The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-09-30
SULTAN'S ROOM FILLED
WITH CUT CLASS FURNITURE

Will w
Johore, the palace of the Sultan OF
Johore, and a room full Of cut-glass
furniture worth more than a million
dollars, is one of the most interesting
sights to be seen at Singapore, Straits
Settlements, more commonly known
as a part of India. In this room there
are chairs, tables, settees, enormous
chandeliers, candelabra, flowers, and
in fact everything in the room is Of
cut glass, with the exception Of one
common rocker and the draperies.
The palace of the Sultan of Johore
who ceded Singapore to the English
and to whom the adjacent kingdom
belongs, is located near the burial
grounds of the Malay princes, just o
short distance from Singapore. An
other parsonage, the eX-rajah of Sin
garOre, lives near the city. This chief
formerly held Singapore under the
sultan. There are many curiosities OF
immense value scattered throughout
the palace of the Sultan Of Johore,
beautiful paintings by old masters,
idols Of ancient lineage, the draperies
in several of the rooms being worth
fortune in themselves.
One of the greatest curiosities is
that of a gigantic idol which the ma
tiyes call the Gold Jesus represent
ing the Indian Buddha This idol is
claimed to be made of solid gold. It
has two immense fangs or teeth pro-
truding out of each side of the mouth,
and it can well be imagined how this
adds to the extreme hideousness Of
the countenance The idol sits with
it's legs crossed. Indian fashion, and
altogether is one of the most fear
some sights to be seen in the Orient.
The figure is seated upon an altar in
one of the temples, with a great many
candles and offerings of the devout
Hindoo, in front. On four strings
stretched before it are suspended 4
number of precious stones of great
price, which are also offerings of the
devout Buddhists. The natives claim
this figure represents Buddha as he
will appear on the occasion of his
second coming upon earth.
The island of Singapore is about
twenty-seven miles long and fourteen
broad, and contains an area of 2O6
square miles. It is separated from
the mainland Of Johore by the "old
straits" It was first settled in A. d.
.116O by one Sri Sura Bawana, and
historians claim that Rajah Buan of
Amdan Niagara, after conquering the
state of Johore with certain natives of
India (Klings), proceeded in 1901 to
a country then called "Tamansk" and
afterward returned to Killing" leav-
ing the stone inscription in memory
of his visit and victory.
The entrance to Singapore harbor
is beautiful The visitor will pass
close to Johore Island and several 9TH
ers on the left literally covered with
pineapple, nutmeg and cocoanut plan
tations, all of the brightest perpetual
green. AS it is seen once, so it is all
the year round, few days elapsing
without showers of rain to lay the
dust and irrigate the vegetation in
this torrid region close under the line
of the equator
The town itself is divided into the
English, Chinese and Malay sections
or districts. The English district is
laid out in squares; the Chinese sec
ton is a busy place, the strets are
wide and the houses, as a rule, are all
uniform, covered with a yellow wash
giving them the appearance Of stucco.
The interior of the Chinese houses
is not so flattering.
Every year about the beginning Of
the northeast monsoon December
and january vast numbers of Chi
nese arrive from China. Many OF
these people, driven out of their own
country by crime or poverty-it is
claimed the mandarins of China make
these settlements their gratuitous
penal stations-arriye in the Straits