If the commerce of Singapore were limited to the produce of the place, it would give employment to very few vessels. Catechu or gambler, pepper, coffee, nutmegs, and a few of the liner fruits, are its priatipsl products; and these, together with the pearl sago and iron birds-nests, trepang, tortoise-shell, and a large quantity of aggaretgar, form the only native export.. But Singapore has riven into great importance as the emporium of Southern Asia and the Indian Archipelago. All the rations that inhabit the countries bor dering on the Indian Ocean resort to it with the produce of their agriculture and manufacturing industry, and take io exchange such geode as are not grown or produced in their own countries. All of these nod there a ready market. There is usually also an abundant supply of European gooda. This has partly arisen from the harbour of Singapore having been declared a free port, in which no export or import duties, nor any anchorage, harbour, or lighthouse fees are levied.
The commerce of Singapore may he divided into the Eastern trade, that of the Straits, and the Western trade. The Eastern trade, or that which is carried on with the countries east and south-east of Singapore, comprehends the commerce with China, the Spanish settle ment of Manila, the independent tribes of the Indian Archipelago, the Dutch settlements on the island of Java and at Rhio, and the countries of the peninsula beyond the Ganges which lie east of the Malay Peninsula. The most important branches of this commerce are those with China, Java, and Siam.
The commerce with China is entirely carried on in Chinese vessels. They leave their respective ports during the north-east monsoon about January, and return with the south-west monsoon, which blows from April to October. From Canton the voyage is performed in from ten to twenty days, and from Fokien in twelve or fifteen days. The junks bring annually from 2000 to 2500 emigrants to Singapore. The prin cipal articles of import are—camphor, crockery, raw silk, tea, joss sticks, alum, hardware, and tobacco. The exports to China consist chiefly of guns, betel-nut, birds'-nests, beche-deaner, cotton-twist, British cottons, iron, tin, opium, rice, black pepper, woollens, garro and lakka wood, and sapan wood.
The commerce between Singapore and Manila is carried on partly by Spanish and partly by American and English vessels. The imports from Manila into Singapore comprise hemp and rope, cigars, sugar, tea, sapan-wood, and a number of minor articles. The exports consist
chiefly of opium, iron, and British cotton goods.
The trade with Celebes is almost exclusively in the hands of the Bugis of Wajn, a country on the western side of that island, the inhabitants of which have colonised many islands of the Indian Archipelago, and carry on what may be called the foreign trade of the countries in which they have settled. They disperse the goods obtained at Singapore over moat of the islands resat of Celebes as far as the coast of New Guinea, and also over that chain of islands called the Lesser Sunda Islands. Their country vessels, called ' prahus,' arrive at Singapore during the prevalence of the eastern monsoon.
The commerce between Singapore and Borneo is almost carried on by native vessels, many of which are of great size ; some of them are managed by Bugis. This trade is protected from pirates by the establishment of a British station at the port of Labuau.
An active commerce is carried on between Singapore and the rival settlement of the Dutch at Rhio, about sixty miles east-south-east. The direct commerce between Singapore and Java is limited to the three ports of Batavia, Semarang, and Surabaya ; but European and India goods may be shipped from these places to any other Dutch settlement on the island of Java, or on the other islands of the archil pelage, the Moluccas excepted. The commerce between Singapore and Siam is mostly carried on by the Chinese who are settled in that country, and in junks built at Bangkok and other pieces The com merce with Cochin China is carried on by the Chinese settled at Kangkao and Saigun in Camboja, and at Quinhon, Faifo, and Hub in Cochin China.
The commerce of the Straits is carried on with the Malay peninsula, the island of Sumatra, and other neighbouring Islands. The harbonra on the eastern aide of the peninsula which trade with Singapore are Pahang, Tringanu, and Calautan, and this trade is rather active. On the western side the principal trade is with Penang, or Prince of Wales Island, and Malacca. The commerce between Singapore and the island of Sumatra is almost entirely limited to the ports along the eastern ooast of the island ; there is hardly any commercial intercourse with the Dutch settlements of Bencoolcn, Padang, and•Trappanuli, which are on the western coast. The commerce of the eastern coast is divided between Singapore and Penang. The herbours which have intercourse with Singapore. are—Camper, Slack, Indregiri, Iambie, Meehan, and Batu Bare.