Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstrait121878roya).pdf/32

 The work done by Mr. Logan and the gentlemen who were associated with him covers a great deal of ground. There are some very valuable papers upon the Geography both of Malaya as a whole, and of various portions of it; as well as most interesting accounts of tours undertaken by individuals, in which Geographical notes are interspersed among other facts which the tourist observed and recorded. There is some Geological information and some account of the Mineral treasures of the district, both those that are known aud those that are supposed to exist. There are useful notices of the Natural Products, and of the Modes of Agriculture, especially of the methods of treating the most important articles of commerce. The science of Ethnology is largely dealt with by Mr. Logan himself, and his papers upon the various aboriginal races will probably continue to be the most reliable authority upon the subject of these races, which are, as usual, fast disappearing as civilization spreads inland. A great deal of information is supplied concerning the Languages and Dialects of the numerous nations living within the district; with copious vocabularies, forming a very substantial contribution to the science of Comparative Philology. Then there are chapters of History both of the European Colonies, and of the Native States. There are examples and translations of Native Literature, amongst which I must mention a most interesting abstract of the "Sejâra Malayu," or Malay Annals, by the present Attorney-General, the Hon'ble Thomas Braddell, which puts that curious piece of Malayan antiquities and history within the reach of the English reader. There are papers upon questions affecting Health, such as Dr. Little's discussions of the effects of opium, and of the causes of the local forms of fever. And, lastly, there is a large collection of statistical information upon the subjects of Population, Trade, Weather, and Temperature.

I have not touched upon a great many of subjects that are discussed in this Journal, such for instance as Natural History, upon every department of which attention was bestowed by some one or other of the writers; but I think I have said enough to shew that, even during Mr. Logan's time, a great deal of knowledge was acquired and preserved. Much, too, has been done subsequently by Government Officers, by private individuals, and by distinguished travellers such as Wallace and others. In fact what is known of South-Eastern Asia only appears small, when it is compared with what remains yet unknown. That residuum is indeed vast, and it is for the purpose of endeavouring to diminish it, that the Straits Asiatic Society has come into existence.