136 VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA. 



monandrian ( wild ginger ) near a pagoda, and two crocodiles swam 

 in front of the boat but dived to the bottom as soon as I came 

 near them. 



In the evening a fire broke out on a Chinese ship, which was 

 still covered with the leaves of a palm to protect it during- the 

 rainy season. The fire grew very big all of a sudden, and the 

 people working on the ship lost their heads, The Siamese had 

 all come to look on, and thousands of small boats covered the 

 water. The king however, who came also with some of his 

 officers, caused the fire to be extinguished very soon, which is 

 so much easier done because these ships are not tarred, but all 

 ci^e vices are filled with oil and chalk which are not so inflammable. 

 I got to-day a black snake, which was over one foot long, and 

 had some tentacles at both sides of the upper lip. 



Decembee 1-2. — During these days I tried to cure our first 

 rower as much as possible, and prepared meanwhile for a 

 journey to Inthia, the former capital of Siam, which lies three 

 da,js journey up the river from Bangkok. 



3. — After much trouble 1 succeeded at last in seeing- our 

 first rower recovered. In the morning I had obtained my pass 

 for Inthia, so that in the afternoon between 4 and 5 o'clock, as the 

 low tide began, 1 could set out on my journey. At first the 

 countrj^ which we passed was known to me, but after sunset 

 there Avas a place on our left where it was possible to go on 

 shore. It was almost too dark to distinguish anything, but I 

 found a strange plant in a swamp, which was a Cassia, which is 

 very celebrated for curing the ring-worm.* The place was called 

 Bang la Mudsida. We went on and took shelter for the night 

 in a place called Bangmanan, but on account of the numerous 

 mosquitos we could not sleep. These injects had tormented me 

 very much, and my face and hands were swollen. 



4. — At three o'clock we left this place and at sunrise we. 

 went again ashore. Here I found a new species of Ginger,, a 

 Vitis with thin heart-shaped leaves and a narrow raceme, and 

 a Boletus, was extraordinarily large. 



The place was called Bang linang : in the afternoon I went 



again ashore for a little time at a place called Tay Sam kok. 



Here I found specially Pentapetes cocchea, Gomphrena, sp. nov. 



Vella kola, etc. ; they were in bloom. In the evening we took 



* Cassia alata. L. 



