Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume VIII, No. 5 [‎22v] (47/154)

450
JOURNEY ROUND SIAM—DISCUSSION.
only the outline; since that time we have done something to fill up all the western
part of it; but until the other day—I speak of last year—the part that is now filled
up was quite blank, and this Mr. Clilford and his friends have done. I hope this
Society will put it in the way of being seen by the public. If the Royal Geo
graphical Society would aid the efforts that are being made in the East by a sister
society, a branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, we might in a short time get a
really good map of the Malay Peninsula. As I said, twenty years ago nobody
thought it worth while to try and fill in any part of the Malay Peninsula. Sir
Hugh Low reminded us that we must not discuss commercial topics here, but I
trust that, as we are a nation of shopkeepers, you will forgive me if I allude to
matters which are, in a way, commercial. Our interest in the Peninsula has been
forced upon us. The British Government for many years absolutely refused to have
anything whatever to do with the Malay Peninsula. We were established in a few
small places marked in bright red on the map. The British had a colony, and
outside that they declined to go, until the state of things in what I may call the
Hinterland became so bad that we were compelled to go in against the wishes of
the British Government. The result of our going there has been that we have
done a great deal of good. The places which yielded a very small revenue indeed
ten years ago, $400,000, now yield $8,000,000, the colony itself only yielding
$4,000,000. The colony is more than a hundred years old, and we have been in
the Malay Peninsula only twenty years. There is not a railway in the colony, and
we have 200 miles inside the Malay States. I ask your pardon for mentioning
these commercial matters, but they are of some importance. I hope that, by'
means of the scheme for federation which has lately been sanctioned by the
Secretary of State for the Colonies, we shall be able to so extend these railways
that by-and-by the Malay Peninsula will become quite an important place, and
that Malacca will become the port for the valuable mineral and agricultural pro
ducts of the Peninsula. All that is due to one great fact which I think we are far
too apt to forget, which is, that our presence in the Straits of Malacca is due to the
foresight of one man, Sir Stamford Raffles. Everybody who knows anything about
his life must recognize that he is one of the greatest Englishmen that ever lived,
probably the greatest who ever got as far as he did, and I fear one whose history’
character, and career have been the least recognized and least known, although
whatever we are and whatever we shall be in the Straits of Malacca is really due
to his great foresight and desire to advance the interests of this country.
Mr F. Verney: I have really nothing to add to the very excellent remarks
which have been made by those who have had the opportunity of serving in that
distant and most interesting country. Perhaps I may be allowed to say a word
with regard to the relations which have recently been established between England
an France in the country of Siam. I must not trench on the question of politics,
ut would say this, that we must fervently hope that the arrangement may tend
to the advancement and progress of the country, which we have so much at heart.
mpe that no one here will think for a moment that commercial rivalry need be
co-existent with a k.nd of commercial hostility. I think there is plenty of room
or healthy commercial rivalry in this great country, and we should not in the
eas deny to France the rights we claim. We hope, by advancing in healthy
n airy, we may, without doing any harm to the king and country of Siam, - 0
to thTt adVantaSe0U * Siam itself > and * ot disadvantageous, but of gre°at
„ain, to the two commercial countries which have their interests so Wo-elv
developed in Indo-Chi„a. We mus t have been immensely “ted by Z
excellent papers we have heard. It requires splendid health, first-rate temper a
knowledge of the language of the country, and great experience, to produce such