214 ANCHOR AT SINGAPORE. 



the tin is procured, for which Banca is so famous. 

 The Sumatra shore here is one great flat, bordered 

 by mangrove swamps, and reminded us of the aspect 

 of the shores of New Guinea. 



On July 5th we anchored at Singapore. The 

 shores of the strait, from Pedra Branca and Point 

 Romania, which are themselves made of granite, 

 are composed of a succession of rocky headlands, 

 all of which seemed to be granite, and flat spaces, 

 apparently formed of sand. A dense jungle of wood 

 covered the whole, forming pleasing, but by no 

 means striking scenery. We passed two large 

 Chinese junks on their way to China. Their gro- 

 tesqueness, when under sail, is greater even than 

 would be expected, from the common engravings of 

 them : they reminded me of the outre figures one 

 meets in old books of European shipping, as it 

 existed in the time of the Conquest or the Crusades. 

 Of Singapore itself, it is almost needless to speak. 

 1 was struck with the size, importance, and evident 

 wealth of a place some years younger than myself, 

 and amused with its varied population. Of its 

 50,000 inhabitants, more than 20,000 are Chinese 

 of the lowest rank ; the rest of the population is a 

 motley mixture, the most prominent of which is a 

 race called Chulias, from the coast of Madras. I 

 was surprised at the great difference in aspect be- 

 tween these, who act mostly as messengers and 

 carriage and horse-keepers, and the Sepoy soldiers. 

 The latter were frequently a noble looking set of 



