ARRIVAL IN HONG-KONG--THE ENGLISH STEAMER--SINGAPORE PLANTATIONS--A
HUNTING PARTY IN THE JUNGLE--A CHINESE FUNERAL--THE FEAST OF
LANTERNS--TEMPERATURE AND CLIMATE.
The passage from Canton to Hong-Kong was accomplished without any
circumstance worthy of notice, save the time it took, in consequence
of the prevalence of contrary winds the whole way. We were, it is
true, woke up the first night by the report of guns; but I expect
they were not fired at us, as we were not molested. My travelling
companions, the Chinese, also behaved themselves on this occasion
with the greatest politeness and decorum; and, had I been enabled to
look into the future, I would willingly have given up the English
steamer and pursued my journey as far as Singapore on board a junk.
But as this was impossible, I availed myself of the English steamer,
"Pekin," of 450 horse-power, Captain Fronson commander, which leaves
for Calcutta every month.
As the fares are most exorbitant, {116} I was advised to take a
third-class ticket, and hire a cabin from one of the engineers or
petty officers; I was greatly pleased with the notion, and hastened
to carry it out. My astonishment, however, may be imagined when, on
paying my fare, I was told that the third-class passengers were not
respectable, that they were obliged to sleep upon deck, and that the
moon was exceedingly dangerous, etc. It was in vain that I replied
I was the best judge of my own actions; I was obliged, unless I
chose to remain behind, to pay for one of the second places. This
certainly gave me a very curious idea of English liberty.
On the 25th of August, at 1 o'clock, P.M., I went on board. On
reaching the vessel I found no servant in the second places, and was
obliged to ask a sailor to take my luggage into the cabin. This
latter was certainly anything but comfortable. The furniture was of
the most common description, the table was covered with stains and
dirt, and the whole place was one scene of confusion. I inquired
for the sleeping cabin, and found there was but one for both sexes.
I was told to apply to one of the officials, who would no doubt
allow me to sleep somewhere else. I did so, and obtained a neat
little cabin in consequence, and the steward was kind enough to
propose that I should take my meals with his wife. I did not,
however, choose to accept the offer; I paid dearly enough, Heaven
knows, and did not choose to accept everything as a favour.
Besides, this was the first English steamer I had ever been on
board, and I was curious to learn how second-class passengers were
treated.
The company at our table consisted not only of the passengers, of
whom there were three besides myself, but of the cooks and waiters
of the first-class places, as well as of the butcher; or, in a word,
of every one of the attendants who chose to take "pot-luck" with us.
As for any etiquette in the article of costume, that was entirely
out of the question. Sometimes one of the company would appear
without either coat or jacket; the butcher was generally oblivious
of his shoes and stockings; and it was really necessary to be
endowed with a ravenous appetite to be enabled to eat anything with
such a set.
The bill of fare was certainly adapted to the crew and their
costume, but decidedly not to the passengers, who had to pay
thirteen dollars (2 pounds 12s.) a day each for provisions.
The table-cloth was full of stains, and, in lieu of a napkin, each
guest was at liberty to use his handkerchief. The knives and forks
had white and black horn handles, with notched blades, and broken
prongs. On the first day we had no spoons at all; on the second we
had one between us, and this one was placed on the table in solitary
grandeur during the entire voyage. There were only two glasses, and
those of the most ordinary description, which circulated from mouth
to mouth; as I was a female, instead of my turn of the glasses, I
had, as a peculiar mark of distinction, an old tea-cup with the
handle knocked off.
The head cook, who did the honours, pleaded in excuse for all this
discomfort, that they happened this voyage to be short of servants.
This struck me as really a little too naive, for when I paid my
money I paid for what I ought to have then, and not for what I might
have another time.
As I said before, the provisions were execrable; the remnants of the
first cabin were sent to us poor wretches. Two or three different
things would very often be side by side in the most friendly and
brotherly manner upon one dish, even although their character was
widely different; that was looked upon as a matter of no import,
which was also the case as to whether the things came to table hot
or cold.
