, 1889-05-30
THE SULTAN AT JOHORE.
A VISIT TO AN INDEPENDENT AND
NOTED MALAY RULER.

XIII Three hundred People Every Year.
Liking for Europeans
England has already a strong hold upon
the Malay peninsula, but among tho tribes of
M~alaccn, which are not subject to her, is that
Of Johore. Johore is bigger than MassacAu-
sets, and 1t is governed by a sultan, who has
absolute power and is ono of the few indie
pendent Malay rajahs still living. Imade an
excursion TO Johore; visited tho capital, and
there met this most noted Malay ruler. Leav-
ing Singapore at sunrise, our carriage WINS
driven by a Malay ~coachman, and we had a
gray whiskered, barefooted East Indian in a
red gown and turban as a guide. We drove
for miles on q road as level as the floor and
as well kept as q race track, through planta-
tons of cocoanuts and coffee.
AND CoFFEE
We first passed great estates with beautiful
grounds and wide drives, and then on out
into the jungle. The green ~cocoanuts hung
by the bushels in great punches from the top
Of tall palm trees, each of which WINS from so
TO 100 feet high, and with a trunk of from
0 to 12 inches In diameter. The bark was
grayish white, and there were no leaves
until the very top, upon which the c~ocoanuts
grew. Some Of these groves had thousands
of trees, and they all looked as though they
NtTb uTunken Oh IDeT own milk lneY
leaned In every direction, and the tops of
some seemed to embrace those of others in
maudlin tollity. Tn coffee estates consisted
Of green bushes about eight feet high with
many branches, and the coffee grows close to
the branch, and the yellow fruit Is the size
Of smnn damson plums; each plum contains
two seeds, surrounded by pulp, md these
seeds nre the coffee grains They are Guilt
waited, and the estates showed that they had
been but lately plowed.
This road across the island of Singapore
was lined with Jungle, which WINS at times
so thick that you could not SOC more than
two feet beyond the roadway. When it is re-
membcred that 800 people nre killed every
year hereby tigers, and TINT the lower partial
the Malay peninsula is the home OF the wild
beast, 1t will be seen that tho possibilities were
both numerous and unpleasant We pissed
through a number of Malay Chinese villages,
and we saw many black skinned natives of
Java with nothing but breech clouts upon
them, working upon the roadway. Now and
then we would meet n cart drawn by heavy
Indian bullocks, with great humps of fat six
inches high above their shoulders, and with
their black skinned driver inn turban, sitting
or standing upon the heavy cart tongue.
These bullocks push the cart along with the
front of their shoulders. Their Jokes do not
como around tho neck, as do those of our
oxen, and they get over tho ground three
times as fast. They arc the boasts of burden
in this part of the world. They do all the
carting and hauling and they are among tho
most picturesque sights of this picturesque
country. Their drivers are straight, lean,
wiry men, who scowl at you as you pass,
and who, with oil their black skins, ave
features as regular as the best you will find
In your city. 1 snapped my camera upon
ono of them as no passed, and the black
skinned driver sworo at mo In Hindostanee
as / did 30.
IN AN AMERICAN ROCKING CHAIR
Half why ncross tho island, our driver
stopped and changed the horses Of our car
riago for q relay which had been sent on
ahead. Then the Malay jehu whipped up
and we rode on through more villages and
more jungle until We came to the straits of
Singapore, on tho opposite eide of which
was the main land and Johore A Chinese
boat carried us across these and we were
landed at the wharf of the sultan's palace.
A beautiful lawn Of many acres slopes by
half a dozen terraces to the waters edge
Above this lies the palace, which Is reached
by winding drives, and away to the right
shine the blue and yellow buildings of tho
city of Johorc, which the sultan hos built
within tho last few years for his capital, and
which he laid out in the original jungle. The
palnce is n large gray and white two story
building with wide p~orticoes and many largo
windows looking out upon the water. 1t Is,
perhaps. 200 feet long md at least half that
depth.
Soldiers, In n costume half European, keep
guard in front of 1t, and others In turbans
march up and down through Its various cor
ridors. Some of these soldiers are olive
brown Malays, others arc as black as ebony,
and the officer who received my letters and
took them In to tho sultan wns dressed In
European clothes, with n Malay surong or
skirt shining out unde his coat After walt
ing n moment the sultan himself appeared.
A tall, fine looking, broad shouldered, light
yellow man with grny hair, black eyes and
gray mustache. He wore q suit of white
duck with q lavender skirt reaching to his
knees, and with bracelets of solid gold ropo
as thick as your finger around each of his
wrists. There were diamond rings on his
fingers, and he had n seal brown plush turban
cap on his head. He spoke English perfectly,
shook hands with me cordially and gave me
a seat In an American rocking chair in his
audience chamber, while he took another for
himself at my side. He talked of tho de-
cadence of the Malay people, and said tina
the Chinese made much better workers. He
needed them for the development of his king
dom, and he was glad to nave their immigra-
ton.
he talked of his travels and told me he
needed only TO visit America to complete his
tour Of the world. He had visited In England,
and had been 30 we'll entertained that he wns
always glad to give Europeans q welcome
when they came to his kingdom
Ho had visited China and Japan, and while
in England no had gone one day to Liverpool
to see a lady friend Off for America ~ went
down to the ship" said he, and 1 put my
friend on board. 1t was only seven days to
New York, and had 1 remained 1 might have
visited your country. 1 am very sorry I did
not do 50, for l think America is great and
your people are a great and kind people.
They give us the telegraph, the electric light,
and they are at the front In invention. ]
like them and 1 have many friends In Amer
ca--Frank G. Carpenter.