Annual Report on the Botanic Gardens, Singapore, 
for the year 1902. 
Staff. 
The Director returned from leave on March 18th, 1902, and the Assistant left 00 
long leave on March 23rd. For some months there was no Assistant in the Gardens 
an<l as the available portion of the salary of the Assistant, is insufficient considerable 
difficulty was experienced in inducing anyone to take the post. It has long been 
impossible for a single European, however energetic, to get through the work of the 
Department and, as may be expected, almost every branch of the work had fallen 
into arrears. Mr. A. D. MACHADO accepted the post of Assistant on July 1st, and it 
then became possible to get the Department into something like its proper condition . 
The scheme of salaries for the mandors referred to in the last report did not give 
satisfaction to the employes, it amounted to a commencing salary of 20 dollars per 
month rising 5 dollars in every fifth year to 40 dollars, the maximum previous service 
at or over 20 dollars counting. Two of the three Garden mandors and one at Govern- 
ment House sent in a petition to be raised to the maximum at once ; this was re- 
fused, and they all resigned. One of them, MOHAMED Hanie, had been employed for 
seven years consecutively as mandor, and for three years previously with a break 
between, so that he had had ten years training. His salary was 25 dollars. 
The mandor Sahih, who had resigned with the others, applied to be taken on 
again and this was permitted. VICTOR PASSANAH replaced HANIE in charge of the 
Economic Gardens, and a lad EZEKIEL was taken on in place of a mandor CHINTA 
who was dismissed. CASTAWI, a Javanese who has been employed in the Gardens 
since boyhood, was put in charge of the flowerbeds, etc. 
This constant change of mandors, and the consequent work of training utterly 
ignorant men, adds not a little to the work of the Department. 
The coolies, with the exception of one or two of the older men, were a very poor 
lot, very indolent and thievish, and one of them out of spite attempted to burn down 
the mandors quarters, a design happily frustrated. 
The supply of both Javanese and Klings was by no means adequate, and it 
seems at present impossible to procure more. 
The peon SALLEH was arrested on a charge of fraud and sent to gaol for three 
months, being the second successive peon who was thus imprisoned. Considerable 
difficulty was experienced in getting a successor, as the work is hard, and long, and 
the fact that the peon has to act also as hill-collector and has many opportunities of 
fraud makes it essential to get a trustworthy man. It would be advisable to require 
the peon to find security. 
There was very little sickness among the coolies except that dengue fever 
ran through the whole staff, and there was one case of beri-beri which ended fatally 
very suddenly. 
Weather. 
The weather was unusually dry and hot for many months, and this entailed a 
great deal of watering. All the wells being dry, water had to be fetched from the 
lake by bullock cart, employing a good many men and costing a good deal of money 
in cart hire. 
In spite of all these difficulties and drawbacks to which must be added the very 
large increase in cost of all materials used in the Gardens, the Gardens were kept 
bright and improved in many ways and before the end of the year w r ere got into good 
condition again. 
Visitors. 
The number of ordinary visitors was as great as usual, and (here was an in- 
crease in the number of Scientific and Gardening Men who came to study plants and 