On one occasion, during tea, the head cook was in unusually good
humour, and remarked, "I spare no possible pains to provide for you.
I hope you want for nothing." Two of the passengers, Englishmen,
replied, "No, that's true!" The third, who was a Portuguese, did
not understand the importance of the assertion. As a native of
Germany, not possessing the patriotic feeling of an English subject
in the matter, I should have replied very differently had I not been
a women, and if, by so replying, I could have effected a change for
the better.
The only light we had was from a piece of tallow candle, that often
went out by eight o'clock. We were then under the necessity of
sitting in the dark or going to bed.
In the morning the cabin served as a barber's shop, and in the
afternoon as a dormitory, where the cooks and servants, who were
half dead with sleep, used to come and slumber on the benches.
In order to render us still more comfortable, one of the officers
pitched upon our cabin as quarters for two young puppies, who did
nothing but keep up one continued howl; he would not have dared to
put them in the sailors' cabin, because the latter would have kicked
them out without farther ceremony.
My description will, in all probability, be considered exaggerated,
especially as there is an old opinion that the English are, above
all other people, justly celebrated for their comfort and
cleanliness. I can, however, assure my readers that I have spoken
nothing but the truth; and I will even add that, although I have
made many voyages on board steam-ships, and always paid second fare,
never did I pay so high a price for such wretched and detestable
treatment. In all my life I was never so cheated. The only
circumstance on board the ship to which I can refer with pleasure
was the conduct of the officers, who were, without exception,
obliging and polite.
I was very much struck with the remarkable degree of patience
exhibited by my fellow-passengers. I should like to know what an
Englishman, who has always got the words "comfort" and "comfortable"
at the top of his tongue, would say, if he were treated in this
manner on board a steamer belonging to any other nation?
For the first few days of our voyage we saw no land, and it was not
until the 28th of August that we caught sight of the rocky coast of
Cochin China. During the whole of the 29th we steered close along
the coast, but could see no signs of either human beings or
habitations, the only objects visible being richly wooded mountain-
ranges; in the evening, however, we beheld several fires, which
might have been mistaken for the signals from lighthouses, and
proved that the country was not quite uninhabited.
During the following day we only saw a large solitary rock called
"The Shoe." It struck me as being exactly like the head of a
shepherd's dog.
On the 2nd of September we neared Malacca. Skirting the coast are
tolerably high, well-wooded mountain-ranges, infested, according to
all accounts, by numerous tigers, that render all travelling very
dangerous.
On the 3rd of September we ran into the port of Singapore; but it
was so late in the evening, that we could not disembark.
On the following morning I paid a visit to the firm of Behu and
Meyer, to whom I had letters of introduction. Madame Behu was the
first German lady I had met since my departure from Hamburgh. I
cannot say how delighted I was at forming her acquaintance. I was
once more able to give free vent to my feelings in my own native
tongue. Madame Behu would not hear of my lodging in an hotel; I was
immediately installed as a member of her own amiable family. My
original plan was to have remained but a short period in Singapore,
and then proceed in a sailing vessel to Calcutta, as I had a perfect
horror of English steamers, and as I had been told that
opportunities continually presented themselves. I waited, however,
week after week in vain, until, in spite of my unwillingness, I was
obliged to embark in a comfortable English steamer at last. {118}
The Europeans lead pretty much the same kind of life at Singapore
that they do at Canton, with this difference, however, that the
merchants reside with their families in the country, and come to
town every morning for business. Each family is obliged to keep a
large staff of servants, and the lady of the house meddles very
little in domestic matters, as these are generally altogether
entrusted to the major-domo.
The servants are Chinese, with the exception of the seis (coachmen
or grooms), who are Bengalese. Every spring, whole shiploads of
Chinese boys, from ten to fifteen years old, come over here. They
are generally so poor that they cannot pay their passage. When this
is the case, the captain brings them over on his own account, and is
paid beforehand, by the person engaging them, their wages for the
first year. These young people live very economically, and when
they have a little money, return generally to their native country,
though many hire themselves as journeymen, and stop altogether.
