The Botanic Garden—The Croton tiglium—The true
Camphor-tree—The Malaleuca Kayu-puteh—Excursion into the
interior of the island—Botanical productions—Chinese farms
and plantations—Pepper harvest—Plantain-trees—Gambir
plantations—Boiling houses—Cultivation and preparation of
Gambir—Dense vegetation of the Jungles—Establishment of a
Chinese-planter.
The Botanic Garden will soon cease to exist. Of the valuable trees it
contained a few remain, liable frequently to injury from the inroads
and depredations of cattle; and I understand that its locality is to be
disposed of in lots for building. A large number of thriving nutmeg and
clove-trees laden with fruit, still remain; and a few common tea-trees
are seen flourishing, occasionally covered by blossoms, and fruit;
several _Bauhinias_, among which the _B. tomentosa_ was conspicuous
with its ornamental, delicate, white blossoms and leguminous pods, as
well as the _Gardenia_, whose fragrant flowers diffused a powerful scent
around some time before the shrub could be discerned; small plants of the
Champaca (_Michelia suaveolens_) were also seen, but had not yet attained
a sufficient elevation to gratify by the agreeable appearance and odour
of its blossoms, which are so much the delight of the Javanese women,
and other native females, who perfume and ornament themselves with its
flowers.
Among others which excite interest to those of the medical profession was
the _Croton tiglium_, at that time both in fruit and flower; from the
seeds of this shrub the well-known and powerful purgative Croton-oil is
obtained; the true camphor-tree (_Dryabalanops Camphora_ of Colebrooke)
from Sumatra, which yields the medicinal camphor[62] was also in the
garden; this valuable tree was in a very healthy and thriving condition,
and was nearly ten feet high; the _Malaleuca Kayu-puteh_, from which the
highly-valued cajeput, or, correctly speaking, Kayu-puteh oil is obtained
by distillation from the leaves, attracted my attention, and confirmed
my previously formed opinion, that a much larger quantity of this oil
might be obtained from the foliage of the Australian _Eucalypti-trees_;
more especially those which have opposite, rounded, and whitish leaves;
the oil produced by them being in considerable quantity. On taking and
rubbing the leaves of this _Malaleuca_ it would be very difficult to
distinguish it in odour from those of the _Eucalypti_, occasioned by the
oil contained in them; this valuable oil may therefore, at but little
expense, be distilled in any quantity in the colony of New South Wales;
the _genuine_ oil cannot be purchased at Singapore at a cheaper rate than
from two and a half to three dollars for a bottle, which contains about a
pint of the oil; but there is a large quantity of an adulterated article
very generally sold by the natives at this settlement. The tree, which
I felt some interest in examining, was about twelve feet high, branchy,
and was at this time both in flower and fruit; the bark was smooth and
velvety, and appeared to be deciduous, similar in character to that which
I have remarked in the _Malaleuca_ or tea-tree of New South Wales.[63]
Across the creek, at the upper part of the settlement and near the
splendid and extensive pile of buildings, the residence of E. Boustead,
Esq. is a wooden bridge, at present in a very dilapidated state, and
impassable for carriages, which is a source of great inconvenience to
ladies and others who visit across the water. It is reported that a new
bridge is in contemplation, to be erected a short distance above the
site of the old one; and it would be desirable, for the convenience of
the residents, that it should be commenced and finished as speedily as
possible.[64]
In company with Mr. Moor and Dr. Martin, I made an excursion into the
interior of the island, for the purpose of viewing the plantations of
Gambir, Pepper, &c. as well as for the purpose of investigating its
natural productions. Most of the residents, deeply engaged in mercantile
pursuits, find but little leisure or inclination to explore the island,
or ascertain its real capabilities, or the picturesque scenery and
fertile soil it contains, their rambles being merely confined to evening
drives, or walks, in the immediate vicinity of the settlement.
