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Actions Displays	Details Remove from selection Add to selection CollectionSouth & Southeast Asian Collection Object numberS0001-0101-001-0 TitleManuscript, Double-sided CreatorCharles Dyce Description“The large building, the roof of which is seen in the centre of the drawing (sketch No 4) is the public Rooms, which were erected a couple of years ago, in the shape of a joint stock and aided at same time by a few donations._ The Building exclusive of the portico is one hundred and thirty feet long by fifty feet broad, and contains a Theatre Ball_room, Supper and two Ante_Rooms_ No regularly bred scions of the Sock and buskin have as yet made their appearance at Singapore, but the Community are very passably regaled every two or three months by the performance of the amateur Corps dramatique_ Sketch No 5. Is a portion of the previous one on an enlarged scale_ At the entrance of the River or Creek is a small half finished Bastion on which a few nine pounders are mounted for salutes and a small House for the residence of the Officer commanding the Artillery_ many years ago, this spot was intended to have been a regular fort and to have rejoiced under the name of Fort Fullarton_ the work had proceeded so far, when orders arrived from Calcutta to stop, and the commands appear to have been obeyed to the very letter for the upper teirs of stones bringing the wall to a level with that of the adjoining wharf are still without lime or cement_ In another part of the Island about a mile out of town, are situated the Sepoy lines or cantonements in which previous to the arrival of the present governor was stationed a Regiment of madras Native Infantry, however economy being the order of the day, one Regiment now guards the three settlements head quarters & four companies being stationed in Singapore and the Balance distributed between Penang & Malacca._ The Singapore River is an exceeding bustling busy place and its apparent activity is not a little increased by the Ferry, which is in the hands of malay boys, who in small Cockle_shells of boats take foot passengers backwards and forwards for 2 Doits each or the Three hundredth part of a dollar._ These boys for the most part along with the large population make the river their home, and in the centre where there is a bank and the water too low to admit of any navigation an immense assemblage of small craft of all descriptions are moored forming a little floating village_ although it would appear hard to disturb these aquatic squatters from their location, still the means of concealment afforded to stolen property as well as delinquents themselves will ere long drive Government to this apparently harsh measure. The large boats used for the transport of Cargo (technically Tonkans) and fine barges they are of some 35 to 40 Tons are entirely owned and worked by Klings, people from the Madras Coast, while the Sampan, the wherry of the East which formerly was exclusively worked and in fact only understood by malays is now almost equally divided between the two, so completely in everything does the malay succumb from his apathetic indifference, to the deep cunning and eager thirst for gain of the Indian: in addition” (Sketches in the Straits, Nineteenth - century watercolours and manuscript of Singapore, Malacca, Penang and Batavia by Charles Dyce, Page 91) “to this, a Malay is exceedingly proud and having a most rooted and thorough contempt for the lying and mean propensities of his opponent will not demean himself by long contending with them, so that a few months perserverence will soon drive him from any monopoly long established_ Nor will he condescend to show any eagerness to secure passengers for his boat, his motto apparently being “if you don’t like it leave it alone”_ this was all well enough when there was no opposition, but will hardly succeed when twenty or thirty others are each vociferously expatiating on the infinite superiority of their craft over any other in the known world.__ The race in fact is fast disappearing and it is now a matter of difficulty to procure a good Malay Sampan and crew on hire_ For independently of their superior knowledge of the navigation of the thousand intricate channels and shoals among the Islands and consequent value as pilots for all piè-cués, or exploring excursions, it becomes a matter of almost necessity to secure their services in a climate so subject as this is to sudden and fearfully violent squalls_ for although such seldom last above Twenty minutes, still it blows so furiously during the time that it is a great chance if any boat under sail except she be managed by experienced hands can escape being swamped._ In case of an accident of this nature and Sampans from their build are exceedingly crank one feels perfectly secure with Malays, who besides being veritable water kelpres in their habits possess a good spark of chivalrie feeling and never would desert the party under their charge under any circumstances, while on the other hand, the chances are ten to one that a Kling would first weigh in his own mind what and how much he would make (a Kling never acts disinterestedly) by exerting himself to save his fellow mortals before he would put out a hand to save one and while he is making up his mind in all probability some of them will have gone beyond his aid_ The Sampan is perhaps one of the fastest boats in existence of great length from 30 to 45 feet very narrow, and build like a wedge, her greatest bearing being at the gunwale_ this makes them exceedingly crank to appearance, altho not so in reality when worked by people who understand them bit it takes two or three trials to make a stranger perfectly at ease in one of them especially in any sea way_ The are pulled by four paddles double banked with very largeblades, but only about 7 feet from hand to tip & have generally two large mat sails, which when set, drive her thro’ the water with fearful capacity_ ballasts is never carried, and when it blows strong out riggers are formed by the puddles on which the crew sit, easing her by coming farther in or vice versa when necessary The Sampan has never yet been beat on its own waters, altho only one good trial has been afforded, this perhaps is in the recollection of many and occurred a very few years back when a prize boatand crewwere brought out from the Thame sat great expense to determine a bet of £500, and altho’ trained regularlyall the way out and for some time on” (Sketches in the Straits, Nineteenth - century watercolours and manuscript of Singapore, Malacca, Penang and Batavia by Charles Dyce, Page 92) Production placeSingapore Production date 1816 - 1853 Object categoryManuscript MaterialWatercolour & ink on paper Dimensions H: 57.5 cm L: 43.8 cm H: 47.1 cm L: 55.5 cm