The Island of Singapore has a population of 55,000 souls, 40,000 of
whom are Chinese, 10,000 Malays, or natives, and 150 Europeans. The
number of women is said to be very small, in consequence of the
immigrants from China and India consisting only of men and boys.
The town of Singapore and its environs contain upwards of 20,000
inhabitants. The streets struck me as being broad and airy, but the
houses are not handsome. They are only one story high; and, from
the fact of the roof's being placed directly above the windows,
appear as if they were crushed. On account of the continual heat,
there is no glass in any of the windows, but its place is supplied
by sun-blinds.
Every article of merchandise has here, as at Canton, if not its own
peculiar street, at least its own side of the street. The building
in which meat and vegetables are sold, is a fine handsome edifice
resembling a temple.
As a natural result of the number of persons of different nations
congregated upon this island, there are various temples, none of
which are worthy of notice, however, with the exception of that
belonging to the Chinese. It is formed like an ordinary house, but
the roof is ornamented in the usual Chinese fashion to rather too
great an extent. It is loaded with points and pinnacles, with
circles and curves without end, all of which are formed of coloured
tiles or porcelain, and decorated with an infinity of arabesques,
flowers, dragons, and other monsters. Over the principal entrance
are small stone bas-reliefs, and both the exterior and interior of
the building can boast of a profusion of carved wood-work richly
gilt.
Some fruit and biscuits of various descriptions, with a very small
quantity of boiled rice, were placed upon the altar of the Goddess
of Mercy. These are renewed every evening, and whatever the goddess
may leave is the perquisite of the bonzes. On the same altar lay
pretty little wooden counters cut in an oval shape, which the
Chinese toss up in the air; it is held to be a sign of ill-luck if
they fall upon the reverse side, but if they fall upon the other,
this is believed to betoken good fortune. The worthy people are in
the habit of tossing them up until they fall as desired.
Another manner of learning the decrees of fate consists in placing a
number of thin wooden sticks in a basin, and then shaking them until
one falls out. Each of these sticks is inscribed with a certain
number, corresponding with a sentence in a book of proverbs. This
temple was more frequented by the people than those in Canton. The
counters and sticks seemed to exercise great influence over the
congregation, for it was only round them that they gathered.
There is nothing further to be seen in the town, but the environs,
or rather the whole island, offers the most enchanting sight. The
view cannot certainly be called magnificent or grand, since one
great feature necessary to give it this character, namely,
mountains, is entirely wanting. The highest hill, on which the
governor's house and the telegraph are situated, is scarcely more
than 200 feet high, but the luxuriant verdancy, the neat houses of
the Europeans in the midst of beautiful gardens, the plantations of
the most precious spices, the elegant areca and feathered palms,
with their slim stems shooting up to a height of a hundred feet, and
spreading out into the thick feather-like tuft of fresh green, by
which they are distinguished from every other kind of palms, and,
lastly, the jungle in the back-ground, compose a most beautiful
landscape, and which appears doubly lovely to a person like myself,
just escaped from that prison ycleped Canton, or from the dreary
scenery about the town of Victoria.
The whole island is intersected with excellent roads, of which those
skirting the sea-shore are the most frequented, and where handsome
carriages, and horses from New Holland, and even from England,
{120a} are to be seen. Besides the European carriages, there are
also certain vehicles of home manufacture called palanquins, which
are altogether closed and surrounded on all sides with jalousies.
Generally, there is but one horse, at the side of which both the
coachman and footman run on foot. I could not help expressing my
indignation at the barbarity of this custom, when I was informed
that the residents had wanted to abolish it, but that the servants
had protested against it, and begged to be allowed to run beside the
carriage rather than sit or stand upon it. They cling to the horse
or vehicle, and are thus dragged along with it.
