Trade and travel in the Far East — Background and Themes

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF BATAVIA--NARROW POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT--DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN AND NEIGHBOURHOOD--ROADS AND POSTING SYSTEM--STATE OF SOCIETY--CLIMATE AND SEASONS--TROPICAL FRUITS 1

SAMARANG--A TIGER FIGHT--JAVA PONEYS--EXCURSION TO SOLO--WILD SPORTS--DJOCKDJOCARTA--REMAINS OF THE ANCIENT PALACE--IMPERIAL ELEPHANTS--EXPERIMENT IN INDIGO-PLANTING--JAVANESE EXECUTION--A PET BOA--ALLIGATORS--FOREST LABOUR--SLAVERY IN JAVA--OPIUM-SMOKING--TEA--THE UPAS-TREE 16

ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION OF SINGAPORE--CULTIVATION OF THE NUTMEG AND COCOA-NUT--ROADS AND SCENERY-- MOTLEY POPULATION--EUROPEAN RESIDENTS--CHINESE EMIGRANTS--KLINGS--SAMPAN-MEN--PLACES OF WORSHIP--TIGERS 39

TRADE OF SINGAPORE--CHINESE TRADERS--BUGIS TRADERS--SIAMESE AND COCHIN CHINESE--ARAB SMUGGLERS--BORNEO--TRADE WITH CALCUTTA-- COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS. 53

DUTCH SETTLEMENT OF RHIO--ISLAND OF BANCA-- BENCOOLEN--PADANG--CHINESE SLAVE-TRADE--NATIVE TRIBES OF SUMATRA--PEPPER TRADE 73

MALACCA AND PENANG 94

FIRST VIEW OF CALCUTTA--STATE OF SOCIETY-- MERCANTILE CHANGES--UNPLEASANT CLIMATE--SIGHTS AT AND NEAR CALCUTTA--IMPROVEMENTS IN TRANSIT AND NAVIGATION--CUSTOM-HOUSE NUISANCE--PILOT SERVICE--CHARACTER OF THE BENGALEES--RIVER STEAMERS 101

VOYAGE FROM SINGAPORE TO SYDNEY--PORT JACKSON--FIRST IMPRESSIONS PRODUCED BY SYDNEY--THE PUBLIC-HOUSE NUISANCE--SYDNEY JURIES--CATTLE-DEALERS--TOWN IMPROVEMENTS--LAWYERS, DOCTORS, AND CLERGY 117

TOWNSHIP OF MAITLAND--THE PATERSON DISTRICT--WINTER SPORTS--THE KANGAROO--AUSTRALIAN HUSBANDRY--CONVICT SERVANTS--BENEFIT OF ENFORCING AN OBSERVANCE OF SUNDAY--THE HOT SEASON 128

BUSH-RANGERS--THE DROUGHT OF 1838-9--THE SETTLER'S TROUBLES--ORNITHOLOGY OF AUSTRALIA--ABORIGINAL TRIBES 139

THE HOT WINDS--PROJECTED MAIL-ROAD FROM SYDNEY TO PORT ESSINGTON--SHEEP-FARMS--GRAZING IN AUSTRALIA--HORSE-STOCK 155

CAUSES OF THE RECENT DISTRESSES--CONDUCT OF THE BANKS--MANIA FOR SPECULATION--LONG-ACCOUNT SYSTEM--BAD SEASONS 169

ELEMENTS OF PROSPERITY STILL EXISTING--HINTS TO THE COLONISTS--FUTURE PROSPECTS 182

CLASSES OF SOCIETY IN SYDNEY--DISAPPOINTMENT OF EMIGRANTS--CHARACTERISTICS OF IRISH AND BRITISH EMIGRANTS--AVAILABLENESS OF CHINESE LABOURERS--AUSTRALIAN COAL MONOPOLY--TORRES' STRAITS THE BEST PASSAGE FOR STEAMERS--BOTANY BAY--PASSAGE FROM SYDNEY TO BATAVIA 195