We went a short distance up the Singapore river in a sampan; the banks
abounded in the dark green and rank mangrove trees, behind which hills
arose, and occasional native dwellings. We did not proceed far before we
landed among some Malay houses, surrounded with numerous palm, fruit, and
flower trees; among which the lofty Jack tree, with its enormous fruit
pending from the trunk or larger branches, the feathered cocoa palm,
the erect Areka palm, a beautiful shrub of _Hibiscus rosa-chinensis_
covered by a profusion of large flowers of a delicate nankin colour, and
several large trees of the _Bixa orellana_, or arnotto of commerce, the
Cashumpa of the Malays, (some of whom occasionally used it as a dye,)
were numerous. One of these dwellings was a manufactory for the refining
of sago, and another a native foundry for small cannon; the powerful
fragrance of the tube rose (_Polianthes tuberosa_) was diffused around
at the very curly hour of the morning we arrived, when the sparkling
dew-drops had not yet forsaken the herbage, the sun not having yet the
power to cause their glistening and refreshing decorations to vanish.
From this picturesque little spot we proceeded through a jungle of lofty
grasses and shrubs, with elevated trees rising from the dense mass; a
sedge grass bearing a beautiful silvery inflorescence, the _Flemingea_,
_Melastoma_, different species of _Nauclea_, and numerous ferns were
seen; of the latter, among other elegant species, was the widely-spread
_Gleichenia Hermanni_, attaining the elevation amid the wilderness of six
and eight feet, and _Blechnum_, _Polypodium_, _Lycopodium_, were mingled
with others, adding to the denseness of the vegetation. As the sun rose
and diffused its rays around, a great number of butterflies, beetles,
and other insects passed away in enjoyment their short fleeting lives,
and revelled upon the sweets the flowers contained. A lofty species of
_Pandanus_, named by the Malays Ninpuan, was very abundant in moist
situations; it rose with its long foliage bending at the extremities, and
as the tree increased in elevation it bore a closer resemblance to the
growth of the palm tree, and attained the height of forty and fifty feet.
The leaves of this tree bleaching about the Malay houses, I found were
used by them for a variety of purposes, as coverings for their dwellings,
and the manufacture of coarse mats.
We often emerged from the pathways leading through a wild country, upon
neat cottages, surrounded by plantations, inhabited and cultivated by
that industrious class of people, the Chinese. A primary object of
cultivation, I observed, was the Gambir-shrub,[65] and the pepper-vine:
the former was cultivated and exported to a much greater extent, until
the Dutch government, by heavy duties, prohibited its introduction
into Java, in order to encourage the cultivation and exportation of it
from their own settlement at Rhio. Vegetables of different kinds, the
sugar-cane, &c. are also cultivated for the supply of the Singapore
market.
The situations selected by the Chinese in this undulating country, for
their farms and plantations were upon, or close to the sloping hills;
and these places are selected for the Gambir and pepper plantations, the
lower land proving too swampy. The pepper harvest had commenced, and the
vines had the appearance of being very productive this season, being
covered with a profusion of clusters of the pepper-berries, large, and
of fine quality.[66] Some had even attained maturity, having changed from
a dark-green to a vivid red. From the latter, the berry being in a ripe
state, the white pepper is made; some of very excellent quality was shown
us by a Chinese planter who had prepared it.
Instead of the usual and tedious process of drying the pepper in the sun
after it has been gathered, I observed the planters, after collecting
a large quantity together, steam it; by which, the drying process is
expedited, without, it is said, the pepper losing any of its flavour by
the operation. At the various plantations I visited, this process was
found most generally adopted, although a small quantity was in a few
instances laid out upon mats in the sun to dry. The steaming process is
almost invariably adopted when the immediate demand for the article is
very great, as it was at this time, pepper being in considerable demand
at Singapore, for the English market. It was stated to me, that three
thousand pepper-vines will produce fifty peculs of pepper annually.
