286 
THE CHINESE IN SINGAPORE, 
uniformly traced to opium, the instigating' cause of allj and the la* 
borers of the interior who consume their days in fatiguing toil, and 
constant exposure to destruction from the numerous tigers, do thus 
brave death only that they may obtain the means of indulging them¬ 
selves in the luxury of opium smoking. Incalculably great is the 
bane of opium. It urges the robber to death. It hurries the labourer 
to destruction by the jaws of tigers. Grievous to the last degree is 
this fact. Philanthropists of the age does not this rend your hearts, 
anti affect your eyes ? Does it not lead you to lament their stupidity, 
and to contrive means by which you may rescue them ? 
The number of men that arrive in the Junks annually amounts to 
about 10,000.* Some of these, after remaining in Singapore a few 
days or months proceed to Rhio, Penang, ‘Padang, Acheen, Java, 
Minto, Pahang, Malacca and other parts in the Archipelago. 
In the gambier and pepper plantations there are generally 9 or 10 
men employed, 12 and 13 men are considered a full complement. I 
have never heard of any plantation having as many as 20 men upon it. 
The Editor of the Singapore Free Press has obliged us with the 
following table shewing the number of Chinese Passengers who arriv¬ 
ed in Singapore by the undermentioned Junks from China, from the 
28th December 1847 up to the end of April 1848. 
By 17 
Junks 
from 
Macao,.. 
3,396 
men. 
n 6 
n 
» 
Chong lim, 
1,446 
M 
„ 10 
91 
n 
Canton, 
1,426 
59 
* 3 
n 
n 
Kong moon, 
637 
11 
» 
n 
Amoy, .. 
631 
n 
» 2 
T> 
v> 
Swatbow, 
580 
59 
n 2 
11 
n 
Hye Kow, 
95 
ii 
n 2 
r> 
it 
Chawan, 
• * 
65 
n 
» l 
31 
ii 
Chan Chew, 
60 
rt 
» * 
n 
ii 
Jeepoon, 
48 
5 ) 
,, 2 
» 
ii 
Shanghai, 
43 
M 
» 1 
n 
n 
Hokeean, 
32 
11 
r> 
T> 
Tew Chew, 
250 
11 
55 
Junks 
8,709 
23 
11 
from Hy lam, 
• » 
320 
19 
30 
n 
« 
A nam,.. 
*■ 
116 
ii 
108 Junks 
• • « • 
1 4 
9,145 
ii 
By 11 Square rigged Vossels, 
* k 
1,330 
» 
Grand Total,.. 
10,475 men.—E d. 
