402 LAND AT SOURABAYA. 



piers formed of piles and earth, and partly faced 

 with stone for about a mile and a quarter, to the 

 verge of the deep water in the strait. It is about 

 40 yards wide, and 2 or 3 feet deep, at low water, 

 when it is fresh, with a strong current. At high 

 water the current is barely checked, and it is then 

 G or 8 feet deep. It was crowded with boats, large 

 and small, laden with rice and other commodities, 

 and a Chinese junk, and two or three schooners lay 

 on one side of it under repair. About half wav up 

 there is a house and a flag-staff on the right hand 

 side as you approach the town, which is a kind of 

 post for the custom-house and police officers. This 

 place is called the w boom," as there probably was 

 a boom formerly across the river. We were directed 

 to land here to enter our vessel's name, and our 

 own, in a register, and to be made acquainted with 

 the port regulations. They were pretty civil to us, 

 though apparently not used to the presence of foreign 

 men-of-war, and began to talk about opium, which 

 is a prohibited cargo. As soon, however, as they 

 knew who we were, they never gave us any more 

 trouble, though all country boats have to wait till 

 entered*" and examined by a custom-house officer 

 before they can proceed. 



On approaching the town we passed a large new 

 stone fort or citadel on the left hand side. There 

 were still many men at work throwing up banks of 

 earth around it. Immediately above this the road 

 on each side of the canal became much wider, and 



