8-E. Porthbs, off tIie northern
end of Sumatra, going west,
Xarch 24, 1331.

Dear Margaret,

        If I remember rightly,my last narrative letter watt
finished on the train before we reached Bukit Mertajam in the Federated
I&day States.  At that place we alighted with our numerous pieces of bag-
gage and took the night train from Penang toward Kuala Lumpur, the
capital of the Federated Xalay S$atws.  We saved practically a day by
not crossing over to the island city of Penang, which appears to be
an important port of the Straits Settlement8 in spite of the fact that _
it had appently never entered my consciousness, or else did no
stick.              p-i*
    They tell me that the Emden sailed into Penang between 80~8
RUSS& Warphip and aie8Ie British gunboats, 80 as not to have to fire
toward the city, and sunk the warships and licked the gunboat8 and ailed
away* She had passed the patrol boat8 as a British veseel.

     We fou& the night train for the south very comfortable. For
the first time 1 met Ln efilcient ehower bath in a sleeping car*  In thia
land of late dinner8 we had no trouble in getting our meal8 in the
dining car.

    We arrived at Kuala Lumpur at 6:4> A.M. and clesed up in a ream
in the Railway Hotel,which form8 a part of the station building and ia
the principal hotel in the oity.  The building8 make a most favorable
impress&on.  The government building8 have a consietent Moorish arohitecture
and are very pleaeing, especially the railway and administration groups.
The gem of the buildings ie a MO8iem Mosque in the point of land at the
junotion of the two rivers*  I have a'pioture of it that give8 a slight
idea of it8 beauty in it8 setting.of coooanut palms.

      A8 usual we vi8ited health officials, and Dr:Heiser qccepted
an invitation to lunoheon with I&. Maxwell, Chief Secretary 8 practically
Governor ) of the Federated Halay States. I wa8 the guest of the Principal
Medical Officer, who later loaned u8 his car.- We used it to go and
visit the laboratory and oall on Drs. Stanton and Fletcher of the et&f.
In the late afternoon we dropped in to see Mr. Highfield, chief surveyor
of the government railway at hi8 office in the Moorish building tlof634ir
acro88 from the hotel.  He is the husband of one of the passengers who
sat at our table on the Yontoro.   Gf cour8e he invited us tb tea, a8
the hoepitable people of the tropic8 do, and took us to hi8 home, which
is a nioe government bungalow on the crest of a hill commanding a view
of the mountains.  There we met a Miss Beat-tie of Brisbane, or rather
Yemagpilly (?), who i8 a gUe8t of k&S. Highfield and wa8 aleo at our table.
After tea %rs- H&&field took u8 in the motor car to oall on an American
'a Mrr- Addieon of Long Island, who wa8 visiting Dr. Savage of the
dity health department .  I had an interesting talk with the latter
about malaria control, which ha8 been undertaken on a large scale in
Kuala Lumpur.  They drain the ravine8 by burying hollow tile8 to carry
t;he water to the larger oollecting ditches. Afterward Mre. Highfield took
u8 chopping, but , being a poor man,1 did not buy much, 80 do not get your
expeotatione too high.  Dr. Heiser plunged a bit. We were then taken to
the etation in time to get our luggage and ourselves aboard the night train
for Singapore.


                      -a-
We were turned out earl;: in the morning at Johore Baru, where we took a
8x1~11 steamer for the island ofsingapore.  In the early days the Straits
of Johore were the main channel through which the trade from the west
to China passed.  Johore, on the mainland,18 the only remaining Malay
state which is not in the Federation, but it is already dominated by
British advisors.   It has a sultan, who 18 quite wealthy.

       An hour's ride took u8 across the island into Singapore. We
took a room at Raffles Hotel, which is the best known. It is expeneive
and is owned by the Sarkies Brothers, Armenians.  The food is posr and
mostly meat.

       Pt the consul's office I got your two nice letters, which I
have already answered. Dr. Heiser received a cable from Dr, CUmizPeton saying
that the Federal Minietry would go into effest on March 7 and that k!r. Greene
would be Minister of Health.  While in Singapore, I had five suits made:     .
two of silk, two of white cloth (duck is unobtainable), and one of khaki.

        At the bank I ran into Mr. Darlington again, and found him
buying 8ome Siamese money to send to 8omeone in Ban&ok, with whieh to
purchase the much-desired pair of Siamese cats. The cat that he abandoned
wa8 perfect except that it had white toes , which is not according to rule.

        We called on a Xr. Figart of the General Rubber Company, who
wa8 .once Dr. Hei8er'8 secretary in the Philippine8. There is a terrific
trade depression in Singapore and the Malay State8 on account of the slump
in the price of rubber owing to overproduction.  It would look a8 though
many plantation8 would have to be abandoned, and the people are very
~apmr.  The &ala j3eninsula produces over 6% of the worlds rubber. It
also produces WGf of the world'8 tin, the major part of which is emelted
in Singapore, and the price of tin ha8 aleo slumped.  The F.&S.
governaemt depended meetly on an export duty on tin and now it is hard up
for fUnd8.  &ices have surely slumped.  I underetand that even Henry
Ford is right up againet it for cash with which to keep his business going.

