351 



ciftilDess of their colors and decorations, lie to 

 the eastward of the bay. 



As the eye rapidly traverses this sceae, it rests 

 upon the neat and elegant private garden houses, 

 which fringe the saody beach on which the clear 

 ripples break in sparkling light ; but the most con- 

 spicuous object i?* the Court House, whose snow- 

 white structure h finely contrasted with the greea 

 herbage and foliage of the Government Mil be- 

 hind it, on the top of which the British colors are 

 seen floating in the bieeze, which pri>pe!s your 

 vessel intV>am to the anchorage* 



The river of Singapore is about twenty- yards 

 wide at its niouih ; but, a reach or two higher up, 

 it is considerably wider j it is, however, much ob- 

 structed at ihe mouth by an increasing sandbank, 

 on which, at ipting ebbs, there i^ not above a foot 

 of water. This is principally caused by the sharp- 

 ness of the left bank of the lower reach, which 

 has been faced with masonry, and provided with 

 adouble flightofsteps for the convenience of land- 

 ing. The angniarity of the work checks the free 

 flow of the water, and causes the stream to set 

 across to the opposite side, each successive tide 

 depositing those particles, which the uninterrupted 

 stream would have kept in solution. The point, 

 or tongue of land, which forms the extremity of 

 the right banki trends to the eastward, and thus 

 shots out the view of the entrance from seaward. 

 On this point are the artillery barracks, and house 

 of the artillery officer, with a few pieces of ord- 

 nance. The town lies on the right bank of the 

 river, and contains some very good European 

 shops^ at which nearly every thing requisite caji 



