a British settlement in India beyond the Ganges, consisting principally of a small island lying off the southern extremity of the Malay peninsula, but including about fifty islets to the south and west, within the distance of 10 miles. The whole territory subject to the British has a circuit of about 100 miles, and lies between N. Lat. 1. 8. and 1. 32., E. Long. 103. 50. and 104. 10. The island of Singapore is about 25 miles long by 15 broad; and its area is estimated at 275 square miles. It occupies about half the space between the two capes Buru and Ramanunia, in which the Malay peninsula terminates towards the south, and is separated from it by a strait called Salat Tabrao, about 40 miles long, and from a quarter of a mile to 2 miles broad. This was formerly the chief channel of navigation to the Chinese seas; but vessels now generally pass through the Strait of Singapore to the south of the island. The surface is undulating, rising in some places into low rounded hills. None of these exceed 400 feet in height; and the most of them are only about 100 feet above the sea. The highest peak is one called Bukit Tema, to the north-west of the town. The shores of the island are for the most part low, but in some places along the Salat Tabrao they are rock-bound. Several arms of the sea stretch into the land from three to six miles. Singapore has no lakes or rivers, but is watered by numerous small streams. The water of these, however, is very bad, being dark in colour, and disagreeable to the taste and smell; but, by sinking wells to some depth, water of a better quality is obtained. The geological structure of the greater part of the island consists of ironstone, resting upon a red sandstone, varied with a conglomerate containing large fragments and crystals of quartz; but towards the north and east granite is the prevalent formation. Iron ore is the only metal found here, but it is very abundant. Tin, which is so plentiful in the neighbouring regions, has not hitherto been found in Singapore. Besides granite and sandstone, a stiff kind of clay is obtained, useful for making pottery. Though exceedingly hot, the climate is remarkable for its salubrity. It is very equable, the annual range of the temperature being only from 73° to 85°. The atmosphere is uniformly serene, and the placid face of the ocean is only disturbed by the swell produced by distant tempests in the Chinese Sea or Bay of Bengal. Instead of the monsoons and typhoons of other eastern lands, there are here only varying land and sea breezes; and instead of a periodical rainy season, there are almost daily showers, which preserve the freshness and verdure of the island throughout the year. Many invalids resort to Singapore to get rid of the bad effects of the sultry climate of Hindostan. The soil is in general good, being composed of sand and clay, mixed with vegetable deposits, which give it a dark appearance. In many places there are extensive swamps. Except the comparatively small portion which has been cleared, the island is covered with that thick forest or jungle which occupied its whole extent before the settlement here of the British, and extended, with its luxuriant foliage, to the very edge of the water. Some of the trees furnish valuable timber for building purposes. Where the ground has been cleared all kinds of spices find a congenial soil; but of these only nutmegs, cloves, ginger, and pepper are raised. Indeed, with all its advantages of soil and climate, Singapore cannot be said to be a good agricultural country. The soil was at first considered unfavourable for culture; but considerable success has attended the labours of the Chinese settlers in raising various kinds of fruit and vegetables. The sugar-cane is also cultivated successfully here. Most of the domestic animals of Europe have been introduced, but not in very great numbers, as the pastures of Singapore are not extensive. Of wild beasts the most formidable is the tiger, which commits serious depredations. Deer, wild-hogs, sloths, monkeys, bats, squirrels, and various other animals, are denizens of the woods of Singapore. The chief species of birds are the partridge, pheasant, falcon, owl, parrot, heron, pelican, woodpecker, Singapore, and various others. Turtles, tortoises, crocodiles, and serpents among the reptiles; and soles, mullets, rays, and sharks among the fish, abound here. The manufactures are few and insignificant, being carried on chiefly by the Chinese; and the prosperity of the colony depends chiefly on its commerce. The most valuable productions of this country are the gutta-percha, which comes from the islands in the vicinity of Singapore, and a delicate sea-weed, called agaragar, which is used by the Chinese for making a kind of glue and varnish. The population of the settlement is very mixed; comprising