130 VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA 



Indictis, C. cBgyptiacus, Panicum colonum, P. grossarium^ AgrosHs 

 indica, Saccharum diandrum, S. spontaneum, Convolvulus Turpethum, 

 C. paniculatus multijlorus. 



I also saw a Hedysarum {Desmodium. sp.) the blossoms of 

 which resembled very much those of the Astragalus Sainfoin but 

 it had three leaves which were of a silver colour, on the lower 

 side. Many kinds of grasses had only sent out their first shoots, 

 so that I could not recoguise them. Verhesina acmella* was 

 cultivated here. 



16-17. — I tried again, but uselessly, to hire a boat. 



18. — At last I obtained a boat, for which I was to pay two 

 piasters a month for hire ; and for four rowers I had to give one 

 manjang a day, which is the 7th part of a piaster, which made 

 the cost amount altogether to one tikel a day. My first trip 

 was about one English mile north east of the town, to a Siamese 

 Pagoda, situated near the mouth of a smaller arm of the river. 

 The banks were somewhat higher here, but all was wild and 

 left to nature. The building of this Pagoda is only an ordinary 

 house with a small double door and a couple of small windows 

 at the side. It was of medium height, and was built in such manner 

 that the ridge of the roof was slightly raised at the extremities. 

 I could only peep through one of the windows, and saw many 

 gilded and crowned idols of different size on a sort of elevation, 

 In front of the Pagoda, about fifteen steps from it, stood two 

 pyramidal columns on a broad eight-cornered pedestal. In 

 ditferent houses standing apart there live some Talapoins, and 

 near the Pagoda was a big barn, which had a high bench with 

 a sort of banister round it, in the middle ; and before it there 

 was a big square enclosure, round which there hung great many 

 carvings, paper flowers, fringes and things of the same orna- 

 mental nature ; round about there were brick benches. The 

 Talapoins were said to preach their sermons in this building. 

 I made ample botanic discoveries. I found a plant whose corolla 

 was a tube of a bright red colour; it grew upon a pistil, which 

 was compressed and many cornered ; as far as I can judge it 

 was a Thalia. A great quantity of a kind of Carex grew here 

 which I have already described, and among them frequently 

 Notiva interrup)ta. I found a kind of Rhus and a specimen of Dios- 

 corea in fruit, without blossoms. The former I recognised, having 

 * Spilanthes Acmella Dec. 



