Description of Singapore in 1832-34
The island of Singapore, on the south side of which the town is situated, is about sixty miles
in circumference, a narrow strait dividing it from the Malay peninsula.
This strait is navigable for ships, and was generally frequented by the old
European mariners. The case is now, however, different, no square-rigged vessel having passed
through it for many years. The land on whichthe town is built is very low, being only a few
feet above high water mark; but the face of the island generally is gently undulating, and covered
with dense forest; the only hill of considerable elevation being Bukit Tima (Tin Hill), an isolated
barren mount near the north coast, probably one thousand five hundred feet in height.
The commercial portion of the town is on the west side of the river’s entrance, the part nearest
to the sea being occupied by the European merchants. A range of houses, fronted by wharfs,
extends along the bank as far as the bridge, a distance of about three hundred yards, the prin-
cipal streets running at right angles with the river.
With the exception of the commercial square, these streets are occupied exclusively by Chinese,
Klings, and other natives, who are chiefly mer-chants or shopkeepers.
On the opposite side of the river, a smooth road runs along the shores of the harbour to Campong
Glam, a village a mile and a hail’ from Singapore, occupied by about four thousand Chinese, Bugis,
and Malays. From this, the road strikes a short distance into the country, and returns with a
sweep to the town. On the road side, fronting the sea, are the villas of the principal Europeans
(few of whom reside in the town), large and handsome buildings, fronted by green verandahs and
venetian blinds. The Circular road forms the evening drive of the inhabitants ; but it is not
available for those who dwell in the town, as the wooden bridge has become so ruinous that, to
prevent accidents, it has been reduced so greatly in width that it can only be crossed by foot
passengers.
The ground at the back of the town is laid out in gardens by the Chinese, who grow large
quantities of fruits and vegetables for the supply of the inhabitants. On the bank of the creek are
many plantations of pepper and gambier, also cultivated by Chinese, and on the coast of the
island to the eastward of the town, and also on the little islets off the harbour, are small agricul-
tural settlements of Bugis and Javanese, who, from their known bravery, are less liable to attacks from
the roving Malay pirates, than the more timid Chinese would be, if similarly situated.
In a snug cove called New Harbour, about a mile to the westward of the town, is a large village
occupied exclusively by Malays, few of whom apparently follow any occupation, though some
guess may be made respecting their mode of procuring subsistence.
The interior of the island is almost unknown to the Europeans, but there is a small independent
Chinese settlement a few miles distant from the town, which is said to be very populous, and as
considerable quantities of produce are brought thence to the town for sale, their plantations must
be extensive. No European has yet visited them. The soil near the town is of a sandy nature, but
is so thickly covered with herbage that this can only be perceived on close inspection. In the
interior, the soil is of a better description, and it is found to be well adapted for the growth of
pepper, cotton, and indeed all the most valuable articles of Oriental produce. As the Bengali con-
victs are employed in making a road into the interior of the island, its topography will soon he
better known than it is at present.
Singapore contains an epitome of the population of the whole Archipelago, and indeed of Continen-
tal India also. Chinese, Malays, Bugis, Java-nese, Balinese, natives of Bengal and Madras,
Parsees, Arabs, and Caifrees, are to be found within the circuit of a few miles, each people
forming a separate community, and retaining its customs as completely as if it had never been
transplanted.
An early walk through Campong Glam will serve to give a stranger a good idea of the habits
and occupations of the different classes. Near the residence of the Sultan he will meet with
Malays, lounging about near the doors of their houses, chewing betel, with their sarongs, which
usually hang loosely about the waist, wrapped round the body to shelter the wearer from the cool
morning breeze.
The main street, however, will have a very different appearance. There Chinese
mechanics will be busily employed forging iron-work, making furniture, or building boats; and
the level green near the sea will be occupied by Bugis, who have landed from their prahus to mend
their sails, or to twist rope and cables from the materials which they have brought with them.
