50 Medical Topography of Malacca. x 



form of a circle around the base of St. Paul's hill, and comprises 

 the house of the officer commanding, and of the other officers belong- 

 ing to the detachment, with private houses situated on its southern 

 aspect or sea-face ; the Convict and Garrison Hospitals to the east 

 and opening upon the parade ground ; to the north the Convicts' 

 Lines, Government Stores, Land Office, and House of Correction ; 

 and to the west H. M. Gaol, Government Store, Police Office, and 

 Stadt House ; the last facing the west, but having also an aspect 

 to the south or seaward. 



The mouth of the river which, together with its approaches, is 

 defended by two 4-gun batteries, is about fifty-six feet wide. The 

 draught at high water being eleven feet ; at ebb four feet six 

 inches ; and at spring-tides thirteen and a half feet. It is en- 

 tered by a narrow channel extending over an extensive mud-flat, is 

 very inconvenient at times even for small boats : admits with the 

 flood native craft of light burden, but does not permit the approach 

 of square-rigged vessels, which anchor in safety at about two miles 

 distance. Extending in continuation along the south-east coast to the 

 extent of half a mile, is the populous but very poor suburb of 

 Bander Eller, inhabited chiefly by the Indo-Portuguese, for the most 

 part fishermen, an extremely poor, ignorant, and immoral set, nomi- 

 nally Catholics. 



The town of Malacca itself, is situated on the right bank of the 

 river. Though unpretending, it is built with a certain degree of 

 regularity, and consists principally of two parallel streets, intersected 

 at right angles by minor ones. Of these two streets, the one called 

 " Hein Street," forms the high or principal street of the town ; it is 

 clean, inhabited by the better orders of the Dutch part of the popu- 

 lation, (who for the most part reside in the town) and likewise 

 by the better order of Chinese ; the Chinese artizans engrossing the 

 bazars. 



The houses of the Dutch are old, massive, and substantial in their 

 structure. Those of the better class of Chinese neat, clean, and 

 quaint in their devices and appearance. 



The continuation of this street runs into the extensive and very 

 populous suburb of Tranqueirah, inhabited by some Chinese, but 

 chiefly by Indo-Portuguese. It is sufficiently wide, and considering 



