Transcribe Hornaday, W. T. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1878-08-05)

and April </s was > ^were^ the months for fruit, but just then I was in Ceylon. I was not atall, surprised on being told when I arrived here that the fruit season was over, that I would have to find out where the mias had gone & follow them up. All I ask is to be told with certainty </u about > where they are, and wherever they are I will go there. But the Sadong Country is they place. Everybody even to the smallest child says so.

    Sarawak is </u quite > a pretentious town.

well built & well laid out. 30 miles up the Sarawak River, and is the coolest place I ever visited in the tropics. Singapore is much cooler than Ceylon in winter, and Borneo is cooler than Singapore. But it rains here awfully. No such thing as a day without rain. All the country below this is flat & swampy, covered with nipa palms & mangroves and here the high ground begins. I was surprised to find Sarawak such a pretty town. There are a goodly number of Europeans . All young Englishmen without a single exception, and very nice fellows they are too, all of them. All are anxious to do a turn for ye vagabond naturalist, and the British Resident, Mr Crocker, has taken me in charge as naturally as though he were American Consul. Do you know Englishmen, as a class improve </u wonderfully > on getting this side of the Mediteranean ? Well it seems to me that they do. In the Jungles out here (i.e. in the </u Orient >) they are as good-hearted and companionable a set of fellows as heart could wish.