MALACCA AND PENANG.
Malacca, which I first visited in 1829, and have repeatedly revisited,
is completely shorn of its ancient glory, and is no longer of the
slightest importance, either as a military position or as a trading
mart. Penang, at one end of the Straits, and Singapore at the other,
have destroyed its prosperity; and it is now a poverty-stricken place,
with little or no trade. The town is built in the old Dutch fashion,
each house with its out-offices forming a square with a yard in the
centre. The Government offices are still held in the ancient
Stadt-House, a venerable pile built by the worthy Dutch burghers some
hundred and fifty years ago, and retaining to this day its ancient
furniture of ebony, many pieces of which, by the way, have lately
supplied patterns for modern sofas and other furniture. The European
population is composed almost entirely of the civil servants of the
Government and the military men, who reside principally in the immediate
neighbourhood of the town, not liking their Malay neighbours well enough
to feel inclined to spread far into the country. Some few attempts have
been made, within the last fifteen years, to establish nutmeg and other
plantations at Malacca; I fear, without much success. Not that the trees
do not thrive, but that labour is scarce, owing to the prevailing
indolence of the people in this part of the world. Moreover, occasional
disturbances among the natives render a residence on the spot (without
which little success can be expected) any thing but pleasant. The place
is a burthen to the East-India Company, as its revenues do not pay half
its expenses.
The country round Malacca is mountainous, and covered with large timber.
In its neighbourhood are several tin-mines, which yield a metal some
twenty per cent. inferior to that of Banca. This tin finds its way, like
every thing else in the Archipelago, to Singapore, where it has of late
fetched only thirteen dollars and a half _per pecul_.
There is a race of men at Malacca, who appear to be the descendants of
some natives of Malabar who settled there a century ago, and Malay
women; a bad breed certainly, and the men I speak of seem to possess all
the _devilry_ of both races. Numbers of them visit Singapore from time
to time, bringing among other things, thousands of the Malacca canes
which are so much esteemed in England. They have other employments, if
fame does not belie them, not quite so creditable to their characters.
Here, also, may be found many descendants of the old Portuguese
inhabitants, who have here, as elsewhere all over the East, degenerated
sadly, and, but for their dress, could not be distinguished from the
other natives, except that the latter are a much finer race. These
Portuguese are, for the most part, wretchedly poor, and, apparently,
will soon become extinct. Very few of the descendants of the old Dutch
inhabitants are to be found here now: those still remaining are
principally shopkeepers, and are much more respectable in every way than
their Portuguese fellow subjects. Slavery, until lately, existed in a
domestic form in Malacca; it has, however, been completely done away
with through the representations and exertions of the late Governor, Mr.
Bonham.
Malacca forms a pretty picture from the sea, and, to the passer-by,
seems an attractive spot: his disappointment, on landing, however, would
be great, and few inducements to prolong his stay will be found,
excepting the climate. This, to the invalid from Bengal, is a treat, on
which I have heard many expatiate in glowing terms after their return,
with renewed health, to Calcutta.
Penang, or Prince of Wales Island, is, perhaps, the most beautiful of
the three Straits settlements, though it is certainly not the most
salubrious, being occasionally visited by a very severe fever, which, in
my time, carried off many of the European inhabitants.[13]
[Footnote 13: At this moment, I cannot recal to recollection a
single existing resident of Penang who has not arrived there
since 1829. The Europeans of that time have all, or nearly all,
been removed by death.]
Here, the nutmeg and the clove come to perfection; and the produce of
Penang commands higher prices in the London market, than the spice of
any other country with which I am acquainted. The estates of Mr. Brown
are the finest on the Island; and the hospitality of their proprietor is
unsurpassed. Of late years, the profits of spice-plantations have become
somewhat precarious, as the supply in the European markets has exceeded
the demand. This has turned the attention of several of the leading
people on the Island to the sugar-cane, which thrives here well, and is
now to be seen covering large tracts which very recently were lying
waste. The sugar-planter here, however, labours under the same
disadvantage, as to import-duty in England, as his brother planter of
Singapore, which, if not altered, will mar his prospects. Strong
representations on the subject have been made to the Bengal Government,
and (I believe) to the Court of Directors, as yet without effect.
