The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-04-22
AROUND SINGAPORE.
A sampan Trip Taken by Rev.ssD. W. LIE
Lacheur and Another Missionary.
Strange way of Fishing and Beautiful
Coral Formation.


Coral Formation
A foreign paper which is sent to us by
Mrs. D. w. LeLacheur. of this city, gives
an interesting account of 'Sampan
trip which Mr.. LeLacheur and another
missionary have made around the island
of Singapore. The sSampan' is a Chi
nese boat, twelve or fifteen feet long,
covered with a house and sometimes
used as a permanent habitation on the
water Mr.. LeLacheur and his compan-
ion with a Chinese boatman, left Pong
gol, on the Johore Straits, on the Both of
January Of this year. Judging from
the description given the trip must have
been one of great pleasure. on account of
7 the novel and beautiful scenery. They
coasted along past Malay villages, great
pepper plantations, the island of Pulau
Ubin. the most famous haunt of tigers in
that region, and magnificent cocoanut
plantations. Near the Changi they
passed very many men and women, who
sitting in their light boats were fishing
for the parang- parang (Chirocentrus
Dorab), a fish daily seen in the Singa-
pore markets. 1t seems that this fish
can only be made to bite at the hook by
using sort Of rattle, made of dry cocoa
nut-shells and Chinese copper coins,
which is continually shaken. The Ma
lays call such an instrument kerochok
oro-ore, and it is used wherever this fish
is angled for.
On a lovely island named Pulau Aver
Limau, they stopped little time to wait
for turn of the tide, and took refresh
ing sea bath, after which they visited
vast stretches Of coral gardens that were
uncovered at Neap Tide. Speaking of
this Mr.. LeLacheur says: 1--WE never
could have seen enough of the beauties
of this submarine proof of Gods great
ness. AT every step new forms. and col
ors were found which arrested our atten-
ton, so that the boat was unable to car
~ all the excellent specimens which we
selected for our collections. Only few
of them could be slowed away, and they
reminded us today of that enjoyable hour
of collecting. Between the branches of
the corals, crabs, starish, iellyfsh, sepiae
and other bright colored inhabitants of
the deep swan or crawled about, each
object requiring more leisure to study
than we were able to bestow upon the
entire living museum. There is no doubt
that the stay on Pulau Aver Limau will
be one of the best remembered hours of
our lives. While. we were still engaged
in examining the reef, Ito the destruc-
ton of our shoes, which-had they sur
vived our return-could have told Of the
many cuts and scratches received from
the CLASSY points sand branches of the
corals) the sky darkened suddenly, and a
violent squall came upon us from the
north, which SOON set our boat adrift
and all our efforts were needed to keep
her from dashing against the reef and
being wrecked. After half an hours
constant work we got her into the deep
water, and as the wind had now abated
we rowed over to the Singapore shore,
which we reached at Tanjong King
Mr.. LeLacheur is well remembered in
this city as the former pastor of the
Vaughan street Methodist church. He
is now engaged as a missionary at Singa-
pore.