ROADS, 



295 



tent of- surface. The actual extent of all the made 

 road?', however, exceeds 38 miles. The road from 

 the civil station to the brick pillar on (he N. E, 

 boundary will he, when finished, about fifteen miles 

 in length. It lias advanced nine miles already. 



That to the Muda river from the same f)laee, 

 uhich is finished, is upwards of rime miles long, 

 and the central road to Pry frontier, also fi- 

 nished, six miles in length. The cross roads 

 lead chiefly along the ridges of light soil, for- 

 merly descrihed. and they are, on both sides, fringed 

 by houses and orchards so that they form continuous 

 streets. There are about forty wooden bridges over 

 creeks and streattts. 



The eastern boundary of the Province was formal- 

 ly settled by Treaty with the Siamese in 1831 ; and 

 without very nice references to its actual distance 

 from the sea— a natural frontier being desirable. 



Population and cultivation haveso rapidly increased 

 that it has been found impossible, with the appliances 

 at. hand, to overtake either by roads; so that even now 

 several highly cultivate! tracts are insulated during* 

 the rains, anil rendered almost inaccessible to all 

 but Malays. No sooner is a new road here opened 

 through the forcsl, than both sides are speedily peo- 

 pled and cultivated ; and as the soil is swampy and 

 richly alluvial, heavy crops of rice sin eh reward the 

 ryot for his pains. The convicts suffer much from 

 fever and ague when constructing these new roads, 

 as they are obliged to work a great deal in water. 

 Several cases of Cholera also occasionally occur 

 amongst them when so employed. 



In one of the first chapters of this Dissertation t lie 

 superficial extent of the Province is given ;U ;il>out 

 120 miles — which is perhaps the full extent of culti- 

 va table land. The total surface, including islands, 

 iiYcr* and creeks, may be rated at 150 miles square, at 



