in the Burmha Dominions. 227*- 



Eaft bank, high, rugged, barren clowns, with precipitous 

 cliffs towards the river, of free-flone intermixed with ftratJk 

 of quartz, martial ore, and red ochre; beach moderately 

 Ihelving, covered with fragments of quartz, (ilex, petrifac- 

 tions, and red ochre, and with rocky points projeding from 

 it into the river. 



Weftern bank, a range of low fandy iflands, covered with 

 a luxuriant growth of reeds. Thefc at prefcnt narrow the 

 ftream to three quarters, and in fome places to half a mile, 

 but are overflowed in the rains: the main bank rather low 

 and fandy, fubjed to be overflowed, its whole breadth about 

 three miles to the foot of a range of low woody hills, which 

 in point of vegetation form an agreeable contrail to the eaftern 

 Ihore: thefe hills are bounded to the wclhvard, at the dillance 

 of about twenty miles from the river, by an cxtenfive range 

 of high mountains clothed with wood to the^r fummits. 



At half part ten A.M. came to the lower town of JRain- 

 anghong; a temple in it of the antique Hindoo Itylc of 

 building. 



At noon came to the centre town of Rainanghong (lite- 

 rally, the town through which flows a river of earth oil), 

 iituated on the eaft bank of the river, in latitude 20° 26' 

 north, and longitude 94° 45' 54'' eaft of Greenwich. Halted 

 to examine the wells of petroleum. 



The town has but a mean appearance, and feveral of its 

 temples, of which there are great numbers, falling to ruins : 

 the inhabitants, however, are well drefl'ed, many of them 

 uith gold fpiral ear ornaments, and are undoubtedly rich, 

 from the great profit they derive from their oil wells, as will 

 be feen below. 



At two P. M. I fet off from niy boat, accompanied by the 

 mew tbagbee, ov zemrndsiV of the diftri^^, and feveral of the 

 merchant proprietors, to view the wells. Our road led to 

 the eall-north-ea(l:, through dry beds of loofe (and in llu! 

 water courfes, and over rugged arid downs and hillocks of 

 the fame (n\\ as defcribcd above; the growth on them con- 

 filiing of fcattercd plants of euphorh'iuyn, the cailia tree, which 

 •yields the terra japonica, commonly called cutch or cid, and 

 ufed throughout India as a component part of a beera oi 



V f 2 paH7i^ 