The revenue of Penang is derived from the same sources as that of
Singapore, but falls short of the annual expenses of the place. This may
be accounted for by the falling off in its trade, and the decrease in
its population, since the establishment of the last-named settlement. It
still retains a considerable trade with Sumatra, the coast of
Coromandel, and Calcutta, but its direct trade with England is almost
entirely cut up. It is also the _dépôt_ for the tin collected at
Junkseylon, and other places on the Malay coast immediately opposite.
Altogether, however, the establishment of Singapore has very much
injured Penang, and thinned its population, rendering its houses of
little or no value, and giving to its streets a deserted appearance from
which they will never recover.
The plain on which the town stands, is bounded on two sides by the sea,
and, beyond the town, is dotted over with pretty garden-houses: it is
intersected in all directions by good roads, which are lined throughout
with the prettiest of all hedges, composed of the dwarf bamboo. Beyond
this plain, the country becomes hilly and covered with woods, except a
spot here and there, where the spice-planter has made his clearing, and
built his bungalow. On the tops of several of these hills, which are
higher and more extensive than those of Singapore, may be seen bungalows
for convalescents, approachable only by a bridle path, up which the
stout little poneys of the Island carry bravely the health-seeking or
pleasure-seeking party. These spots are delightful residences; and the
climate is cool enough at night to make a blanket on the bed most
welcome and comfortable, I have my doubts whether these are fit places
for the invalid to resort to, particularly if his complaint be of a
pulmonary nature. Immediately after sun-set, the hill top is enveloped
in a dense fog, which makes every thing in the house feel damp, and
which does not disappear till ten A. M. next day. It were worth while to
ride up one of these hills, for the sole purpose of watching the
clearing off of the fog in the morning: the visiter taking his stand in
the verandah about nine A. M., and looking down, in the direction of the
plain, on the dense mass of fog hanging over the town and suburbs, sees
it by degrees clear away like a curtain slowly withdrawn, and the
houses, roads, bridges, &c., appear below him as if springing up there
by magic. Add to this, the fleet of shipping in the harbour, the
opposite plains of Province Wellesley, and the distant mountains
towering in the sky beyond, and a scene may be imagined, that can
scarcely be described; at least, not by my feeble pen. When I first
visited Penang, Province Wellesley was a wilderness, inhabited only by a
thin Malay population and numerous tigers.[14] It now wears another and
more pleasing aspect, large tracts of its fertile soil having been
cleared and brought under cultivation. I know no better spot for the
culture of sugar; and if it does not pay the planter here, those of
Penang or Singapore have but a poor prospect.[15] Penang harbour is a
very commodious and safe one, formed by the narrow strait between that
island and the main land. Ships of three hundred tons may here lie
within pistol-shot of the wharf in perfect safety. I have never seen the
phosphoric light occasionally thrown out by salt-water, so brilliant as
it is here. I recollect being very much struck with it, while sailing
out of the harbour about eight o'clock P. M. We had a fresh breeze, and
each tiny wave looked like a flash of very bright flame, while the
ship's wake resembled the tail of a brilliant comet, more than any thing
else. I leave the naturalist to account for this.
[Footnote 14: Although the jungles of Penang abound with
tigers, I have seldom heard of their preying on man, as they do
in the neighbouring settlement.]
[Footnote 15: Oct. 1845.--Penang has increased in importance
since the foregoing was written. Its sugar-planters have
continued their exertions with energy, sparing neither trouble
nor expense to make their plantations profitable investments.
It gives me much pleasure to be able to add, that their success
seems certain, and that their perseverance in petitioning
Government on the subject of duties, has at length been
rewarded, as it ought sooner to have been.]