SINGAPORE. 299 



of Chinese dragons, we drove through a well-kept garden, sighted 

 a spacious but unpretentious white house, and drew up before the 

 massive and finely carved front doors. A gardener, who was trim- 

 ming a shrub close by, took my card and thi'ust it through the open 

 carving. Presently the doors opened wide, and I saw Mr. Whampoa 

 coming slowly from the farther end of the wide hall to meet me. 

 He was an old man with a low stoop in his shoulders, a large head, 

 a very thin queue of white hair, small twinkling eyes with a veiy 

 pleasant expression, perfect manners, and a very kind, unassuming 

 smile, lie speaks English as well as I, and has the honor to be 

 Chinese Consul, Turkish Vice-consul, member of the Legislative 

 Council, and the happy possessor of many, many dollars as the re- 

 sult of his labors. 



My errand was to see the big orang-utan, but the contents of 

 that lofty hall quite drove the charming creatm-e out of my mind. 

 The first thing that caught my eye was a rounded gray stone about 

 the size of a small coal-scuttle, lying upon the floor as if it were of 

 small account. I scanned it idly, until my glance rested on a spot 

 that had been polished, and I saw that it was jade ! Value about 

 three thousand dollars, a present from the owner of a mine for 

 whom j\Ir. Whampoa had once done some business. We passed 

 through three large, square apartments, which formed a grand 

 saloon, in which were tables for the reception of rare objects 

 of virtu, and the walls and niches were quite filled -with 

 "'curios." On a table stood a bronze elephant with a pagoda on 

 his back, three feet high, Japanese work evidently, and exquisitely 

 done. Near it hung a huge Chinese gong, four feet in diameter, 

 on which were two dragons inlaid in gold. Above that, hung a 

 huge — almost colossal — pair of stag-homs, on the massive branches 

 of which were perched stuffed birds of paradise. Bronze storks 

 stood upon the floor, and elsewhere were numerous dragons in 

 bronze, elephant tusks, spears, etc. The furniture was all of ebony, 

 exquisitely caiwed and lavishly inlaid with mother-of-pearl and ivory. 

 On the walls and cornices were divers and sundry inscriptions in 

 Chinese characters, painted veiy large and very red. I had hard 

 work to repress the curiosity I felt, and the questions that rose 

 to my lips at ever\- step ; but I did not wish to tire the feeble old 

 gentleman, or make him regret my -sdsit, so I held my peace. 



Then we went out into the back yard to see the orang. He was 

 a perfect monster in size, compared with all other orangs I had 

 seen in capti\ity, and as savage as a tiger. My presence seemed 



