Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1854-03-31
nlistrlIaneous. II 8.
scene. XYi,hinthn rrnnin,.

ably NJ much as any Traveller of Europe w
clip II gorgeous description Of the scenery IN
the Island Of ) ,lsngs, near the cnast oi Ma.
lacea Barring the tisres, which eat up three
hundred people a'nu'lly, j: mus, be /" mos,
delightful ace tor a residence.
When the steamer came t. auchor, and we
we're Informed that seven hours was the linn
il Of our stay. dete' mined to visit the signal
station on the sImmit Of the h chest peak OF
the island. about eight miles distant, and set
off at once, in cump my with one Of the officers
We landed alta httle wooisn jeity, where a
number oil light ga,iers. with pony harm s.
sed to each, were collected. in anticipation Of
employment. 0ne of the passengers, who
WAS stationed ut Penang, engaged two saddle
ponies fur US. ami dispatched them in advance
to await US nj the fon OF the IN unt ,in, while
we proceeded thlther in garree the road
was admiratl ami the Mal,y groom, running
at the pony's head, propelled him forward,
even TO, las, tor our liking. The purity of
the air, the cluudIess beauty Of the day, and
the glorious groves Of the balm and bloom
Of deep green shades, and glossy lusters, and
g.mgeuus c"loriug-through winch we drove,
have never been surpassed. in all my expert
ence Of the rropIcs,- IL thought then, and
tn nk So still, thai ieUsng Is the mpst beau
tful island in the world. The dwellings VI
the English residents are large, airy bunga-
,ws. embowc cred in gardens and surrounded
by groves oi Cocoa and areca palm, the nut
meg and bread liult trees. he native town.
inhabited ny CaInese and NJ lays, IS SIN Il and
lies close upon the water, but Iur miles around
1t cxiends succ, ssion Ut beautiful rcsidan-
crs nd rich plant ,i,dis. reaching to the foot
OI the hills. lhe Chinese houses, scattered
alung the road, With their great red hero
glyphics, and the queer. sUlr mnly stupid yel-
low faces OF their inmates. catch the eye OF
the Traveller from the west. and tell him that
he has at last reached the borders Ofthe Far
East
After drive Of soar miles, we ent cred u
littl dell, where a stteam ot water, stealing
through the woods, felt over the rocks IN a
miniature cascade. Several little Mala,
Youths ~erc bathing in the shallow pool al
Ills toO, and their glowing brown bodies Gl's-
1 ned IN ,hr sun. Here we mounted uur po-
nies. and commenced the ascent The path
wound backward and forward through dense
TIC fern, ill ii attained ridgy spur Of noun
tain, which j, followed upward to the central
nights We soon entered the forests, which
gradually bee mr So dense and dark as TO
shut out every ,ay Of the sun. Trees Of thick
glossy foliage, mmsler their top' hundred
feet above our heads. and in sneir shade arusc
iuxurIant uniergru~lh. Frrns, whose
tronds were frequent, from ten to fifteen feet
IN length, bent their arching plumes above
our heads; strange plants, OF new and grace
fu form clustered on either hand, and birds
ui bright plumag- darted in IA d out Of the
foliage. There was one. hidden in thickcsl
shades. whose clear. rolohgcd. b II like note,
rang continually through the frrst-a wild.
wizard cali, which ove,finwed all the air, an
va. taken up in one spot as soon at ceased
in an llhcr.
We hal advanced in this way about iva
miles. VII n mn open NJ in the trees disclosed
view to TIE south, into the hesrt Of a vall-y
oi mur- than Arcadlan lovrlin.ss. 1t might
have hecn three miles in length by less than
, mile in breadth. and the orchards of palm
orange and spice trees which covered It's lap
almost conSe .rd the dwellings Of the plant
rrs II lay between hills Of billowy green
which. uniting NJ the farther end, formed :
gorge or gateway of forests. through whici
,hone the dark blue sphere Of the SEA- |
was landscape from III" paradise ofdreams
naskiRg in the light of its own serene ant
peri ct beauty. As lHiksd d down on it from
lha, window Of the region OF shade. coult
nave believed that stond on the Delectable
Mountains. and that the valleys Of the Lam
Il Beuah were At nv feet
Again we plunged into the depth of tn
forest. and after two miles more of climbn
VII eh mostrned every hair in the coats uf ou
sturdy lltllr puni-s. reached the a ~ staff. 2
500 feet above the sea. Here there is sum
II mer residences of the G GJvernor. and half DC
zen private bungalows rhr pure air of tn
heights with the refreshing temperature whic
stsnis at from 10 to rs deg. during the Who'll
year. make this a m st delightful place Of re
s)rt climbed 10 the cr,ss-tress OF the fal
staff in order to get an uninterrupted view {
the wide summer panorama. The lowland
Of Penang. with It's orchards and gardens. la
a. mr. feet across the strait stretched man
a league Of forest, divided here and there b.
the cleaning windings Of rivera and far bac
10 the vapury distance arose the mountai
spine Of the Malayan Peninsula To tn
south and wts'. over scattered island cone
of verdure, curved great hemisphere Offset
behind which. hidden by the warm nconda
haze. were the mountains of Sumatra. Ths
part of the peninsula lying opposite to Pc
nang has been acquired by the East lndi
Company and erected into provence, witt
the title Of Wellesley further south Malacc
and Singapore are English dependencies; tn
gap between Arracan and Tennasserim ha
been filled up by the recent annexation o
Pegu. and now. Of two thousand miles oi coas
between Calcutta and Singapore. there ia nc
more than twa hundred. TO which the Eng
lish title is still wanting. The Indian Empir
stretches from Brlooehistan to the China Ses
They now TAX Of the natarai b,uni isrles q
Barmsh ~ obvil'in The need If further an
n.x,iinn tI tn. 4 .slwrd hut when d. ihe
lust Of ssgrani'z 'neut ever heed any nrIu
raj b ,nndary exeepI the sea?
0a our return 10 the ship We vl>iteii nu
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