112 VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA. 



Silurus Cattus, which the English also call Cat - fish. There 

 were some small shells in the sand as Areas, Spirea and some 

 others. There was a piece of Ossa Sepia (Cuttle fish bone) near- 

 ly all devoured by some animals, which stuck to it still and were 

 very small, hardly one line long- and J of a line in diameter. 

 They were cylindrical, rounded off at both ends, smooth and 

 yellow. They seemed to contain some other body, which show- 

 ed throug-h the smooth horny skin. They seemed to me to be 

 the eg-g-s of some shell fish. I also found some very small Tur- 

 hinites (Turbos?) upon them. About midday we were on the 

 8th degTee and twenty-five minutes N. Lat., but however we 

 could not detect any trace of the Cambodian coast as yet. 



17. — We passed to-day the Pullu Pansang-s islands* quite 

 close. We sailed between their inner side and the coast of Com- 

 bodia, the latter however we did not see before the afternoon as 

 there was a dense mist, specially over the land. These w^ere the 

 first islands at the entrance to Cancao,| which formerly was a 

 very g'ood place for trade in Gummi-Gutta (g^utta percha), wax, 

 sug'ar and gold, but since the Burmans have ruined it, the place 

 has lost its importance, as people have left it, and little is now 

 imported or exported. 



Towards sunset we were met by a very strong- current com- 

 ing' from between the islands, which brought with it many thou- 

 sands of the Medusa Yelella ; we deemed ourselves at about two 

 miles distance from these islands. We cast anchor in about four- 

 teen fathoms of water on account of the calm and contrary cur- 

 rent. The Boobies found their supper in the mud, which contained 

 many fishes as well. 



18. — We continued our journey with weak wind but a strong 

 favourable current. There were many thing's passing our ship, 

 specially sea-snakes, but they were only the common Anguis pla- 

 tura. One of them was asleep, it had rolled itself up in a circle, 

 was puffed up and so floated above the water, the whole circle 

 it formed was only half a foot in diameter, w^iile the real length 

 of the snake was two feet and a half. I had almost caught it in 

 my net, which the captain himself was holding, when to my 

 great annoyance a wave lifted the ship higher, so that the edge 

 of the net touched the snake, it woke up with a start and was 

 gone. I also caught to-day Hippocamjyus and OpJiidion, but both 

 * Pulau Panjang. f Kang-kao. 



