VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA . 181 



nea for payment, because the other, which I had taken with me 

 from Bangkok, was already dead. She considered it here as an 

 abortient. I saw a pecuhar kind of Bignonia, with long- flat poda 

 full of knots. I desired very much to obtain ripe seed, or if 

 possible some of its blossoms, and I succeeded. In a little wood 

 before the town I saw different kinds of seeds which I had not 

 seen before. There were especially high trees, two different kinds 

 of Lagerstromias, and at the same time I found a few blossoms. 

 The bark of this tree was white, the leaves oblong and large ; 

 the other kind was smaller, with a darker bark and had capsules 

 of an oval-shape. I saw a shrub in this wood with oblong stiff 

 leaves without any fibre. Scarcely did 1 touch the little tree 

 when a strong spicy smell of clover and cinnamon spread all 

 round. I did not get any blossoms, because I was in a great 

 hurry and so I took two almost ripe fruits and a few specimens 

 of leaves, and went back glad of what I had found. Soon after 

 I started for the ship in a hired boat. Before leaving I called 

 again on the Roman Catholic priest, who promised to provide me 

 in the course of the year with fruits and blossoms of the eagle 

 wood and with the Gummi Gutta ; at the same time he gave me 

 two little pots filled with earth, in which scented plants had 

 been planted. 



N. B. The town of Chanthebuhn lies on a river, which the 

 inhabitants call May-Nam, which is hardly 200 steps wide. The 

 houses are built on the banks in the same manner as those of Bang- 

 kok. On the right towards the east is the part where the Siam- 

 ese live, and on the left, the quarter of the Chinese ; the houses of 

 the latter are generally better and built of wood, while those of 

 the others only consist of bamboo and Nipa palm-leaves. There 

 were not more than about 200 houses altogether. The Cochin- 

 Chinese, who are mostly Christians, live about 400 steps from the 

 town, also on the banks of the river. The people all live very 

 poorly, or are forced to do so by the tyranny of the government. 

 There are few merchants or artisans here, but many servants of 

 the king, who always jealously watch each other. The products 

 of the country are not sufficiently utilised, because encourage- 

 ment is wanting and no one knows how long he may possess the 

 little he has. Frequent examples are constantly before their eyes, 

 viz: The dragging away of all Cochin -Chinese who have lived 

 there ; the manner in which a Siamese, who was rather wealthy, 



