MISCELLANIES. 



627 



of excellent fish are caught in 

 e>ery direction round the ishm.l, 

 ■which, from the salubrity of its 

 air, is justly ecteemcd the Mont- 

 pelier of India. 



Coups-de soleil are seldom ex- 

 perienced in this settlement, al- 

 though the Europeans walk and 

 ride about at all times of the day, 

 comidetely exposed to a vertical 

 sun. 



In short, as soon as the wet 

 docks are established on Poolo 

 .Taraja (a small island between 

 IVnang and the main), this will 

 be the most beautiful, healthy, 

 and flourishing- settlement in tlie 

 East Indies. 



From the dawn of day, until 

 the sun has emerged above the 

 high nKuiutains of Queda, and 

 even for some time after this pe- 

 riod, Penang rivals any thing that 

 has been fabled of the Elysian 

 fields. 



The dews which have fallen in 

 tlie course of the night, and by 

 remaining on the trees, shrubs, 

 and flowers, have become impreg- 

 nated with their odours, eai'ly in 

 the m.orni.ig begin to exhale, and 

 fill the air with the most delight- 

 ful perfumes ; while tlie European 

 inliabitants, taking advantage of 

 this pleasant season for exercise, 

 crowd the roads (some in car- 

 riages, some on hoiseback, and 

 others on foot), till the sun get- 

 ting to some height above the 

 mountains of Queda, becomes so 

 ))Owerful as to diive them into 

 theii" liungalows, to enjoy a good 

 breakfast with a keen appetite. 



A small party of us having ob- 

 tained permission to occupy the 

 Convalescent Bungalow on the 

 mountain, for the purpose of 

 breathing a cooler and purer 



ail", we repaired thither early in 

 March. 



The distance from the town to 

 that part of the base of the moun- 

 tain where the path commences, 

 is about five miles, and from 

 thence to the s^mmiit, better than 

 three. 



The pathway, ^^hich is )iot 

 more than eight or ten feet wide, 

 is cut with incredible labour, 

 through a foiest of immensely 

 tall trees, whose umbrageous fo- 

 liage uniting above, excludes, ex- 

 cept at some particular turnings, 

 the least glimpse of the heavens, 

 involving one, all the way up, in 

 pensive gloom. 



It frequently winds along the 

 brinks of yawning and frightful 

 jjrecipiccs, at the bottoms of 

 ■v^hicll one shuddei's to behold 

 huge trunks of trees rived and 

 fractured, while piecipitating 

 themselves down the craggy and 

 steep descent. 



Steep and rugged as this path 

 is, the little Sumatran horses 

 mount it with gieat safety; the 

 ladies, however, are geiierally 

 carried up in a kind of sedan 

 chair, borne on the shoulders of 

 some stout Malays. 



After a tiresome ascent of two 

 or three hours, we gained the 

 summit ; and weie amply re- 

 warded for our labour by the 

 most extensive and beautifully 

 variegated prospect we liad ever 

 seen in India. 



The eye ranges o^er a beauti- 

 ful plain, laid out in pepper plan- 

 tations, gardens, groves of the 

 cocoa-nut, betel, areca, and va- 

 lious other trees,- checkered 

 throughout with hatulsome vil- 

 las and bungalows, intersected 

 by pleasant carriage -roads, and 



? S 2 watered 



