A JOURNEY IN JOHORE. 
55 
the jungle, about one hour’s walk from the bank ofthe river. 
I stopped there two days, which I spent in visiting some 
neighbouring kampongs of Jakuns, and in collecting infor¬ 
mation about the place. I was told that the source of the 
Sayong Besar, that is, of the Johore river, was not far from 
there, near a hill which was pointed out, but I could not 
perceive it. According to this indication it should be quite 
in the centre of the Peninsula, about the latitude of the 
mouth of the Sidilli river. I wished much to go up the 
river to its source ; but the Jakuns told me that this was 
impossible, on account of the great quantity of fallen trees 
which entirely obstruct it. 
The Batin, whom 1 have mentioned, is an old man of about 
eighty years of age; he is duly appointed by the Sultan of Johore 
and by the Tamungong of Singapore to rule over two to three 
hundred Jakuns, living in a radius of about one day’s walk 
from his house ; this dignity was conferred upon him, about 
fifteen years ago, by two written documents, the first au¬ 
thenticated with the seal of the Sultan, and the second with 
that of the Tamungong. At the same time he received from 
each of these two authorities a spear adorned with gold and 
silver, as the insignia of his Batinship. On asking to see 
the written documents, I was answered, sudd makaa api , 
they are burnt; but as to the two spears, as they were much 
more precious for these children of nature than a dead 
letter of which they could not understand the slightest part, 
they were also kept more carefully and daily used. 
Before I proceed further with the narrative of my journey, 
I must say a few words about the river of Johore. This 
stream is probably the largest of the Peninsula, a t its mouth 
it is about three miles wide; at an Island called Pulo Layang , 
a few miles above the ancient town of Johore, it is yet about 
two miles broad; after the two Islands, called Pu'o K ayu 
Kechil and Pulo Kayu Besar are passed, it is from two to 
three hundred yards wide, but after that, it rapidly narrows, 
so that, a few miles further up, at the junction of the small 
river Katuang it is no more than thirty yards. It then dimi¬ 
nishes very little in breadth till Menkao, where I found it 
twenty-five feet, and a few miles after only ten. It is to be 
remarked that this river, as well as several other rivers of the 
Peninsula which I have visited, do not become shallow in 
proportion as they become narrow; as I found fifteen feet of 
water at Menkao, where the river is no more than twenty- 
five feet broad. Thus Johore might be considered as navi¬ 
gable even for boats of considerable size until near its source. 