Hardly a day passed that we did not drive out. Twice a week a very
fine military band used to play on the esplanade close to the sea,
and the whole world of fashionables would either walk or drive to
the place to hear the music. The carriages were ranged several rows
deep, and surrounded by young beaux on foot and horseback; any one
might have been excused for imagining himself in an European city.
As for myself, it gave me more pleasure to visit a plantation, or
some other place of the kind, than to stop and look on what I had so
often witnessed in Europe. {120b}
I frequently used to visit the plantations of nutmegs and cloves,
and refresh myself with their balsamic fragrance. The nutmeg-tree
is about the size of a fine apricot-bush, and is covered from top to
bottom with thick foliage; the branches grow very low down the stem,
and the leaves shine as if they were varnished. The fruit is
exactly similar to an apricot covered with yellowish-brown spots.
When ripe it bursts, exposing to view a round kernel about the size
of a nut, enclosed in a kind of net-work of a fine deep red: this
network is known as mace. It is carefully separated from the nutmeg
itself, and dried in the shade. While undergoing this process, it
is frequently sprinkled with sea-water, to prevent its original tint
turning black instead of yellow. In addition to this net-work, the
nutmeg is covered with a thin, soft rind. The nutmeg itself is also
dried, then smoke-dried a little, and afterwards, to prevent its
turning mouldy, dipped several times in sea-water, containing a weak
solution of lime.
The clove-tree is somewhat smaller, and cannot boast of such
luxuriant foliage, or such fine large leaves as the nutmeg-tree.
The cloves are the buds of the tree gathered before they have had
time to blossom. They are first smoked, and then laid for a short
time in the sun.
Another kind of spice is the areca-nut, which hangs under the crown
of the palm of the same name, in groups containing from ten to
twenty nuts each. It is somewhat larger than a nutmeg, and its
outer shell is of so bright a colour, that it resembles the gilt
nuts which are hung upon the Christmas-trees in Germany. The kernel
is almost the same colour as the nutmeg, but it has no net-work: it
is dried in the shade.
The Chinese and natives of the place chew this nut with betel-leaf
and calcined mussel-shells. They strew the leaf with a small
quantity of the mussel-powder, to which they add a very small piece
of the nut, and make the whole into a little packet, which they put
into their mouth. When they chew tobacco at the same time, the
saliva becomes as red as blood, and their mouths, when open, look
like little furnaces, especially if, as is frequently the case with
the Chinese, the person has his teeth dyed and filed. The first
time I saw a case of the kind I was very frightened: I thought the
poor fellow had sustained some serious injury, and that his mouth
was full of blood.
I also visited a sago manufactory. The unprepared sago is imported
from the neighbouring island of Borromeo, and consists of the pith
of a short, thick kind of palm. The tree is cut down when it is
seven years old, split up from top to bottom, and the pith, of which
there is always a large quantity, extracted; it is then freed from
the fibres, pressed in large frames, and dried at the fire or in the
sun. At this period it has still a yellowish tinge. The following
is the manner in which it is grained: The meal or pith is steeped
in water for several days, until it is completely blanched; it is
then once more dried by the fire or in the sun, and passed under a
large wooden roller, and through a hair sieve. When it has become
white and fine, it is placed in a kind of linen winnowing-fan, which
is kept damp in a peculiar manner. The workman takes a mouthful of
water, and spurts it out like fine rain over the fan, in which the
meal is alternately shaken and moistened in the manner just
mentioned, until it assumes the shape of small globules, which are
constantly stirred round in large, flat pans until they are dried,
when they are passed through a second sieve, not quite so fine as
the first, and the larger globules separated from the rest.
The building in which the process takes place is a large shed
without walls, its roof being supported upon the trunks of trees.
I was indebted to the kindness of the Messrs. Behu and Meyer for a
very interesting excursion into the jungle. The gentlemen, four in
number, all well provided with fowling-pieces, having determined to
start a tiger, besides which they were obliged to be prepared for
bears, wild boars, and large serpents. We drove as far as the river
Gallon, where we found two boats in readiness for us, but, before
entering them, paid a visit to a sugar-refining establishment
situated upon the banks of the river.
