174 VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA. 



many plants which were unknown to me, part without blossom 

 and fruit. There were many so-called oil trees* here ; they were 

 very high and had splendid stems, but none of them was at 

 present producing any oil. Some of them had two holes hewn 

 into their stem, the lowest one being about of a man's height 

 from the ground, was about one foot broad and was first cut 

 horizontally, but then it sloped a little downwards for about six 

 inches and ended in a half round niche, which was about one 

 and a half feet high. The inside of this hole was only Uttle 

 burnt and at the beginning there was no trace of charcoal, but 

 it was still showing marks of the oil. This tree seemed to have 

 onlj" been burnt once, for the holes of the other trees were 

 much more burnt ; nevertheless these trees had just got new 

 foliago and were beautifully green ; the leaves were oval, had 

 serrated edges and were striped by the veins ; there were neither 

 blossoms nor fruits at this season. I saw a small shrub, hardly 

 one and a half foot high with blossoms and fruits, which I des- 

 cribed. It belonged to Mr. Fitter's fifth class. The calyx and 

 corolla were divided into five parts, the anthers grew on the 

 corolla above the division. The seed bud was ball-shaped, the 

 style round, shorter than the anther, the stigma pointed ; the 

 fruit was pear-shaped, and was of the size of an ordinary pea. 

 The corolla was white-pink, speckled with 3^ellow\ The big trees 

 were swarming over with green caterpillars. 



After we had got a man to accompany us up the river we 

 continued our excursion at seven o'clock in the morning. In the 

 begmning the river was very large and full of fathomless depths ; 

 both banks were densely covered with trees, which at high tide 

 stand in the water; they were only Rag. Sophoras, Avicennias'j 

 trees, which I have already described at the Bangkok river, 

 &\so La mj^u a,Yid Granatus Littoieinn. Now and then it seemed 

 as if the river was about to divide into several arms, but 

 afterwards it grew narrower ; the bank was for some time higher, 

 but soon it was swampy again and overgrown with a coarse kind 

 of grass. I saw a kind of Avicennia, with white shiny lancet- 

 shaped leaves, and at last towards five o'clock in the afternoon 

 we reached the town, after having alternately sailed and rowed 

 for about four German miles. We went to the Governor of this 

 province and after I had paid my respects, I tried to pass the 

 * Dammar trees. 



