60 THE SIAMESE MALAY STATES. 



he had a French cook. He said his cook was a Chinaman whom 

 he brought from Bangkok. The Governor has a daughter being 

 educated in the Penang Convent. He had been to Perak where 

 Mr. RODGER had been very good to him he said. Just as we 

 finished lunch three elephants arrived and the Governor asked 

 if we would ride round and see the town, Rest House, etc. I 

 mounted the leading one with the Governor and Mr. Peel and 

 Mr. Ju Keat followed. My elephant was valued at $1,200. 

 A good Dumber are sold to Burma. We first went along the 

 road, the Governor who knows a few words of English point- 

 ing out the present very unpretending Government Offices and 

 saying " no good house — next year estimate." The elephants, 

 as is their wont, left the road wherever a bridge appeared and 

 made a detour. There is only one narrow street in the " town." 

 I noticed a pillar box close to the Post and Telegraph Office. 

 The people are half Siamese and half Chinese and a good many 

 of the houses are dilapidated. After passing through the 

 " town " we struck the river bed and went down some distance. 

 It has a broad sandy bed. In the rainy season it becomes a 

 swollen torrent which at times floods the town. Passing round 

 by the Governor's house we went some distance above the road 

 leading to the river and came to a hill on which a Rest House 

 has been built — a lovely site commanding a view of the valley. 

 The Rest House is commodious but unfurnished. The Governor 

 said that even at that season there were frequent showers 

 which keep the place cool. There was a shower while we were 

 there. The high cliffs clad with jungle no doubt attract the 

 clouds. We were quite sorry to leave and I expressed my 

 regret that as there were no British subjects I could not repeat 

 my visit as Consul. The Governor saw us off at the landing 

 place and as we passed I noticed two men mending some of the 

 worst holes on the road. We found the Damrong Rat had left 

 her anchorage and gone to the mouth of the river to take in 

 firewood. This entailed an extra two miles pull for the men. 

 We lay that night off the Custom House and slept on the deck 

 peacefully. 



Tuesday, 18th December. — A pilot came off early and we left 

 at 6.0 to visit the Kesum cave. This is some miles up a river 

 similar to the Pung-a River with limestone rocks rising out of 