The sugar-cane was piled up in stacks before the building, but there
had only been sufficient for a day's consumption, as all that
remained would have turned sour from the excessive heat. The cane
is first passed under metal cylinders, which press out all the
juice; this runs into large cauldrons, in which it is boiled and
then allowed to cool. It is afterwards placed in earthen jars,
where it becomes completely dry.
The buildings resembled those I have described when speaking of the
preparation of sago.
After we had witnessed the process of sugar-baking, we entered the
boats, and proceeded up the stream. We were soon in the midst of
the virgin forests, and experienced, at every stroke of the oars,
greater difficulty in forcing our passage, on account of the
numerous trunks of trees both in and over the stream. We were
frequently obliged to land and lift the boats over these trees, or
else lie flat down, and thus pass under them as so many bridges.
All kinds of brushwood, full of thorns and brambles, hung down over
our heads, and even some gigantic leaves proved a serious obstacle
to us. These leaves belonged to a sort of palm called the
Mungkuang. Near the stem they are five inches broad, but their
length is about twelve feet, and as the stream is scarcely more than
nine feet wide, they reached right across it.
The natural beauty of the scene was so great, however, that these
occasional obstructions, so far from diminishing, actually
heightened the charm of the whole. The forest was full of the most
luxuriant underwood, creepers, palms, and fern plants; the latter,
in many instances sixteen feet high, proved a no less effectual
screen against the burning rays of the sun than did the palms and
other trees.
My previous satisfaction was greatly augmented on seeing several
apes skipping about on the highest branches of the trees, while
others were heard chattering in our immediate vicinity. This was
the first time I had seen these animals in a state of perfect
freedom, and I secretly felt very much delighted that the gentlemen
with me did not succeed in shooting any of the mischievous little
creatures: they brought down, however, a few splendid lories (a
sort of small parrot of the most beautiful plumage) and some
squirrels. But our attention was soon attracted by a much more
serious object. We remarked in the branches of one of the trees a
dark body, which, on nearer inspection, we found to be that of a
large serpent, lying coiled up, and waiting, probably, to dart upon
its prey. We ventured pretty near, but it remained quite motionless
without turning its eyes from us, and little thinking how near its
death was. One of the gentlemen fired, and hit it in the side. As
quick as lightning, and with the greatest fury, it darted from the
tree, but remained fast, with its tail entangled in a bough. It
kept making springs at us, with its forked tongue exposed to view,
but all in vain, as we kept at a respectable distance. A few more
shots put an end to its existence, and we then pulled up under the
bough on which it was hanging. One of the boatmen, a Malay, made a
small noose of strong, tough grass, which he threw round the head of
the serpent, and thus dragged it into the boat. He also told us
that we should be sure to find a second not far off, as serpents of
this kind always go in pairs, and, true enough, the gentlemen in the
other boat had already shot the second, which was also coiled up on
the branch of a large tree.
These serpents were of a dark green colour, with beautiful yellow
streaks, and about twelve feet in length. I was told that they
belonged to the boa species.
After having proceeded eight English miles in four hours, we left
the boats, and following a narrow footpath, soon reached a number of
plots of ground, cleared from trees, and planted with pepper and
gambir.
The pepper-tree is a tall bush-like plant, that, when trained and
supported with props, will attain a height varying from fifteen to
eighteen feet. The pepper grows in small, grape-like bunches, which
are first red, then green, and lastly, nearly black. The plant
begins to bear in the second year.
White pepper is not a natural production, but is obtained by dipping
the black pepper several times in sea-water: this causes it to lose
its colour, and become a dirty white. The price of a pikul of white
pepper is six dollars (24s.), whereas that of a pikul of black is
only three dollars (12s.).
