aroundworldortra00peebiala-1

COCHLN CHINA TO SINGAPORE. 181
waters of crystal and sapphire. The word, literally Singapura^
from the Sanscrit slnga, touching, and pura, city,
implies the ancient " touching-city " for commercial traders
between China and the countries .west.
Nestling down to within some seventy miles of the equator,
one would naturally suppose, though embosomed in
flowers and fadeless foliage, that Americans from the Northern
States could not here live ; and yet they do. The green
isles, the sea-breezes, the atmospheric moisture from frequent
showers, and the financial facilities for traffic, reveal
the reasons. There are really no seasons here, — not even
the wet and dry or California and Asia Minor ; but a perpetual
summer, with a remarkable equableness of temperature,
crowns the year. All this said, nevertheless the
climate must be enervating.
Just before reaching this unique city of 150,000, made up
of Chinamen, indigenous Malays, Klings from Madras, Burmese,
Siamese, Parsees, and Arabs, we crossed the 180th
meridian west from New York, being
almost directly opposite
our home in New Jersey; and yet, though feet to feet
with Americans, w6 did not fall off into space, nor did the
law of gravitation cease to fasten us to Mother Earth.
Making into the harbor, the steamer passed between a large
island covered with palms, and a cluster of little islets putting
up from coral depths. At the feet of these were glittering
white sands, while
their summits were crowned with
rich green jungles. Others had been cleared, their sides
serried something like
potato-fields, and planted with pineapples.
The isle of Singapore is owned by the English. While
there are about five hundred Europeans in the city, mostly
English, it seems a general landing-place for the waifs of the
world. Races are terribly mixed. This is a famous mart
for articles in the line of jewelry. Their coral, sea-shells,
precious stones, tiger's claws, birds-of-paradise, Chinese
porcelain, and carvings in sandal-wood, are exceedingly beau-