165 



eft at i\m period, a confidence wliich gitve place 

 to such an agoniy of appi. 'lension twenty four 

 hours alter the troops had marched, it is difficult 

 to relate the facts without verging on ridicule, 

 and venturing on sarcasm. 



At four o'clock in the morning of Saturday the 

 6th August, the expedition started along a toler- 

 able road, making all due allowances for its be- 

 ing unfrequented except by foot passengers. 



The road to Malim, which is five miles* distant 

 from the bridge at Malacca, and about four from the 

 suburbs, known by the name of Tranqueirah, is 

 pretty fair, until within somewhat of a mile of that 

 place. Here it leads across an extensive iswamp^ 

 fonned by a petty tributary of the Malacca river, 

 which, passing over ground very httle higher 

 than the bed ol'themain stream, cannot of course, 

 be coDiined within a channel, so as to conduct it 

 thither, as the bed of the canal would then be 

 lower than that of the river : true it is that, by 

 cutting a canal towardii Klei wang.f a place on 

 the seashore lying three and a half miles to the 

 westward of Malacca, and probably about the 

 same distance, in a direct line, from MaVim, the 

 swamp could be drained ; but the expence would 

 be considerable, and the measure would entail 

 great distress on the proprietors of the exten- 



* Such of my reader*, a»iisayl«av« met irith my " NmmUT«oftbi 

 late Nanning EipeUitsoo,** will find several dbcr«piincii;5 in the db- 

 ftjic«8 »i tlttrc: laid dnwnand a» b^re detaikd. At ilif- time that il wai 

 penned, the meiuureinefiti were gircn froin the- impressjous teflon tbm 

 memory by pmiojig along the road <Hice iu dnyliKht, and from tbe cur* 

 rent e#tlmate : our progres* was any thing but omfomj tuiferably nsp'i 

 whtn thfi ro^^di wtire wood, aird insuffcniiily tedious when the contraif 

 was th^ <ra^f^. Of the tiuffalcMi fatliued ; add to thii, the ^eapAty of tiM 

 r i: :Ji prevented thr cy? fioiti judfiiing'by any til • ct^and 



,M«Dt hurry of action » Mthrfnt an,c»{r(>Qrtniit? iitg tlie 



, T^treat wa*ljj nigUi)asni the niiBtakM iii i .nt* wiil 



1 tru .-^nllj riewcd, CKpcdally m thoy, and other inaccur*dei» 



are n i . ...^.cvLv'ij, 



t iittrajly ** m iword:.** 



