618 
GENERAL REPORT ON THE RESIDENCY OF SINGAPORE, 
DRAWN UP PRINCIPALLY WITH A VIEW OF ILLUS¬ 
TRATING ITS AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS. 
By J. T. Thomson Esq. f. r. g. s., Surveyor to Government. 
Geoghaphy. Singapore island is situated near the southern 
extreme of the Malayan peninsula, called by the natives of these 
parts Ujong Tannah or land's end—from which it is divided by a 
narrow strait called Silat Tambrau, whose general breadth is a 
mile, but measuring at its narrowest part only 3^ furlongs. The 
town of Singapore, which gives its name to the island on which it 
is situated, is termed by the Malays Singapura, a word evidently 
of Hindu derivation, meaning the city of the Lion, and is well 
known in Malayan history by its having been a place of great 
trade and importance prior to a. d. 1252*' when it is related that 
its possessors were driven out by the king of Java, and retreated 
to Malacca there to found another city which soon rivalled or 
excelled in mercantile importance its predecessor, as a great Em¬ 
porium of the trade of the East Indian Archipelago. After the 
above event the ancient town of Singapore appears to have sunk 
into the obscurest insignificance, until the attention of the founder 
of the modern town was directed towards it, partly by the records 
of its ancient splendour, but mainly by its commanding position on 
one of the principal outlets from the seas of Eastern Asia, and its 
central position towards the principal trading nations of the East 
Indian Archipelago. 
The site of the present town of Singapore, was fixed by Sir 
Stamford Raffles, who took possession on the 6th February 1819, 
on the same spot which we are led to believe from the perusal of 
Malayan history, was occupied by the ancient one, viz the 
space between Sungie Bras Basa, (evidently a channel or fosse 
constructed by manual labour) and the Singapore river, the front 
being bounded by the sea, and back by Government hill or Bukit 
Singapora. This space is now principally occupied by detached 
buildings, consisting of the Government offices. Court house, Police 
office, and private dwellings, the mercantile part of the town having 
been extended over a large space to the south of the Singapore 
river, formerly principally occupied by an extensive mangrove 
swamp, but now covered by substantial contiguous buildings 
forming the warehouses of the merchants and dwelling houses of 
the Chinese traders and artizans. 
The town of Singapore is situated about 2 miles from the South 
Western extremity of the South East shore of the island, and faces 
a bay which affords secure and ample anchoring ground for all 
ships frequenting the port. The flag staff on Government hill has 
* Crawford^ Indian Archipelago. 
