1844.] RETURN TO KUCHING. 149 



of communication as well as of forwarding letters to Sin- 

 gapore, without detention. There are many other reasons 

 for preferring this spot for a Lighthouse, one of which, 

 and the most important, is, that the light will carry a 

 vessel clear of Johore shoal as long as it is kept in sight, 

 and the same outwards. No light in any other place 

 could effect this desirable object. 



On the 25th, the ' Dido ' attended by the ' Phlegethon' 

 steamer, lent by the Governor to assist in the suppression 

 of piracy, sailed from Singapore for the Sarawak, to or- 

 ganise an expedition to be undertaken by the boats up 

 one of the neighbouring rivers. My friend Keppel wished 

 us much to accompany him, and every endeavour was 

 made to expedite the ' Samarang ' in order to lend her 

 powerful boat force : I fully expected, moreover, to have 

 reached in time to have been included myself, as I had 

 already commenced travelling with some expedition on 

 crutches. 



On the 5th August we quitted Singapore and anchored 

 on the llth off the Santubon entrance, where I quitted the 

 ship with the barge and gig for Kuching ; on my arrival 

 there I learned that the boat expedition under Keppel, and 

 accompanied by Mr. Brooke, had been warmly engaged, 

 and that my former first lieutenant, Wade, as well as Mr. 

 Stuart (of the ' Ariel '), and the Patinga Ali, had been 

 killed ; the ' Dido ' remained at Kuching. As this 

 report gave tidings of harder work than had been ex- 

 pected, not a moment was lost in adding the force which 

 the * Samarang ' could afford, and despatching our barge 

 for provisions, we started at nine o'clock the following 

 morning for the Batang Lupar, which river we entered 