The pepper vines are planted in rows, a short distance apart one from the
other, and were, in this instance, trailed up split pieces of dead wood,
which served as a prop to the vines; some were tied to their support; but
generally they naturally attached themselves, by giving out fasciculi of
roots from the joints, at certain distances.
Plantain trees were occasionally seen in the pepper plantations, probably
for the certain degree of shade and moisture they may have afforded. It
is said, that a pepper plantation will not thrive unless it be near one
of the Gambir shrubs, or rather upon an estate where the Gambir extract
is prepared. This was considered to result from the refuse leaves of the
Gambir, after boiling, being requisite as manure for the vines. From my
own observation, I ascertained this not to be the precise reason of the
pepper-vines thriving better where Gambir-boiling houses and plantations
existed, but from the Gambir leaves, after they had undergone the boiling
process in the manufacture of the extract from them, being strewn thickly
over the surface of the ground between the vines, for the purpose of
preserving it in a cool and moist state. This was the principal reason
of its being used, and, of course, the soil was finally improved by it,
as well as it would be by any other dead vegetable matter. I did not
observe in even a solitary instance that it was used about the roots of
the vines, but, on the contrary, it was kept cleared from them, the roots
of the vines having the earth hoed up about them, leaving a circular
space around, and ashes were occasionally mingled with the earth about
them, as a manure.
The Gambir plantations were very numerous, as well as those of pepper;
and it surprises me, that from the great and general demand for the
latter production, both in the China and European markets, it is not an
article of more general cultivation. Some persons have asserted that the
soil of Singapore is not calculated for the production of pepper; but if
in the numerous plantations I have seen, large clusters of fine berries,
excellent both in appearance and flavour, is a sufficient denial of
the assertion, I can readily make it, and hope its cultivation will be
encouraged. Two or three thousand peculs of pepper are collected annually
at Singapore.
I had fortunately an opportunity of observing at several of the Gambir
boiling-houses, the process of manufacturing that extract, from
the collecting of the prunings, the stripping of the leaves, to the
completion. The shrubs were from five to seven feet high, with rather
drooping branches; the time of collecting, is when the shrubs require
pruning, which is usually every six months; and the trees would be
injured, if not destroyed in value, were they not regularly pruned. It is
stated, that one shrub will exist and produce the extract for twenty-five
or thirty years, if properly and regularly attended to: every care is
taken to keep the plantations free from weeds.
I have observed, that the time of collecting the leaves for the
manufacture of the extract, was at the time the shrubs required
pruning. This, on passing through a plantation, I had an opportunity of
witnessing. The too luxuriant branches were cut off with a pruning knife,
collected into baskets, and then conveyed to the boiling-house, which is
erected in the midst of Gambir plantations, the whole of which, at the
period of my visiting them, were in full operation; the leaves are then
stripped from the pruned branches in the boiling-house, and afterwards
placed into the Qualie or cauldron; (which is made of bark, with an iron
bottom;) under this is an enormous fire, which consumes a very large
quantity of wood; the leaves were frequently stirred, and such additions
of them made, as were required by their diminution during the boiling
process, until the cauldron being entirely full they are suffered to boil
for some length of time together. After thus remaining for several hours,
the leaves are removed from the cauldron, and placed upon a large bark
shoot near it; and the drainings from them return into the vessel.
