Lieutenant Wilcox's Survey of the North-east of Assam, QB 



may travel by a circuitous path without difficulty. Barney ah, 

 the seventh stage by the ordinary road, is on an immense hill, 

 partly ascended with the aid of ropes. 



Primhso, a Meeseemee Gam, was my chief informant. He 

 has repeatedly made the journey, and even acquired a respec- 

 table knowledge of the Thibet language. From his descrip- 

 tion " Lama Des"" is a remote hilly part of a fine plain coun- 

 try, spreading in the north from east to west, studded with 

 stone built towns, and intersected with rivers, which have their 

 courses towards other regions. He had travelled farther 

 than his brother merchants, and had visited the towns here 

 enumerated, * the list of which I procured for comparison 

 with Du Halde's maps. The Taishoo, of less magnitude than 

 the Burrampooter, is the largest river he had seen ; its course 

 he knew nothing of. The Tulooka branch of the Burram- 

 pooter is the smaller, and its water is impure; it skirts the 

 hills, which run off northward, and its banks are thinly 

 peopled. The Talooding has villages on both banks, its 

 source is in a snowy mountain, (the Khana Debars country,) 

 whence on the opposite side issues the Irrawaddy. 



The Meeseemees purchase large copper vessels, pipes for 

 smoking, straight swords, dyed woollens, beads, rock-salt, and 

 chowr-tailed cows, for which they give musk, various skins, 

 a bitter medicinal root, some ivory, &c. They formerly took 

 slaves captured in Assam. The Jamees (Chinese) trade with 

 the Lamas, carrying away grain on horses. On the smoking- 

 pipes I have observed the Chinese character neatly engraved. 

 The swords and beads are probably also manufactured by 

 them. The houses of the Meeseemee villages which I visited 

 are built longitudinally on the face of the hill, the rafters of 

 the floor resting on the rock, and having their outer ends sup- 



Tailung, 



Choutseejung, Koonipg, 



VOL. VII. NO. I. JULY 1827. 



