The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-11-25
INTELLIGENCE FROM SING GApORE.

ANOTHER RUSSIAN VESSEL CAPTURED--EXPOSED' CON
DITI0E OF THE sErTLEMlsST--ITs COMMERCIAL I'M
PORTANCE.
We in receipt of Giles of the Singapore Free Press
and Straits Times TO July 2S and dates from Batavia
We chroncled yesterday the capture of Russian mer
chant shin in the bay Of Bengal We find in the Free
Press she following report of another prize taken by the
British:'H. NJ S. Sybe has made prize of Russian
brig called the 0mni The capture Is said to have taken
Iace in the neghborhood Of the Straits Of sunda and
II true it is the first in these The Omn in
Singapore just before the declared and ook in
cargo for the colonies, and it is understood she
her way back to this port
The Free Press says: Singapore Is at present utter
y deencecss against foreign attack, (that is, when
Of onr own vessels OF war are In harbor) and
would be Just the had she ten rife corps in
tence instead Of one in prospect Any hostile vessel of
war could drop anchor in harbor and bring the
to terms al once or reduce II 10 ashes without riskng
the life Of board
The European residents of Singapore have organized
themselves into volunteer rife corps, TO protect the
setlemcnt from the possible attacks of the unruy spi-
rits who compose the great of the inhabitants.
Some idea of the character of the population may be OBJ
tanned from the following in the Free Press
The elements of our population not only most he
terogeneous bnt the mens preroaderanee q them
dangerous in The extreme. census Of the island IL is
inn ossibe TO obtain but its Inhabitants are now sup
posed number nearly so 600 and Of these probably
above three fourhs Chinese, the remaining fourth
being made up of Maays, Bngese, Jayanesc, the in
habtants OF India proper, aud Of many other neigh
boring States with exceedingly small proportion of
Europeans. Tie great bulk Of the Chinese population
consists II ongrars from China who almost wholly
able bodied malca aud believe ourselves to he far
hith,n Inc marx when We say that OF the total ropua
lion three fhs nj least capable of carrying
Whom along wisha this consider tlat this OF
physical force exists either in state utterly savage,
~ 10 some extent te in of partially civilized
babariy, dangerous 10 social order than the other
Is tie wh tho Chinese Ingredient Of the ropula
tcnthat the ioilary forec stationed here does
general exceed 700 men. Of whom seldom than 20
TO $50 effective at any time aud these too, natives
that We have steiy received Into population
thousands OF fugityes from country which has Ion
been and Is now, in state OF complete political sor
der--that 1t Is certain thai the juuh wi
arrive that shah be inundated with thousands
or The cIass--ahd lastly that organized GU
break has already ami but recently taken place amngs
Us, In which many lives and considerable property
sacrifce9-if viii become and more manifest tina
Tie formation Of such corps win not only he advan
taseons to the settlement hut may almost BE- locke
upon as being in Our circumstances q necessity
The port Of Singapore is If much greater Importance
commercially than Is generally supposed. The
mercal year ends on the 31st Of April. Fuftrade
turns show that the imports into Singapore for the
1s53'54 Amounted 10 the very large of Sl0, ,a5s 9T4
an increase OF 5,l2s s91 the previous yearthe
exports in 1S53'54, to Sl5, COG 5S3, increase of
80 over the previous year. Total yearly exports
and import $, s36, ,e55, ,55I.