30 The Gardens of the Sun. [ch. ft. 



brought from the old country, and freight, if not 

 commission, has to be added to the cost. The very 

 nature of the currency used adds to other expenses. 

 Many things purchasable at home for a shilling, here cost 

 a dollar, at the least a rupee or two shillings, and the 

 result of all this is that with an annual income of five 

 hundred pounds in England, one must think twice ere a 

 jump is made at what appears a tempting bait, namely, 

 "a thousand a year" in the East. 



The progress and importance of Singapore, commer- 

 cially and politically, have never ceased to increase since 

 1819, when the British flag was first raised on the island 

 by Sir Stamford Raffles. 



