SINGAPORE. 433 



ing the monsoons, which have hitherto regulated the routes of com- 

 merce. All that is needed is capital to set it in motion. 



As vessels of war, the steamers have been particularly useful in the 

 British operations against China. The shallow and unknown coast 

 of that country, and its almost impenetrable rivers, could have been 

 rendered accessible by no other means. 



Singapore, as a port of supplies, offers many inducements, although 

 there are the same objections to it that apply more or less to all the 

 ports of the East. One of these is caused by the ravages of the 

 white ants. A portion of our flour was rendered entirely unser- 

 viceable, for these insects had literally perforated the barrels in all 

 directions; and in rolling them over, the staves appeared like fine 

 sieves, through which the flour passed in every direction. This, 

 however, was only the case with that which had been stored in a 

 dry upper loft. The larger portion of this article, which had fortu- 

 nately been left on the ground-floor or basement of the storehouses, 

 had escaped this injury. The latter place was both cooler and damper 

 than the former, and these were the only apparent reasons why the 

 barrels had escaped uninjured. 



The climate of Singapore, notwithstanding its geographical and 

 local position, is considered as very salubrious : it is admitted by 

 all that the neighbouring coasts and islands are quite the reverse. 

 Although the island is near the Malay shore, yet the site of the town 

 being on its southern point, is within the influence of -the prevailing 

 winds, which it is generally supposed carry off the miasma as fast as 

 it is formed ; yet every thing seems favourable about the settlement to 

 produce disease : it lies low, with large tracts of marsh and jungle in 

 its neighbourhood. The heat, however, is very much modified by 

 the sea-breezes, and varies only from 79° to 84° ; the mean annual 

 temperature has been found to be a little above 80° : in this computa- 

 tion, however, I understand the night hours had been entirely omitted ; 

 had the observations included those also, they would undoubtedly 

 have lowered the mean considerably. It was remarked that it rains 

 for an hour or two almost every afternoon, and in consequence of 

 these daily showers, vegetation has a rapid or rather rank growth. 

 To these frequent showers is ascribed by some the healthfulness of 

 the place, preventing malaria by maintaining a constant growth in 

 the vegetable kingdom, and thus tending to absorb the noxious and 

 deleterious gases. 



The diseases most common in the East, such as dysentery, diar- 



VOL. V. 109 



