373 THE BATTAS OP MANDHELING AND PERTIBI. 
there are more calm Ilian wihrly days. The heavy rains come 
with tolerable regularity when the sun crosses the line. In 
the dry season it seldom happens that a month passes without 
rain. The climate cannot be called very salubrious. Fever 
prevails very frequently and very generally. 
Little Mapdheling possesses the valley of Singingu, of 
which the extent is about one-half of that of Great AJandhe- 
ling, besides a number of small valleys, some of which cannot 
be termed more than broad ravines. The climate agrees 
sufficiently with that of Great Mandheling, although it is 
more cool and windy. The fiat portion is entirely used for 
sawas, and these not being sufficient we see t. e dry cultiva¬ 
tion spreading higher and h gher up the mountains, in propor¬ 
tion as Ulu is approached. Throughout the whole country 
we find in the plains as well as on the mountains, here at a 
greater, there at a less depth, a layer of red and very com¬ 
pact clay, which, on old jungle or kampong grounds is covered 
with fertile, although sometimes with barren meagre soil. 
The grounds of the gold mines are the poorest of all. 
Respecting the condition of the ground of the unfavoured 
Ulu enough has already been said. The climate is there se¬ 
vere and stormy, hut healthy. The adjacent Pakatan con¬ 
sists of small villages, lying very highfertile, but too small 
ever to serve for the nourishment of a considerable population* 
The two Ankolas and Sipirok contain the great expanse of the 
west coast to the frontier of Pertibi and from Mandheling to 
Tobah. We there find soil of different qualities, very little of 
the land cultivated, and all the remainder a complete wilderness. 
The mouth of Batang Gadis near Sinkuang on the west 
coast, was stated in former times, to be accessible for coast 
navigation, but after more recent examination the contrary 
has been alleged. Besides, the river at a day's distance from 
the capital Fenyaburigan, has, from the slope ofits bed, an ar¬ 
rowy stream, and then a greatly contracted narrow, in which 
cataracts exist. This unfortunate circumstance deprives the 
country of the beautiful debouche which at the first glance we 
should think nature has granted to it, and by which it would 
be enabled to exchange, at the sea, its superfluous rice for salt 
and other necessaries, and to attain the highest pitch of pros¬ 
perity ; and this the more because the great Ankola river, 
which on this side of the narrow joins the Batang Gadis, is 
also navigable for some days journey. 
On account of the unfitness of Batang Gadis, there only 
remains for trading communication with the coast, the roads 
in the central mountains, of which the lowest pass may be es- 