DESCRIPTION OF MACAO--ITS MONGREL POPULATION-- FREQUENCY OF ROBBERIES--PIRACIES--COMPRADORE SYSTEM--PAPUAN SLAVE-TRADE--MARKET OF MACAO-- NUISANCES--SIR HENRY POTTINGER'S REGULATION DEFENDED--ILLIBERAL POLICY OF THE PORTUGUESE, AND ITS RESULT--BOAT-GIRLS--BEGGARS--PICTURESQUE SCENERY 216

ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION OF HONG KONG--THE OPIUM TRADE--IMPORTANCE OF THE STATION IN THE EVENT OF A FRESH WAR--CHUSAN--HOW TO RAISE A REVENUE-- CAUSES OF ALLEGED INSALUBRITY--RAPID PROGRESS OF THE SETTLEMENT--PICTURESQUE SCENERY-- MARKETS--SANATORY HINTS 237

FIRST VIEW OF CANTON--DESCRIPTION OF THE EUROPEAN QUARTER--HOSTILE FEELINGS OF THE PEOPLE--COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS OF CANTON--AMOY--FOO CHOW--NINGPO-- SHANG-HAE--MR. MEDHURST--RESULTS OF THE TREATY WITH CHINA 266

NECESSITY OF APPOINTING BRITISH CONSULS IN THE SPANISH AND DUTCH COLONIES--NEW SETTLEMENT ON THE WESTERN COAST OF BORNEO--IMPORTANT DISCOVERY OF COAL ON THE NORTH-WEST COAST--CONCLUDING REMARKS 287

PLAN FOR THE ACCELERATION OF THE CHINA MAILS (_i. e._ THEIR CONVEYANCE FROM _SUEZ via CEYLON_ TO _HONG KONG direct_) 303

MEMORANDUM ON BORNEO, AND MR. BROOK'S SETTLEMENT ON THAT ISLAND 305

TRADE AND TRAVEL IN THE FAR EAST.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF BATAVIA--NARROW POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT--DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN AND NEIGHBOURHOOD--ROADS AND POSTING SYSTEM--STATE OF SOCIETY--CLIMATE AND SEASONS--TROPICAL FRUITS.

Early in the year 1823, I left England, quite a youngster, full of life and spirits, bound for that so-called grave of Europeans, Batavia. Of my passage out, I shall say nothing more, than that it lasted exactly five months, and was, in point of wind and weather, similar to nine-tenths of the voyages made to the same region.

Well do I remember the 5th of October 1823, the day on which I first set foot on the lovely and magnificent island of Java. How bright were then my prospects, surrounded as I was with a circle of anxious friends, who were not only able, but willing also, to lend me a helping hand, and who now, alas! are, to a man, gone from me and all to whom they were dear. I was then prepared--I might say determined--to be pleased with every thing and every body. At this distance of time, I can scarcely remember what struck me most forcibly on landing; but I have a vivid recollection of being perfectly delighted with the drive, in a light airy carriage drawn by two spirited little Java poneys, from the wharf to the house of the friend with whom I was to take up my abode. The pluck with which those two little animals rattled us along quite astonished me; and the novel appearance of every thing that met the eye, so bewildered and delighted me, that I scarcely knew how to think, speak, or act.

What a joyous place was Batavia in those days, with every body thriving, and the whole town alive and bustling with an active set of merchants from all parts of the world! The Dutch Government, at that time, pursued a more liberal system than they have of late adopted; and, instead of monopolizing the produce of the Island, sold it by public auction regularly every month. This plan naturally attracted purchasers from England, the Continent of Europe, and the United States of America, who brought with them good Spanish dollars to pay for what they purchased; so that silver money was as plentiful in Netherlands India, in those days, as copper doits have since become. The enlightened individual who now governs Java[1] and its dependencies, is, I have good reason to think, opposed to the monopolizing system pursued by his Government: his hands, however, are tied, and he can only remonstrate, while the merchants can but pray that his remonstrances may be duly weighed by his superiors. Java exports one million _peculs_[2] of coffee per annum, one million _peculs_ of rice, and one million _peculs_ of sugar; besides vast quantities of tin, pepper, hides, indigo, &c. Were its trade thrown open to fair competition, as formerly, it is as certain that His Majesty the King of the Netherlands would be a gainer, as that his adopting the more liberal system would give satisfaction to every mercantile man connected in any way with his East-Indian possessions. The experience of the last three years ought to have taught His Majesty this lesson; and we may hope he will take warning from the miserable result of his private speculations during that period.

