MALAYAN PENINSULA. I53 



Kytt PJira-tdng, a high peaked hill, fifteen or twenty miles to the westr 

 ward of the town — the Jogaheu-tdng to the northward, and the two iar 

 sulated hills, called Dang Ddmi and 3Iajin. 



The numerous detached and insulated rocky hills which are scatter- 

 ed over the plains, and the many islands which stud the expanded San- 

 lun, together with the dark and towering Siamese hills in the back ground, 

 produce scenery of a very impressive kind. 



The ranges of hills in this province betray granite as their chief in- 

 gredient. But the detached and very abrupt rocks and hills, of elevations 

 of from two hundred feet to eight hundred feet, which shoot up from the 

 plain, have in so far as examined by me, been found to be invariably com- 

 posed of limestone. The limestone is in various stages, from an earthy 

 and gritty kind up to hard marble — ^and the cliffs on several of them have 

 the same marked features, which the Trang and Phunga rocks display — ■ 

 being streaked with red, brown, and white, and evidently suffering a 

 rapid decomposition. The plains on which these are based, are covered 

 generally by an alluvial soil — but in some places, it is dark and porous, like 

 the cotton ground of India. The sub-stratum in the lower parts 

 is commonly a stiff clay, but towards the Siamese range the soil becomes 

 more friable, tinged with oxyd of iron, or mixed with debris of rocks, 

 and resting on gravel in large round masses. Here on the banks and on 

 the low islands the Khyen tribes cultivate cotton, indigo, tobacco, and 

 pulses. Potter's earth is obtained in abundance near Martahan. Of this, 

 most of the utensils known by the name of Pegu jars, were formerly made. 



On the low range of hills, on which Martahan stands, granite, per- 

 haps, predominates. But at the town, many slaty and sandy strata 

 having an inclination of about 30° here tinged with oxyd of iron, there 



Q 2 intermixed 



