VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA. 129 



wind returned with its full force. The depth of the sea in this 

 bay varied between twenty-two and twenty-six fathoms. 



26. — In the course of the morning we saw the long narrow 

 rocky islands in front of Quedar, which are called the Peers, and 

 also at some distance from Quedar, a mountain which is called 

 the " Elephant," on account of its resemblance to this animal. 



27. — We arrived at last in the harbour of Quedar at half 

 past nine in the morning, after we had been cruising for a long 

 time on account of the contrary wind. The weather was fine. 

 In the afternoon I went on shore and to the town, which in the 

 maps is called Queda, bnt this name really belongs to the whole 

 country. 



The town is only very small ; a fortress has been built at the 

 mouth of the river. A wall, which is almost built in one straight 

 line, shows some intersections for cannons. They had some six 

 pounders ; apparently they were either not loaded or loaded very 

 insufficiently. 



The stream divides the town ; the houses, which are nearly 

 all Palliots, are built on either side of the river; they are 

 scarcely fifty in number, those of the Chinese being the best 

 among them. The shore is very low, and in the rainy season the 

 whole country is flooded at high tide. 



I took my quarters in the compound belonging to the pilot 

 of our ship. 



The country is very low everywhere and consists of a very 

 muddy soil, intersected by yet muddier canals. In the higher 

 parts grow Agolloss, Xyloaloes, Volkameria, Rhizoiihora, and some 

 other shrubs and trees that like a muddy soil ; they are inter- 

 laced with Volkameria Paderia and a new species of Contortis. 

 There was a raised path on the south side of the river, leading 

 towards the south, and from it. I could see that the soil under- 

 neath the mud consists only of cardia. My curiosity was too 

 great to be satisfied in seeing only those parts which were fenced 

 in on account of the wild beasts, and so I went on. The path 

 was lined with dense shrubbery on both sides, chiefly consisting of 

 Phyllanth. Siam.{()\x^\o) Verbesina bijlora, Baccharis indica, etc. 



A few steps further on I saw some Christian graves near 

 the path. I could see from the thrown up earth, that the soil 

 consisted only of cardia and was little intermixed with clay. 



28 — Early this morning I went to the bazaar, just outside 



