A Visit to Singapore. 33 



violence. Unfortunately the last war scare has not improved 

 the summits of the islands ; for, as we know, Singapore is one 

 of our principal coaling stations, and it is considered necessary 

 to fortify it strongly. A year or two ago, when it was thought 

 Russia and France were about to declare war against England, 

 a large Russian man-of-war hung about Singapore for a con- 

 siderable time, to the great anxiety of the inhabitants, who had 

 a very good idea that the moment war was declared she would 

 begin to shell the town, and there was really nothing to prevent 

 her reducing Singapore to ashes. Now this is impossible, for 

 the surrounding islands are all cut into bastions, ravelins, scarp- 

 ments and counter-scarpments, and all the paraphernalia of 

 defensive warfare, to the great injury of their natural beauty. 



Having given a description of the two miles of road be- 

 tween the landing-stage and the town, the lecturer continued : — 

 On leaving the steamer is a not very high hill, covered to the 

 summit with palms and other tropical trees and plants. The 

 cocoanut is the principal of these ; but there are a few speci- 

 mens of a curious palm called " the traveller's tree." These 

 spread out their fans to catch the breezy air in a most remark- 

 able way — all the leaves being in one plane on each side of the 

 stem. It is very appropriately called " the traveller's tree," for 

 in the driest of seasons one has only to cut into the base of the 

 leaf stalk, which is seven feet long, to obtain a copious supply 

 of pellucid water. The leaf stalk is hollow from end to end, 

 and the palm keeps it always filled up with water — probably as 

 a source of nourishment for itself. It is not indigenous to 

 Singapore, but is a native of Madagascar. Along part of the 

 road the Malays had built their houses out on the water on 

 piles, just as the ancient Irish had done at Lough Mourne, 

 elsewhere connecting them with the solid ground by piled 

 causeways. Not far from this, where the ground rises, we 

 passed some Chinese graves, which were not very interesting, 

 being without any attempt at ornament—just a low wall, oval 

 in shape, rising from six inches at the outer ends to two feet in 

 the middle, where the headstone is placed. The name of the 



