through the Straits of Malacca. The route intervening between Singapore and Penang has the breadth of a sea, as Sumatra is scarcely visible, and very few small islands are seen; but the low, flat, Malay coast is near at hand on the right for the whole distance. The second night after we left a fearful rainstorm came on. It poured in torrents for six hours, and the thunder and lightning were terrific. One tremendous crash came right over the ship, and some of us thought a mast had been struck. I was sleeping on the deck-or trying to sleep, rather, and as I had a thick awning above me, I tried to stay the storm out. But the floods of water came down with such force as to beat through everything, and this, combined with the continuous glare of the lightning, soon drove me below, drenched to the skin. The long night wore away, while the ship kept steadily on, not heeding the deluge descending upon it; in fact, the heavy rain seemed to beat down the sea entirely. When the sun had risen, the storm cleared, and we made up towards Penang Harbor, leaving a few islands on our left. A pilot came on board and directed our course along the shore, and we were soon anchored among the rest of the shipping.

Penang is a small town situated on a flat prom

ontory projecting from the eastern side of an island of the same name. The island, which is considerably larger than that of Hong-Kong, is situated near the Malay peninsula, at the upper end of the Straits of Malacca. The town itself formerly bore the name of Malacca, but is now held by the English. In extent and importance as a port it is not equal to Singapore.

I went ashore and took a carriage to drive to the Penang waterfall, which is the chief sight of the place. It was distant about five miles, and for nearly the whole way the road was lined with cocoanut-groves, the trees being planted in long rows, with leaves arching over so as to form a succession of green avenues with great clusters of nuts on either hand. The banana appears particularly abundant here, and grows on a thick stalk, which shoots forth broad leaves fifteen feet in length, while from the midst of the clump a tall, green bough droops over, bearing a heavy load of two or three dozen bananas in a single cluster. The whole bunch is usually cut off green and allowed to ripen while hung up for sale; the cocoanuts also have a thick green husk about them when plucked, and this has to be chopped off with a sickle-shaped knife before the brownish shell is reached. We

passed several fields with tall, bean-like vines trained upon sticks; these were betelnuts under cultivation; they are largely used for chewing by natives throughout the East. The betelnut is something like the nutmeg in shape, though larger and softer. The natives cut it into small pieces, which they wrap in a leaf with a taste of lime, and then chew it. It produces an intoxicating effect, and enables the chewer to get along with very little food without the discomforts of hunger. The betelnut is used very largely in China, India, and the Siamese peninsula. There are coffee plantations on the island, and nutmeg-trees, cinnamon, and spices of various kinds.

Some of the houses, especially those built on low or marshy ground, were propped up on posts, and reached only by ladders or steps; they were usually small, thatched sheds, and their surroundings were very primitive. They did not lack picturesque effect, however, when shaded by broadleaved palms and thick, tropical foliage. Even the better class of houses, built by foreigners, were supported by brick pillars, with airy, open spaces on the ground-floor, in imitation of the native style.

Finally, the carriage stopped in front of a small hotel, where cool baths were advertised. I walked