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THE GOLDEN CHERSONESE AND THE WAY THITHER
THE GOLDEN CHERSONESE AND THE WAY THITHER
BY ISABELLA L. BIRD (Mrs. Bishop) In presenting to the public the last installment of my travels in the Far East, in 1879, I desire to offer, both to my readers and critics, my grateful acknowledgments for the kindness with which my letters from Japan were received, and to ask for an equally kind and lenient estimate of my present volume, which has been prepared for publication under the heavy shadow of the loss of the beloved and only sister to whom the letters of which it consists were written
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INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER
The Aurea Chersonesus—The Conquest of Malacca—The Straits Settlements—The Configuration of the Peninsula—A Terra Incognita— The Monsoons—Products of the Peninsula—The Great Vampire—Beasts and Reptiles—Malignant and Harmless Insects—Land and Water Birds— Traditions of Malay Immigration—Wild and Civilized Races—Kafirs— The Samangs and Orang-outang—Characteristics of the Jakuns— Babas and Sinkehs—The Malay Physiognomy—Language andLiterature— Malay Poetry and Music—Malay Astronomy—Education and Law—
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LETTER I
LETTER I
The Steamer Volga—Days of Darkness—First View of Hong Kong—Hong Kong on Fire—Apathy of the Houseless—The Fire Breaks Out Again—An Eclipse of Gayety S.S. "VOLGA," CHINA SEA, Christmas Eve, 1878. The snowy dome of Fujisan, reddening in the sunrise, rose above the violet woodlands of Mississippi Bay as we steamed out of Yokohama harbor on the 19th, and three days later I saw the last of Japan—a rugged coast, lashed by a wintry sea. THE PALACE, VICTORIA, HONG KONG, December 27. Of the voyage to Hong
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LETTER II
LETTER II
A Delightful Climate—Imprisoned Fever Germs—"Pidjun" English—Hong Kong Harbor—Prosperity of Hong Kong—Rampageous Criminal Classes—Circumspice! THE PALACE, VICTORIA, December 29. I like and admire Victoria. It is so pleasant to come in from the dark, misty, coarse, loud-tongued Pacific, and the December colorlessness of Japan to bright blue waters crisped by a perpetual north wind—to the flaming hills of the Asian mainland, which are red in the early morning, redder in the glow of noon, and pass
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LETTER III
LETTER III
The S.S. Kin Kiang—First View of Canton—The Island of Shameen—England in Canton—The Tartar City—Drains and Barricades—Canton at Night—Street Picturesqueness—Ghastly Gifts—Oriental Enchantments—The Examination Hall S.S. "KIN KIANG," December 30. You will remember that it is not very long since a piratical party of Chinese, shipping as steerage passengers on board one of these Hong Kong river steamers, massacred the officers and captured the boat. On board this great, white, deck-above-deck Americ
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LETTER IV
LETTER IV
"Faithful unto Death"—"Foreign Devils"—Junks and Boats—Chinese Luxury—Canton Afloat—An Al Fresco Lunch-Light and Color—A Mundane Disappointment—Street Sights and Sounds—Street Costume—Food and Restaurants—A Marriage Procession—Temples and Worship—Crippled Feet REV. B. C. HENRY'S, CANTON, January 6. In the week in which I have been here I have given myself up to ceaseless sight-seeing. Almost the first sight that I saw on arriving in this quarter, which is in Canton itself, was a number of Christ
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LETTER V
LETTER V
Portuguese Missionaries—A Chinese Hospital—Chinese Anaesthetics—Surgery and Medicine—Ventilation and Cleanliness—A Chinese "Afternoon Tea"—A New Inspiration HONG KONG, January 10. The year seems already getting old and frowzy. Under these blue skies, and with all the doors and windows open, I should think it midsummer if I did not look at the calendar. Oh, how I like blue, sunny skies, instead of gray and grim ones, and blazing colors instead of the dismal grays and browns of our nondescript win
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LETTER VI
LETTER VI
A Cochin China River—The Ambition of Saigon—A French Colonial Metropolis—European Life in Saigon-A Cochin-Chinese Village—"Afternoon Tea" in Choquan—Anamese Children—Anamite Costume—Anamite River-Dwellings—An Amphibious Population—An Unsuccessful Colony—"With the Big Toe"—Three Persecuting Kings—Saigon S.S. "SINDH," CHINA SEA, January. This steamer, one of the finest of the Messageries Maritimes line, is perfect in all respects, and has a deck like that of an old-fashioned frigate. The weather h
