surface, appeared like a lake amongst low hills. It is seemingly quite surrounded by jun- 

 gle, the mangrove predominating wherever there has originally been a deep indentation 

 in the shore. On the north the opposite side of the Old Strait of Singapore (Salat Tam-' 

 broh) is complete^ cxclutjed from^view, §ave at one point, by P. Ubin, which shews likea 

 densely wooded low hilly range. A broad bay on its shore is nearly filled by a low flat 

 island or mud bank, called Pulo Tam (properly Ktam) ; which is covered by a thick sheet of 

 green gleaming mangroves. We stood across the strait towards this Island, passed its eas- 

 tern extremity, and then |vrocee$ed e#s.twar4 along \he sjhore of Pulo Ubin. Several rocky 

 points slightly project ff om it, and these are covered with trees of no great sizc, but 

 which, from their not being so densely crowded as tropical jungles generally are, junite 

 luxuriance with grace and freedom of growth. The abundance and abruptness of the rocky 

 masses which are partially visible, clothed with mosses and lichens and with shrubs rooted 

 in their clefts, prevent the trees from approximating, raise their trunks here and there into 

 view, and, by limiting their number as in an artificial wtfod, afford space enough above 

 for the branches to expand into full-leaved wide-spreading canopies, on the dark and cool 

 tfhadöWé of which the eye, dazzled by the radianee "of the sea, wjshfully lingers. The rocks ar* 

 however less seen themselves than by these their effects, for such is the profiision of shrubs, un- 

 döfWood , creepers, and parasites of various sorts, that the dead mineral masses seem to be imbued 

 with botanie fecundity and wrapped in a living garment woven out of their own breasts. The 

 little bays between the Points are nearly obliterated by level sheets of mangrove which, by their 

 gfowth extcrnally, tend constantly to convert the original irregular, into a straight, coast line. 



One of the most striking features of the lake like scenery of the strait between Pulo Ubin 

 and the Singapore shore is Gunong Bau a broad pyramidal hill, which, as we approacbeel 

 tlje eastern exlremity of Pulo Ubin, and the wide estuary of Joliore river on the left or north 

 east and the wider mouth of the old Singapore strait on the right or south east gradually 

 opened, — was seen up the former at a distance of ö or 6 miles. Although termed by seamen 

 Little Johore hill, it is, in rcality, higher than Blarbukit or Joliore hill which forms one of 

 the most prominent landmarks on entering the strails of Singapore from the China sea. From 

 the regularity of its cone, which from this point of view seems to descend with almost per- 

 fect evenness on all sides to a level a little above that of the sea, and its apparent isolation, 

 it resembles a volcanic hill. 



We stood across the strait between Pulo Ubin and P. Tikang to the small islets called P. 

 S&jahat. On our return we pulled close in to one of the points on the south side of Pulo 

 Ubin, where there are several Chinese quarrymen engaged in splitting granite for the supply 

 of the builders in town. We were struck by the extraordinary appearance of some of the 

 granite rocks on the beach. Their sides were grooved or fluted, presenting regular vertical 

 furrows and ridges. A little way in from the beach, and on the lower face of a hill, 

 stood a very large rock of which two faces were visible, the remainder being concealed by 

 luxuriant jungle, and the summit overhung with shrubs and trailing plants. At a little 

 distance it was hardly possible not to take it for a portion of an ancient temple rudely 

 scwlplured out of the solid rock, since from its front stood out what seemed to be a 



range of colossal misshapen images. On ascending to it through the brushwood my amaze» 



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