The leaves are usually boiled twice, and, after being well washed
upon the shoot, the washings are thrown into the cauldron, so that
none of the extract may be lost. The leaves are then consigned to
their final destination, that of being strewn over the soil of the
pepper plantations. The liquor remaining in the cauldron, as well as
the drainings, is reboiled, and inspissated until it arrives at the
consistence of a very thick extract: it is then placed into oblong
moulds. At this time, it resembles very much a very light yellowish-brown
clay. After remaining some time in the mould, it is taken out, divided
with a knife into pieces, subdivided into small squares, and placed upon
a raised platform in the sun to dry. It becomes, when hard and dry, of a
very dark-brown colour, displaying in the interior, on being fractured,
a light-yellowish brown.[67]
From my own observation, as well as from the assertions of all the
Chinese manufacturers of this extract, whose boiling-houses were visited,
no sago was used in the preparation, although it has been asserted by
many writers, that the sago is required to give consistence to the
extract; but a good extract ought certainly to have sufficient density in
itself without the addition of any other substance.[68]
The flavour of the extract is very pleasant, having at first the
agreeable sweetish taste of the liquorice-root, and afterwards a not
unpleasant astringent bitter flavour. The largest quantity of this
extract is consumed in Java; being used by the Javanese in coarse dyes,
as well as a masticatory. The Dutch government encourage, to a great
extent, the cultivation of Gambir, at their settlement of Rhio, on the
Island of Bintang, as they derive a large revenue from its importation
and extensive consumption in Java: a prohibitory duty being also placed
upon all Gambir produced in foreign settlements, has still further
caused the increase, and still increasing, preparation of it at Rhio. I
am indebted to the kindness of a mercantile gentleman at Singapore, who
visited and resided for some time at Rhio, for the following observations
upon the cultivation and preparation of the Gambir at that settlement,
together with the quantity annually exported.
The island of Bintang contains about six thousand Gambir plantations,
the larger ones consisting each of from eighty to a hundred thousand
trees; the smaller plantations, or, as named by the Malays, gardens,
contain from three to four thousand. The shrubs are in full bearing, and
covered with foliage, ten months in the year; but during December and
January, the leaves change to a yellow colour, and consequently are then
in an unfit state for producing the extract. Of course, at some parts of
the year, the Gambir manufacturers have nothing to do, the shrubs not
being in a fit state for pruning; but if the demand for the extract is
very great, the rack-renters will, even at the risk of destroying the
plantation, cut off the branches, and convert both them and the leaves
into extract. There are at present upwards of eight hundred plantations
in Rhio, completely ruined by this system, which took place in the month
of April last, at which time Gambir extract was in very great demand. One
boiling-house, or manufactory, is usually attached to about every forty
Gambir plantations. It may be observed, that during the rainy season the
extract produced is of an inferior quality to that which is made during
hot, dry weather, although the foliage being in greater proportion, more
extract is yielded by them.
During the wet season, vegetation is very rapid in its progress on the
shrubs: if stripped entirely of their foliage, it is not an uncommon
circumstance, in the space of five days, to see them renewed, and covered
with verdure. The production of Gambir, during the year 1829, amounted to
thirty-one thousand peculs; in 1830, it amounted to thirty-five thousand
peculs; in 1831, to forty-seven thousand peculs; in 1832, to sixty-three
thousand peculs; and for the present year, 1833, will amount to full
seventy thousand peculs; and each pecul, of one hundred and thirty-three
pounds, pays to the Dutch government the sum of eight rupees, which, at
seventy thousand peculs, brings to them the large annual revenue of five
hundred and sixty thousand rupees.
It is surprising that no place has yet been found in the Eastern
Archipelago from whence Gambir can be procured that can at all compete
in quality with that produced at Rhio. The island of Lingin produces
a quality next to that of Rhio; and it is worthy of remark, that Rhio
owes its good name to Lingin, as the Gambir, the produce of that island,
was not held in any estimation, until Rhio planters (Chinese) went to
Lingin to acquire the art of manufacturing it; and they also brought with
them the Gambir plants from that place to Rhio, where it was found to
thrive and produce a better extract than at Lingin. A Gambir plantation,
after it has attained three years’ growth, may be considered capable of
yielding good extract, and will continue to do so, if properly attended
to, for the space of nine or ten years.