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LETTER VII
LETTER VII
Beauties of the Tropics—Singapore Hospitality—An Equatorial Metropolis—An Aimless Existence—The Growth of Singapore—"Farms" and "Farmers"—The Staple of Conversation—The Glitter of "Barbaric Gold"—A Polyglot Population—A Mediocre People—Female Grace and Beauty—The "Asian Mystery"—Oriental Picturesqueness—The Metamorphosis of Singapore SINGAPORE, January 19, 1879. It is hot—so hot!—but not stifling, and all the rich-flavored, colored fruits of the tropics are here—fruits whose generous juices are
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LETTER VIII
LETTER VIII
St. Andrew's Cathedral—Singapore Harbor Scenes—Chinese Preponderance—First Impressions of Malacca—A Town "Out of the Running" S.S. "RAINBOW," MALACCA ROADS, January 20. Yesterday I attended morning service in St. Andrew's, a fine colonial cathedral, prettily situated on a broad grass lawn among clumps of trees near the sea. There is some stained glass in the apse, but in the other windows, including those in the clerestory, Venetian shutters take the place of glass, as in all the European houses
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LETTER IX
LETTER IX
The Lieutenant-Governor of Malacca—A Charming Household—The Old Stadthaus—A Stately Habitation—An Endless Siesta—A Tropic Dream—Chinese Houses—Chinese Wealth and Ascendency—"Opium Farming"—The Malacca Jungle—Mohammedan Burial-Places—Malay Villages—Malay Characteristics—Costume and Ornament—Bigotry and Pilgrimage—The Malay Buffalo STADTHAUS, MALACCA, January 21-23. This must surely fade like a dream, this grand old Stadthaus, this old-world quiet, this quaint life; but when it fades I think I sha
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LETTER X
LETTER X
Malacca Mediaevalism—Tiger Stories—The Chinese Carnival—Gold and Gems—A Weight of Splendor—New-Year Rejoicings—Syed Abdulrahman—A Mohammedan Princess—A Haunted City—Francis Xavier—The Reward of "Pluck"—Projects of Travel STADTHAUS, MALACCA, January 23. Malacca fascinates me more and more daily. There is, among other things, a mediaevalism about it. The noise of the modern world reaches it only in the faintest echoes; its sleep is almost dreamless, its sensations seem to come out of books read in
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A CHAPTER ON SUNGEI UJONG
A CHAPTER ON SUNGEI UJONG
The Puzzles of the Peninsula—Sungei Ujong—A Malay Confederation—Syed Abdulrahman—The Revenue of Sungei Ujong—Scenery and Productions—The New Datu Klana—A "Dual Control" I had never heard of this little State until I reached Singapore, and probably many people are as ignorant as I was. The whole peninsula, from Johore in the south to Kedah in the north, is a puzzle, what with British colonies, Singapore, Malacca, and Province Wellesley, and "Protected States," Sungei Ujong, Selangor, and Perak, n
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LETTER XI
LETTER XI
A Mangrove Swamp—Jungle Dwellers—The Sempang Police Station—Shooting Alligators—The River Linggi—A Somber-Faced Throng—Stuck Fast at Permatang Pasir—Fair Impediments SEMPANG POLICE STATION (At the junction of the Loboh-Chena, and Linggi rivers), Territory of the Datu Klana of Sungei Ujong, Malay Peninsula. January 24, 1 P.M. Mercury, 87 degrees. We left Malacca at seven this morning in the small, unseaworthy, untrustworthy, unrigged steam-launch Moosmee, and after crawling for some hours at a sp
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LETTER XII
LETTER XII
The Tomb of "A Great Prophet"—"Durance Vile"—Fragile Travelers—Our Craft—A Night in the Jungle—Nocturnal Revelations—January in the Perak Jungle—Glories of the Jungle—Activity and Stillness—An Uneasy Night—A Slim Repast—Betel-Chewing—A Severe Disappointment—Police Station at Rassa BRITISH RESIDENCY, SERAMBANG, SUNGEI UJONG, January 26. By the date of my letter you will see that our difficulties have been surmounted. I continue my narrative in a temperature which, in my room—shaded though it is—h
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LETTER XIII
LETTER XIII
The Appurtenances of Civilization—Babu—Characteristics of Captain Murray—An Embodied Government—Chinese Mining Enterprise—A Chinese Gaming-House—The "Capitans China"—New-Year Visits—Sittings "In Equity"—A Court of Justice—The Serambang Prison—"Plantation Hill"—A Monster Bonfire—An Ant World—An Ant Funeral—Night on "Plantation Hill"—The Murder of Mr. Lloyd—A Chinese Dragon Play—A Visit to a Malay Prince—The Datu Bandar's House—A Great Temptation—The Return Journey—An Obituary Quotation RESIDENCY,
