. Notwithstanding the
monopolizing system of the sovereigns of the two countries just
mentioned, the trade by junks is still carried on to a limited extent:
their cargo consists of the same articles as the kings' ships bring; and
their owners make money in spite of monopoly and of the iron rod with
which they are ruled.
At the commencement of the rupture between Great Britain and China, His
Siamese Majesty thought proper to follow the example of his Celestial
Brother, and to interdict the trade in opium, which used to flourish in
his dominions. His proclamation prohibiting the trade, came so suddenly
upon the parties concerned in it, and took effect so immediately, that
many of the opium-traders went into his capita of Bang-kok with their
usual cargoes, in utter ignorance of what had taken place, and found
their vessels seized, their cargoes confiscated, and themselves put in
irons and thrown into prison, where they were kept till the interference
of the Singapore Government procured their release as British subjects
trading under the English flag. The restriction on this trade has not
yet been removed (1844); nor is it likely to be, till the king finds
himself in want of money, when he will be glad to allow his subjects to
resume a traffic that yielded him a large revenue in former days.
Siam produces teak timber of excellent quality, which can be had on very
reasonable terms; and of this, the ship-builders of Singapore do not
fail to take advantage. A portion of the Cochin Chinese trade is
carried on in vessels so small and so frail, that it is astonishing that
men can be found to navigate with them the dangerous Chinese Sea: they
do not exceed thirty tons burthen. Being wholly unprovided with
defensive weapons of any description, many of them are annually taken by
the Malay pirates as soon as they make their appearance inside Point
Romania, at the mouth of Singapore Strait. They are lateen-rigged with
mat sails, are fast sailers, hold a good wind, and have a very pretty
appearance when entering the harbour in fleets of fifteen or twenty
sail.
Singapore is annually visited by a large fleet of vessels from all parts
of Java: the most important of these are what are commonly called Arab
ships, that is, ships fitted out and owned by Arabs residing in Java.
They carry the Dutch flag, are commanded by Arabs, and manned by
Javanese. If fame does not belie them, these Arab commanders are
notorious smugglers. This is certain; that they take goods from
Singapore in exchange for the coffee, sugar, rice, &c., which they bring
from Java, and that they give prices that would leave them no margin for
profit, if His Netherlands Majesty's duties were paid on them. For this
sort of illicit trade, the coast of Java offers many facilities in its
numerous small rivers, with which the Arab ship-master is intimately
acquainted. The article of opium, though strictly prohibited by the
authorities of Java, is taken by the Arabs from Singapore in
considerable quantities, notwithstanding the pains and penalties
attached to its being found on board their vessels; and smuggled into
Java the drug most undoubtedly is, let the Dutchmen boast of their spies
and custom-house establishment as they will. These Arab ships are built
of teak, ranging from one hundred and fifty to five hundred tons per
register, and are altogether remarkably fine vessels.
From the islands of Lombok and Bally, directly eastward of Java, the
market of Singapore receives a large annual supply of rice of fair
quality, a small quantity of coffee, and some coarse native cloths, to
which I may add, a few good stout poneys. The boats from these islands
resemble those from Celebes, and are sometimes classed among the Bugis
traders: they carry back, as return cargoes, opium, muskets, copper
cash, a little gold and silver thread, cotton yarn, and cotton
manufactures. These islands have their own Rajahs and laws, but are
narrowly watched and kept in check by their neighbours, the Dutch.
Borneo, notwithstanding its vast extent and immense internal wealth, has
but a limited external trade. Boats from Sambas, Pontianack, and Borneo
Proper, visit Singapore every year, from May till October, and bring
with them black pepper, Malay camphor, gold-dust, rattans, &c. Most
wretched boats they are, and, according to the accounts given to me by
their _hakodas_ (commanders), very difficult to keep afloat when laden.
Little can be said in favour of the natives of the sea-coast of Borneo,
which is, and has been for ages, the haunt of pirates. Many vessels,
particularly native _proas_, have been plundered, and their crews
murdered or carried into slavery, by the marauders of this inhospitable
shore; and it is not twenty years since a visit to it was considered as
highly dangerous even in a well-armed vessel. Whole fleets of piratical
boats ascend from time to time the rivers of this island, and plunder
the native villages, carrying off the females and children as slaves,
murdering the adult males, and setting fire to the houses. The
proceedings of these vagabonds have received some severe checks, of late
years, from the operations of a spirited and enterprising individual,
Mr. James Brooke, whose well-known zeal and activity are beyond all
praise. An occasional visit also from one of Her Majesty's ships, has
done much good; and the recent operations of Capt. Keppel of the Dido,
gave them a check they will not soon get over. The ascertained existence
of extensive veins of coal on the banks of the river of Borneo Proper,
will render that neighbourhood of great importance, on the completion of
the line of steam communication from Ceylon to Hong Kong, _viâ_
Singapore. I believe there is no doubt either as to the large quantity
of coal to be had there, or as to its superior quality. But, upon the
subject of Borneo, I shall have a few words more to say hereafter.
