7 



As we polled away from this ploec and, looked backj even the want of light and phade 

 and the heavy rain Hi at was falling did not prevent our acknowledging lhat it possessed a 

 character of piclurc*quo beauty of a very pleading and uncommon kind. Il, in irulh, 

 united lite luxuriance and gracefulness of tropical vegetation wilh ihe open and irregular 

 aspect at a wood an seme rirtri bnnk J half rocky, in K tiff land. The jungle trees of Singa- 

 p&r$ do not in general altain sufficient me to assume lhat air of grandeur which dififin- 

 guUhcs those on I he Flitting mountain* . and Lhi-j arc rq blt-mlcd with Hie underwood, which 

 jjrowp up lite a I luck crop of rank weeds between them, ami bo interwoven by creeping 

 and pendent plant? into a drtiic rna^ oT green, that their individuality it extinguished- 

 Thr* display uf botanic life is wonderful in il* mcwiJKlfrt, aU pervading eniWraneCj and 

 this very profusion minister! to a deeper sense of the silent, soft, spirit-like, but moat po- 

 tent mid hiohE motley r power of receipt inn. Still no irco or humbler plant invilm up 1o 

 dwelt delightedly On its own perfection, kt Ihi* spot, however, many stately trees rose up 

 in. telf dependent strength and beauty, and expanded in mid air info tlu-ir eample-io propor- 

 tions, or, if they fought Companionship, I tic y did Bot WOO n promiscuous thrunf , but each 

 embraced a tingle partner. The number of double or married trees congregated at I his 

 particular *pol was indeed remarkable, and, — i recollecting that ihe Hindoos cither select 

 Ihe neighbourhood of mtli (reci as the tiles of tornplct or plant them where they do not 

 grow naturally, and that, in those ages when Ifrcy flourished over the Indian Archipelago* 

 the strait between Pula Ubin and Pah Tikan$ was the portal of one of I heir earliest and 

 soft renowned colonics, Zabn on the /oAere ri*erj — il was agam cliJlicult to avoid pur- 

 rendcring the mind to a belief that the grey pillared and fluted pile*, thai assumed more 

 and mere an artificial appearauec as each stroke of the oar reduced their ^iir.-, were realty the 

 rnnainfl eT some great fane overborne by many centuries of desolation (1). 



It will be homo in mind that the above are first impressions, and Hint ? having Jmn 

 rouduek-d E ■ 3 one parlErular locally to ttc.ti the furrowed rock*, I believed they were confined 

 to it. My next visit undeceived me j and proved 1 lhat f had been nearer ihe truth when 

 lucking fur toLrn^ cif rm internal clruelural arrangement in the fit anile, lhan when eenjee- 

 taring ihe. farmer etiptence of a cipcadc; a conjee Cure "which a wider eipl Oration of ihe tame 

 Point would Iioto shewn to be buscIcK*. 



J now proceed to notice ihe nels a a! the different phcea which 1 have visited, beginning 

 with the Eastern portion of the southern coast after passing the Quarries going then to 

 the western division of the bland , and anally returning to the Point where my desire to 

 cwmitie l lie Island was first n wakened. 



The seaward extremity oT ihe lateral hill or rid go 1o ihe East of the Chinese Quarries is 

 environed by mangrove*, 



The succeed inn; point advances out of the mangrove fringe. At the W. sido a large mass 

 of solid gtanilk rock of a greyish colour, varied by Tight brownish red (aud~ ron&isiing of 

 grey felppar and transparent qusrU with some black mica interspersed) s1 retches transverse- 



(I) Th& EiLritL hum Eta j JiUumL i ncLudtd in lb* piper lUuAit t* T it p r 3 ilapi brrt, 