In a portion of the back part of the campong, natives of Sambawa, a far distant island to the
eastward of Java, will be found chopping young trees into billets for fire-wood, and making hurdles
for fencing; and in another, Bengali washermen hanging out clothes to dry, and dairymen of the
same nation milking their cows to supply the breakfast tables of the Europeans. On the roads
Klings will occasionally be encountered conducting tumbrils drawn by buffaloes cased in mud and
dirt; the creaking of the wheels almost drowning the voice of the driver as he bawls to the animals,
in his harsh and discordant jargon. Each nation, indeed, is found pursuing avocations which best
accord with its tastes and habits.
The following census of the population of Singa-pore taken in 1833,
will shew the relative pro-portions of the various classes of inhabitants in
the town and the neighbouring plantations and villages.
The Census of the Population of Singapore.
Males. Females. Total.
Europeans……………………91 28 119
Indo-Britons…………………56 40 96
Native Christians……………167 133 300
Armenians……………………27 8 35
Jews…………………………2 0 2
Arabs……………………….96 0 96
Chinese……………………7,650. 867. 8,517
Malays…………………….3,673. 3,368. 7,131
Natives of the Coromandel and
Malabar Coasts……………1,762 .57. 1,819
Bengalis……………………389 11 400
Natives of Celebes (Bugis),
Bali, c………………….794. 932. 1,726
Javanese……………………361 .234. 595
Siamese………………………5 .2. 7
Negroes…………………….23 .14. 37
have mainly contributed to the present flourishing state of the settlement.
The Malacca-born Chinese hold more direct in-tercourse with the European merchants than the
others. Many of these are born of Malay mothers,but, as they always adopt the manners and mode
of dress of their fathers, they are scarcely to bedistinguished from the actual natives of China,
and although they are probably less active and energetic than the latter, they are more enlight-
ened, and make better merchants. Many of this class who have been educated at the Malacca
college speak English tolerably well, and, from their constant communication with Europeans,
they have acquired in some measure their general habits and mode of transacting business, which
renders them more agreeable to the latter than those who have not enjoyed similar advantages.
They are all employed in commerce, many as in-dependent merchants, and some are engaged as
cashiers and under-clerks in the offices of Euro-peans.
The most intelligent, and, perhaps, the most wealthy of this class, is Chong Long, whose father
was Capitan China of Malacca, when that town was under the sway of the Dutch. He resides at
Campong Glam, in a large mansion, one of the handsomest buildings in the town, in which he
sometimes gives entertainments in the European style to the British inhabitants. The Malacca-
born Chinese are always remarkably clean and well dressed, and few are obliged to resort to
manual labour. The emigrants from China are chiefly mechanics,
agriculturists, and labourers, but many are also engaged in commerce. The most wealthy of the
latter is Che Sang, a miserly old man, who appears to great disadvantage when compared with the
liberal and well-informed Chong Long. His sole aim has been the acquirement of riches, and he is
supposed to possess immense wealth. His cash is deposited in a number of iron chests, among which
he always sleeps. It is said that a considerable portion of this treasure has been acquired by
gambling, to which he is much addicted. . On one occasion fortune deserted him, and he lost a con-
siderable sum, which so terribly disconcerted the old man, that he took a most solemn oath never
to touch di~e again, and, to punish himself for his indiscretion, and as a memento of his oath,
he cut off the first joint of one of his little fingers. The ruling passion, however, proved too strong,
and he soon embarked in gambling as deeply as ever.
Chinese coolies c1880s, pic taken from PICAS
The commercial activity of the Chinese is seen to the greatest advantage during the annual visit
of the junks from the Celestial Empire; these remain in the harbour from December until June,
and, throughout the whole period, boats filled with Chinese are continually passing and repassing
among the shipping, giving to the roads the appearance of a floating fair.
The first junk, which arrives generally a little before Christmas, is most anxiously looked for,
and when its approach is notified by the crew of a Malay sampan which has been on the look out
to the eastward, the greatest bustle pervades the Chinese community: some running along the
streets to communicate the important intelli-gence to their friends, come in contact with
others rushing from the opposite direction, and many hasten off to the vessel to learn the news
from China, every thing that will float, from a sampan to a cargo-boat, being put in requisition.