The greatest height attained by the gambir plant is eight feet. The
leaves alone are used in trade: they are first stripped off the
stalk, and then boiled down in large coppers. The thick juice is
placed in wide wooden vessels, and dried in the sun; it is then cut
into slips three inches long and packed up. Gambir is an article
that is very useful in dyeing, and hence is frequently exported to
Europe. Pepper plantations are always to be found near a plantation
of the gambir plant, as the former are always manured with the
boiled leaves of the latter.
Although all the work on the plantations, as well as every other
description of labour at Singapore, is performed by free labourers,
I was told that it cost less than if it were done by slaves. The
wages here are very trifling indeed; a common labourer receives
three dollars a month, without either board or lodging; and yet with
this, he is enabled not only to subsist himself, but to maintain a
family. Their huts, which are composed of foliage, they build
themselves; their food consists of small fish, roots, and a few
vegetables. Nor is their apparel more expensive; for, beyond the
immediate vicinity of the town, and where all the plantations are
situated, the children go about entirely naked, while the men wear
nothing more than a small apron about a hand's-breadth wide, and
fastened between the legs: the women are the only persons dressed
with anything like propriety.
The plantations that we now saw, and which we reached about 10
o'clock, were cultivated by Chinese. In addition to their huts of
leaves, they had erected a small temple, where they invited us to
alight. We immediately spread out upon the altar some refreshments,
which Madame Behu, like a good housewife, had given us; but, instead
of imitating the Chinese, and sacrificing them to the gods, we were
wicked enough to devour them ravenously ourselves.
When we had satisfied our hunger, we skinned the serpent and then
made a present of it to the Chinese; but they gave us to understand
that they would not touch it, at which I was greatly surprised,
since they will generally eat anything. I was afterwards convinced
that this was all pretence, for on returning some hours later from
our hunting excursion and going into one of their huts, we found
them all seated round a large dish in which were pieces of roast
meat of the peculiar round shape of the serpent. They wanted to
hide the dish in a great hurry, but I entered very quickly and gave
them some money to be allowed to taste it. I found the flesh
particularly tender and delicate, even more tender than that of a
chicken.
But I have quite forgotten to describe our hunting excursion. We
asked the labourers if they could not put us on the track of a
tiger; they described to us a part of the wood where one was
reported to have taken up his abode a few days previously, and we
immediately set off. We had great difficulty in forcing our way
through the forest, having, at every instant, to clamber over
prostrate trees, creep through brambles or cross over swamps, but we
had, at all events, the satisfaction of progressing, which we
certainly should not have had in the forests of Brazil, where such
an undertaking would have been impracticable. It is true that there
were creepers and orchids, but not in such numbers as in Brazil, and
the trees, too, stand far wider apart. We saw some splendid
specimens, towering to a height of above a hundred feet. The
objects which interested us most were the ebony and kolim trees.
The timber of the first is of two kinds, a layer of brownish-yellow
surrounding the inner stem, which composes that portion especially
known as ebony.
The kolim-tree diffuses an excessively strong odour, similar to that
of onions, indicating its site at some distance off. The fruit
tastes extremely like onions, and is very often used by the common
people, but its odour and taste are too strong for Europeans. I
merely just touched a piece of fresh rind, and my hands smelt of it
the next morning.
We beat about the forest for some hours without meeting the game of
which we were in search. We once thought that we had found the
lair, but we soon found that we were mistaken. One of the
gentlemen, too, affirmed that he heard the growl of a bear; it must,
however, have been a very gentle growl, as no one else heard it,
although we were all close together.
We returned home without any further addition to our stock of game,
but highly delighted with our agreeable trip.
Although Singapore is a small island, and all means have been used
and rewards offered for the extirpation of the tigers, they have
failed. Government gives a premium of a hundred dollars, and the
Society of Singapore Merchants a similar sum for every tiger killed.
Besides this, the valuable skin belongs to the fortunate hunter, and
even the flesh is worth something, as it is eagerly bought by the
Chinese for eating. The tigers, however, swim over from the
neighbouring peninsula of Malacca, which is only separated from
Singapore by a very narrow channel, and hence it will be impossible
to eradicate them entirely.
