I 
planted, which in most cases was very unpromising, and would by no means justify the reck- 
less waste of timber cut down to afford space for planting it. 
In low wet situations where “paddy turbuang had been planted it was yielding a very 
fair crop, but sugar-cane and plantains looked half starved. , 
November 22nd, Left at 7.20 a.m., and at S a.m., entered (lop mg the headquarters ol 
the Chinese minors in this district. This is the dirtiest place I ever saw, diffusing a combined 
* ,1 ' and the mam street,— it such it 
odour of pigs, sewage and opium, offensive in the extreme 
can he called, was covered by about a foot of slimy mud. 
in active work having just 
enough 
The mines we passed in the neighbourhood were . 
water for washing purposes without being Hooded like, those at kamimtrag. At 3 r.M. we 
reached the banks of the Kampar river, having, stopped for some time at (ximong Mama, a 
limestone hill about 000 feet high, where we found nothing of importance. 
We arrived at Qualla Dipang at 5.30 thoroughly wet through owing* to tae heavy rains 
and soon installed ourselves in a large Malay bouse there, which did not even admit the usual 
modicum of ligh't usual do these structures. . . . , 
Rajah Drab in an paid us a visit at 7.30 p.m. and stayed some feme. His head-dress 
was a novel one, and gave evidence to a spark of vanity m the wearer, consisting ol the 
fringe of what is generally known as “ Spanish stripe wound round lus turban, tlie red 
yellow, and white fringe looking very grotesque, as it is evidently kept carefully combed 
llpWa Tbe soil between Doping and Qualla Di pang is by far the best I have seen in Perak, 
especially along the right bank of the Kampar river, wherg the Zingiberac® are growing over 
30 feet high, than which no better criterion could be desired of the fitness ot the soil tor to- 
bacco cultivation. A small plantation of tobacco has been made at Paoealau Bahru, but the 
plants were too young at the time of my visit to report on, except that they appeared to be 
very healthy. 8ome very large u Waringan trees (Ficus retusa) arc noticeable along the 
Kampar river, and on the left bank a range of limestone or marble bilk extend to Qualla 
Dipang, where two mouths could be spent very advantageously in searching the numerous 
crannies and nooks for rare plants. 
In the thick jungles Angiopteris evecta attains to an immense size, and here also I saw 
several plants of Ataccia cristata with its weird and ghost-like inflorescence also Clerodendron 
nutans beautifully in bloom and ferns in abundance, as well as a number of plants of the 
“ Giutta-si n gga rip . ’ ’ From Pulo Pisaug to Qualla Dipang large patches of “ paddy omar 
were ripening heavy crops. In the Qualla Dipang valley Durians were ripening very large 
crops of fruit. 
November 23rd, went out with Mr. Bruce to visit the limestone hills on the left bank 
of the river. As is usual with all limestone hills there are numerous caves at the base of 
these hills which are very diversified and interesting. Several of the plants growing here 
I also found on Gunong Pondok, but there were others new to me. The most noticable 
plants known to me on this hill were Alocasia Lowii, Impatiens Hookerii, Amectoehilus 
xanthophyllus, (very small), some Gesneraceax Begonia sp., and a few Ferns, principally 
Aspidiums and Sagenias. Epiphytal Orcliidea' represented by Cymbidiums. 
This range cf limestone hills is terminated at Qualla Dipang by a sharp precipitous 
peak, called by the Malays “Nasi Habut ” a perfect gigantic* representation of a sugar-loaf, 
and up tins peak I wished to get, although -the natives informed me that no one had previ- 
ously reached the top, and consequently no guides were to be had in whom any reliance 
could be put. Rajah Dris had at the Resident’s request furnished me with letters to Rajah Ahmai 
and Datu Muda Rasat asking for guides and assistance, and having despatched these on the 
evening of our arrival at Qualla Dipang, Datu Muda Rasat promptly replied in person, 
and on returning from onr botanizing trip we found him awaiting us with two Sekais who 
had previously attempted to ascend Nasi 8a but.. 
November 21th, — Started early accompanied by Mr. Bruce, Rajah Drahman and coolies, 
Ac., and after crossing the Kampar river and an elephant iride of half an hour’s duration 
we reached the foot of Nasi Sabut on the North side ; rather against my own inclinations 
as to ascend on the South side appeared to me to he far more practicable. 
The eaves ’here are the homes, or at any rate the breeding-places, of numerous wild 
animals as evidenced by the number of tracks, Ac. On the North and N E. sides the hill 
is quite perpendicular from base to crown, and up this wall I was told was the only way up, 
two roots being pointed out to me as those by which the men had previously ascended for 
some v stance, but I declined to attempt to got up by the same means and pushed through 
the jungle to the West, and having got up 200 feet with Mr. Bruce and Rajah Drahman,, 
1. left them, and commenced the ascent in earnest with 4 men. We found this much worse 
that Gunong Pondok, as we were obliged to construct bridges and ladders of sticks and 
roots; eventually getting up to an elevation of 950 feet about Qualla Di pang, where our 
further progress was stopped by an upright wall of rock quite 300 feet high, and after a 
few vain attempts we very reluctantly gave it up as impracticable and descended — an un- 
dertaking which proved more difficult than ascending. Doubtless, in the dry season one 
might get to the top, hut the little soil that rests in the crevices of the marble was so slip- 
pery owing to the frequent rains that it made climbing rather dangerous. 
Added to this the edges of the marble are so sharp that it is next to impossible for a 
bare-footed native to walk on it. 
One man fell about 15 feet, but luckily was caught in the brushwood and sustained no 
hurt beyond the shaking and fright. 
X 
