ins a little centre of cherished associations. The
S. Francis Xavier Institute, which brings many Chinese boys into the
Christian fold, through the labours of another Communion, carries on
the work of the great mediaeval missionary, who reached the farthest
East in his apostolate of love. The scarlet, yellow, and white veils of
Eastern converts, the crowd of Eurasian Christians in both churches,
and the presence of a devout Malay priest assisting at the English
service, add unfamiliar notes of colour among the snowy muslins and
flower-decked hats of English residents, but correctness of costume,
both in men and women, contrasts refreshingly with the slovenly
deshabille of the Netherlands India, the last and easily-snapped link
between civilisation and barbarism.

An opportunity occurs for a visit to Taiping, the capital of the Native
Federated States, and situated in Province Wellesley. The launch
crosses to Prai, the rising port of Malacca, and the northern terminus
of the railway, sure to upset the passenger lists of the great steamers
by traversing the entire peninsula to Johore. Through a channel
bordered with weird mangroves, the boat enters a long, slow river,
flowing between boundless palm-forests. The "black but comely" captain
of the snorting boat escorts his European passengers to the station,
arranges tickets, and waits on the platform till the train starts; the
portly sailor in spotless linen, surmounted by his genial ebony face,
waving encouragement as long as we remain in sight. The perils and
dangers of the way are _nil_, and none of the threatened contingencies
arise, but to Eastern thought risks, however remote and improbable, add
to the value of a journey. Real drawbacks seem seldom mentioned, but
imaginary lions in the way offer unlimited scope to Oriental fancy, and
help to create a thrilling drama of destruction. Green paddi-fields,
tall sugar-canes, and a world of palms, rise from the alluvial flats of
Province Wellesley. The great rubber plantations, which form the chief
source of wealth in Malacca, follow in endless succession, but, as
usual, the astute Chinaman has obtained almost a monopoly of the
industry, from which the greatest fortunes of the tropics are now
derived. The bushy trees, with their black stems and ragged foliage,
are destitute of the beauty so lavishly bestowed even on the weeds of
this fertile soil. The tangled splendour of the wild jungle, which
presently borders the track, d