SINGAPORE.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 602, 10 May 1851, Page 3

SINGAPORE.

[From the Maitland Mercury.] We are in receipt of Singapore papers to the 29th November. The Singapore Free Press advocates, in a long and well written article, the project of steam communication between England and Australia, via Singapore. Instead, however, of adopting an entire steam-ship line from Singapore to Sydney, the writer proposes a monthly steam voyage from Singapore to the Gulf of Carpentaria, and an overland journey from the Gulf to Sydney and the other Australian colonies. He contends that this route —k- r 1 .1 -L- . nvutu uu iai vucafjci. iucui tuc uuiuc oicaiuship route via Torres Straits to Sydney ; that the time to Sydney would be about the same by either method, but that to the other colonies his method would effect a considerable saving of time. The writer has evidently considerable knowledge of the circumstances of this colony, and turns them to good advantage in advocating his plan. He makes, however a curious statement to show that it would be better for England to establish steam communication with Australia via Singapore rather than via Panama. He says that the constant communication of Australian colonists with Americans is so dangerous to their feelings of loyalty that already in Sydney, where a brisk trade with California has been in existence for some time, the colonists exhibited their displeasure against their Governor

by throwing stones at him ; while in Van Diemen’s Land and New Zealand, where the Californian trade was less, they were content with petitioning for the recal of their Governors ; and in South Australia, where there was little Californian trade, they only grumbled, but did not resort to either stones or petitions.

Java. —Piratical Attacks. —It appears the pirates are still active on the coast of Java. A letter from Batavia, dated 2nd instant, mentions that news had been received from Sourabaya that an attack had been made on the island of Bauwean, about 70 miles from Sourabaya, by nineteen pirate prabus, which had plundered several villages and done considerable mischief. A small steamer stationed at Sourabaya had taken two war schooners in tow and proceeded to the place, and the steamer Hecla also left Batavia on the 2nd for the same locality. We learn from native accounts that some time ago a steamer and vessel of war made search for the pirates at Karimata and Billiton, but did not succeed in finding them, and that they then proceeded to to destroy a village on the coast of Billiton, known as the head quarters of a piratical tribe infesting these seas. It is rumoured, and we fear with too much probability, that some of the Bugis prabus which lately left Singapore on their return to their several ports, have fallen into the hands of the pirates at Karimata, The Bugis nakodas say that unless some measures are taken to clear the seas of these pirates, they will be unable to come to Singapore next season. — Singapore Free Press, Nov. 29. A Man Killed by a Tiger.—Last Friday, while a party of convicts were cutting rattans in the jungle in the Changie district, a tiger sprung from behind on one of these unfortunate men, and lacerated his neck in such a fearlul manner as to cause his death. The animal escaped. The body was brought to town, where a coroner’s inquest was holden on it, and a verdict of killed by a tiger returned.—Singapore Free Press, Nov. 29.