140 Voyage of the Nov ar a. 



later, the choice of Sir Stamford Raffles, to whom this rela- 

 tion of Hamilton seems to have been entirely unknown, fell 

 upon the same locality, thus testifying alike to the eligibility 

 of its position, and to the wise forecast of the founder of this 

 British settlement. 



Before the arrival of the Europeans in India round the 

 Cape of Good Hope, towards the commencement of the 16th 

 century, the trade of these countries was exclusively confined 

 to the Arabs and Hindoos, who acted as a medium between 

 the far East and Europe. Every island in the Archipelago, 

 in proportion to the abundance and value of its vegetable 

 produce and its foreign intercourse, had one or more harbours, 

 at which the products of the surrounding districts and islands 

 were gathered and heaped up until the monsoon permitted 

 the arrival of the merchant vessels from the West. At the 

 beginning of the fine season, Arabs and Indians entered these 

 harbours in their ships, and brought Indian and other manu- 

 factures and merchandise, which they were in the habit of 

 exchanging for gold, gum, spices, tortoiseshell, rosin, jewels, 

 and such like. Acheen in the north of Sumatra, Bantam in 

 Java, Goa in Celebes, Bruni in Borneo, and Malacca in the 

 peninsula of the same name, were the most important of these 

 depots for merchandise and centres of trade. At present the 

 importance of all these places has faded into history, where- 

 as Singapore, from its singularly favourable geographical 

 position, and the liberality of its political institutions, has 

 made such a stride, as is entirely without parallel in the 



