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118 BIRMAH.
water's edge, slips for building ships, and mud docks.
Some few tiled houses are seen among the trees within
the stockade, and the roof of the custom-house is raised
two stories in the Chinese style. Part of the timber
stockade, which encloses what is called the fort, is
seen towards the river; and near the flag-staff is a
very good wooden pier, with a crane and steps for
landing goods. Here, also, is placed the saluting bat-
tery of sixteen old iron guns, four or six pounders,
which are run out through port-holes, in a wooden
breast-work like a ship's side. Many small pagodas,
some of them with gilt spires, are seen amid the trees
on both sides of the river. The buildings along shore
on the town side, extend about one mife and a half,
and on the opposite one, about a quarter of a mile.
The city forms a square, surrounded with a high
stockade ; and on the north side it is further strengthened
by a fosse, across which is thrown a wooden
bridge : on this side, there are two gates j in each of
the others, only one. Wooden stages are erected in
several places within the stockade, for musketeers to
stand on in case of attack. The number of cannon,
and the. quantity of spoil of every description captured
here in 1825, prove the efforts made to strengthen
the place, and to maintain its possession against an
enemy, to have exceeded greatly the estimate made of
its state by Col. Symes. Close to the principal wharf
are (or were, for we are describing Rangoon as it was,)
two commodious wooden houses, used by the merchants
as an exchange. The streets are narrow, much
inferior, Col. Symes says, to those of Pegu, but clean
and well paved. There are numerous channels to
carry off the rain, over which strong planks are laid
to prevent any interruption of intercourse. The
houses are raised on posts ; the smaller are supported