Trade and Travel in the Far East - or Recollections of twenty-one years passed in Java, - Singapore, Australia and China.

G. F. Davidson

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• Publié par: vead
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 25
• Langue: English

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Title: Trade and Travel in the Far East
or Recollections of twenty-one years passed in Java,
Singapore, Australia and China.
Author: G. F. Davidson
Release Date: October 24, 2008 [EBook #27014]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRADE AND TRAVEL IN THE FAR EAST ***
TRADE AND TRAVEL
IN THE
FAR EAST;
OR
RECOLLECTIONS OF TWENTY-ONE YEARS
PASSED IN
JAVA, SINGAPORE, AUSTRALIA,
AND CHINA.
BY G. F. DAVIDSON.
LONDON:
MADDEN AND MALCOLM,
LEADENHALL STREET.
1846.

LONDON:
PRINTED BY MADDEN AND MALCOLM,
8 LEADENHALL STREET.

[i]
PREFACE.
The following pages were written to beguile the tediousness of a long voyage
from Hong Kong to England, during the spring and summer of 1844. When I
state, that the whole was written with the paper on my knee, for want of a desk,
amid continual interruptions from three young children lacking amusement
during their long confinement on ship-board, and with a perpetual liability to be
pitched to leeward, paper and all,—I shall have said enough to bespeak from
every good-natured reader a candid allowance for whatever defects may attach
to the composition. It is necessary, however, that I should also premise, that the
sketches are drawn entirely from memory, and that the incidents referred to in
the earlier chapters, took place some twenty years ago. That my recollection
may have proved treacherous on some minor points, is very possible; but,
whatever may be the merits or demerits of the work in other respects, it
contains, to the best of my knowledge and belief, nothing but truth in the
strictest sense of that term; and, as imbodying the result of my own personal
[ii]observations in the countries visited, it may possess an interest on that account,
not always attaching to volumes of higher pretensions.
My wanderings have been neither few nor short, and, perhaps, verify the old
proverb, that a rolling stone gathers no moss. I have crossed the Ocean in forty
different square-rigged vessels; have trod the plains of Hindostan, the wilds of
Sumatra, and the mountains of Java; have strolled among the beautiful hills
and dales of Singapore and Penang; have had many a gallop amid the forests
and plains of Australia; have passed through the labyrinth of reefs forming
Torres' Straits; and have visited the far-famed Celestial Empire. My first idea, in
endeavouring to retrace my journeyings and adventures, was, that the personal
narrative might serve to amuse a circle of private friends. But the notices
relating to the openings for Trade in the Far East, and to the subject of
Emigration, together with the free strictures upon the causes of the recent
depression in our Australian colonies, will, I venture to hope, be not
unacceptable to those who are interested in the extension of British commerce,
and in the well-being of the rising communities which form an integral part of
the mighty Empire now encircling the Globe.
Some parts of the work refer to coming events as probable, which have since
become matters of fact; but I have not deemed it necessary to suppress or to
[iii]alter what I had written. I am more especially happy to find that my suggestions
respecting Borneo have, to some extent, been anticipated; and that the
important discovery of its coal-mines has been taken advantage of by Her
Majesty's Government in the very way pointed out in observations written at sea
fifteen months ago. Since my arrival in England, I have learned also, that the
feasibility of the navigation of Torres' Straits from west to east, has struck others
more competent to form a correct judgment than myself. Captain T. Blackwood,
commander of Her Majesty's ship, Fly, at present employed in surveying the
coast of New Holland, the Straits, and parts adjacent, has expressed his
determination, after refitting at Singapore, to endeavour to enter the Pacific
Ocean, during the north-west monsoon, by sailing through Torres' Straits from
