Olfervations on the Straits of Malacca, 19J' 



the courfe of time, may be converted into Englifti gar- 

 dens. 



In the yeaf 1789 the king of Queda took it in his head to 

 demand back the i(1and from the Englifli ; and, as the latter 

 fiiowed no inclination to comply with his defire, he aflem- 

 bled a confiderable army on the coaft oppofite to the ifland, 

 in order to lay fiege to it in form. That he might infpire 

 his troops with more courage he gave them an entertain- 

 ment, at which opium was not fpared. His Malayan ma- 

 jefty did not fail to get intoxicated along with his warriors; 

 and this being reported to the Englifh by means of their 

 fpies, they attacked the Malays in their camp, killed their 

 king, made a great flaughter among them, and thus put an 

 end to the war. A regular ftone fort has fince been built, 

 in which a garrifon is conftantly maintaihed of three batta- 

 lions of fepoys and Europeans. 



At firft, (liips that touched here were obliged to fail back 

 the fame way they had entered; vphich was attended with 

 this inconvenience, that thofe veflels deftined to proceed 

 further through the Straits of Malacca could not take ad- 

 vantage of a fair wind, bccaufe it blows direftly into the 

 harbour, and by ihefe means five or fix days were often loft. 

 In the year 1791, however, captairi Popham * difcovered a 

 pafTage round the fouth-eaft end of the ifland, by which 

 this inconvenience is obviated. 



To fail hence for Malacca there are two ways ; one of 



which, for large fliips, lies between two dangerous fand- 



banks, where a continual and rapid current, whith runs 



ither north-weft or fouth-eaftj requires ail the attention of 



•' Captain Popham is the gentleman who commanded the cxpfedition 

 of the Englifh to Oftcnd. As far as I rcmcir.ber, he commanded, in the 

 year 1791, a Diip named // 'Trufco, which had been fitted out at Oftcnd 

 bv the Englifli and failed under the Tufcan flag. During the peace he 

 cltaincd permilfion fr<vm the Board of Adniivaicy, being then a lieuttnant 

 ift the navy, to enter into the merchant fcrvice; but as foon as the war 

 broke out, he was again employed on board a flilp cf war. — H. 



Captain Popham fupcriiitcnded hft year the embarkation of the RufTian 

 troops deftined for Holland, and alfifted the operations of the Britiih army 

 In that country. He received the honour of knighthood from' the em- 

 peror Paul, being made a knight of Malta.— Edit. 



C c a \l% 



