122 



SUMATRA, 



[chap. VI it. 



showed me that it was very bUly, and full of granitic and 

 laterite rocks, with a dry and stunted forest vegetation ; 

 ami I colli tl find very few insects, A good-sized open 

 sailing-boat look me across to the mouth of the Palemhanji^ 

 liver, where at a fishing village, a rowing-boat was hired 

 to take \m up to Falembang, a distance of nearly a hundred 

 miles by water. Except when the wind was strong and 

 favourable we could only proceed with the tide, and the 

 banks of the river were generally flooded Kipa-swamps, so 

 that the hours we were obliged to lay at anchor i)assed 

 verj^ heiivily. Eeaching ralembang on the 8th of Novem- 

 l>er» I was lodged by tlie Doctor, to whom I had brought 

 a letter of introdnction, and endeavoured to ascertain 

 where 1 could find a good locality for collecting. Every 

 one assured nie that I should have to go a very long way 

 further to find any dry forest, for at this season the whole 

 country for many miles inland was flooded. I therefore 

 had to stay a week at Palembang before I could determine 

 on my future movements, 



Tlie city is a large one, extending for three or four miles 

 along a line cnrve of the river, which is as wide aa the 

 Thames at Greenwich. The stream is, however, much 

 narrowed by the houses which project into it upon piles, 

 and within these, again, there is a row of houses bnilt npon 

 great bstmboo rafts, which are moored by rattan cables 

 to the shore or to pDes, and rise and fall with the tide. 

 The whole river-front on both sides is chielly formed of 

 such houses, and they are mostly shops open to the water, 

 and only raised a foot above it, so that by taking a small 

 boat it is easy to go to market and purchase anything that 

 is to be had in Palembang. The natives are true Malays, 

 never building a house on diy land if they can find water 

 to set it in, and never going anyi^'here on foot if they can 

 reach the place in a boat. A considerable portion of the 

 popidation are Chinese and Amljs, who carry on all the 

 tmde ; while the only Europeans are the civil and militaiy 

 officials of the Dutch Goveraraent. The town is situated 

 at the head of the delta of the river, and between it and 

 the sea there is veiy little ground elevated above high- 

 water mark ; while for many miles further inland, the 

 banks of the main stream and its numerous tributaries are 



