THE MALAY PEN INSULA- 



5 



by Tremenhere was to dredge the river Pakehan as far aa the 

 village of Kra t and llioti tunnel the highest point, time reaching the 

 Gulf of Siam by the Alluvial plain of the Chumpoag river. Others 

 suggested a point further south, whore the Pak»han is everywhere 

 at least 30 feet deep; while the French engineers Dclonclc and Dm 

 prefer an intermix] Lite route from the Piiksh&n below the rapids to 

 Tasun on the Taynng, or Upper Chitmpong* But nono of the 

 schemes hitherto p ropo se d have been found tmite practicable, and 

 since the more definite surveys of 1882-3, the projuct has been 

 sbandoned. 



CHAPTER II. 



CUM ATB— PXOB A— FAUN A. 



Climate.— The climate is everywhere moist and hot, though 

 seldom malarious, even dung the low muddy hanks near the coast. 

 Nnr is the heat ho intense as in South Arabia and other regions much 

 further ri'iiiiA-vd frnm the fiju.HiT, tin 1 menu anmnd temperature 

 even on the luwlatid plains noi i-X'.vedhig SO' F. Then; is^siriotly 

 speaking, no winter, nor even any very distinctly marked rainy 

 season, the alternate north-east and south-west monsoons distributing 

 the moisture over tbo east and west slopes throughout meet of ibo 

 year. 



The average number of rainy days is about 190 1 giving for the 

 whole Peninsula :l ru.-an rainfall of frmn W to ISO inches. The 

 west coast is generally well sheltered, although exposed to sudden 

 h [urilh of jfhurt duralimi. known as Ll Hiuiialras," from the [linn-linn 

 whence they blow. On the other band, the east coast is eniirely 



i-lnf.nl In navigation for about live mmilhrf, during lUr provukm f 



the north-east monsoon sweeping over the Gulf of Si am and Chins 



Flora,— Except in some limestone tracts, especially in Pernk rind 

 Keduh. tin' soil is not very rich. But although nut at present yield- 

 ing sufficient rice for the local demand, the Peninsula appears to be 

 C.-ipubU' nf growing nhm^t rvury tropical plants Tin- luiul is almost 

 everywhere clothed with a magnificent tmpic«| vegetation, in which 

 the most characteristic and usr-fiil growths are several varieties of 

 gutta-percha {gthih. ken first discovered), the camphor tree, ebony, 

 euglewood, sapan, ratau, nibung T bamboo, nipa-palm t cocoa-nut,, 