CollectionSouth & Southeast Asian Collection

Object numberS0001-0101-001-0

TitleManuscript, Double-sided

Description“The large building, the roof of which is seen in the centre of the drawing (sketch No 4) is the public Rooms, which were erected a couple of years ago, in the shape of a joint stock and aided at same time by a few donations._ The Building exclusive of the portico is one hundred and thirty feet long by fifty feet broad, and contains a Theatre Ball_room, Supper and two Ante_Rooms_ No regularly bred scions of the Sock and buskin have as yet made their appearance at Singapore, but the Community are very passably regaled every two or three months by the performance of the amateur Corps dramatique_ Sketch No 5. Is a portion of the previous one on an enlarged scale_ At the entrance of the River or Creek is a small half finished Bastion on which a few nine pounders are mounted for salutes and a small House for the residence of the Officer commanding the Artillery_ many years ago, this spot was intended to have been a regular fort and to have rejoiced under the name of Fort Fullarton_ the work had proceeded so far, when orders arrived from Calcutta to stop, and the commands appear to have been obeyed to the very letter for the upper teirs of stones bringing the wall to a level with that of the adjoining wharf are still without lime or cement_ In another part of the Island about a mile out of town, are situated the Sepoy lines or cantonements in which previous to the arrival of the present governor was stationed a Regiment of madras Native Infantry, however economy being the order of the day, one Regiment now guards the three settlements head quarters & four companies being stationed in Singapore and the Balance distributed between Penang & Malacca._ The Singapore River is an exceeding bustling busy place and its apparent activity is not a little increased by the Ferry, which is in the hands of malay boys, who in small Cockle_shells of boats take foot passengers backwards and forwards for 2 Doits each or the Three hundredth part of a dollar._ These boys for the most part along with the large population make the river their home, and in the centre where there is a bank and the water too low to admit of any navigation an immense assemblage of small craft of all descriptions are moored forming a little floating village_ although it would appear hard to disturb these aquatic squatters from their location, still the means of concealment afforded to stolen property as well as delinquents themselves will ere long drive Government to this apparently harsh measure. The large boats used for the transport of Cargo (technically Tonkans) and fine barges they are of some 35 to 40 Tons are entirely owned and worked by Klings, people from the Madras Coast, while the Sampan, the wherry of the East which formerly was exclusively worked and in fact only understood by malays is now almost equally divided between the two, so completely in everything does the malay succumb from his apathetic indifference, to the deep cunning and eager thirst for gain of the Indian: in addition” (Sketches in the Straits, Nineteenth - century watercolours and manuscript of Singapore, Malacca, Penang and Batavia by Charles Dyce, Page 91) “to this, a Malay is exceedingly proud and having a most rooted and thorough contempt for the lying and mean propensities of his opponent will not demean himself by long contending with them, so that a few months perserverence will soon drive him from any monopoly long established_ Nor will he condescend to show any eagerness to secure passengers for his boat, his motto apparently being “if you don’t like it leave it alone”_ this was all well enough when there was no opposition, but will hardly succeed when twenty or thirty others are each vociferously expatiating on the infinite superiority of their craft over any other in the known world.__ The race in fact is fast disappearing and it is now a matter of difficulty to procure a good Malay Sampan and crew on hire_ For independently of their superior knowledge of the navigation of the thousand intricate channels and shoals among the Islands and consequent value as pilots for all piè-cués, or exploring excursions, it becomes a matter of almost necessity to secure their services in a climate so subject as this is to sudden and fearfully violent squalls_ for although such seldom last above Twenty minutes, still it blows so furiously during the time that it is a great chance if any boat under sail except she be managed by experienced hands can escape being swamped._ In case of an accident of this nature and Sampans from their build are exceedingly crank one feels perfectly secure with Malays, who besides being veritable water kelpres in their habits possess a good spark of chivalrie feeling and never would desert the party under their charge under any circumstances, while on the other hand, the chances are ten to one that a Kling would first weigh in his own mind what and how much he would make (a Kling never acts disinterestedly) by exerting himself to save his fellow mortals before he would put out a hand to save one and while he is making up his mind in all probability some of them will have gone beyond his aid_ The Sampan is perhaps one of the fastest boats in existence of great length from 30 to 45 feet very narrow, and build like a wedge, her greatest bearing being at the gunwale_ this makes them exceedingly crank to appearance, altho not so in reality when worked by people who understand them bit it takes two or three trials to make a stranger perfectly at ease in one of them especially in any sea way_ The are pulled by four paddles double banked with very largeblades, but only about 7 feet from hand to tip & have generally two large mat sails, which when set, drive her thro’ the water with fearful capacity_ ballasts is never carried, and when it blows strong out riggers are formed by the puddles on which the crew sit, easing her by coming farther in or vice versa when necessary The Sampan has never yet been beat on its own waters, altho only one good trial has been afforded, this perhaps is in the recollection of many and occurred a very few years back when a prize boatand crewwere brought out from the Thame sat great expense to determine a bet of £500, and altho’ trained regularlyall the way out and for some time on” (Sketches in the Straits, Nineteenth - century watercolours and manuscript of Singapore, Malacca, Penang and Batavia by Charles Dyce, Page 92)

Production placeSingapore

Production date 1816 - 1853

Object categoryManuscript

MaterialWatercolour & ink on paper

Dimensions

H: 57.5 cm
L: 43.8 cm
H: 47.1 cm
L: 55.5 cm

Details