168 NOTES ON SUMATRA. 
sparingly on the ground. Some Hepatice I observed in fructification, 
chiefly on the upper parts of the arching Mangrove roots. The Lichens 
too were not conspicuous, except one very beautiful Opegrapha, on 
the smooth bark of the Cycas; the leaves of a small Syzygium were in 
several places covered by an elegant but very minute Lichen. diye 
are not so abundant as might naturally be expected, excepting the 
common species of Sargassum, several of which are here almost uni- 
versal; the most remarkable is the eatable “ Agar-agar,” of which more 
hereafter; a profusion of a beautiful plant, I think the same called 
- formerly Ulva Pavonia, but whose modern name I do not know; and 
a small plant, allied to Lichina, which covers the stones at high-water 
mark with its minute creeping roots and fern-like fronds, looking much 
more like a Hepatica than what it really is. 
Although I have spoken only of my first day among these islands, 
it must be understood that I have condensed all my notes on the vege- 
tation made in passing through them in all six times, and always in 
different ways. In the course of these several trips I landed on up- 
wards of thirty islands, so that I believe I have given a very fair sum- 
mary of their general features; there are however a few islands of con- 
siderable size, and containing much higher hills, and of these the vege- 
tation would doubtless be different, and more varied, but I believe the 
geological formation to be all the same. 
The whole of this archipelago is a Dutch possession, and forms part 
of the Residency of Rhio; but the few petty chiefs I saw seemed vir- 
tually independent, and are probably rarely interfered with ; indeed any 
active government of them would be impossible, except by a force of 
gunboats or steamers, whose cost would be quite out of proportion to 
their value and importance. I believe one or two of the chiefs receive 
small pensions. Dutch money is nominally in use, though I found the 
people very willing to receive Singapore currency for their goods. The 
settlements are very much scattered, and the inhabitants are in no very 
good repute, being said to be by no means cured of their piratical pro- 
pensities. Small boats from Singapore are occasionally eut off, and 
the bands of Malay robbers who occasionally land and plunder small 
detached settlements on that island, are believed to come from the 
islands. One or two of the leaders of these bands are known by name ; 
_ the most notorious of them is named Hamet: he has carried on the 
; sm for years, and is much dreaded by the natives at Singapore. 
