An 1874 Account of Johore: Johore: New Johore, 4th April, 1874

Editor’s Note: The following article appeared in the Siam Repository in July 1874 (pp. 352–4). The spellings are as in the original.

This morning we rode out on the railroad that is being constructed by the Rajah of Johore. Our troller was propeled by two coolies who stood on the platform, and by turning a wheel trundled us forward at the rate of 6 miles an hour. The road is now completed for the first 10 miles and is surveyed to Pulai, a hill 2000 feet high and 20 miles distant from Johore. It has been intimated that the bill would offer a fine sanitarium and an attractive location for a school of learning, but it is to be hoped that this may not be the terminus of the railroad since if continued in the same direction, it would lead to Bangkok. Why should not His Majesty the King of Siam begin a road at his Capital and meet the Rajah of Johore half way, or at the boundary line between Siam and the Rajah’s dominions on the Malayan Peninsula? The road is constructed at an expense of $2000 per mile. The grading is contracted with the Chinese for $500 per mile for 3 feet deep and 9 feet wide. Whether the grade be for elevation or depression. The sleepers are cut from the jungle as they pass and the rails are sawn from teak or any hard wood being 4 by 8 inches and these serve the purpose of iron rail.

It is reported that wooden railroads have proved a success in other countries and there is no reason why they may not here and in Siam, where wood is so abundant and so well adapted to the purpose, and where roads are so much in demand. The timber on the banks of the rivers is nearly exhausted, and extensive territories of rich land are uncultivated for the want of facilities to convey the produce to market. Siam might easily increase the productions of her country and the wealth of her kingdom a hundred fold by opening roads through her dominions especially from the timber districts to the rivers and stretching a telegraphic wire to the neighboring countries. It requires no prophet’s ken to see that at no distant future this will be done. Siam is already awaking from the sleep of ages and is girding herself for an onward march to civilization and greatness. Her dominions are rich in buried wealth of mines and agricultural productions and her people are capable of culture and enterprise for their development. The young King [Chulalongkorn] has a glorious mission to carry forward the improvements so well commenced by his illustrious and royal father.

The Maharajah is setting a worthy example of enterprise and national improvement. In addition to this railroad and two steam saw mills, he has a steam yacht, a small steam ferry-boat, connecting with the line of omnibuses which run across to Singapore and is now constructing a steamboat of 600 tons which may be used either for a gunboat or a pleasure yacht, and this all under the superintendency of his own engineers. He has just completed an audience hall and a palatial residence on the hill overlooking the harbor, and the island of Singapore, and these buildings are constructed in European style and his grounds are laid out with great taste and ornamented with shade trees and flowers and at the foot of the hill is a granite pier nearly completed as a steam-boat landing.

He may go by steam around the island to Singapore in four hours, or across by his carriage on a fine road in an hour and a half. He is about forty years old, a prince of noble bearing, affable manners, studied English in the Mission School of Rev. Mr. Keasbery, has travelled in Europe and promises honor to himself and prosperity to his country. On the railroad we passed plantations of pepper, gambier and tapioca with various tropical fruits. The pepper and gambier grow on the hill sides or...