chap, viii.] PALEMBANG. 191 



a letter of introduction, and endeavoured to ascertain 

 where I could find a good locality for collecting. Every 

 one assured me that I should have to go a very long way 

 further to find any dry forest, for at this season the whole 

 country for many miles inland was flooded. I therefore 

 had to stay a week at Palembang before I could determine 

 on my future movements. 



The city is a large one, extending for three or four miles 

 along a fine curve of the river, which is as wide as the 

 Thames at Greenwich. The stream is, however, much 

 narrowed by the houses which project into it upon piles, 

 and within these, again, there is a row of houses built upon 

 great bamboo rafts, which are moored by rattan cables 

 to the shore or to piles, and rise and fall with the tide. 

 The whole river-front on both sides is chiefly formed of 

 such houses, and they are mostly shops open to the water, 

 and only raised a foot above it, so that by taking a small 

 boat it is easy to go to market and purchase anything that 

 is to be had in Palembang. The natives are true Malays, 

 never building a house on dry land if they can find water 

 to set it in, and never going anywhere on foot if they can 

 reach the place in a boat. A considerable portion of the 

 population a,re Chinese and Arabs, who carry on all the 

 trade ; while the only Europeans are the civil and military 

 officials of the Dutch Government. The town is situated 

 at the head of the delta of the river, and between it and 



