where there is an outcropping of coal in the river
bank. The coal found there is very light, almost as
. soft as charcoal, and evidently of a very recent geological
age. A similar but somewhat better coal is
found five or six miles farther up this river. At
Karang Tingi, three miles up the river from Muara
Inem, the rajah of that district gave me a bottle of
petroleum, which is about as thick as tar, and, according
to the examinations of the Dutch chemists,
does not contain much paraffine, naphtha, nor material
suitable for burning in lamps. It is found about six
miles back from the river. At Karang Tingi we noticed
a number of boys enjoying an odd kind of
sport. They were sliding down the high slippery
bank on their naked backs.
At Muara Inem the contrôleur showed me a large
garden filled with trees, from which the “ palm-oil 1
is manufactured. It is a low palm, and the fruit is
not much larger than the betel-nut. I understood
him to say that it was the E lais Guineensis, and had
been introduced from the Dutch possessions on the
west coast of Africa. The oil is contained in the
husk, and is used in manufacturing soap and candles.
May 6th.—Very early this morning started with
the cont/roleur down the Limatang in his barge, with
twenty men. During last night the river rose here
four or five feet, and the current is now unusually
strong. From Muara Inem, to where it empties into
the Musi, it is very crooked, constantly bending to the
right in nearly equal curves, the current, of course, being
strongest in the middle of each bend. This constant
curving gives an endless variety to its scenery.
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■I