SINGAVORE OLD STRAITS AND NEW HARBOUR. 250 
one, you will see in front of you on the other side a cape with 
a little red hill. You will do well then to bear over a little to 
that side until you have passed the first island [ Pulau Pesek | 
between which and the second [Pulau Ayer Limau] lies a 
shoal which can be seen sometimes at low water and which 
stretches half way across the channel; however you will be 
careful always to have the lead in your hands to know where 
you are. Having come close to this cape and hill bear off again 
to the right, for this is the only shoal between these islands, and 
in this way you will carry on to the East for about half a league 
with this same depth of eight or nine fathoms. Thence this 
range of Islands along which you are sailing trends to the 
South-east and immediately afterwards you will see a little 
further on to the right of these islands a round island stretching 
a little behind from one to another, {the French is not clear| 
you will carry on along this leaving it on your right. You will 
always have eight or ten fathoms with a muddy bottom. On 
the left hand, that is on the North side, the land has many bays 
among them a large one which trends to the South. On this 
South side is another round island which you will leave on the 
same side. You will beware of this North side as it is full of 
shoals and will hold on your course on the other or right hand 
side. When you come close to the above mentioned small 
round island on the right hand side you will see straight in 
front of you, that is to say, at the end of the range of islands 
along which your are coasting, another small low island with a 
few trees and a shore of white sand |? Cyrene shoal]; this is 
directly opposite the East and West straits of Singapore. You 
will bear down on this island and when you come close to it 
you will see the straits, towards which you will steer keeping 
off a little both to avoid the shoals and reefs to the North and 
also so as not to be carried by the tide to the South side of the 
entrance of the straits. On the North is a sandy beach | Pasir 
Panjang] about a cannon-shot long having a kind of bay at the 
end of it where fresh water can be got. The whole way along 
this beach you will find a good bottom fit for anchoring if 
necessary. Coming up to the beach you will find currents 
which will earry you down to the entrance of the straits but 
you can avoid them by keeping off. You will do well also not 
to pass the end of these straits on the North side as there are 
reefs and banks there. 
“The entrance of the straits is about a stone’s throw across 
between two high mountains and runs a cannon-shot length to 
the East. The least depth in the straits is four and a half 
fathoms. At the entrance at the foot of the Northern mountain 
is a rock which looks like a pillar. It is commonly known as 
Varella del China [Lot’s wife]. A little further on in the 
straits and on the South side is a bay in the middle of which is 
another rock below water and a shoal with reaches from this 
R. A. Soc., No. 60, 191]. 