The varieties of fruit found at Singapore are very numerous and
beautiful. Among the best may be reckoned the mangostan, which is
said to grow only here and in Java. It is as big as a middling-
sized apple. The rind is a deep brown on the outside and scarlet
inside, and the fruit itself is white, and divided naturally into
four or five sections: it almost melts in the mouth, and has an
exquisite flavour. The pine-apples are much more juicy, sweeter,
and considerably larger than those at Canton; I saw some which must
have weighed about four pounds. Whole fields are planted with them,
and when they arrive at full maturity, three or four hundred may be
bought for a dollar. They are often eaten with salt. There is also
another kind of fruit, "sauersop," which also often weighs several
pounds, and is green outside and white or pale yellow inside. It
very much resembles strawberries in taste, and, like them, is eaten
with wine and sugar. The gumaloh is divided into several distinct
slices, and resembles a pale yellow orange, but is not so sweet and
juicy; many people, however, prefer it; it is at least five times as
large as an orange. In my opinion, however, the palm of excellence
is borne away by the "custard apple," which is covered with small
green scales. {125} The inside, which is full of black pips, is
very white, as soft as butter, and of the most exquisite flavour.
It is eaten with the help of small spoons.
A few days before my departure from Singapore, I had an opportunity
of witnessing the burial of a Chinese in easy circumstances. The
procession passed our house, and in spite of a temperature of 113
degrees Fah., I went with it to the grave, which was three or four
miles distant, and was too much interested in the ceremony to leave
until it was concluded, although it lasted nearly two hours.
At the head of the procession was a priest, and at his side a
Chinese with a lantern two feet high, covered with white cambric.
Then came two musicians, one of whom beat a small drum at intervals,
and the other played the cymbals. These persons were followed by
the coffin, with a servant holding a large open parasol over that
part of it on which the head of the deceased lay. Alongside walked
the eldest son or the nearest male relative, carrying a small white
flag, and with his hair hanging in disorder over his shoulders. The
relations were all dressed in the deepest mourning--that is to say,
entirely in white; the men had even got white caps on, and the women
were so enveloped in white cloths that it was impossible to see so
much as their faces. The friends and attendants, who followed the
coffin in small groups without order or regularity, had all got a
white strip of cambric bound round their head, their waist, or their
arm. As soon as it was remarked that I had joined the procession, a
man who had a quantity of these strips, came up and offered me one,
which I took and bound round my arm.
The coffin, which consisted of the trunk of a large tree, was
covered with a dark-coloured cloth; a few garlands of flowers were
suspended from it, and some rice, tied up in a cloth, was placed
upon it. Four-and-twenty men bore this heavy burden on immense
poles: their behaviour was excessively lively, and every time they
changed, they began quarrelling or laughing among themselves. Nor
did the other personages in the ceremony display either grief or
respect; they ate, drank, smoked, and talked, while some carried
cold tea in small pails for the benefit of such as might be thirsty.
The son alone held himself aloof; he walked, according to custom,
plunged in deep sorrow by the side of the coffin.
On reaching the road that led to the last resting place, the son
threw himself upon the ground, and, covering up his face, sobbed
very audibly. After a little, he got up again and tottered behind
the coffin, so that two men were obliged to support him; he appeared
very ill and deeply moved. It is true, I was afterwards informed
that this grief is mostly merely assumed, since custom requires that
the chief mourner shall be, or pretend to be, weak and ill with
sorrow.
On arriving at the grave, which was seven feet deep, and dug on the
declivity of a hill, they laid the pall, flowers, and rice on one
side, and then, after throwing in a vast quantity of gold and silver
paper, lowered the coffin, which I then for the first time perceived
was of the finest workmanship, lacquered and hermetically closed.
At least half an hour was taken up by this part of the proceedings.
