At Singapore. 293 



mangosteen is a delicious little fruit, confined to limited areas 

 in the Malay Archipelago. It is round, the size of a small 

 billiard ball, and a deep dead purple in colour. You cut 

 through the hard rind, which is a third of an inch in thick- 

 ness, and, pulling off half the cup, discover a white, firm, 

 pulpy interior in five, six, or seven segments. This, re- 

 moved by a fork, becomes a mouthful for an epicure. In 

 a book I once read it is likened to a " blend " of strawberry 

 and grape ; but after much argument at dessert, one of us 

 discovered that the mangosteen offers in one happy sensa- 

 tion the flavours of sweet-water grape, mulberry, jargonelle 

 pear, and bond, fide Johannisberg. 



The natives eat bananas by the bushel. I bought three 

 pine-apples, magnificent in weight as in flavour, for two- 

 pence half-penny ; with three cents the thirsty coolie obtains 

 a green cocoa nut, containing a pint and a half of refreshingly 

 cool milk; and there are other fruits, all new to the European, 

 too numerous to mention. Fish of grand size and quality are 

 caught without much art or toil within half a mile of shore. 

 You may pity these benighted barbarians, as it is the Chris- 

 tian Briton's duty to do ; nevertheless, they appear to enjoy 

 life very fairly, having few wants, and an abundance of good 

 things dropping into their very mouths ; no tailor's bills, no 

 religious or educational difficulties, no votes, no superfluous 

 furniture. The Chinaman certainly has to provide himself 

 with a brace of chop-sticks, but they are inexpensive ; the 

 Malay does without even these. 



It was very interesting to me to visit the gaol, under the 

 guidance of one of the magistrates, and to see the prisoners 

 printing in English, Chinese, and Malay, weaving blankets, 

 making superb rattan wickerware, and working in the most 

 orderly manner at all the common trades. A few were " in " 

 for piracy, some for assault, the majority for theft. This 



