OLD-WORLD MALACCA

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 63, Issue 4490, 15 October 1941, Page 6

OLD-WORLD MALACCA

MOTHER OF MALAYA. A GLORIOUS PAST. (By C.V.Z.) Situated on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula, 118 miles north of Singapore, the little town of Malacca, which with the territory surrounding it forms one of the Straits Settlements, has had a remarkable history. The nations of the East and West

have striven for the possession of this key to the gateway of China.

Malays, Chinese, Thailanders, Portuguese, Dutch, then British fought to secure control of the Straits of Malacca and a port of entry into a land which, under a wise and able Administration during the past one hundred years, has prospered beyond the most optimistic dreams of thoscwho had faith in its future.

The history of Malacca is that of Malaya. Its renown was great long before Penang and Singapore were anything m|ore than fishing villages. Every State in the peninusla dan trace its beginning to this small settlement. Its stirring Irecord dates back well over 500 years; its laterite soil is symbolical of the red blood which has been shed. Captured by

the Portuguese in 1511, it became Dutch in 1641, British in 1795, and was finally exchanged for Britain’s Sumatra Settlements in 1824. Blockades, siege, and desperate fighting, first against the Portuguese invaders, and then the Dutch, is the sorrowful record of Malacca for centuries.

Some idea of the courageous defence by Portuguese and Malays can be realised from the fact that in 1640, when the combined Dutch and Johore forces attacked the town, the population numbered 20,000 souls. Only 3000 survived on capitulation. To this day descendants of the Portuguese are found. They speak their own language, and consider themselves the aristocrats of Malacca. Many occupy important posts in the British Government service. ALWAYS AFTERNOON. Traces of the glorious past are seen on every hand in old Malacca. Ghostlike they linger, and the illusion is not dispelled by the modern town with its placid life, where people seem to have little to do, and where it is always afternoon—hot, still, and dreamy. i Ancient buildings still defy the hands of men and the elements; churches, gateways, old forts, tombs, and cemeteries recall the stirring days gone by. Overall breathes the spirit of romance reminiscent of. old world towns; particularly so in old Malacca, embedded in all the natural liveliness so typical of Malaya. From the summit of St. Paul’s Hill the view over the sea is gorgeously beautiful. Below is a long bay studded with emerald-green islands, each decked with feathery-topped coconut palms. At the base of the hill is Malacca— a riot of red roofs crowning the green, blue, white, and terravotta houses. Out at sea are picturesque Chinese junks and small Malay fishing boats. Close at hand is the ageold Church of Nossa Senhora d’Annunciada, roofless now, where the body of St. Francis Xavier rested before its final translation to Goa in 1553. Exposed frequently for the veneration of devout Roman Catholics, the body of the saint is said to be in a perfect state of preservation after the lapse of 400 years.

Many buildings once stood on St. Paul’s Hill, but now the 1 British Re-

sidency is the only other occupant

this delightful site. It is built on the foundations of the Church of St. Anthony and the convent of the Augustinians. At one time the hill was enveloped by one of the strongest forts ever constructed by the Portuguese in the East. Designed and built by d’Albuquerque in 1511, with a keep of six bastions, only that of St. Jago now remains. An inscriptions shows the arms of the East India Company, with the Dutch date of 1670. BEAUTY AND ARCHAEOLOGY. Another position with a superb view is St. John’s Hill. The fort built here—a solid affair of stone and brickwork—was one of the chain of strongholds protecting the seaward approaches to Malacca. It is still in an .excellent state of preservation. In Malacca there is much to interest historians and archaeologists. There is a multitude of ruins, old churches, and ancient buildings, some of which still serve a useful purpose, and are in a fair state of preservation. Picturesque is the Malacca River flowing through the town, its waterway. crammed with Chinese junks, sampans, and Malay craft. The Dutch town is connected by a bridge with the business quarter on the left bank, which is inhabited almost exclusively by Chinese, Eurasians, and Malays. Beyond the bridge is the Stadhaus, erected by the Dutch and used by the British as Government offices. It is a solid, well-proportioned building, and occupies the site of the original Portuguese Keep. Within are many fine examples of Dutch wood-carving, excellently preserved. Some of the chairs still used in the modern district court belong to the period of the Dutch occupation. Famous throughout Malaya is Christ Church. Built by the Dutch in 1750, it is the best expression of Dutch architecture and religious sentiment to be found in the country. Christ Church possesses a fine collection of antique silver vessels of the Dutch and early English periods, and a Dutch Bible dated 1762.

Between the river’s mouth and St. Paul’s Hill is the seafront. Beneath the hill are the old-fashioned houses built by the Dutch officials; between them and the blue sea are exquisite lawns shaded by huge, dark-foliaged trees. The scene is exquisite, thrown into relief by the red-brown sea wall, against which beat the tides of the strait.

From the seaward end of the jetty a perfect panorama of this old-world town unfolds itself. To the right is the gateway of the bastion of San Jago, and then a long line of clubs, convents, schools, an excellent rest house, and private buildings extends along the sea edge. A fringe of coconut palms, for which Malacca is famous, completes a scene of great beauty. MALACCA’S IDLE RICH. The exciting days of Malacca have long departed, but apart from its historical associations and wealth of ancient relics it is an enchanting spot, serene, beautiful, and picturesque. It is the favourite resort of rich Chinese who have retired from business, and many of whom own large rubber plantations in the country. They are the “ idle rich of Malacca.” One of the smallest States in the Peninsula—about 700 square miles in extent—Malacca is one of the wealthiest owing to its great areas of rubber, tapioca, and coconuts. Few ships visit the port nowadays, Singapore having become the great harbour and mart for the trade of the East. In the two most distinctive thoroughfares—Jonker and Heeren streets —the houses are over 200 years old, and the residents are all Chinese. Quaint little houses are painted with pictures and embellished with pottery figures in the lovely tints for which the Chinese are famous. The artistry is such that no two houses are alike in style of architecture; even the joss house differs from its neighbours.

Within, the magnificent and solid furniture is most impressive. Cen-tury-old, delicately-carved screens of blackwood or lacquer* Work; tables and sideboards handsomely hand-carved with dragons and other Chinese symbols reflect a life of opulence and well-being.

In Malacca first place must be given to the industrious Chinese, who have made a rich country ever richer. Their luxurious homes and standard of life are well deserved. If Singapore has robbed Malacca of her former greatness, it is still the real cradle of all that is best in the peninsula, and must be regarded as the true “ Mother of Malaya.”