PENANG. 



729 



ground of good quality for every species of culti- 

 vation, as is now demonstrated by the general cul- 

 ture thereof. Indeed two-thirds of Penang is of 

 level or gentle inclination. The east, owing to its 

 moistness, is covered with rice fields; the south 

 and west valleys, though partly cultivated for the 

 same purpose, are chiefly laid out in pepper gar- 

 dens and spice plantations. Every where close to 

 the coast, as in Ceylon, runs an extensive belt of 

 cocoa-nut trees, and scattered over the island in 

 various groups appear groves of the graceful areca 

 palm (or Penang) from which the isle takes its 

 Malay name. The hills and low grounds, wbere 

 not cultivated, are thickly covered with wood. 

 Vegetation is splendidly luxuriant, and for miles 

 the eye rests on one dense mass of mountain forest. 

 Besides George Town (the capital) above alluded 

 to, there is only one large collection of houses en- 

 titled James Town, situated on the sea shore, four 

 miles to the south of the capital, amidst a grove 

 of the lovely palm tribe. Numerous small villages 

 and Malay topes are scattered over the island, 

 especially on the south side, often beautifully and 

 romantically situated on the coast or amidst spice 

 groves in the vales. 



The harbour of George Town, the capital, is 

 capacious, with good anchorage, and well defend- 

 ed ; it is formed by a strait about two miles wide, 

 that separates Penang from the opposite Quedah 

 coast on the Malayan peninsula, and the whole navy 

 of Great Britain might find shelter therein. The 

 sea is placid throughout the year, and the periodi- 

 cal effects of the monsoons little felt, the winds 

 partaking more of the character of land and sea 

 breezes. When first known to Europeans, the 

 island appeared quite untenanted, covered with 

 forests, and considered as a part of the possessions 

 of the king of Quedah on the contiguous coast. 

 In 1785, captain Light, the commander of a "coun- 

 try ship " in India, having married the king of 

 Quedah's daughter, received a gift of the island as 

 a marriage portion. Captain Light transferred it 

 to the East India Company, who having entered 

 into a treaty with his Quedah majesty agreed to 

 pay 6000 dollars annually to the king, which in 

 1800 was raised to 10,000, in consideration of the 

 Company receiving the Wellesley province on the 

 main land opposite Penang, a territory extending 

 thirty-five miles along the coast, four miles inland 

 from the south bank of the Quaila Mudda to the 

 north bank of the Krian river, latitude 5 20' 

 north. 



When the Company's establishment was formed 

 at Penang, in 1786, the only inhabitants were a 

 few miserable fishermen on the sea coast. In con- 

 sequence of the disturbances in the Malayan prin- 

 cipalities, and the encouragement given to settlers 

 by the East India Company, a native population of 

 various descriptions arose. The population of the 

 settlement, including province Wellesley and adja- 

 cent isles, has been as follows, during the years 



1821 . . 38,057 1826 . . 55,110 



1822 . . 51,207 1827 . . 57,986 

 1824 . . 53,669 1828 . . 60,551 



The bulk of the inhabitants consists of Malays, 

 Ohulias, Chinese, Bengalese, Burmese, &c., the 

 Europeans and their descendants forming only about 

 five hundred. 



The trade of Penang is carried on with Calcutta, 

 Madras, Bombay, England, China, Java, Ceylon, j 

 Siam, Tenasserim coast, Acheen, Delhi, Quedah, j 

 and a few petty native ports. The total value of ', 

 imports into Penang were I 



In 1828-9 

 Exports from ditto 



S. rupees 52,23,872 

 36,00,900 



Kxcess . . 16,22,972 



The imports and exports of specie for the same 

 year were 



Imports . . . . S. rupees 8,32,232 



Exports ..... 7,19,896 



1,12,356 



Excess 



Of the imports, opium alone consists of upwards 

 of seven lac of rupees ; the other items are com- 

 prised of the various produce of the Straits, or of 

 India and British goods, the trade being one of 

 transit. Birds' nests for Chinese soups is one of 

 the most important articles. 



Penang has been a spice island from the period 

 nearly of its first settlement. Pepper engrossed 

 the consideration of capitalists for many years, and 

 until the price fell so low that the returns no 

 more than repaid the outlay. But previous to this 

 check another resource of gain opened by the in- 

 troduction to the island of the nutmeg and clove 

 tree. In 1798 a few spice plants were imported 

 from the Dutch spice islands; but in the year 1800 

 there were brought from Amboy na 5000 nutmeg and 

 15,000 clove plants. In 1802 a further and larger 

 number arrived. This consisted of 25,026 seed- 

 ling nutmeg trees, and 175 plants of ages varying 

 from four to seven years. Shortly before this last 

 period a government spice garden had been esta- 

 blished, embracing 130 acres of land, lying on the 

 slopes which skirt the base of the hill near Amie's 

 Mills, a romantic spot, and well watered by a run- 

 ning stream now called Ayer Putib. This planta- 

 tion, in some respects a mere nursery, contained, 

 in the above year, the number of 19,628 nutmeg 

 plants, varying from one up to four years old, 3459 

 being four years of age. There were also 6259 

 clove trees, of which 669 were above six and under 

 seven years old. In the same year, 1802, Mr 

 Smith, the honourable Company's botanist, reported 

 that he had imported in all to the island at that 

 date 71,266 nutmeg and 55,264 clove plants, out 

 of which a few were reserved for the botanical 

 gardens at Kew, Calcutta, and Madras. Most of 

 the plantations now in a productive state have been 

 created by plants raised from nuts yielded by trees 

 of the original importations, and a number of nut- 

 meg trees which had been planted on the face of a 

 hill and abandoned, were, after a lapse of about 

 four years, rescued from thick jungle and found to 

 be in a lively condition and in bearing. The wild 

 nutmeg tree is indigenous to Penang, being an in- 

 habitant of the hills. It is a tall forest tree, and 

 bears a more oval shaped fruit than the true nut- 

 meg tree. Both the nut and mace are less pungent 

 and more astringent than the true spice, yet the 

 Chuliahs have been in the habit of gathering them 

 and selling them in the native bazaars. 



In 1818, the bearing nutmeg trees on the island 

 were estimated to be 6900. Since that period 

 spices have been more extensively cultivated. 

 There are now upwards of thirty spice plantations 

 at this settlement, including province Wellesley, 

 and these may be classed as follows: Five planta- 

 tions containing from 4000 up to 20,000 trees. 

 Eight from 500 up to 10,000 trees. Seventeen 

 from 50 up to 2000, containing in the aggregate 

 about 8,000 trees, of which number 45,000 are 

 estimated to be in bearing. When Bencoolen was 

 ceded to the Dutch, the plantations there were 

 estimated to contain 25,000 bearing trees only. 

 The gross annual produce from the plantations may 