The trade between Calcutta and the Straits' settlements, is both
extensive and important. Vessels from the Hooghly visit Singapore
throughout the year, bringing large supplies of raw cotton, Indian
cotton goods, opium, wheat, &c. In return, they carry back vast
quantities of gold-dust, tin, pepper, sago, gambia, and treasure. It is
no unfrequent occurrence, to find the Singapore market pretty nearly
cleared of the circulating medium after the departure of two or three
clippers for the "City of Palaces." Indeed, treasure and gold-dust are,
in nine cases out of ten, the only safe remittance from the Straits of
Malacca to Calcutta; and those who remit in other modes, frequently
sustain heavy losses, which not only affect the individuals concerned,
but check the trade generally.
I have now given a rapid view of the principal features of the native
trade of Singapore, without pretending to give a perfect account of it.
Before taking leave of this pretty little Island, I will add a few
general remarks upon its condition and prospects. Its actual state, when
I left it in 1842, was far from being as prosperous as I could wish. An
emporium of the trade of the whole of the Eastern Archipelago, its
aggregate imports and exports may be estimated, in round numbers, at
three millions sterling per annum. Trade by barter is the system
generally adopted; and notwithstanding long-continued exertions on the
part of the European mercantile community to establish the cash system,
their success has been so very partial, that nine-tenths of the
remittances to Europe and India in return for goods consigned here for
sale, are made in produce. Severe losses have been sustained here, from
time to time, by the European mercantile firms, in consequence of their
giving credit, to an almost unlimited extent, to Chinese and other
dealers, many of them mere men of straw. During last year, these losses
have amounted to very considerable sums. This has led to renewed and
more strenuous exertions to establish a cash system, but, I fear, with
indifferent success. The present state of the bazaars is very far from
satisfactory: my last accounts state, that no one knows who can be
trusted. The natural consequence of such a state of things is, a serious
decrease in the amount of sales; and had it not been for the demand for
Glasgow and Manchester manufactures, caused by the high price of those
articles in China, the importers would have had four-fifths of their
stocks left on hand.
Of the state of the public health in Singapore, I am able to report
most favourably. Let any one go there and see the European residents of
sixteen and twenty years' standing, and he will be able to judge for
himself. During an intimate acquaintance of eighteen years with this
part of the world, I have never known any endemic disease to prevail;
never heard of more than one European dying of cholera, or of more than
three Europeans being attacked with that disease; never knew but one or
two cases of liver-complaint in which the sufferers had not their own
imprudence to thank for the attack; and, as far as my memory serves me,
cannot reckon up two deaths among the European inhabitants in that long
period. Some one may here whisper, "Look at the state of your Singapore
burying-ground." My reply is, that it is filled by the death of numbers
who have, from time to time, arrived from Calcutta and other parts of
India in a dying state, and who would have died six months sooner, had
they not come to breathe the pure air of Singapore. On this point, I
boldly challenge contradiction.
As to the commercial prospects of this Island, I have some misgivings.
The recent establishment, by Her Majesty's Government, of the British
colony of Hong Kong, and the opening of the northern ports on the coast
of China, will, I fear, give its commerce a check: indeed, it seems
inevitable that it should suffer from these causes. When we consider
the vast importance of the Chinese junk-trade to Singapore, and take
into account the cheaper rate we can supply them, now their ports are
open, at their own doors, with every commodity they require from the
Malay islands, the risk, trouble, and expense they will save by
supplying their wants or disposing of their superfluities, in the
harbours of Shang Hae, Ningpo, Foo Chow, or Amoy, instead of undertaking
the long voyage to the Straits of Malacca for that purpose,--one is at a
loss to conceive on what grounds the sanguine expectation can rest, that
the opening of China will do Singapore no harm. Some of its merchants
evidently share in my anticipation, as they have completed arrangements
for forming establishments at Hong Kong, in order to avail themselves of
the change they expect to take place in the course of the trade. It will
not be this year, nor, probably, the next, that this change will take
place; but, that it must ultimately come to pass, I can see no room to
doubt.[8]
[Footnote 8: Sept. 1845.--Recent accounts from Singapore in
some measure confirm this view. It is noted, among other
things, that the quantity of tea imported by the Chinese junks
in the season of 1844-45 was only 6000 quarter-chests; whereas,
in that of 1843-44, the imports exceeded twenty times that
quantity. Camphor, however, continues to come in as large
quantities as ever. The opium trade again, has diminished
three-fourths; and my prediction that pepper &c. would be
carried to the northern ports of China in European vessels,
has been fulfilled, though, from this branch of commerce,
Singapore, or its merchants, will still derive benefit as
carriers. The Chinese of Singapore have taken up this trade
with great spirit, and will doubtless continue it.]
