GENERAL EErORT ON THE RESIDENCY OF SINGAPORE. 624 
deep and 2 feet broad. But as it would be out of place here to 
follow the author thro’ the line of scientific argument and research 
displayed in the elucidation of the problem of the origin and struc¬ 
ture of these wonderful freaks of nature I must leave it for the 
next subject 
Physical Geography. The approach to Singapore is marked 
by no very remarkable undulations or elevations of its outline—it is 
more characterized in the whole by an eveness of surface, and like all 
islands of the Indian Archipelago by the rankness of its primeval 
vegetation. The highest point of the island is Bukit, Timah which 
I lately made to be by the mean of several observations 519 feet 
above low water spring tides, besides this there are three or four 
eminences that attain the height of 300 feet, such as Mount Faber, 
Bukit Panjang and Bukit Ulu Mandai, but the general heights of 
its ridges and elevations do not exceed 80 to 120 feet—and these 
are undulating and sloping at the eastern part of the island, while 
at the western part they are more prominent and uneven, following 
the character of their respective formations as described before! 
The island is intersected by parallel ridges, which run in a north 
western and south eastern direction, with the exception of such as 
lie in the north eastern portion of the island and these ran in a 
north easterly direction. They no where lose their continuity, but 
can be traced from one shore of the island to the opposite. A 
central ridge which may be termed the back bone of the island 
bisects it ; this can be traced running nearly due east and west 
from Carang Campong and Tanjong Changi, dividing the island 
longitudinally into nearly equal parts, and on either side of which 
the water shed falls north and south. The Kallang river which is 
the largest stream in the island, causes an exception to be made, as 
it rises considerably to the north of the general bisecting line. 
From the •middle ridge all other ridges take, their departure in a 
north western and south eastern direction with the exception above 
noted. „ Narrow swampy valleys penetrate between the spurs and 
ofishoots of the main ridges. The beds of these valleys seldom 
attain an elevation of 15 to 20 feet above the level of the sea, of 
which they had originally formed arms and inlets. The spunginess 
ol the decayed vegetation on their surfaces combined with their 
levelness, assists much in retaining the moisture brought by the 
rains, thus preventing great floods or droughts $ the supplies are 
consequently equal and abundant throughout the year. 
bor the following meteorological observations I am indebted to 
an excellent paper on the Medical Topography of Singapore, by 
Mr R. Little, derived from tables furnished him by Captain 
Elliott, M. E.* I have taken the liberty of abridging his remarks 
and slightly reforming the tables for the purposes of this report. 
Singapore, though within 80 miles of the equator, through its 
abundance of moisture, either deposited by the dews or gentle 
* Journal of the Indian Archipelago. 
G 8 