The relations at first threw themselves on the ground, and, covering
their faces, howled horribly, but finding the burial lasted rather
long, sat down in a circle all round, and taking their little
baskets of betel, burnt mussel-shells, and areca-nuts, began chewing
away with the greatest composure.
After the coffin was lowered into the grave, one of the attendants
advanced to the upper part of it, and opened the small packet of
rice, on which he placed a sort of compass. A cord was then handed
to him. He placed it over the middle of the compass, and altered
its position until it lay exactly in the same direction as the
needle. A second cord, with a plummet attached, was then held to
the first and let down into the grave, and the coffin moved
backwards and forwards according to this line, until the middle was
in the same direction as the needle: this arrangement consumed at
least another quarter of an hour.
After this, the coffin was covered over with numberless sheets of
white paper, and the person who had conducted the previous operation
made a short speech, during which the children of the deceased threw
themselves upon the ground. When it was finished, the speaker threw
a few handfuls of rice over the coffin and to the children, who held
up the corner of their outer garments so as to catch as many of the
grains as possible; but as they only succeeded in obtaining a few,
the speaker gave about a handful more, which they tied up carefully
in the corner of their dress, and took away with them.
The grave was at last filled in, when the relations set up a most
dismal howl, but, as far as I could remark, every eye was dry.
After this, boiled fowls, ducks, pork, fruit, all kinds of pastry,
and a dozen cups full of tea, together with the tea-pot, were placed
in two rows upon the grave, and six painted wax tapers lighted and
stuck in the ground near the refreshments. During all this time,
immense heaps of gold and silver paper were set fire to and
consumed.
The eldest son now approached the grave again, and threw himself
down several times, touching the ground on each occasion with his
forehead. Six perfumed paper tapers were handed to him a-light;
when he had swung them round in the air a few times he gave them
back, when they also, in their turn, were fixed in the earth. The
other relations performed the same ceremony.
During all this time, the priest had been sitting at a considerable
distance from the grave under the shade of a large parasol, and
without taking the slightest share in the proceedings. He now,
however, came forward, made a short speech, during which he rang a
small bell several times, and his duty was at an end. The
refreshments were cleared away, the tea poured over the grave, and
the whole company returned home in excellent spirits accompanied by
the music, which had also played at intervals over the grave. The
provisions, as I was informed, were distributed among the poor.
On the following day I witnessed the celebrated Chinese Feast of
Lanterns. From all the houses, at the corners of the roofs, from
high posts, etc., were hung innumerable lanterns, made of paper or
gauze, and most artistically ornamented with gods, warriors, and
animals. In the courts and gardens of the different houses, or,
where there were no courts or gardens, in the streets, all kinds of
refreshments and fruit were laid out with lights and flowers, in the
form of half pyramids on large tables. The people wandered about
the streets, gardens, and courts, until nearly midnight, when the
edible portions of the pyramids were eaten by the proprietors of
them. I was very much pleased with this feast, but with no part of
it more than the quiet and orderly behaviour of the people: they
looked at all the eatables with a scrutinizing glance, but without
touching the smallest fragment.
Singapore is situated 58' (nautical miles) north of the line, in 104
degrees East longitude, and the climate, when compared to that of
other southern countries, is very agreeable. During the period of
my stay, extending from September 3rd to October 8th, the heat
seldom exceeded 83 degrees 75' indoors, and 117 degrees in the sun.
There is never any great variation in the temperature, which is the
natural consequence of the place being near the equator. The sun
always rises and sets at 6 A.M. and 6 P.M. respectively, and is
immediately followed by full daylight or perfect night; the twilight
hardly lasting ten minutes.
In conclusion, I must remark that Singapore will shortly become the
central point of all the Indian steamers. Those from Hong-Kong,
Ceylon, Madras, Calcutta, and Europe arrive regularly once a month;
there is likewise a Dutch war-steamer from Batavia, and in a little
time there will also be steamers running to and fro between this
place, and Manilla and Sidney.