plastic. Of all the sedimentary soils the sandstone and very arenaceous shales furnish the worst. Of the alluvial soils, the sand, particularly when it contains a mixture of vegetable matter or triturated shells, is the proper soil of the cocoanut, and the vegetable mud of the sago. When the country has been better and longer drained and cultivated, the latter soil will become a rich mould. At present it is every where too wet and sour to make a fertile soil. Rice is grown on some patches of it. The bluish sea mud contains good ingredients, but clay is in excess, and the animal matter in it appears to assist in rendering it hard and untractable when it is not saturated with water. Even for such a soil nature has provided plants useful to man, for the betelmut and some of the indigenous fruit trees grow well in it with little cultivation. Although there are cultivated plants adapted to every kind of soil in the district, and it has indigenous tribes who can live exclusively on its yams, sago, fish and wild animals, it is incapable of feeding a population of the more civilised races, and the latter must always be dependent on other countries for the great necessary of life—rice.
The rocks which are used for economical purposes are not numerous. The only edible one is the fine clay called ampo, which is made into thin cakes, smoked and kept for use. The iron gravel and rocks have, during late years, been extensively used for metalling the roads in and near town. They soon acquire a compact, and hard smooth surface. The plutonic rocks and the indurated sandstones and conglomerates are used for the foundations of houses. Lateritic stones are sometimes used by the Malays as pedestals for the posts on which their small houses rest. Granite is used for steps, mile stones, tomb stones, &c. Of the blueish alluvial clays the bricks and tiles are made of which the town of Singapore is built. The fine kaolin which abounds has been found the best adapted of any in India for the manufacture of porcelain, but no manufactory has ever been established.[1]
- ↑ See Dr O'Shaughnessy's Report of experiments made by him for Government. The following is an extract. "Singapore Clays: By far the best clay I have met, is that given me by Captain Halsted, and which he procured at Singapore. It occurs as I am informed, close to the beach, and the Messrs Lackersteen of Calcutta inform me, it can he brought to Calcutta for six annas the maund. This clay is found in thick strata. The detached masses are of a pink tint, broken into they contain nodules of perfectly white earth. They absorb water eagerly, and yield an exceedingly soft, ductile, and tenacious paste. On firing, this clay is found to resist a temperature sufficient to fuse English blue pots. The vessels made from the coarsest parts of this clay are strong, hard, of a beautiful and rich crimson colour. Specimen.The picked clay gives a snow-white biscuit; unpicked and simply worked up as it is dug, it gives a light yellow stoneware of the very best kind, as far as density, hard-ness, strength, lightness, and colour are concerned."
