playing
billiards, smoking, and drinking. The hotels are very good, in
consequence of the steamers from Bombay to Hong Kong touching here; they
are fitted up with an unusual degree of comfort; and the charges are, of
course, not very moderate. The markets are well supplied with fruit,
vegetables, and stock of all kinds. Among the fruits must be mentioned
the mangostein, which is brought from Malacca; and the pine-apples from
the island of St. John's. The opposite side of the island upon which
Sincapore is built is well wooded. A great many tigers swim over from
the main, and pits are dug for their destruction, 100 dollars being
given by government for every tiger killed.

On the 18th we received our final orders, and took our farewell of
Eastern India; but it must not be supposed that we made the best of our
passage to England. On the contrary, the captain was as anxious to
remain out as we were to get home; and we were six months and twelve
days from the time that we left Sincapore till our arrival at
Portsmouth. The fact was, that the pay and emoluments of a surveying
captain are such, that our captain felt no inclination to be paid off;
and as he never spent any money, he was laying up a nice provision for
his retirement; besides which he hoped that, upon his representations to
the Admiralty, the order for his recall would be cancelled, and that he
would find a letter to that effect at the Cape of Good Hope. His object,
therefore, was to spin out the time as much as possible, so as to allow
the answer of the Admiralty to arrive at the Cape before we did. We were
ordered to survey some shoals, the Cagardos Carahos, on our passage
home; but I believe nothing more.

On Sunday, the 22d, we anchored off a small island near to the isle of
Billaton. At two A. M. we weighed, and ten minutes afterwards the ship
struck on a shoal. All our exertions to get her off proved abortive, and
in this uncomfortable position we remained till the following Thursday,
when she again floated, after throwing overboard the guns, and landing
such stores as we could on the island. This accident and light winds
lengthened our passage to Anger (the Dutch settlement in Java) to
twenty-one days; and there we remained five days, to ascertain the rate
of our chronometers. This Dutch settlement at Anger, although slightly
fortified, might be made a place of great consequence: both outward and
homeward bound vessels touch here for water and stock; and