Excursion further inland—Dense forest—An extensive swamp—Parasitical plants—Fungi—The pitcher plant—Return to Singapore—The wild Pine-apple—Use of that plant—Manufactory of Pearl Sago—Visit to the Rajah of Johore—Interview with his Highness—Excursion to St. John’s Island—Pulo Panjang—Impenetrable jungle—New Harbour—Agar-agar.
After breakfast we continued our excursion much further inland, passing through several extensive cleared spots, embellished by Gambir and Pepper plantations; the residence of the proprietor, or a Gambir boiling-house, appeared amidst a thicket of plantain, jack, and other trees. The grounds near the residences of the planters were decorated by the crimson flowers of the Hibiscus rosa chinensis,[70] the simple but delicate Vinca rosea, or the perfumed jasmine distributed its agreeable fragrance through the ambient air, all of which seemed favourites with the expatriated Chinese. Around these cleared spots, a dense forest appeared mingled with a profusion of rich vegetation, and a small, narrow pathway would occasionally permit us to penetrate into its recesses. Trees and shrubs, of infinite variety, gave a rich and beautiful appearance to the wilderness, and enabled me to enrich my botanical collection with numerous valuable specimens.
Occasionally, the noisy and mischievous monkeys would be seen gambolling and springing from tree to tree, keeping up a continual chattering on our approach; a gun fired at them produced great consternation among this ludicrous, but active race; they bounded away (although none had received injury) with great rapidity, screaming dreadfully, and overwhelmed with horror and dismay, as if they had instinctive knowledge of our destructive powers. One unfortunate monkey, the nearest to us, and the one at whom the gun had been levelled, was so frightened, (and certainly with good cause,) although he had not received any injury, that in springing away to a tree, at some distance, he nearly missed it, and hung for a few minutes by one arm, in an exposed and insecure situation, upon a small twig, screaming most dreadfully. The branches crashed as the monkey rapidly made his retreat, as his companions had just done before; and his screams were heard for some time after he had buried himself in the thick forest.
Upon many of the trees beautiful ferns of the genera Achrosticum, Pteris, Polypodium, Scolopendrium, &c., abounded, mingled with various curious and elegant parasitical plants; and upon the prostrate trunks of the dead trees, which often lay across the forest, levelled by the tempest or axe, differing varieties of fungi, glowing in red, golden, or other colours, were mingled with lichens.
On our arrival at an extensive swamp, in which, however, the denseness and beauty of the forest scenery had not in the slightest degree diminished, the lofty trees and profuse tropical vegetation, afforded, by their umbrageous coverings, a cool and agreeable shelter from the fervour of a noon-day tropical sun, and rendered the excursion particularly pleasant. The only passage over these swamps (which were occasioned by numerous springs of very excellent fresh water) was by the trunks of trees laid prostrate on a cleared but very narrow space, which would, perhaps, be called a pathway, and extended for the distance of probably a mile. Walking over these slippery, and often unsteady bridges, rendered us often liable to some immersion of our lower extremities.
About these swamps, partially immersed in the crystal water, and partially entwining to some height the slender trees in the vicinity, a species of Nepenthes, or Pitcher plant, the Moniet, manko, or Monkey-cup, of the Malays, (because they suppose those creatures to use them as drinking cups,) abounded; a large cluster of small and colourless cups surrounded the roots, as well as at certain parts of the stem. The plant rose far above the stream, and entwined itself around the trees in its vicinity, even to the height of twelve feet. The termination of the leaves had the cup-like appendages of various sizes, filled with water, in which several insects were immersed, the cups were ornamented over their surface with striæ, and dots of a dark red colour; sometimes those around the stems would be colourless, but varied occasionally, by being greenish and small, and also covered like those at the extremity of the leaf, with dark-red spots. I collected numerous specimens of this curious and interesting plant.
The country had generally an undulating character, and our peregrinations extended into dense forests, in which, among the larger productions of the vegetable kingdom, small, delicate ferns were often abundantly seen, enjoying the luxury of shade and moisture. Upon extensive cleared tracts, covered by Gambir, Pepper, and other plantations, the neat habitations of the planters, surrounded by fruit-trees and flowering shrubs, formed a pleasing variety, from the grand and magnificent wildness of nature, to the more cultivated improvements of art—beautiful in contrast.
Although the weather had been remarkably fine during the first part of the day, we experienced a heavy shower of rain, which the Malays accounted for by my having gathered and carried in my hand a large quantity of the Nepenthes, or Pitcher plants, which, they said had occasioned the rain to fall.[71]
There are said to be about two thousand Chinese inhabiting and cultivating the soil in the interior of the island. They have neatly-constructed, although not well-furnished habitations. They offered us tea, (and it was poured out in the usual Lilliputian cups,) fruits, rice cakes, and more substantial articles of diet; indeed they always appeared ready to give us the best they had. After taking a rustic dinner, we returned to the sampan by the same route we came. On the road we observed a Malay lad collecting some plants, as he informed us, for medicine: those I examined consisted merely of several grasses. He said it was for a patient suffering under small-pox. The plants were to be boiled, mixed with rice, and employed as an external application to the body.