Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-12
SCENES IN SINGAPORE.
Observations of Oscar F. Williams,
the United States Consul General.

Oscar F. Williams. the United States con-
sui general at Singap pore, is al the Airing
ton. Singapore is a vast market and is a
very busy place. said Mr.. Williams, "at
the same time there is the usual tropical
Incidence. We are only one degree re-
moved from the equator. The climate is
delightful The temperature varies from 20
to so during the year, but the nights are
always cool Europeans live in the bunga-
lows near the city and enjoy their tropical
homes. The masses of the people live in
the port city, which has a good harbor. 1t
can be entered without the use of pilot.
The island has a commanding position.
being in the center of the highway leading
from British India to China 1t was the
first free port in the Malayan seas and soon
became a great center of trade. 1t is only
twentyseven miles long and from eleven
70 fifteen miles wide, with an area of about
BOG square miles Something like seventy
small islands of no value within a radius Of
ten miles are included with it in a British
colonial government. The Island Itself pro-
duces little of value. The soil is not very
fertile; in fact the rock is found at the
surface. Notwithstanding this fact when
the British took possession there was a
thick covering of shrubs and vines. For
many years nutmegs were grown pT'ofitably,
but a blight several years ago killed the
trees and 10 attempt has been made since
to raise crop on a large scale Tropical
fruits grow satisfactorily where good soil
is found. and few pineapples and cocoa
| nuts are raised for export but the main
business of the island is the exchange of
/ eastern and western commodities.
THE British flag was first hoisted over
the Island in 1919. The Sultan of lahore
| had laid claim to the island in 1911 and he
| resisted the English claim. A treaty was
| completed in 1924 by which he relinquished
| all rights to Great Britain. The people are
! a mixture of all races and the city is very
| cosmopolitan. The bright colors of the va
| rious costumes of the orient mingie with
| the sober black of the Europeans. There
| third of the populati ton, and the largest pro-
portion of the people are Chinese. There
| are Malays. Javanese and people of all ma
| tionalities 1t Is very interesting to visit
the houses of worship in the city. There
Pare Mohammedan mosques, Chinese joss
| houses and Hindoo temples. In the Euro
pean quarter there are several hotels, ar
| esplanade, Gothic cathedral and mission
1 buildings. The city has botanical garden
| a museum and numerous Buddhist temples
The sanitary arrangements and policing are
good. The surface of the island is billy blu
the highest hill is only about 500 feet high
The streams are small, the longest extend
Ing about six miles from the bay. The do
mestic animals of Europe have been intro
duced, and there are also some wild ami
mails, deer, wild hogs, monkeys, squirrels
and occasionally tiger crosses the straits
and kills several people before it is cap
tured.
The bay is usually calm and serene onIy
disturbed by the long swells from the Bal
OF Bengal or the China sea. The northeas
monsoon lasts from November to April
but 1t is never violent The southwes
monsoon follows 1t and that Is equally mild
The southeriy Java winds are the worst
for, while they are cool and refreshing a
the time, they are very enervating In
stead of a regular rainy season the rain i
distributed throughout the year, so that
rains almost every other day, on an aver
age. Altogether it is very pleasant an,
| interesting place to live, and I cannot 70
call place where more strange ships AM
| people gather"