The first boat reaches the junk whe’n she is still several miles distant, and as she nears the town,
she gains an accession of bulk at every fathom, until at last the unwieldy mass slowly trails into
the roads, surrounded by a dense mass of boats, having the appearance of a locust which has inad-
vertently crossed an ant’s nest, and is dragging after it countless myriads of the enraged inhabitants
attached to its legs and feelers.
As the decks of the junk are always crowded with emigrants, the greater proportion of the visitors are obliged to remain in the boats,
and these endeavour to gain as much information as they can by shouting out
questions to the people oii board.
The Chinese sailing-master, who struts about on the top of the thatched habitation on the quarter deck, with all
the importance of a mandarin with a peacock’s feather, endeavours in vain to make himself heard
above the noise, so that the junk is generally brought up in the outer roads until sufficiently
cleared of its visitors to render it safe for it to enter into the inner anchorage.
Other junks soon arrive, and although these do not excite quite so much interest as the first, the
same scene is acted over in each. For a day or two after their arrival there is little business
transacted, as the crews are all engaged in build-ing roofs over the vessels to shelter the wares
which are to be exposed for sale on the decks.
When these arrangements are completed, the fair commences, and the junks are surrounded from
morning until night by the boats of the Chinese traders from the shore.
When an European wishes to view the economy of the junks, he is always treated with respect,
and is generally invited to the place of honor, and presented with refreshments of oranges and sweet-
meats.
From five thousand to eight thousand emigrants arrive annually from China, of whom only forty or
fifty are females. About one-eighth of these peo-ple remain at Singapore, and the others scatter
themselves over the Archipelago. The majority proceed to the tin mines near Malacca, and on the
island of Banca, to the pepper plantations onBintang, and to the gold mines at Pahang, and on
the western coast of Borneo.
The landing of the emigrants from the junks forms a very interesting sight, and if I happened
to be in the town at the arrival of a large junk, I generally stationed myself near the landing-place
to watch their proceedings. They usually came on shore in large cargo-boats, each carrying from
fifty to sixty persons, scarcely any space being left for the rowers. As the boat approached the
landing-place, which was always on those occasions crowded with Chinese, the emigrants would cast
anxious glances among them, and a ray of delight would occasionally brighten the countenance of
one of the “high aspirants,” on recognizing the face of a relative or friend, on whose favourable
report he had probably decided on leaving his country.
The boat was always anchored a short distance from the landing-place, and a squabble
would immediately commence between the Kling boatmen and the Chinese passengers, many of the
latter being unprovided with the few halfpence required to pay their passage from the vessel.
The Klings would bawl, and lay down the law in their guttural jargon, and the Chinese would
remonstrate in scarcely less barbarous Fokeen, each being totally unintelligible to the other.
After some delay the boat would be pushed in for the shore, and the emigrants, taking up their
sleeping mats and small bundles, which formed all their worldly wealth, would proceed to the abodes
of their friends, or scatter themselves over the town in search of lodgings.
These affairs, however, do not always terminate so quietly, for it occasionally happens that the
passengers, annoyed at the insulting conduct of the boatmen, bundle them overboard, and land
without making any payment. The enraged Klings load their adversaries with abuse, the only weapon
they dare to wield, and their mortification is increased by finding themselves the laughing-
stock of the spectators: for their disagreeable manners render them so universally detested,
that their misfortunes rarely meet with any sympathy.
The majority of the emigrants embark in China without sufficient money to pay their passage to
Singapore, and these defaulters remain in the vessel until they are redeemed by their friends,
who pay the amount; or by strangers engaging their services for a stipulated period, and paying
their passage money as an advance of wages. The mechanics soon acquire capital, as they always
work hard on their first arrival; but many, find-ing that money can be easily obtained, indulge
in gambling and opium-smoking, becoming eventually as dissolute as they were previously
industrious.
To avoid persecution, every Chinese finds it necessary on his arrival to become a member
of one of the secret societies, all of which have the object in China of overthrowing the present
dynasty, while they are at Singapore rendered subservient to the national propensity for plunder,
as one member will always screen another from detection. The different sects, however, hate
each other cordially; therefore the peaceable in- habitants do not suffer so much from their aggres-
sions as if they formed a united body.
