702 THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. [chap. 



Goal mining was stoijped for the time, but orders were 

 expected by every post to resume work. The road between the 

 mine and the harbour town was at all events pretty well kept, 

 and Mr. Cooke, one of the directors of the company, still lived 

 at the place. He showed me all possible hosjDitality during the 

 time I remained on the north side of the island for the purpose 

 of collecting fossils. The rest of the time I was the guest of the 

 acting Governor, Mr. Treacher, a j^oung and amiable man, who 

 showed me several collections in natural history from Labuan 

 and the neighbouring parts of Borneo, and after our return to 

 Europe sent me a collection of leaves and fruit of the kinds of 

 trees which now grow on the island. I expect that this 

 collection will be very instructive in the study of the fossil plants 

 we brought home with us. 



At the steep shore banks on the north coast very fine sections 

 of the sandstone strata, which lie under and above the coal, are 

 visible. While I went along the shore in order to examine 

 these, I visited some Malay huts built on poles. They were 

 surrounded at flood tide by water, at ebb by the dry beach, bare 

 of all vegetation. In order to get inside these huts one must 

 climb a ladder two to two and a half metres high, standing 

 towards the sea. The houses have the same appearance as a 

 warehouse by the seaside at home, and are built very slightly. 

 The floor consisted of a few rattling bamboo splints lying loose, 

 and so thin that I feared they would give way when I stepped 

 upon them. The household articles consisted only of some mats 

 and a pair of cooking vessels. I saw no fireplace ; probably fire 

 was lighted on the beach. I could see no reason why this place 

 should be chosen as a dwelling in preference to the neighbouring 

 shore with its luxuriant vegetation, which at the same time was 

 not at all swamp}^, unless it was for the coolness which arises 

 from the airy situation on the beach, and the protection which 

 the poles give from the thousands of crawling animals which 

 swarm in the grassy meadows of trojaical regions. It is 

 probable also that the mosquitos are less troublesome along 

 the sea-shore than farther into the interior of the country. 



Some of my companions saw similar huts during an excursion, 

 which they undertook in the steam launch, to the mouth of 

 a large river debouching on the neighbouring coast of Borneo. 

 Regarding this excursion Dr. Stuxberg gives the following 

 report : 



" On the 19th November Palander, Bove, and I, together with 

 two men, undertook an excursion in the steam launch of the 

 Vega to the river Kalias debouching right opposite to Labuan. 

 We started at dawn, a little after six o'clock. The course was 

 shaped . first north of Pappan Island, then between the many 



