Wednesday, March 21st.—­During the night we had heavy thunder storms.  About 11 a.m. we passed a piece of drift-wood with a bird perched on the top, presenting a most curious effect.  Several of the men on board mistook it for the back fin of a large shark.  About 5 p.m. we made the island of Penang.  After sunset it became very hazy, and we crept slowly up, afraid of injuring the numerous stake nets that are set about the Straits most promiscuously, and without any lights to mark their position.  Before midnight we had dropped our anchor.

Thursday, March 22nd.—­At 5 a.m., when we were called, the whole sky was overcast with a lurid glare, and the atmosphere was thick, as if with the fumes of some vast conflagration.  As the sun rose in raging fierceness, the sky cleared, and became of a deep, clear, transparent blue.  The island of Penang is very beautiful, especially in the early morning light.  It was fortunate we did not try to come in last night, as we could now see that we must inevitably have run through some of the innumerable stake nets I mentioned.  As we approached Georgetown, the capital of the province, we passed many steamers and sailing ships at anchor in the roads.  A pilot offered his services, but Tom declined them with thanks, and soon afterwards skilfully brought us up close in shore in the crowded roadstead.  The harbour-master sent off, as did also the mail-master, but no Board of Health officials appeared; so, after some delay, the Doctor went on shore to find the local medical man, promising shortly to return.  He did not, however, reappear, and, after waiting a couple of hours, we landed without opposition.  We packed off all the servants for a run on shore, and had all the fires put out in order to cool the ship.  Our first inquiry was for an hotel where we could breakfast, and we were recommended to go to the Hotel de l’Europe.

Our demands for breakfast were met at first with the reply that it was too late, and that we must wait till one o’clock tiffin; but a little persuasion induced the manager to find some cold meat, eggs, and lemonade.  We afterwards drove out to one or two shops, but anything so hopeless as the stores here I never saw.  Not a single curiosity could we find, not even a bird.  We drove round the town, and out to the Governor’s house; he was away, but we were most kindly received by Mrs. Anson and his daughter, and strongly recommended by them to make an expedition to the bungalow at the top of the hill.  In about an hour and a half, always ascending, we reached the Governor’s bungalow, situated in a charming spot, where the difference of 10 deg. in the temperature, caused by being 1,500 feet higher up, is a great boon.  After tiffin and a rest at the hotel, a carriage came to take us to the foot of the hill, about four miles from the town.  We went first to a large Jesuit establishment, where some most benevolent old priests were teaching a large number of Malay boys reading, writing, and geography.