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.