It is to be expected that many bad characters arrive, among such considerable numbers of the
lower classes of a people by no means famed for their morality; indeed, a fair proportion of the
emigrants consists of those who prefer living by ways and means, to gaining an honest subsistence
by labour. Great facilities are afforded to these, as their countrymen term them, ” disorderly
planners of lucky and extraordinary means of gain,” the independent village in the interior
forming an excellent receptacle for stolen goods, and affording a safe refuge for those delinquents
who are sought after by the authorities.
The houses in the outskirts of the town are often attacked by bands of Chinese robbers from
the interior, but fortunately they are such arrant
cowards that they retreat on the slightest opposi- tion. One fine night during my stay, a body of
about fifty, armed with spears and lighted with torches, attacked the village of the Bengali dobies.
The dobies fled, and the Chinese seized upon the linen, clean and dirty, and hastened back towards
their fastnesses, bearing away a fair proportion of the wardrobes of the European ladies and gentle-
men. Although the cowardly washermen thought of nothing save flight, the robbers did not retreat
unmolested, for a gentleman who resided on the outskirts of the town having witnessed their
descent, mustered two or three Malays, armed with a couple of fowling-pieces, and laid wait near
the road-side for their return. As the robbers passed, triumphing in the idea of carrying away
so much valuable booty, of shirts and petticoats, the little party fired, and brought down two of
them, on which the remainder took to flight, utterly regardless of the fate of their comrades.
The assailants pursued, and the robbers, to escape as they supposed impending destruction, dropped
their bundles, so that their line of retreat was pointed out next morning by the wearing apparel
scattered on the road, which was collected and returned to the rightful owners.
Strict regulations are absolutely necessary for the well-being of the Chinese: for to the almost
perfect freedom from control which they enjoy, so different from the rigid laws to which they are
subjected in their own country, may be traced their dissolute habits in this settlement. In Java,
where the police regulations are extremely strict, the Chinese are remarkably well behaved, and
crime is comparatively of rare occurrence
Extracted from
The eastern seas, or, Voyages and adventures in the Indian Archipelago, in 1832-33-34
by Earl, George Windsor
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It was the scene in Singapore described above that a man Fang Shan died. He was probably an early immigrant that came from South China and worked as a worker as many of the immigrants did.
He died in 1833, 14 years after Sir Stamford Raffles landed.
He was survived by a son, Li Eng, and was buried at a cemetery somewhere along Tortoise hill in Bukit Merah.There he would lie for more than 100 years, until the government then decided to develop the land.
At that time there was a small Fang Clan group of labourers (from Lieyu, little Kinmen) calling itself Boon San Association..
This Boon San Association was established for the welfare of coolies working around the Singapore River at that time whereby most of them have surname Fang, . It is now known as Boon San Lian Ngee Association
Fang Shee is the clan association for the Fang Surname (different from Boon San Association)
According to the Fang Shee Association archives, they mentioned that the current chairman of Fang Shee Association Fang Sui Kim once interviewed a senior committee member
Mr Fang Ma Teng (deceased) of Boon San Lian Ngee Association in 1983. At that time, Mr Fang Ma Teng informed that in 1941, when he was around 30 years old, he remembered hearing about the history of this Fang pioneer from his seniors and the relocation of the grave.
Apparently the group of coolies saw the the tomb of Fang Shang, and seeing the date of the tomb as 1833 and his surname Fang, recognized him as an early pioneer of their clan who came to Singapore.
The tomb was in dilapidated condition due to so many years of abandonment, but the Fang Clan decided to relocate the tomb to Bukit Brown cemetery.
The reason for the Fang Clan to relocate and rebuilt this early pioneer grave is two fold1) To leave behind a legacy for the Fang Clan to remember their pioneer
2) To leave behind for the Singapore Chinese Community an important historical artifact.
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From this grave inscripton, one can see that Fang Shan died 14 years after Sir Stamford Raffles first landed in Singapore.
Unfortunately the grave did not mention his hometown nor his birthyear, but it mention his son name.