Europeans, Indo-Britons, Portuguese, Armenians, Arabs, Jews, Hindoos, Malays, and Chinese. More than half of the people are Chinese; and they, along with the Europeans, who are few in number, compose the wealthier classes. The population, in 1852, was estimated at 59,043. The capital, and indeed the only town in the colony, is Singapore, which stands on the south coast. It occupies a narrow strip of low ground along the coast, about 2 miles long, but only 1000 yards broad, and enclosed by hills, rising to the height of 100 or 150 feet. The rivulets, Singapore and Rochor, divide it into three parts, connected with each other by bridges. The central of these parts is occupied by the Europeans, the eastern by the Malays, and the western by the Chinese. In the European quarter, which is much the best, stand all the principal buildings. These are the government-house, public offices, courthouse, jail, custom-house, missionary and Armenian churches, several schools, and the Singapore Institution for instruction in English, Malay, and Tamil. This establishment was founded in 1823 by Sir Stamford Raffles; but is now ill supported, and falling into decay. The streets in this quarter are regularly laid out; and the houses are built either of brick or wood, and roofed with tiles. Many of the British merchants reside on the shore to the east of the town, and their large substantial dwellings contrast strikingly with the wretched habitations of the Malays not far off. The Chinese town consists chiefly of bamboo huts, in many cases raised on posts above the swampy ground. This is the most commercial part of the town; and it is also among the Chinese that the ordinary trades and manufactures are carried on. There are commodious quays; and good anchorage may be obtained in the roads from one to two miles from the town. The ships which lie there are laden and unladen by means of lighters. In a commercial point of view the importance of Singapore is great, and rapidly increasing. It is the principal station for steamers in the Indian seas; and there is now an active navigation between Singapore and Cochin-China, as well as between it and Borneo, Celebes, and the other East Indian islands. The recent treaty between Britain and Siam has also promoted the commerce between Singapore and that country. The number of vessels that entered the harbour in 1856 was 976; of those that cleared, 1042. In the same year the total value of the imports amounted to L4,877,091, and that of the exports to L4,301,386; while in the previous year the imports had been valued at L4,430,770, and the exports at L3,646,740. The trade may be divided into the Eastern, that of the Straits, and the Western trade. Of the first, the principal branches are those with China, Java, and Siam. The trade with China is carried on in junks, which leave the ports of that country in January, by the N.E. monsoon, and are waited back again by the contrary wind, which prevails from April till October. The voyage from Canton takes from ten to twenty days. They bring tea, camphor, nankeen, in exchange for pepper, opium, tin, edible birds' nests, &c. From Java, Celebes, and Borneo, there are brought coffee, rice, gold-dust, birds' nests, &c.; and there are exported to these islands cotton, hardware, nankeen, opium, &c. The imports from Siam are sugar, gamboge, hardware, cocoa-nut oil, rice, salt, &c.; and the exports, bees-wax, cotton twist, raw silk, and specie.

All the eastern trade is in the hands of the Chinese and the Bugis. The commerce of the Straits comprises the importation of pepper, salt, tin, &c., from the Malay peninsula; and bees wax, betel-nuts, coffee, sago, &c., from the Dutch settlements in Sumatra. The Western trade comprises that with Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Ceylon, the Cape of Good Hope, Europe, and America; its most active branches being those with Calcutta and Great Britain. Antimony, tin, gold-dust, coffee, sugar, silk, ivory, gutta-percha, and other articles, are exported in exchange for woollen and cotton cloth, hardware, arms, gunpowder, and a variety of manufactured articles. Thus the trade of Singapore depends, not on the productions of the place itself, which are very limited, but on its being the great emporium for all the commerce of South-Eastern Asia, on its being, as it has been styled, the Liverpool of the East. And this position it owes, in a great degree, to its being a free port to all nations, burdened with no import or export duties, nor anchorage, harbour, or light-house fees. The settlement of Singapore is under the governor of the Eastern settlements, who generally resides at Penang, and is subject to the authorities of the Bengal presidency. He is assisted at Singapore by a council. The island was purchased from the Sultan of Johore by the British in 1819. Its history contains no event of any importance.