$S .,v Contributions to Physical Geography. 



7. Notice of the Cavern of the Sagat Roch, upon the Sagat 

 Strait of the Sanloon or main river of Martaban. 



The squall abating, we pushed up past the strait, which is 

 formed by the high rock Sagataung on the west, and Krook^ 

 lataung on the east. The river being confined rushes with 

 impetuosity, and forms many eddies, especially on the west 

 side, where it is turned off by the foot of the Sagat rock. An 

 appearance of an inscription in large characters, on the face of 

 the rock, offered itself to notice, but on landing it was found 

 to arise from a number of small baked and partially gilded 

 earthen images, so arranged in tables and niches as to look 

 like letters : several small Pagodas crown those sharp spires of 

 the rock which overhang the bed of the river, and greatly add 

 to the grandeur of the approach to this curious place. 



The disappointment in not finding any inscription upon the 

 Sagat rock was, in some measure, compensated by the disco- 

 very of a cave to the left of the tables, containing the diminu- 

 tive gods alluded to. It is two hundred and forty feet in 

 depth, by an average breadth of fifty feet, and the height may 

 be rated throughout from twenty-five to thirty feet. It forms 

 a sort of natural arch, quite unsupported by pillars. The 

 rock is composed of limestone in various stages, and the cave 

 has been formed by the gradual decay of the softest part. It 

 was found to be dry, but the interior quite insupportable 

 above a minute, owing to the want of a free circulation of air, 

 and to the smell arising from the dung of the large bats and 

 vampires which here shelter themselves, and which lies nearly 

 twelve inches thick under foot. 



Many massive concretions of sparry carbonate of lime were 

 observed in the crevices of the rock, or attached to the sides 

 of the cave. The Booddhists of Martaban had consecrated 

 this cave to their religion previous to their falling under the 

 Burman yoke. Many marble images, plain and gilded, and 

 in good preservation, stand in rows on the same places on 

 which they had been arranged perhaps several centuries since, 

 and several wooden ones, quite decayed by time, lay scattered 

 about. Two rather colossal images of the great teacher, Bud- 

 dha, guard the entrance ; that on the right is of brick, cover- 

 ed with stucco, and is in a sitting attitude with the legs cros- 



