THE FLORA OF LOWER SIAM. 21 



ing day, the voyage occupying about 23 hours. There was 

 very heavy rain during the night on the way up, and I began 

 to fear that I had undertaken the trip too early in the season, 

 but fortunately my fears proved to be groundless for I had 

 fairly dry weather all the fortnight I was away. On arrival 

 in Tongkah, I called on Prah NANISON, the Acting Chief 

 Commissioner, expecting to get the use of the steamlaunch 

 to go to Kasum, but unfortunately the launch, like pretty 

 well everything else in all the places I visited, is sadly out of 

 repair and cannot be used. He, however, kindly offered me 

 the loan of a boat, and promised to have it ready the fol- 

 lowing morning, and also furnished me with letters to the 

 Governors of Kasum acd Pongah. At this season the wind 

 is unfavourable for getting from Tongkah to the places I 

 wished to visit, and unfortunately the mast of the Commis- 

 sioner's best boat snapped at the foot before we had been an 

 hour under sail, so that we had a long row into Pulau Sirih 

 for repairs, where we remained all night. 



On the second day we tacked about without making 

 much progress untill 5 p.m., when we landed on Pulau Pan- 

 jang to do some cooking, and while this was being done 

 I collected a few plants. Cirrhopetalum medusce appeared to 

 be abundant on rocks in this island. At 6-30 p.m., we started 

 again with a fresh breeze standing straight across for the 

 picturesque islands near the entrance to the Kasum River 

 under shelter of one of which, Pulau Prabat, we anchored 

 until5 a.m., when we got under way again. At 7 a.m., we landed 

 on a small island to cook and collect plants ; the most inter- 

 esting kinds found here being two species of begonia and two of 

 pogonia, the native name of one of the latter being "elephant 

 ear." From this place we proceeded slowly against wind 

 and tide to Kasum which was reached between 3 and 

 4 p.m., so that I had actually been about 49 hours from 

 Tongkah. 



The scenery among the islands before entering the Kasum 

 River is magnificent, scores of islands of the most fantastic 

 forms rising abruptly from the sea to a height of several 



R. A. Soc, No. 59, I9H. 



