MALAYAN PENINSULA. 129 



occasionally to the general direction of Peninsular Tracts, and of vallej's 

 of various breadth, through which flow large rivers. 



The principal ranges are, that which divides Asam from Ava, then 

 the Siamese and Ava range, next the Siamese and Camhyan, and again 

 the Cambojan and Anam range. The continuity of these appears to be 

 most liable to interruptions as they approach the south, and none of them, 

 as far as my information extends, can be compared in height to the 

 secondary ranges of those lofty Himalayan mountains, from which they 

 are evidently offsets. The broadest valley seems to be that of Ava, and 

 the narrowest the Cambojan one. The general inclination to the south of 

 the whole of the regions lying betwixt Bengal, and the sea oi Skamscatka, 

 is apparent from the course of the rivers being in that direction. From 

 regions contiguous to the sources of these rivers, the tide of population 

 which overspread the southern plains, appears to have flowed, a position 

 which might be illustrated by the affinities of languages. 



The Indo-Chinese ranges are in so far as we yet know covered by 

 deep forests. It is only, therefore, in the ravines, formed by torrents, and 

 on the face of an occasional precipice, that their structure can be conjec- 

 tured ; and these facilities are available at but a very few points, owing to 

 the wildness of the countries in which they occur, and of the barbarous 

 hordes which roam over them. 



I will begin with that part of the Malayan Peninsula lying in about 

 4° S. latitude, and keeping on the west coast. This point is, in the Perak 

 country, which is governed by an independent Malayan chief in alliance 

 with the British. From this last circumstance we may hope in time to 

 gain a more perfect acquaintance with its geological peculiarities. 



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