Search -
Our Tropical Possessions in Malayan India
Our Tropical Possessions in Malayan India Author:John Cameron Subtitle: Being a Descriptive Account of Singapore, Penang, Province Wellesley, and Malacca : Their Peoples, Products, Commerce, and Government General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1865 Original Publisher: Smith, Elder Subjects: Malaysia Singapore Great Britain Straits Settlements Malaya History / As... more »ia / General History / Europe / Great Britain History / Asia / Southeast Asia Travel / Asia / Southeast Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER III. SINGAPORE: THE TOWN. Ancient Tradition -- Crowded Streets -- Commercial Square -- Verandahs -- Vigour of Nature -- The River -- Crowd of Boats -- Busy Wharves -- Proposed Pier -- Native Part of the Town -- Native Shops -- Chinese Trades -- Opium Shops -- Manner of Smoking -- Chinese Barbers -- Itinerant Vendors -- Street Scrihes -- Dangerous Driving -- River Bridges -- Eastern Division of the Town -- St. Andrew's Cathedral -- Court House -- Town Hall -- Night View. Among the traditions that are handed down to us concerning the early inhabitants of the island of Singapore, there is one which deserves to be distinguished from many of the others, in so far that some substantial record is left behind, which will at least serve to perpetuate its memory, if it cannot materially assist its authenticity. On the western entrance of the mouth of the Singapore River, near that portion which is now built over by Fort Fullerton, stood, as late as 1835, a large stone, with some strange characters carved or impressed on it, the deciphering of which has defied the utmost ingenuity. Sir Stamford Raffles was so much occupied with the desire to learn the meaning of these hieroglyphics, that he caused, it is said, an abundant supply of muriat...« less