THE INDIAN OCEAN. 841 
but all heavy goods are transported by canoes, which 
pass under the houses. The mode of driving the 
piles, which are inserted into the bottom to the 
depth of six feet, is curious and ingenious. A canoe 
loaded with stones to the weight of two or thread 
tons is lashed on each side of a pile at high water, 
which, as the tide falls, are suspended from it; a 
heavy piece of timber is then made successively 
to fall upon the head, which, conjointly with the 
great weight of the canoes, sinks it into the bottom 
rapidly. Towns covering a square mile may be 
seen formed in this manner. 
The harbours and straits are crowded during the 
season with Chinese junks; which fail not to strike 
an eye accustomed to the elegant proportions and 
graceful tracery of an European ship, as ludicrously 
monstrous. Mr. Crawfurd says, “The appearance: 
of a Chinese junk is remarkably grotesque and sin- 
gular. The deck presents the figure of a crescent. 
The extremities of the vessel are disproportionately 
high and unwieldy, conveying an idea that any 
sudden gust of wind would not fail to upset her. At 
each side of the bow there is a large white spot or 
circle to imitate eyes. These vessels, except before 
‘the wind, are bad sailers, and very unmanageable. 
They require a numerous crew to navigate them: 
of one of the largest size, it often takes fifty men 
to manage the helm alone.” The high stern dnd 
bow are alike flat, the latter having nothing answer- 
ing to a cut-water. There are from two to four 
masts, the main-mast being disproportionately larger 
than the others; each of which carries a single huge 
Qn2 a ‘ 