Batavia is not the unhealthy place it has been usually deemed. The city itself is certainly bad enough; but no European sleeps a single night in it out of a twelvemonth.

[Footnote 1: 1845. His Excellency Mr. Minns, since dead.]

[Footnote 2: A _pecul_ is a Chinese weight used all over the Eastern Archipelago, and is equal to 133-1/3 lbs. avoirdupoise.]

From four to five o'clock every evening, the road leading from the town to the suburbs is thronged with vehicles of all descriptions, conveying the merchants from their counting-houses to their country or suburban residences, where they remain till nine o'clock the next morning. These country residences are delightfully situated to the south of Batavia, properly so called, extending inland over many square miles of country. Every one of them has a garden (called here a compound) of considerable extent, well stocked with plants, shrubs, and trees, which serve to give them a lively and elegant appearance, and to keep them moderately cool in the hottest weather. Servants' wages being very low here, every European of any respectability is enabled to keep up a sufficient establishment, and to repair to his office in his carriage or hooded gig, in which he may defy the sun. Many of them, particularly Dutchmen, have an imprudent practice of driving in an open carriage, with an umbrella held over their heads by a native servant standing on the foot-board behind his master.

Having resided several years in the suburbs of Batavia, I have no hesitation in saying, that, with common prudence, eschewing _in toto_ the vile habit of drinking gin and water whenever one feels thirsty, living generously but carefully, avoiding the sun's rays by always using a close or hooded carriage, and taking common precautions against wet feet and damp clothing, a man may live--and enjoy life, too--in Batavia, as long as he would in any other part of the world. Many people may think this a bold assertion; nevertheless, I make it without fear of contradiction from any one acquainted by experience with the country.

One great and invaluable advantage over all our Eastern Colonies, Batavia, in common with every part of Java, possesses, in the facilities that exist for travelling from one part of the Island to another. Throughout Java, there are excellent roads, and on every road a post establishment is kept up; so that the traveller has only to apply to the post-master of Batavia, pointing out the road he wishes to travel, and to pay his money according to the number of miles: he obtains, with a passport, an order for four horses all along his intended line of route, and may perform the journey at his leisure, the horses, coachmen, &c. being at his command night or day, till he accomplishes the distance agreed for. Thus, a party going overland from Batavia to Samarang, a distance of three hundred miles, may either perform the journey in three days, or extend it to three weeks, should they wish to look about them, and to halt a day or two at various places as they go along. In no part of British India is there any thing approaching to such admirable and cheap facilities for travelling. And what an inestimable blessing they are to the Batavian invalid, who can thus, in a few hours, be transported, with perfect ease and comfort, into the cool and delightful mountainous regions of Java, where he may choose his climate, by fixing himself at a height varying from one thousand to seven thousand feet above the level of the sea! Java, from east to west and from north to south, is a favourite region with me, and, I believe, with every Englishman who ever visited it. Gin and brandy have killed five-sixths of all the Europeans who have died in Batavia within the last twenty years; but with pleasure I can add, that this destructive habit has almost entirely disappeared: hence the diminished number of deaths, and the more robust and ruddy appearance of the European inhabitants. The surrounding country is both salubrious and beautiful, rising gradually as you proceed inland, till you reach Buytenzorg, forty miles S.S.E. of Batavia, where the Governor-General of Netherlands India generally resides, in a splendid palace, surrounded with extensive and magnificent gardens. The climate is cool and pleasant, more particularly in the mornings and evenings, and the ground is kept moist by daily showers; for it is a singular fact, that scarcely a day in the year passes without a shower in this beautiful neighbourhood.

