The British Possessions. 21 



Chinese eoolies scattered all throupjh the 

 cstatcs and mincs. 



Singap irc is one of ihc islands of South- 

 eastern Asia. Tn the expressive language 

 of the Malay it is the "navel of the world." 

 Guarding the Straits of Sumatra, which 

 separate the Peninsula from the Island of 

 Sumatra, it lies on the highway of the 

 oceans where all shipping passing from 

 East to West, or from West to East. be- 

 tween the China Sea and the Indian Occau 

 must call. lt is a town of two hun- 

 dred and fifty thousand, of whom more 

 than one-hall arc Chinese, less than one- 

 ha1f of the remainder are Tamils, and 

 thc rest are Malays. But sprinkled amongst 

 thesc are representatives of all the lands 

 of the earth. Herc are to be found Eng- 

 tishmeu, Germans, Austrians, Italians, 

 Americans, Greeks, Spaniards, etc, and 

 here are all the tribes of Asia, from the 

 slopes of the Himalayas to Japan in North- 

 castern Asia. One may stand on a street 

 corner of the crowded thoroughfares and 

 COUiti iorty dirTerent nationalities passing 

 at any hour of the day. And sincc thesc 

 carry with them their national dress and 



