Arrival at Singapore. 135 



merchandise of all sorts, with wliich they boarded the pass- 

 ing ships, and while these were supplying themselves with fruit 

 and fresh provisions, the former were spying the number of 

 crew, as also the means of defence of the unfortunate vessel ; 

 after which it usually happened, that during the night the more 

 defenceless of them, while becalmed or lying at anchor, would 

 be attacked by an overwhelming force of pirates and ruth- 

 lessly plundered. Captain Steen Bille relates, that even so late 

 as 1846, he loaded his cannon with shot, and maintained 

 extra vigilance during the night. 



We now sped along, still favoured by the wind, dm-ing the 

 ensuing night, and on the morning of the 15th April had the 

 satisfaction of reaching the entrance of the bay of Singapore, 

 without once having to lie at anchor in the straits. The 

 landscape that lay outstretched before us was splendid, — lofty 

 wooded islands on the coast of Sumatra, and a whole archi- 

 pelago of islets lay around us, in the channels between 

 which prahus were sailing about, while Chinese junks, full- 

 rigged ships and barques, were working in or out as the case 

 might be, all intimating the proximity of a great mart of com- 

 merce. Equally fortunate as in the straits was our passage 

 tln*ough the labyrinth of islands, through which a vessel must 

 wind in order to reach Singapore. And this roadstead itself, 

 what a contrast it presented to the lovely beach of the Nicobar 

 Islands ! Here were thousands of ships of all sizes and rigs, 

 and the flags of nearly all sea-farmg nations in the world. 

 We found at anchor the English frigate Amethyst, and the 