Buytenzorg is a favourite resort of the merchants of Batavia, who take advantage of the facilities for travelling to visit it on the Saturday afternoon, remaining the whole of Sunday, and returning to town, and to the renewal of their labours, on the following morning. The scenery is magnificent; and the view (well known to every visiter) from the back verandah of the inn, is the finest that can be imagined. Standing on the steps of this verandah, you have, immediately under your foot, an extensive plain, thoroughly cultivated, sprinkled with villages, each village being surrounded with evergreen trees, and the whole almost encircled by a river. To the left of this valley rises an extensive and picturesque mountain, cultivated almost to the summit, and dotted here and there with villages and gentlemen's houses. Looking into the valley at early morn, you will see the lazy buffalo, driven by an equally indolent ploughman, dragging a Lilliputian plough through the slimy paddy-field; the lazy Javanese labourer going to his work in the field; the native women reaping, with the hand only, and stalk by stalk, the ripe paddy (rice) in one field, while those in the next are sowing the seed; the adjoining fields being covered with stubble, their crops having been reaped weeks before. Upon the declivity of the mountain is seen the stately coffee-tree, the plantations of which commence about 1300 feet above the level of the sea, and proceed up the hill till they reach the height of 4000 feet. Nothing can be more beautiful than a full-grown coffee-plantation: the deep green foliage, the splendid bright-red berry, and the delicious shade afforded by the trees, render those spots altogether fit for princes; and princely lives their owners lead. One is always sure of a hearty welcome from these gentlemen, who are ever glad to see a stranger. They give him the best horse in the stable to ride, the best room in the house to occupy, and express regret when his visit is drawing to a close. I speak from experience, having put the hospitality of several of them to the test.

During my first stay at Batavia, from 1823 to 1826, the celebrated Java war broke out, the so-called rebel army being headed by a native Chief of Djockdjocarta, named Diepo Nogoro. Shortly after the first outbreak, the then Governor-General, Baron Vander Capellen, called on all Europeans between the ages of sixteen and forty-five to serve in the _schuttery_, or militia. An infantry and a cavalry corps were formed, and I joined the latter, preferring a ride in the evening to a walk with a fourteen-pound musket over my shoulder. After a probation of pretty tight drilling, we became tolerable soldiers, on "nothing a day and finding ourselves," and had the good town of Batavia put under our charge, the regular troops being all sent away to the scene of war. As I do not intend to return to the subject, I may as well mention here, that the war lasted five years, and that it would have lasted five years longer, had Diepo Nogoro not been taken prisoner--I fear by treachery. I saw him landed at Batavia, in 1829, from the steamer which had brought him from Samarang. The Governor's carriage and aides-de-camp were at the wharf to receive him. In that carriage he was driven to gaol, whence he was banished no one knows whither; and he has never since been heard of. Such is the usual fate of Dutch prisoners of state! Diepo Nogoro deserved a better fate. He was a gallant soldier, and fought bravely. Poor fellow! how his countenance fell--as well it might--when he saw where the carriage drew up! He stopped short on putting his foot on the pavement, evidently unwilling to enter the gloomy-looking pile; cast an eager glance around; and, seeing there was no chance of escape, walked in. Several gentlemen followed, before the authorities had the door closed, and saw the fallen chief, with his _two wives_, consigned to two miserable-looking rooms. Java has been quite tranquil ever since.