In other branches of its trade, Singapore will, probably, not suffer so
much from the late arrangements with China; but it will suffer more or
less. It is extremely likely, that a large portion of the rice of Bally
and Lombok, the pepper of Borneo, and the béche-de-mer of Celebes, will
be carried direct to China in European vessels, instead of passing, as
hitherto, through the hands of the Singapore merchants. Whenever a new
mart is opened, there is no want of men, money, or ships to take
advantage of it; and we can place pepper from Borneo, and rice from
Bally, in any port on the coast of China, for less money, by carrying
them there direct from the place of growth, than the Chinese can by
carrying them from Singapore in their junks. These vessels only make one
voyage in the year; whereas a square-rigged vessel can make three with
ease; and it is on account of the greater service performed by the
latter, that she can carry goods to market cheaper than a junk. I
repeat, therefore, that I think the trade of Singapore has reached its
maximum; and that the town has attained to its highest point of
importance and prosperity. Indeed, it is at this moment rather
over-built. A beautiful and healthy town, however, it is; and that it
may not suffer materially or permanently from the causes above
mentioned, but continue to prosper as formerly, is a wish that comes
from the very bottom of my heart.
Singapore is under a Governor, (who also rules over Malacca and Penang,)
Resident Councillors, a Police Magistrate, and some half-dozen
under-strappers. The establishment is altogether an economical one, and,
on the whole, well conducted. It has, moreover, a Court of Justice, with
civil, criminal, and Admiralty jurisdiction, which is presided over by a
Recorder appointed by the Home Government. His authority also extends
over the neighbouring settlements of Malacca and Penang. The Governor
and three Resident Councillors are members of this court. In the absence
of the Recorder, they can and do hold court, and, in extreme cases,
carry into execution sentences of death passed on their own
responsibility. The late Governor, the Honourable S. G. Bonham, held the
post for many years, and left the Island with the good wishes of every
inhabitant. To his credit and honour be it said, that, out of the many
hundreds of civil cases tried and adjudicated by him, I never heard of
one in which his decision was reversed, in the event of the parties
petitioning for and obtaining a new trial from the Recorder. Such
petitions, owing to the well-known love of litigation inherent in the
Asiatic character, were very numerous; but, in nine cases out of ten,
the Recorder saw no reason to grant a new trial; and the few who
succeeded in obtaining new trials, would have been better off without
them, as Mr. Bonham's verdict was always confirmed.
Five, ten, fifteen years ago, the society of Singapore was much more
agreeable than it is now. Not that the parties who composed it then,
were more pleasant people than the present residents; but we met oftener
in those days, and were more sociable when we did meet, and, perhaps,
opened our doors to the stranger oftener than is practised at the
present time. One is apt, however, to be biassed in favour of the times
and the people that seemed to ourselves the most agreeable; I shall
therefore say no more on this delicate subject.
The revenue of Singapore is more than sufficient to pay its expenses: it
arises principally from land-sales and land-tax; from farming out the
privilege of retailing opium and spirits; from the rent paid for public
markets; and from pawnbrokers' licenses. The sums derived from these
sources are increasing every year.
The local police are paid, and roads and bridges are maintained, from a
fund raised by an assessed tax of eight per cent, on the annual value of
fixed property. From this fund, Mr. Tom C---- withdraws a few thousand
dollars occasionally, in order to build a new bridge or to make a new
road; a proceeding that does not give entire satisfaction to the
rate-payers, and is indeed hardly fair towards them, since the new
bridges and roads render available large tracts of land that would
otherwise be valueless, and for which Tom C----'s honourable masters
obtain a handsome price in consequence. The inhabitants grumble at these
proceedings, but can do no more, the sole and whole management of the
fund in question being in the hands of the local Government.
Singapore is a free port; and vessels of all kinds and from all nations
come and go, without paying one penny to Government in any shape. All
that is required of them is, to give in a list of the goods they either
land or ship. This regulation is intended to enable the authorities to
keep a correct statement of the trade of the place; but it is, I am
sorry to add, often evaded by ship-masters and their consignees, who
seem to think that no trade can be profitably conducted without a
certain portion of mystery attaching to it.