An 1874 account of Johore
This is an 1874 travel account of Johore by William Dean, originally published in the Siam Repository (July 1874, pp. 352–4) and reprinted here in JMBRAS Vol. 91 (2018).
Summary
Dean describes a ride on a wooden railroad being constructed by the Rajah of Johore, noting its cost ($2,000 per mile), its use of teak rails, and its planned extension toward Pulai (p. 153). He then broadens the discussion to argue that Siam could similarly benefit from wooden railroads and telegraphic lines to develop its timber and agricultural resources, praising the young King Chulalongkorn for continuing the reforms begun by his father (p. 153).
The account also details the Maharajah’s other enterprises—steam saw mills, a steam yacht, a ferry-boat, a 600-ton vessel under construction, and a new audience hall and residence on the hill overlooking the harbor—and provides descriptions of pepper, gambier, and tapioca cultivation along the route, including processing methods and market prices (pp. 153–154). Dean closes by identifying James Meldram as the Rajah’s superintendent of engineering and the arsenal (p. 154).