Prisoners Their Own Warders

RE (Con

marsh at the back of the island, and to the tainted air from decaying pine-apple leaves, which were left by the Malays, who cultivated the fruit upon all the available soil. Pine-apple growing has been largely extended in this island, as is now generally known at home; and as it is a source of some wealth to the colony, it may be incidentally mentioned in this running history of the place, and more particularly in reference to the fact that the Indian convicts upon ticket of leave have been often employed in its culture in order to earn a daily wage. The plant that produces the pine-apple known as the "a

stiani,[5] who succeeded far beyond his expectations, and the industry

ct supervision of Mr. J. Bennett, a civil and mechanical engineer, who afterwards, as we have said, played a prominent part in the direction and control of the labour and industrial training of the Indian convicts in the Singapore jail. He had, as an assistant, Mr. Magaelhaens of the Convict Department, and both the officers and the convicts lived on board of a "Tonkong," or a large boat, which was

brass rails of the staircases were moulded and turned in this settlement, and last, not least, the architect and engineer acquired the skill and experience which enabled him to erect so rapidly the chaste and stately building

n of the Lodge Zetland in the East, No. 748, in the presence of the Governor, Colonel Butterworth, and many of the British and foreign residents at Singapore. This lighthouse was named after the eminent founder of the settlement, Sir T

ed. Colonel Butterworth, who was then Governor of the Straits Settlements, in consultation with the Superintendent of the Convicts, collected all that had been previously issued, together with those that subsequent experience had shown to be

om amongst the convicts themselves, together with the division of the convicts into six distinct classes, according to their date of arrival in the prison, and t

he convict system in force; and from the rules in use and the numerous standing orders that had been issued at various times, he prepared a valuable digest of the whole, which he duly submitted to the Government of India, in which he said, "I have but lately visited most of the

Guthrie's timber bridge across the Singapore River, for instance, was entirely their work. They were also then taught brick-laying and blacksmith work; and

om Chinese carpenters that accurate, close, substantial, and lasting workmanship which not only can be, but is derive

ls Hill, the foundation stone of which was laid by Captain Faber, the Superintending Engineer of the Straits Settlements. Below the stone a brass plate wa

undatio

ol, at S

ptain Faber, M

Engineer, Strai

th Febru

iversary of

itish S

is Is

lonel W. J. Bu

r of Prince o

re, and

n

'ble T.

uncillor at

TOR

eat Britain

'ble Lord Har

neral of Br

ve the

llowing statistical information relative to the Stra

f Company's Rs. 52,190,685 in merchandise, and Company's Rs. 9,606,061 in bullion and treasure, makin

Exports

6,614,794 6,528,

616,448 21,162,

09,872 364,

Company's R

terworth,

6th Febru

Wales Island, Singapore, and Malacca, including Civil, Mil

ar

Co.'s Rs.

e " " 49

" " 231,

131,12

ve

Co.'s Rs.

e " " 53

" " 64

79,89

three settlements

terworth,

6th Febru

, or "Stone to sail to," and by Europeans as "Lot's wife." It was a dangerous obstruction to navigation, being situated on the Singapore side of the wes

s at 304, Chinese at 24,790; and the remainder was made up of Malays and other nationalities of the Indian Archipelago, and from the Coromandel Coast. This was recorded as only a trifling increase on 1848 amongst the Chinese, and w

r countrymen who had become converted to Christianity by a Roman Catholic mission in the interior of the island, these convicts were sent out in gangs to follow the rioters into the jungles and disperse them. These ri

kept themselves ever aloof. There were, however, some Chinese of the lowest class who sought to embroil themselves with them, so as to bring the convicts into trouble, but the convicts always avoided a quarrel. They therefore sought other means, and in 1852 they gave out and placarded over the town that the

me superstitious natives circulated a report that it could not be done without "human sacrifice," and that the Government were looking for "heads" to put into the trench, and the alarm for days was so great that people would not pass along Thompson's Road adjoining the reservoir after dark; and even the "dhobies," or washer-men, in the stream adjoining the puddle trench, hastened into town before dusk. Similar so called "head scares" have occurred in Singapore up to even the present time. It is not easy to define what has led to this superstition in the native mind, and it is made more complicated from the fact that it is shared alike by Chinese and natives of India. In many of the Polynesian Islands the practice of human sacrifices we know exists even in our own days, and that chiefs, when they build a house or a war-canoe, offer up a human being; and the Polynesians and Indonesians resemble one another very closely. But such a superstition has not come to us th

rk in their own country. The largest work, however, commenced in Captain Man's time, was the erection of the whole of the permanent buildings required for the location of the then large number of Indian convicts. They were built within the surrounding wall of the jail, near the "Brass Basa" or "Wet Rice" Canal, and entirely by the labour of the convicts themselves. The estimate for the work made by the Superintending Engineer for

d subsequently carried to completion, was the erection of the new church, now the cathedral of the diocese. It must be acknowledged that it was a courageous act on the part of Captain Macpherson to have designed a church in the early English style of architecture, and to have pledged himself to the Governm

in cash of 47,000 rupees upon its construction. The Bishop of Calcutta laid the foundation stone during next year bef

edifice, dedicated to the worship of Almighty God according to the rites and discipline of the Church of England, under the name of St. [73]Andrew, was la

Blundell being the Governo

urch being Resident C

ey, of the Madras Army,

Topley Humphrey

rson of the Madras Artil

d at the charge of the Ho

s Rupees 120,932, or with C

combined duties of engineer and Superintendent of Convicts; but, to the regret of the Government, he relinquished the appointment at the close of the year, and Lieutenant McNair, another Madras Artillery officer, succeeded him. Lieutenant (now Maj

s, to abandon the heavy tower, and to place a light steeple instead. In the building of this church, Mr. John Bennett afforded most material assistance as Assistant Superintendent of Convicts. To his oversight and careful attention to the variety of details incident to such a work may be ascribed its satisfactor

tno

th of us when he comm

ck, now the much improved New Harbour Dock. Singapore can now boast of another fine dock at Tanjong

stance, is common amongst the Mongolian races, and other s