92 M. SEEMANN’S JOURNAL. 
contrast with the primeval forest, and, like light blue clouds, confine 
the view on the distant horizon. 
We approached Sumatra very closely, and cast anchor in the after- 
noon of the 15th of January. Captain Kellett was kind enough to 
cause me to be landed; and, although it was rather late when reaching 
the shore, I nevertheless succeeded in making a small collection. The 
forests extended close to the water’s edge, and the trees were very high 
and close together. Rattan, a spiny Mimosea, and numerous other 
creepers, were climbing from tree to tree, and often obstructed the 
passage ; Nephrodium Nidus-avis, and several of the same tribe, grew 
on the trunks and branches; while Aroideæ, Acanthaceæ, Filices, Scita- 
mineæ, Ixoras, Piperacee, Chloranthi, and many other shade-loving 
plants, covered the soil, or constituted the underwood. On the whole, 
however, but few were in flower. Premna cordifolia, Roxb., stood .on 
the beach in considerable quantities, bearing whitish blossoms and 
black drupes, and emitting a most disagreeable odour. Its old name, 
* Folium hireinum," probably derived from this peculiarity, was cer- 
tainly no mis-appellation. Of Orchidee not one was to be seen. The 
most common trees were a Laurinea, and the Oycas circinalis, Linn. 
The latter attained a considerable size, being about sixty feet high, 
three feet in circumference, and diverging towards the top into three, 
four, and even six branches. Cycadea, similarly formed, are very 
frequent, but I have never seen one, either in America or Asia, which 
had other than simple branches; a subdivision of them does not seem 
to take place. 
That part of Sumatra at which we landed appeared to be but thinly 
peopled. We only found a single hut occupied by a few Malays. The 
inhabitants were employed in cooking some fish, and eating a large jack 
just taken from a neighbouring tree. A few fowls were running about 
. the place, but the whole looked wretched and uncomfortable, and a single 
glance at the scene would have cured many a European of his romantic 
notions of Indians and savage life. Mosquitoes, also, were very nume- 
rous, and I was glad to find a path which led some distance in the 
forest, and took me, in a considerable measure, out of their range. 
On the next morning, January l6th, the Herald proeeeded on her 
course, and sighting, on the 28th of the same month, the island of 
Keeling, she entered, on the 6th of March, Simon’s Bay, Cape of Good 
Hope. 
(To be continued.) 