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A CHAPTER ON SELANGOR*
A CHAPTER ON SELANGOR*
Selangor—Capabilities of Selangor—Natural Capabilities—Lawlessness in Selangor—British Interference in Selangor—A Hopeful Outlook Selangor is a small State lying between 2 degrees 34', and 3 degrees 42' N. Its coast-line is about one hundred and twenty miles in length. Perak is its northern boundary, Sungei Ujong its southern, and some of the small States of the Negri Sembilan and unexplored jungle and mountains separate it from Pahang on the east. It is watered by the Selangor, Klang and Langat
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LETTER XIV
LETTER XIV
The S.S. Rainbow—Sunset at Malacca—A Night at Sea—The Residency at Klang—Our "Next-of-Kin"—The Decay of Klang—A Remarkable Chinaman—Theatrical Magnificence—Misdeed of a "Rogue Elephant"—"A Cobra! A Cobra!" S.S. "RAINBOW," MALACCA ROADS, February 1, 5 P.M. I am once again on board this quaint little Chinese steamer, which is rolling on a lazy ground-swell on the heated, shallow sea. We were to have sailed at four P.M., but mat-sailed boats, with cargoes of Chinese, Malays, fowls, pine-apples, and
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LETTER XV
LETTER XV
Tiger Mosquitoes—Insect Torments—A Hadji's Fate—Malay Custom—Oaths and Lies—A False Alarm THE RESIDENCY, KLANG, February 7. I have had two days of supposed quiet here after the charming expedition to Langat. The climate seems very healthy. The mercury has been 87 degrees daily, but then it falls to 74 degrees at night. The barometer, as is usual so near the equator, varies only a few tenths of an inch during the year. The rainfall is about 130 inches annually. It is most abundant in January, Feb
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LETTER XVI
LETTER XVI
A Yachting Voyage—The Destruction of Selangor—Varieties of Slime—Swamp Fever—An Unprosperous Region—A "Deadly-Lively" Morning—A Waif and Stray—The Superintendent of Police STEAM-LAUNCH "ABDULSAMAT" February 7. You will certainly think, from the dates of my letters, that I am usually at sea. The Resident, his daughter, Mrs. Daly, Mr. Hawley, a revenue officer, and I, left Klang this morning at eight for a two days' voyage in this bit of a thing. Blessed be "the belt of calms!" There was the usual
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LETTER XVII
LETTER XVII
The Dindings—The Tragedy on Pulu Pangkor—A Tropic Sunrise—Sir W. Robinson's Departure—"A Touch of the Sun"—Kling Beauty—A Question and Answer—The Bazaars of Georgetown—The Chinaman Goes Ahead—The Products of Pinang—Pepper-Planting HOTEL DE L'EUROPE, PINANG, February 9. In the evening we reached the Dindings, a lovely group of small islands ceded to England by the Pangkor Treaty, and just now in the height of an unenviable notoriety. The sun was low and the great heat past, the breeze had died aw
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A CHAPTER ON PERAK
A CHAPTER ON PERAK
The Boundaries and Rivers of Perak—Tin Mining—Fruits and Vegetables—The Gomuti Palm—The Trade of Perak—A Future of Coffee—A Hopeful Lookout—Chinese Difficulties—Chinese Disturbances in Larut—The "Pangkor Treaty"—A "Little War"—The Settlement of Perak—The Resident and Assistant-Resident The "protected" State of Perak (pronounced Payrah) is the richest and most important of the States of the Peninsula, as well as one of the largest. Its coast-line, broken into, however, by a bit of British territo
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LETTER XVIII
LETTER XVIII
Province Wellesley—Water Buffaloes—A Glorious Night—Perak Officials—A "Dismal Swamp"—Elephants at Home—An Epigrammatic Description—The British Residency at Taipeng—Sultan Abdulla's Boys—A Chinese Mining Town—The "Armed Police"—An Alligator's Victim—Major Swinburne—A Larut Dinner Party—A Morning Hymn BRITISH RESIDENCY, LARUT, February 11. I left Mr. Justice Wood's yesterday, and his servant dispatched me from the jetty in a large boat with an attap awning and six Kling rowers, whose oars worked i
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LETTER XIX
LETTER XIX
The Chinese in Larut—"Monkey Cups"—Chinese Hospitality—A Sikh Belle I am remaining here for another day or two, so have time to tell you a little about the surroundings. Larut province is a strip of land about seventy miles long, and from twenty-five to forty-five broad. It was little known, and almost unexplored till 1848, when a Malay, while bathing, found some coarse, black sand, which, on being assayed, proved to be tin. He obtained twenty Chinese coolies, opened a mine which turned out lucr
