80 VOYAGE FROM INDIA TQ SIAM AND MALACCA. 



would not touch it. 



23-24. — The continual rain made it very difficult for me to 

 preserve my collected treasures, which continued decaying-. 

 I described the above-mentioned monandria, which had leaves of 

 beautiful red underneath, but had no fruits as yet ; and also a 

 shrub, which was a monandrist and had a very aromatic bark. 



25. — I obtained a few insects. A beautiful bird with a blue 

 beak had come here ; it seemed to be a Innscicapa and was of the 

 size of a pigeon. I described a tree, which was a Matthiola. 



26. — The atmosphere on land was rather unsafe for Euro- 

 peans during the last days, on account of some quarrels between 

 some English captains and the king ; I wastheiefore called back 

 to the ship. Before I left the land I botanized a little and found 

 a very pretty small Epidendrum, which I described still to-day, 

 page 52, lit N. 



A Chinese merchant, living at Tarnah, told me that tin was 

 also being found on the height of the mountains, because the 

 violent rain washes the earth away and so uncovers the tin and 

 sometimes even washes this down as well. The old women 

 collect it, and bring it to the smelter, who renders them ^ of 

 what they have brought him, because the prevailing custom here 

 is to give the smelter 4 of whatever he smelts, which is the only 

 payment for his trouble. 



zVIl the tin in Pullu Panjang had formerly been collected in 

 this manner, and was not dug for as they do here, and there was 

 enough tin there to furnish many people with an occupation. 

 But Malay ships had often killed and robbed these people, so that 

 in the end they had fled. 



On the whole Malay coast people are said to collect the tin 

 in this primitive way and not to dig for it as they do here. 



27. — I looked at all the plants which I had lately collected, 

 and found them, to my greatest grief, almost all decayed. The 

 feeling on land was so dangerous, that I prefered to return to 

 the ship, in order not to be exposed to any annoyance, or to the 

 danger of being illtreated by the tyranical government. 



28. — I examined some of the infusory animals of the corals. 

 The weather was rainy and it was cold in the evening, which 

 began to be very bad foi my health. During the earlier part of 

 the day it was hot, and all my pores were blocked up. 



30. — The weather was ai-ain a little better and I went on 