the westward. I trust that this enterprising Officer will succeed in the attempt,
and thereby put beyond question the practicability of the passage; which wouldnot only shorten the distance between Australia and our Indian territories, but
contribute, more than any thing else could do, to facilitate the transit of the
Overland Mail to Sydney. The Australians, I find, are still sanguinely bent upon
discovering an overland route from the present frontiers of the Colony to Port
Essington; but, although I heartily wish them success, my opinion, as
expressed in the subsequent pages, remains unaltered.
[iv]I observe, that the Singaporeans are already complaining of the decrease of the
number of square-rigged vessels that have visited their port during the recent
season, and of the falling-off of the Chinese-junk trade, which they correctly
attribute to the opening of the trade with China; thereby verifying my
predictions. I fear that they will have still greater cause for complaint before
twelve months shall have rolled away. But the merchants of Singapore, it gives
me pleasure to add, are taking advantage of the times, by entering upon the
China trade, and seem determined not to suffer loss, if they can help it, by the
effect of Sir Henry Pottinger's famous Treaty. This is as it should be.
With these few remarks on the motives which have induced me to write and
give to the world the following sketches, I now commit them to their fate; trusting
that they may serve to beguile an hour, to some of my numerous friends in the
different parts of the world they refer to, and that, to the reader unacquainted
with those countries, they may prove both useful and entertaining. Before taking
leave of the reader, however, I must apologize for an unfortunate error my
printer has fallen into, (at p. 3 note), in misprinting the name of Mr. Mercus, one
of the best men that ever ruled a Colony, whether Dutch or English. This name
has been converted into Minns; and the error was not detected, till the sheet
had passed through the press.
[v]As for the critics.—for any kind or friendly remarks they may make, I shall feel
grateful; while any of a contrary nature will neither surprise nor displease me.
HULL, January 1846.
CONTENTS.
PREFACE P. i
CHAPTER I.
JAVA.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF BATAVIA—NARROW
POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT—
DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN AND
NEIGHBOURHOOD—ROADS AND POSTING
SYSTEM—STATE OF SOCIETY—CLIMATE AND
SEASONS—TROPICAL FRUITS 1
CHAPTER II.
JAVA.
​​​​​​SAMARANG—A TIGER FIGHT—JAVA PONEYS—
EXCURSION TO SOLO—WILD SPORTS—
DJOCKDJOCARTA—REMAINS OF THE
ANCIENT PALACE—IMPERIAL ELEPHANTS—
EXPERIMENT IN INDIGO-PLANTING—
JAVANESE EXECUTION—A PET BOA—
ALLIGATORS—FOREST LABOUR—SLAVERY IN
JAVA—OPIUM-SMOKING—TEA—THE UPAS-
TREE 16
CHAPTER III.
SINGAPORE.
ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION OF SINGAPORE—
CULTIVATION OF THE NUTMEG AND COCOA-
NUT—ROADS AND SCENERY—MOTLEY
POPULATION—EUROPEAN RESIDENTS—
CHINESE EMIGRANTS—KLINGS—SAMPAN-
MEN—PLACES OF WORSHIP—TIGERS 39
CHAPTER IV.
SINGAPORE.
TRADE OF SINGAPORE—CHINESE TRADERS—
BUGIS TRADERS—SIAMESE AND COCHIN
CHINESE—ARAB SMUGGLERS—BORNEO—
TRADE WITH CALCUTTA—COMMERCIAL
PROSPECTS 53
CHAPTER V.
DUTCH SETTLEMENTS.
DUTCH SETTLEMENT OF RHIO—ISLAND OF
BANCA—BENCOOLEN—PADANG—CHINESE
SLAVE-TRADE—NATIVE TRIBES OF SUMATRA
—PEPPER TRADE 73
CHAPTER VI.
MALACCA AND PENANG 94
CHAPTER VII.
CALCUTTA.
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​FIRST VIEW OF CALCUTTA—STATE OF SOCIETY
—MERCANTILE CHANGES—UNPLEASANT
CLIMATE—SIGHTS AT AND NEAR CALCUTTA
—IMPROVEMENTS IN TRANSIT AND
NAVIGATION—CUSTOM-HOUSE NUISANCE—
PILOT SERVICE—CHARACTER OF THE
BENGALEES—RIVER STEAMERS 101
CHAPTER VIII.
NEW SOUTH WALES.
VOYAGE FROM SINGAPORE TO SYDNEY—PORT
JACKSON—FIRST IMPRESSIONS PRODUCED
BY SYDNEY—THE PUBLIC-HOUSE NUISANCE
—SYDNEY JURIES—CATTLE-DEALERS—
TOWN IMPROVEMENTS—LAWYERS,
DOCTORS, AND CLERGY 117
CHAPTER IX.
NEW SOUTH WALES.
TOWNSHIP OF MAITLAND—THE PATERSON
DISTRICT—WINTER SPORTS—THE
KANGAROO—AUSTRALIAN HUSBANDRY—
CONVICT SERVANTS—BENEFIT OF
ENFORCING AN OBSERVANCE OF SUNDAY—
THE HOT SEASON 128
CHAPTER X.
NEW SOUTH WALES.
BUSH-RANGERS—THE DROUGHT OF 1838-9—
THE SETTLER'S TROUBLES