acco, are grown in abundance; indeed, were the
resources of the islands fully developed, they would prove some of the
richest in the world. But it may truly be said, that where Spaniards
rule there a blight is sure to fall.

On leaving the Philippines, we sighted the coast of Borneo, and looked
in at Sarawak, a province which the talent, the energy, the
perseverance, and the philanthropy of Sir James Brooke, have brought
from the depths of barbarism and disorder to a high state of
civilisation. Those who are incapable of appreciating his noble
qualities seem inclined to allow it to return to the same condition in
which he found it. I heard Captain Frankland speak very strongly on the
subject, and he said it would be a disgrace to England, and the most
shortsighted policy, if she withdraws her support from the province, and
refuses to recompense Sir James for the fortune which he has expended on
it.

We next touched at Singapore, which was founded by a man of very similar
character and talents to Sir James Brooke. That man was Sir Stamford
Raffles, whose life is well worthy of attentive study. When, in 1819,
the English took possession of the island at the end of the Malay
peninsula, on which Singapore now stands, it contained but a few huts,
the remnants of an old city, once the capital of the Malayan kingdom,
and was then the resort of all the pirates who swarmed in the
neighbouring seas. It is now a free port, resorted to by ships of all
nations. It is the head-quarters of many wealthy mercantile houses,
whose managers live in handsome houses facing the bay, while its working
population is made up of Arabs, Malays, Chinese, and, indeed, by people
from all parts of the East. Singapore is another example of what the
talent and energy of one man can effect.

The next harbour in which we found ourselves was that of Port Louis in
the Mauritius. The town stands at the head of the bay, and is enclosed
on the east, and north, and south, by mountains rising but a short
distance from the shore. The most lofty is the Pouce, which towers up
2800 feet immediately behind the town, and is a remarkable and
picturesque object. The Mauritius is one of the most flourishing of
England's dependencies, and the French inhabitants seem perfectly
contented with her rule, and appreciate the numerous advantages they
possess from being under it. Since the abolition of slavery, coolies
have been brought over to cultivate sugar, ric