The Chinese, possessing plantations of Gambir at Singapore, informed me,
that twenty thousand peculs were manufactured annually upon the island;
and some quantity of it was taken away by the Borneo and other native
vessels. There are one hundred and fifty Gambir plantations upon the
island, not including a number of plantations of young trees not yet
producing the extract: there are also about one hundred and seventy
plantations of the pepper-vine upon the island.
At Rhio, as well as in Gambir manufactories generally, the whole of
the leaves, (and sometimes even the stalks,) without any regard to
their selection, are used. It appears, also, that when the qualie, or
cauldron, is new, the extract prepared in it becomes very dark, and is
sold only as a second quality at Rhio, and is almost unsaleable in the
Java market: after the cauldron, however, has been in use for one or two
years, the extract manufactured in it becomes of a much lighter colour.
As the cauldrons are made principally of bark, it must be some colouring
matter in it that is bestowed upon the extract; from this circumstance
the old cauldrons are held more in estimation than the new. It appears
that the white kind made at Rhio, by the women in their own houses, is
not a regular article of commerce; but is preferred by a few for its
refined appearance: it is prepared and brought into a white state, by the
extract being re-dissolved, and passed through several washings, until
the sediment has become of a white colour, when it is taken out, formed
into cakes, and dried in the sun. It is rarely used in comparison with
the other kinds of the Gambir extract.
As we left the plantations, and entered the jungles, a dense vegetation
surrounded us on every side, except the small pathway which led through
it: the pathway, overshadowed by trees and entwining plants, made our
walk during the heat of noon-day, in these situations, delightfully cool
and refreshing. The _Sukun utan_, or wild bread-fruit trees, were very
numerous in the jungle; the forest trees, towering to a great elevation,
without a branch except at the summit, gave them much the character of
those of Australia, but unlike them, in not having their foliage dull
and arid. Many birds were shot, of the fly-catcher tribe, of handsome
plumage; a beautiful small black falcon, not more than four or five
inches in length, and some other small birds; but the feathered tribe
were far from numerous: the swallow (not differing from our European
species) was abundant about the settlement of Singapore; but I did not
observe any in the interior of the island.
About eight A.M. we arrived at the extensive Gambir and pepper
plantations, garden, orangery, and neat habitation of a Chinese, who
informed us that he had been ten years upon the island. We breakfasted
at this place, a servant having been previously sent on with provisions;
but we always found the Chinese planters eager to provide us with any
provisions they had. He supplied our table, however, with some excellent
oranges from his garden: he has upwards of two hundred orange trees,
(which had been originally brought from China,) of large size and in full
bearing, which brought him in a good annual income, from the sale of the
fruit in the Singapore market. He said he had expended fifteen thousand
dollars upon the cultivation and improvement of his farm.
Many Chinese are settled in the interior of this island, upon land for
which no quit-rent having been paid, they render themselves liable to
lose the ground they have cleared and cultivated, unless they pay the
heavy sum demanded by the government as quit-rent. However, I am not
aware of any such oppressive measures having yet been resorted to by the
government, and hope the tax on the industry and general cultivation of
the land will be removed altogether; and by bestowing small grants upon
the settlers, render the island a garden instead of a jungle—productive,
instead of barren.
Although I devoted much attention to the subject of quit-rents, and
collected much information on the question, I do not consider that I can
do better than insert the following intelligent remarks, which have been
published in the Singapore Chronicles of January 24th, and February
7th, 1833. The subject is one immediately connected with the welfare of
the island; and should the tax be rescinded, which would encourage both
emigration and cultivation, we may expect to see the dense forest give
place to houses and plantations, smiling with the animation such scenery
would occasion, encouraging industry, and adding to the wealth of the
settlement.
“We have already noticed, on one or two previous occasions, the great
prohibitions which exist to the cultivation and consequent improvement of
this island, in the excessive quit-rents which are required by government
on all grants of land, whether within the limits of the town, or beyond
it. The terms of this impost we have already noticed, but we think the
subject will not suffer by our mentioning them again.
