CHAPTER XXI 



THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO — SINGAPORE, MALACCA, 

 BORNEO 



In order not to omit so important a portion of my life as my 

 eight years in the far East, I propose to give a general sketch 

 of my various journeys and their results, told as far as pos- 

 sible in quotations from the few of my letters home that 

 have been preserved, with such connecting facts as may serve 

 to render them intelligible. 



Ten days after my arrival at Singapore I wrote home as 

 follows : — " After being a week in a hotel here, I at last got 

 permission to stay with a French Roman Catholic missionary, 

 who lives about eight miles out of town, in the centre of the 

 island, and close to the jungle. The greater part of the 

 inhabitants of Singapore are Chinese, many of whom are 

 very rich, and almost all the villages around are wholly Chi- 

 nese, who cultivate pepper and gambier, or cut timber. Some 

 of the English merchants have fine country houses. I dined 

 with one, to whom I brought an introduction. His house 

 was spacious, and full of magnificent China and Japan fur- 

 niture. We are now staying at the mission of Bukit Tima. 

 The missionary (a French Jesuit) speaks English, Malay, and 

 Chinese, and is a very pleasant man. He has built a pretty 

 church here, and has about three hundred Chinese converts." 



A month later (May 28th) I wrote — "I am very comfort- 

 able here with the missionary. I and Charles go into the 

 jungle every day for insects. The forest here is very similar 

 to that of South America. Palms are very numerous, but 

 they are generally small, and very spiny. There are none of 

 the large majestic species so common on the Amazon. I am 



337 