The society of Batavia, at the time I am referring to, was both choice and gay; and the influence of my good friends threw me at once into the midst of it. The Dutch and English inhabitants did not then (nor do they now) mix together so much as would, in my opinion, have been agreeable and mutually advantageous. A certain jealousy kept the two parties too much apart. Nevertheless, I have been present at many delightful parties in Dutch families, the pleasures of which were not a little heightened by the presence of some ten or a dozen charming Dutch girls. Charming and beautiful they certainly are while young; but, ere they reach thirty, a marvellous change comes over their appearance: the fair-haired, blue-eyed, laughing romp of eighteen has, in that short period of ten or twelve years, become transformed into a stout and rather elderly-looking matron, as unlike an English woman of the same age as one can well fancy. When I look back on those gay and pleasant parties, and think how few of the individuals who composed them are now alive, the reflection makes me sad. What a different class its English inhabitants of the present day are from those of 1823-1826! I may be prejudiced in favour of the former state of society; but, in giving the preference to it, I shall be borne out by any of the few survivers who knew Batavia at both periods. From 1823 to 1835, the Governor's parties were thronged with our countrymen and countrywomen. Let any one enter His Excellency's ball-room now-a-days, and he will not meet with more than one or two English of the old school, and not one of the new. The causes of this change are obvious: it arises from the different class of people that now come out from Liverpool, Manchester, and Glasgow, compared with the British merchant of former times, and from the total deficiency of the most common civility, on the part of our countrymen, towards the many highly respectable, agreeable, and intelligent Dutch families that form the society of the place. It is with pain I write this; but, as a citizen of the world, who has seen a good deal of life, in recording my sentiments on these matters, I cannot avoid telling the plain truth as it struck me from personal observation.

The vicinity of Batavia affords the most beautiful drives; and hundreds of vehicles, from the handsome carriage and four of the Member of Council to the humble buggy of the merchant's clerk, may be seen every evening, from five till half-past six, that being the coolest and best time for taking out-of-door exercise. The roads are excellent, lined on both sides with trees, which keep them shaded and cool nearly all day. The scene is altogether gay, and affords a gratifying indication of the wealth and importance of this fine colony. By seven o'clock, the drives are deserted; and, immediately afterwards, lights may be seen glittering in every dwelling in the neighbourhood, while, in every second or third house, the passer-by may observe parties of pleasure assembling for the evening. The Dutch have adopted the social plan of exchanging friendly visits in the evening, avoiding our more formal ones of the morning. At these chance evening parties (if I may so term them), the company are entertained with music and cards, and other diversions; and should the visiter be too old to join the young folks in their gayety, he will find one or two of his own standing snugly seated in the far corner of the verandah, where he is sure to be supplied with a good cigar and the very best wine. These groupes are perfect pictures of comfort and content. With all his good qualities, however, "John Dutchman" is jealous of "John Bull," and cannot help shewing it, particularly in commercial matters. How short-sighted his policy is, in this point of view, it would be no difficult task to prove.

The pleasantest months of the year, in Batavia, are, June, July, and August, when the sun is to the northward. I have frequently found a blanket necessary at this season: indeed, the nights, throughout Java, are generally sufficiently cool to allow the European to enjoy a refreshing sleep, after which he will find no difficulty in getting through a hot day. The public health is generally very good from May till September inclusive. In April and October, strangers, particularly the recently arrived European, are apt to suffer from colds and fever, caused, in a great measure, by the breaking-up of the monsoon, which takes place in those months. In November or December, the north-west monsoon brings on the rains, which certainly then come down in torrents, and render the city of Batavia a perfect charnel-house for those poor Natives and Chinese who are unfortunately compelled to remain in it. I have seen it entirely flooded with water, to the depth of four or five feet in some parts. The malaria occasioned by the deposit of slimy mud left all over the town by the water, on its retiring, causes sad havoc among the poorer Chinese and Malays, who reside in the lowest parts of the town, and inhabit wretched hovels. These floods seldom annoy the inhabitants of the suburbs; yet I well remember, in the season of 1828, a friend of mine lay down on a sofa and went to sleep, about eight o'clock in the evening: at three next morning, he awoke with the water just reaching his couch, much to his surprise and no small alarm, till, on becoming collected, he bethought him of the cause. The neighbouring river had risen, from mountain rains, whilst he was asleep, and had completely flooded his house, to the depth of eighteen inches, together with the garden and neighbourhood.