Mi-Ros. 237 



seize liold of some light article and march off with it, till made 

 to come back and wait till the whole had been fairly appor- 

 tioned. At length about eight o'clock all was arranged, and 

 we started for our walk to Mr. M.'s farm. 



The country was at first a uniform j^lain of burnt-up rice- 

 grounds, but at a few miles' distance precipitous hills appeared, 

 backed by the lofty central range of the peninsula. Toward 

 these our path lay, and after having gone six or eight miles 

 the hills began to advance into the plain right and left of us, 

 and the ground became pierced here and there with blocks and 

 piUars of limestone rock, while a few abrupt conical hills and 

 peaks rose like islands. Passing over an elevated tract forming 

 the shoulder of one of the hills, a picturesque scene lay before 

 us. We looked down into a little valley almost entirely sur- 

 rounded by mountains, rising abruptly in huge precipices, and 

 forming a succession of knolls and peaks and domes of the 

 most varied and fantastic shapes. In the very centre of the 

 valley was a large bamboo house, while scattered around were 

 a dozen cottages of the same material. 



I was kindly received by Mr. Jacob Mesman in an airy sa- 

 loon detached from the house, and entirely built of bamboo 

 and thatched with grass. After breakfast he took me to his 

 foreman's house, about a hundred yards off, half of which was 

 given up to me till I should decide where to have a cottage 

 built for my owti use. I soon found that this spot was too 

 much exposed to the wind and dust, which rendered it very 

 difficult to work with papers or insects. It was also dreadfully 

 hot in the afternoon, and after a few days I got a sharp attack 

 of fever, which determined me to move. I accordingly fixed 

 on a.nlace about a mile off, at the foot of a forest-covered hiU, 

 where in a few days Mr. M. built for me a nice little house, 

 consisting of a good-sized inclosed veranda or open room, and 

 a small inner sleeping-room, with a little cook-house outside. 

 As soon as it was finished I moved into it, and found the 

 change most agreeable. 



The forest Avhich surrounded me was open, and free from 

 underwood, consisting of large trees, widely scattered with a 

 great quantity of palm-trees (Arenga saccharifera), from 

 which palm wine and sugar are made. There were also great 

 numbers of a wild jack-fruit tree (Artocarijus), which bore 



