The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-06-26

rious places of interest in the city
tilr near night and the next morning
at S O'Clock sailed out Of the harbor
for Penang and this city. Some Of the
places OF interest visited were the
tanic gardens, museum, two Hin
doc places of which, reservoir, etc,
though TO a person visiting a foreign
and before unseen tropical country
and a strange city like Singapore, there
are many curious things TO be seen.
mostly, the people are strange, the way
they dress, look, transac business.
live, worship, etc, are strange
Singapore is the seat OF government
of the Straits Settlements and its de-
tendencies. The governor of the
Straits Settlements is also high COM
missioned for the federate Malay
states and high commissions for the
territories of the British North Barneo
Company. 1t was settled in 1919, is a
trongly fortified coaling station, dis
lance from Great Britain about 5000
miles, had a populationin 1891 of about
1S4, 900 including some 5000 Europeans,
Americans and military. Chinese
predominated. Singapore being what
is called the equatorial center Of the
Eastern universe, where all the ways
of commerce cross and people from all
nations, bound for all the remote cor
ners of the globe meet, ii presents in
harbor and city, a very busy appear
ance. think there was more shipping
in this harbor than in any l have seen
since leaving San Francisco and /
have never seen as much o "a any
where that l now remember, n l was
tool that it was brought mostly from
told tha it was piled up for more than
a mile along the wharves.
The run of 81 miles to Penang was
made by 1870 p. m. the next day and
| some of us at once went ashore 10
take in the town and drove first to the
Waterfall garden, some four miles dis
tant, visiting on the way a Hindoo
temple of worship which was about
like those we saw at Singapore. The
waterfall is a natural n and very
interesting. 1t is said that the source
of the stream has never been found,
but is supposed to come from a large
inland sea or lake in Sumatra called
s"Toba sea-" on the other side of the
straits of Malacca and passing under
the ocean. In the waterfall gardens
| and in all the own are TO be seen in
various kinds of tropical vegetation
in all it's beauty, surrounded by pretty
mountains and hills of origin forest
Altogether the scenery in Penang in
this respect was the grandest l have
so far seen on my trip and 1 have nc
hope of seeing any place anywhere
| which will he an improvement on il.
Penang, or Prince of Wales Island
| as it is officially called, was founded ir
1896, and is an English colony. The
town has some 5000 inhabitants, but
the provinces of Wellesley and Din.
dings some 235,0O0 in 1891. Nearly al
n~ationalities are represented.
When I tell you that since leaving
Wilmington, and 1 am now more thar
half way around the world, till I reach.
ed Colombo, / have not put my feet or
any other than American and English
soil, you will LAY an idea of the eX-
tensiVenesS of the domains of these
two greatest and most powerful ma
ions of the world. They encircle thu
| globe.
In his part of the world one has tC
do with a great variety OF people
money, conveyances, languages, etc.
but so far l have been Inconvenience
very little on this account. The Eng
lish language is spoken more or les:
every where, and American gold i:
taken almost anywhere. In Hong kons
/ went to a bank ITO exchange SOM
gold for Hong Kong money and / wa:
s415.5 so for $780, 90 gold-more than 500
for s1.00.
At Penang news Of the relief of Ma.
feking, South Africa, vas received
and there was much rejoicing in the
town by the English people The ship
ping in the harbor and the public build
ingS in the town were decorated will
the British flag.
In passing through the Straits Set.
Elements we sailed for more than 30
miles without rarely being out Of sigh
of land.
On Sunday, the Goth, English relis
o services were again held in TIT
main saloon of the ship, Captain Den
ny himself conducting them. l was
informed hat it was a custom apou,
| English ships.
l think l forgot to tell you in my
last letter that the principal papers
printed in English in Singapore are
The Daily Times, The Daily Free Press
and The Weekly Buget. The two first
retailing at 10 cents each and the latter
at 40 cents. The Penang Gazette il
the leading paper at Penang, but IL
the papers l nave seen since leaving
San Francisco have been very short
on news, and / am now very hungry
| for news from North Carolina and the
state generally.
After leaving Penang there was fire
practice again aboard the ship. The
| rapid ringing of the bell brought mer
from all parts of the ship to the varl-
Gus parts to which the rules of the
| ship place them in case of fire. Unlike
other practices l have seen, this tin
all hopes of saving the ship were gone
and fire ricketts, were fired and arrange
mentS made for leaving the ship. Il
was very interesting.
The Indian ocean behaved the ug-
| list of any water / lave been on so far
1 think. After leaving the Straits il
was rough nearly all the way here, but
the Chusan is a steady ship and there
was but little sickness aboard.
The Island of Ceylon was sighted
yesterday afternoon and Colombo was
reached this morning early. / am
writing this aboard the Chusan. I will
go ashor soon and mail his and tell
you something about this city in my
| next. This being the queens birth
day the shipping in the harbor is gaily
decorated in her honor
Hoping to let you lear from me from
some place further on and that all con-
nected with The Messenger are we'll.
I am, respectfully yours etc,
]. A. CREWS.