the China Sea, during the prevailing very light
southerly winds of April, we exhausted a large portion of our fresh
stock; and for replenishing it and our water we touched in Anjer Roads,
of which, and the village of the same name, I shall now give a brief
sketch.

Nothing can be prettier than the sail into Anjer Roads from the
northward, on a fine clear day. The scenery is equal to any thing I have
ever seen. On your right, rises the high land of Sumatra, covered with
wood to the very summit, and exhibiting all the different shades of
green; on your left, are St. Nicholas Point and the high land of Java;
while the two little isles called, "Cap and Button," add their minute
features to the landscape. The land in this part of Java, though well
wooded, is not covered with timber so thickly as the opposite coast of
Sumatra; but, here and there, the scene is diversified by a clearing,
where the Javanese may be seen at work in his rice-field, yam-patch,
vegetable garden, or pinery. In front, the island of "Thwart-the-way"
(well named, for it is right in mid-channel) relieves the eye from the
glare of the sea; which, in these low latitudes, is a matter of some
moment; while, further seaward, may be seen towering far above the
surrounding objects, the islands of Pulo Bissie and Crockatooa, both
visible from a great distance, and forming excellent land-marks for the
mariner. On nearing the anchorage, the pretty little village of Anjer
strikes the eye, its huts built in rows, and shaded by palms and other
trees; the Dutch Resident's house, the fort, and the wharf, are all in
view; and further back, about a mile from the sea, may be seen the tomb,
erected by his shipmates, to the memory of Dr. ----, Assistant Surgeon
of H. M. S. Alceste. The inscription informs the stranger, that Dr.
---- died here on his return from China, after the wreck of the Alceste.
This tomb was the first thing that attracted my attention when I landed
at Anjer in 1823, and has ever since been an object of interest to me.
Anjer is a very convenient place for ships bound from China or Singapore
for Europe to touch at for supplies, although many ship-masters avoid it
during the prevalence of the north-west monsoon, when it is a lee shore.
I have anchored there at all seasons of the year, and never found any
difficulty in getting out of the harbour; but others have been less
fortunate, and have got among the rocks. Here, the natives come off to
passing ships,