X THE SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION" OF THE PENINSULA. 



is a large field for work both in collecting and investigating in 

 these groups. 



Considering the importance of tin and other minerals to the 

 Peninsula, it seems remarkable that so long a period elapsed be- 

 fore any attempt was made to study the Geology of the country. 

 Practically nothing of importance was published till the arrival of 

 Mr. Scrivenor. Logan in Logan's journal published indeed some 

 papers on the rocks of Singapore, but he was no geologist and the 

 work was extraordinarily erroneous. 



We have now at least several extremely valuable papers by 

 Mr. Scrivenor; and we shall hope for many more such researches 

 as he has made. 



Ethnology and Anthropology we are well advanced in, thanks 

 to the works of Skeat, Wilkinson, Eobinson and many others. 



But there is one branch of Natural Science which has been 

 curiously neglected, that of Meteorology. It is true that rainfall 

 readings have been taken and published for many years in some 

 parts of the Peninsula ; but the returns are in many cases I fear 

 dubious ; and in the earlier days of Singapore when the returns 

 would have been exceptionally valuable, as showing us if there had 

 been any change in the climate at all, there are so far as I know 

 no records. The late Mr. Knight was the only person I know of. 

 who took an interest in the subject at all. Unfortunately he 

 published little; but he may have left notes behind him which would 

 be worth preserving, if they could be obtained by the Society. It 

 would be very desirable if some member of the society would take 

 up the subject of the meteorology of the Malay Peninsula collect- 

 ing and utilizing such returns and reports published during the 

 last 50 years. The subject is one of much interest and importance. 



When I arrived in Singapore in 1889, the greater part of the 

 Peninsula was still a blank as regards Natural History research, 

 the few Naturalists we had then, had only been able to collect in 

 a few of the accessible parts such as Singapore, Malacca, Penang 

 and parts of Perak. Even the geography of the Peninsula was 

 very far from complete as may be seen by referring to our first 

 editions of the Map, and even now large areas of the centre and 

 East coast have not yet been visited by any Naturalists. When 

 this is done without doubt xery many more new species will be 

 collected in almost every group. 



Taking Botany again as a sample of how far we have collect- 

 ed specimens of all our flowering plants, I may say that by far the 

 largest number of the plants of the low country are now well 

 known, and it is not easy to get big additions of novelties in 

 the low lands of etiher coast, and that thanks very largely to Messrs. 

 Robinson and Kloss who have greatly added to our knowledge of 

 the botany of the highest accessible mountains we have obtained 

 tin- greater part of the flora of above 4,000 feet elevation. This 

 does not mean that we know all the plants in our forests. It is 