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LETTER XX
LETTER XX
Novel Circumstances—The Excitements of the Jungle—Eternal Summer—The Sensitive Plant—The Lotus Lake of Matang— Elephant Ugliness—A Malay Mahout—A Novel Experience— Domestic Pets—Malay Hospitality-Land Leeches—"A Fearful Joy"—The End of My First Elephant Ride—Kwala Kangsa BRITISH RESIDENCY, KWALA KANGSA, February 16. This is rather exciting, for I have had an unusual journey, and my circumstances are unusual, for Mr. Low, the Resident, has not returned, and I am not only alone in his bungalow in
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LETTER XX (CONTINUED)
LETTER XX (CONTINUED)
Mystification—A Grotesque Dinner-Party—Mahmoud and Eblis—Fun and Frolic—Mahmoud's Antics—A Perak Jungle—The Poetry of Tropical Life—Village Life—The Officials of the Mosques—A Moslem Funeral—The "Royal Elephant"—Swimming the Perak—The Village of Koto-lamah—A "Pirate's Nest"—Rajah Dris I fear that the involvement and confusion of dates in this letter will be most puzzling. I was received by a magnificent Oriental butler, and after I had had a delicious bath, dinner, or what Assam was pleased to c
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LETTER XXI
LETTER XXI
A Malay Interior—Malay Bird-Scaring—Rice Culture—Picturesque Dismalness—A Bad Spell—An Alarm—Possibilities of Peril—Patience and Kindness—Masculine Clatter KWALA KANGSA, February 20. Yesterday afternoon I had an expedition which I liked very much, though it ended a little awkwardly owing to a late start. Captain Walker was going on a shooting excursion to a lotus lake at some distance, and invited me to join him. So we started after tiffin with two Malays, crossed the Perak in a "dug-out," and w
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LETTER XXII
LETTER XXII
A Pleasant Canter—A Morning Hymn—The Pass of Bukit Berapit—The "Wearing World" Again!—A Bad Spirit—Malay Demonology—"Running Amuck"—An Amok-Runner's Career—The Supposed Origin of Amok—Jungle Openings in Perak—Debt-Slavery—The Fate of Three Runaway Slaves—Moslem Prayers—"Living Like Leeches"—Malay Proverbs—A "Ten-Thousand-Man Umbrella" BRITISH RESIDENCY, TAIPENG, February 21. I am once again on this breezy hill, watching the purple cloud-shadows sail over the level expanse of tree-tops and mangro
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LETTER XXIII
LETTER XXIII
"Gang Murders"—Malay Nicknames—A Persecuted Infant—The Last of the Golden Chersonese MR. JUSTICE WOOD'S, THE PEAK, PINANG, February 24. However kind and hospitable people are, the process of "breaking in" to conventionalities again is always a severe one, and I never feel well except in the quiet and freedom of the wilds, though in the abstract nothing can be more healthy than the climate of this lofty Peak. The mercury has been down at 68 degrees for two nights, and blankets have been a comfort
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APPENDIX A
APPENDIX A
Residents. A policy of advice, and that alone, was contemplated by the Colonial Office; but without its orders or even cognizance affairs were such that the government of those Malayan States to which Residents have been accredited has been from the first exercised by the Residents themselves, mainly because neither in Perak, Selangor, or Sungei Ujong has there ever been a ruler powerful enough to carry out such an officer's advice, the Rajahs and other petty chiefs being able to set him at defi
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APPENDIX B
APPENDIX B
Slavery in the Malay States. Langat, 30th June, 1875. Sir—When on board the Colonial steamer Pluto last week, accompanying His Excellency the Governor in a tour to some of the native States, His Excellency made inquiry of me with regard to the present state of debt-slavery in the Peninsula. This was a subject so large and important as hardly to admit of thorough explanation in a conversation; I therefore asked His Excellency's leave to report upon it. I now beg to give you a detailed account of
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APPENDIX C
APPENDIX C
No. I From H.B.M.'s Resident, Perak, to Colonial Secretary, Straits Settlements Residency, Kwala Kansa, December 14, 1878. Sir—In reference to your letter of the 28th June last, directing, by command of His Excellency the Governor, my particular attention to the plan adopted in Selangor for the extinction of the claims against slave-debtors, by a valuation of their services to their creditors according to a fixed scale, and directing me to consider to His Excellency with a view to its being afte
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