“Persons desirous of clearing and cultivating waste and forest land, must
make application to the superintendent of lands, stating the district
and place where the land is situated; also the description of land,
whether hill or level land, and also its extent. After due survey, the
superintendent will report the application to the chief civil authority,
who, if no objection exists, will grant a permit to clear the land,
which must be effected within such time as may be determined. The land
being cleared, the holder of the permit shall be entitled to a lease,
subject to the following limitation and provisions:—that the rate of rent
shall not exceed one dollar per acre, on the first lease given, fifteen
years being the duration;—that the lease so granted shall be, at its
expiration exchanged, for a second lease for a future term of fifteen
years, at such rate as shall be determined on, not exceeding three
dollars per acre;—that on the expiration of the second lease, a third,
for fifteen years, shall be granted, at a rate not exceeding six dollars
per acre;—that on the expiration of the third lease, a fourth shall be
granted, at a rate not exceeding ten dollars per acre.
“It shall be optional with the government, in the event of the
leaseholder refusing to accept a lease at, or under the rates above
specified, to eject the holder and resume the land with all buildings
thereon. The rate of ten dollars per acre, being declared to be the
maximum of rent demandable for lands occupied for cultivation, and beyond
the limits of the town of Singapore, or any other town that may be
hereafter established, it shall be optional with leaseholders to demand a
permanent lease of nine hundred and ninety-nine years at the rate of ten
dollars per acre, per annum.
“The foregoing rules, however, are applicable only to lands beyond
the limits of the town, and occupied for agricultural purposes; those
respecting ground occupied within the limits of the town, for the
erection of buildings, being different. For such ground, the rate
of quit-rent has been fixed, on regular leases for nine hundred and
ninety-nine years, at one dollar for nine hundred and sixty-six feet, or
in the proportion of forty five dollars per acre.
“Such are the terms on which land is held at this settlement, and
which we declare to be prohibitions to an extended cultivation and the
general improvement of the island. In the first place, with regard to
land beyond the limits of the town, the rent, even on the first lease,
cannot be considered moderate, at a dollar an acre, as the leaseholder
must necessarily incur considerable expense, at the commencement, in
clearing the land, which, for the most part, is overgrown with jungle
and forest. To repay himself for this expenditure, and to render the
speculation worthy of his time and attention, the ground must be made to
yield productions calculated to realize some profit. Those most likely to
do so, on this island, (from its hilly nature,) are spices, and certain
descriptions of fruit. But many years must elapse before the trees
will bear, during which the leaseholder is involved in a necessary and
unavoidable expense, which his undertaking may finally be unable to repay.
“The case may not be so applicable to lands suitable for the cultivation
of grain or vegetables, which are speedily raised, and require but small
outlay, yet even these could not, from their cheapness, realize a profit
whenever the land should become chargeable with a rent of ten dollars an
acre.
“The periodical leases, renewable after fifteen years, seem to be
considered by most as of little value; they afford no security for
fixed property in the soil, as a grant on one of these leases is liable
to be resumed by government, ‘with all buildings thereon,’ should the
leaseholder or his heirs not choose to comply with the terms of the new
lease. A permanent lease, on the contrary, establishes the property in
the leaseholder’s family, and he is induced, through a certainty of
security for the future, to invest and risk more means in endeavouring to
render his land productive, than he could prudently do, when the lease
is only periodical. But the excessive rate of the present rent acts as
a formidable prohibition to many, who would, were the rent reduced, be
well disposed to invest property in agricultural speculations on this
island.
