THE SIAMESE MALAY STATES. 65 



are planting" pepper in one place. Pulau A dang, one of the Butong 

 group lying- to the North of the Langkawis and further out to sea, 

 is visible on a clear day from Penang Hill. This lies near the track 

 of the British India boats on the way to Kaugoon and would be 

 worth a visit. 



I enquired into the health of the place we touched at. In 

 Kedah there is a Eurasian doctor (Buyer) who told me that 

 there was little sickness. The drinking water is derived from 

 the Kedah river which passes the Consulate and Anak bukit. 

 The water is somewhat brackish and must be much polluted. 

 Trang was said to be very healthy. In the early part of the 

 year a few cases of plague occurred among the miners in Tong- 

 kah but this appears to have died out soon and the health of the 

 place is now said to be good. The Siamese Government on the 

 representation of our Government decided to appoint a Medical 

 Officer to reside there. No one has yet been appointed and the 

 Commissioner consulted me as to whether a Dr. AMKEE who has 

 been residing there for some time was fitted for the place. I 

 could only say that I believed he had the necessary qualifica- 

 tions but could not be sure. The Governor of Pung-a assured 

 me that his place was extremely healthy and that there was no 

 sickness. 



I had not visited Kedah, with which I was formerly well 

 acquainted, for many years. It is a fine country — a vast tract 

 of padi land interspersed with low hills. The revenue has in- 

 creased very considerably of late. The Sultan spends the re- 

 venue as he likes, sending- the ,; Bunga mas " to the King of 

 Siam as Suzerain. A Penang Chinaman advances money to the 

 Malay cultivators and mills the rice purchased from them. 

 Another Chinaman has opened up a sugar estate on the banks 

 of the river below Alor star. The Sinkep Tin Mining Company 

 are working with success near the base of Kedah Peak while 

 there are large tapioca plantations near the Muda. Kulim at the 

 back of Bukit Mertajam is a thriving place with Chinese tin 

 mines and plantations. It would be an advantage if the rail- 

 way were extended from Bukit Mertajam to Kulim as has long 

 been proposed but the Sultan of Kedah is at present in such a 

 feeble state of health that he hesitates to take any action in the 

 matter though he says he will not object to the railway. 



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