476 FETCH : 



referred to these plants as follows, in a letter to the Colonial 



Secretary, Singapore, under date July 26, 1878 : — 



The only plants of this description within my knowledge are 

 one plant of what I suppose to be the Hevea and nine of the 

 Manihots. These were brought here by Mr. Mui-ton ui October 

 last, and planted at the back of the Residency, and are growing 

 very well. They were quite small when they arrived here, but the 

 first is about 5 feet high with branches of equal length, and the 

 Manihots vary from 4 to 8 feet, and are growing vigorously. 

 I believe Mr. Murton left plants of some kmd at Durian Sabatang 

 and at Thaiping or Matang, &c. 



The original letter is quoted by Ridley,^ who also states ^ that 

 it appears that the Hevea at Durian Sabatang (Teluk Anson) 

 were washed away by a flood shortly after they were planted. 

 But M'hat purj)orts to be the same letter was quoted by 

 Murton in his report for 1878, and on comparing the two it is 

 seen that Murton took advantage of that opportunity to correct 

 several of Low's statements. He writes : — " They (9 Heveas and 

 1 Castilloa) were brought here in October last by Mr. Murton, 

 &c." He omits all reference to rubber plants at Durian Saba- 

 tang, and hence it would appear that none were planted there. 

 He records that the coffee planted there was washed away. 



It has been stated on several occasions that Low's plants 

 were obtained from Ceylon. C. Baxendale (" India Rubber 

 Journal," October 12, 1912) writes : " Two cases were sent 

 from Ceylon to the late Sir Hugh Low, who planted them at 

 Kuala Kangsar." But there is no record of any such consign- 

 ment in the Peradeniya archives. Two cases of rubber plants 

 were sent to Singapore in 1876, and a further consignment in 

 1877, both from Kew. Low, writing in 1896, referred to 

 " the Hevea I received from Kew through Singapore," a 

 statement which appears decisive on the point.^ 



It would seem probable that the plants which Murton took 

 to Kuala Kangsar were part of the consignment forwarded by 

 Kew on June 11, 1877. In that case they might be some of 

 tho.se collected by Cross. The 1877 consignment included 4 

 Ceara, 22 Hevea, and a few Castilloa. One of the Castilloa 

 was retained at Singapore and another planted at Kuala 

 Kangsar. One Ceara was also taken to Perak.* What was 



' Bull., F. M. a., IX., p. 212. " Bull., F. M. S., 11., p. 3. 



« Bull., F. M. H., 11., p. 3. 1 * Singapore Report, 1878. 