“The injurious effects of the present system are but too apparent in
the neglected and uncultivated condition of that very great portion
of the island which is beyond the immediate influence of the town and
suburbs, and where deep solitude and wild nature reign paramount. The
island of Singapore measures about fifty miles in circumference, we
believe; and yet a very small portion of it is under cultivation, owing,
in a great degree, to the high rents required for grants of land. The
great depreciation of the value of landed property is another palpably
injurious effect arising from the present system. We could point out
instances where landed property has been sacrificed, at a great loss to
the owners, merely for the sake of getting rid of the heavy burden of
the quit-rent with which the land is chargeable. One case to the point
will exhibit the matter in a still stronger light. We know of a lot of
twenty acres, mostly hill, well situated, contiguous to the town, and
under cultivation; there is likewise a substantial dwelling-house, in
a commanding situation, which, from its original cost, could not be
rented under forty dollars a month, at least: this sum, in twelve months,
amounts to four hundred and eighty dollars; but the quit-rent, if a
permanent lease be taken out, would be two hundred dollars a year, which
leaves two hundred and eighty dollars only to pay the interest of the
money originally spent on the property, exclusive of other charges. This
property is, however, to be disposed of, at a sum amounting to about
one-half of what the owner expended in building on it; yet, with such a
reduction, and although the ground is so eligibly situated, no purchasers
can be found, solely because the prospect of paying two hundred dollars a
year quit-rent, deters those who are willing to purchase, while it makes
the owner anxious to part with the property at a great sacrifice.
“We believe the local government is fully sensible of the impolicy and
ruinous consequences of the present rate of rents; and we understand
that the present governor, Mr. Ibbetson, even recommended a reduction,
substituting sicca rupees for dollars; but that the Court of Directors
would not hear of such a thing, and insisted on a strict observance of
all Mr. Fullerton’s regulations, and an adoption of his principles. We
need scarcely add, the land-regulations, now under review, were framed by
the latter gentleman.
“It seems to us, that this refusal to accede to a most reasonable
and wise measure, was dictated more by infatuation than by any other
visible cause. Probably the directors imagine this island contains an
_El Dorado_, somewhere in its unknown parts, from which they or their
successors in governing will derive, at some future time, incalculable
wealth, arising from hidden mines of gold or tin. We wish them success in
this prospect; but we can assure them, notwithstanding, they will find
hereafter that the best and most valuable treasure is to be obtained
by allowing the island to be freely cultivated, under a liberal system
of encouragement to those who are inclined to commence agricultural
pursuits. If such were adopted, population would soon increase _in
reality_, and with it, private wealth and public revenue; the latter
derived, both from an extended cultivation of land, held under very
moderate rents, and from an extension of the revenue-farms, which must
naturally rise in value with an increase of population.
“The daily and common articles of food, for which we are at present
indebted to the neighbouring states and islands, by becoming naturalized,
would be much cheaper than at present. To the shipping this would prove
a very great advantage, as, at some seasons, the charge for supplying
ships is enormous; at all times, indeed, it is much higher than at most
other ports in India. The plantations of cloves, nutmegs, pepper, coffee,
sugar, and rice, which could then be raised throughout the island with
advantage, would moreover render it a far greater acquisition to the
British government than it is at present.
“We have hitherto treated this important subject on grounds of justice
to the settlement itself, and advantage to the government. We shall now
argue by analogy. Our neighbours at Rhio, profiting by the unwise and
illiberal system adopted here with regard to lands, have rendered the
island of _Bintang_ (which we believe is double the size of Singapore) a
very valuable and fertile possession. We have been given to understand
that no less than sixty thousand peculs of pepper are annually raised on
that island; nearly the whole of which is under cultivation by Chinese.
Besides these productions, raw dammer, wood oil, bark, and timber, are
obtained. The gambir is mostly exported to Java, and the pepper to this
port. From these articles the Rhio government derive a moderate revenue
by means of farms.
“Here is an example set by a neighbouring settlement, generally
considered inferior to this, which is well worthy of imitation; and
if our worthy rulers would only forego their anti-colonization, and
anti-improvement notions, even before the present rapid strides of a
reforming age compel them to do so, they would do well to cause this
island to rival, or rather excel, _Bintang_ in its productions.”[69]