78 Journal of the F.M.S. Museums. [Vol. X, 



ourselves set off at 7.30 a.m. The road led through forest 

 (Tamaila 9 kms.) and crossed a number of streams and dry 

 gullies : at 20 kms. it passed near the end of a long lime- 

 stone hill — the first met with, though later other isolated 

 ones cropped up in the plains. Beyond this one got out of 

 the hills, and bamboo and other scrubs became more fre- 

 quent on the flat. At 11.07 a.m. came Sep Yuan (24 kms.) 

 where stood a road-overseer's house on the north bank of 

 the Klong (River) Tasan wliich flows into Chumporn Bay 

 though the town itself is on another river, the Klong Kapao, 

 which has a common estuary with the Tasan. 



Beyond Sep Yuan the road is older, broader and very 

 largely overgrown with short grass — very dry and sUppery. 

 Houses, fruit trees,- grass land and rice fields border it now 

 all the way to Chumporn : the " ton-ta " palm (Borassus) 

 was numerous in the paddy lands ; coco and areca palms 

 and bamboo lined the road. The houses were of negative 

 character without distinctive features. Soon after midday 

 I had had enough : it was now very hot in the sunlit road 

 (95° in the shade) though the earlier hours had happily been 

 cloudy : the railway bridge over the Klong Kapao was a 

 welcome sight and ten minutes later I reached the Chumporn 

 Resthouse (35 kms. = 22 miles) at 1.50 p.m. Robinson 

 arrived at 4 p.m. The walk along the hard hot road gave 

 both of us very sore feet. 



Of Chumporn town not much need be said : it is one 

 of the places where railway travellers to and from Bangkok 

 have to spend a night (Lat. 10° 30' N.). 



It consists in the main of one long street of shops con- 

 taining tin and iron ware, cotton goods, lamps, food ; a gaol 

 with a galvanised iron stockade, a new government office — a 

 long wooden building on piles facing the less ambitious old 

 one, post and telegraph office and official's houses. A 

 holiday of 19 days, general at this period of the hot dry 

 season, was taking its course. 



On the 30th, thanks to the kindness of the Governor, 

 we made a trip down river in a motorboat starting from the 

 boat-house of the royal rest-house. The river is pretty, its 

 clear deep green water running between high steep banks 

 backed by bamboos, palms and fruit trees with houses at 

 intervals. Nearer the sea the shores fall away and Nipa 

 palms and mangroves take the place of other trees. 



In an hour and a half we reached a large fishing village 

 at the mouth ; a slack period was on and preparations were 

 being made for the fishing season : boats were being re- 

 paired, screens made, nets mended. In the busy se^:Son the 

 .population is probably a couple of thousand — mostly 

 Chinese. The boats, viking-like craft, have a high straight 

 stem, two rudders, raking stern and one very raking mast. 



There is a bazaar, a good customs house, small police- 

 station and a lighthouse on an island. The shores of the 

 estuary are generally low. 