       On Saturday, March 19, qr. Figart took u8 tL luncheon at
the famous Singapore Club which overlook8 the water,- I am not festerring
to the tendency to consume liquors.

        On Sunday Dr. Hei8er and I were gueeta of Governor and
Lady Guillemard at Government HoU8eo Government HOU8e is a veritable
palace on the top of a low hill in the midst of a moat spacioue park.
The lfovernorl8 aide8 and eecretary and ~XII: a few PUIB more permanent
visitors made up a luncheon party of about ten.  Dr. Hei8er sat on Lady
Guillemardls left and I sat on the other eide. For deeert we had the
famous Sunday desert of Singapore,- gula &-ilacca , sag0 With a 6yr.Q
suggestive of palm sugar and a &lk expreseed from grated freeb cocoanut
pred over it.  It is very good.   After dinner Dr. Heiser and I talked
with the Governor on the great verandah. In front of the houee soldiers
guards were marching about with gun8 wi$h pbli8hed fixed bayonet8 and bring-
ing their gun8 noisily to the groun&, resting for a moment and then atart-
ing on another round,- quite impressive.+ Some Indian troops mutinied
in Singapore early in the war and killed a number of white people. They
were finally publicly 8hOt, at least the ring leadsrs, a8 a warning to
the other native peoplee.

At four o'clock we visited Mr. Figart at hi8 home in the


suburbs.              -6-
    The roads are beautifully kept, and there are many fine resid-

ences about Singapore,
rubber and tin.     speaking of the great profit6 formerly :.lade from
         We met &SO Figart and tile two children. Later ;,ir.
Figart took us driving in his car,
anic gardens,             and we went through the beautiful bot-'
       with their wond.:rful large trees and great lawns.

     In the evening Dr. and &-a. Brooke, Bsme to dinner with us at
the hotel.  I did not mention the review of hi8 book, as you 8Ugge8ted.
I thought he might be a bit sensitive by now &bout pink corsets, or
whatever color it was that he recommended for the tropics.  The music
at the hotel was furnished on this evening by the orchestra from the
flagship taking the Japanese Crown Prince around the world. The Prince
himself was not vicible.  In fact,when he caide ashore to dine with the
Governor on Satu.rday,preparations for hi8 reception had to be mcLde in
three places, soldier escort and all, so that aEsassin8 could not tall
where he was going to l&n%. Even the Governor did not know at which point
the landing would take place.

      On Monday the Porthos sailed in and we went aboard in the
evening ready for an early star4 the next morning.  At tie hotel,
before we left, Mr. Rock of the U.S. Department of Agriculture looked up
Dr. Heiser and told us of his experiences collecting Chaulmoogra oil
tree seed8, in Siam and Burma. He confirmed the story of the tiger that
ltmlled three of his collectors. A Chinaman tried to sell u8 a tigera
skin while we were waiting for some prints at Kodaks, but we were not
interested.

       We sailed from Singapore at ten A.M. on Tuesdiy , Narch
22, on the French liner Porthoe.  It is a very large ship and is most
steady in the water. It is frightfully expensive. Pe have a large and
oomf'ortable cabin with two set bowl8 and running water, a luxury on
ship board.  I am not crazy about the splendid French cooking, however,
al-Gnough Dr. Keiser, like the other Victor,is praising it habitually.
We have hx~~kbc a meal- I don't know what they call it- from 7:30 to 8830,
and the men come down in their pajamas.  This consists of coffee and
marmalade and perhaps a little fruit, and a slice of cold ham if you want
it.  At 11:30 they have breakfast which is almost identical with dinner
and consists of an interminable series of meat co
morsel being served as a separate cour8e., ~~!42%?%X3~eto
eat. They talk of American8 and Auetralians being meat eaters, but I have
never Been anything to compare with the compulsary proteid ration8 of
this French boat and the French Hotel in Bangkok and Raffles'. They at
least had porridge for revolter8 at Raffles. Then> the French seem to
fry most everything and to let the French fried potatoes soak in grease
until tepid. I shall be glad to gc;i back to your good old American
cooking, with British cooking a8 a second choice. We had preseed meat
with pickles, stew, chops, and duck curry a8 four successive cour8e8 for
breakfast this morning. We are undergoing a partial starvation for
carbohydrates.  I suppose the free red wine puts a rosy tint on the
diet for those who make the most of it.

       We are having a wonderfully smooth trip. So far we have
been 8heltered by the island of Sumatra , and the ship kept an even keel.
We have just left the end of Sumatra behind us on the left and now you
could tell that you Wbte at sea by the very alight, almost imperceptible
roll.


   Ye have changed our course and are headed alizost due west toward
Ceylon.  We expect to reach Colombo on the 28th, End I hope to get yaesage
on the Orsova for Freemantle on the 11th of April.  I shall keep in touch
with the American Conaul as I aa anxious to get the news from you without
any delay.  Do take good care of yourself.   With much love,