( 9 ) 



Shoaylay, Myodoung, and Yuabein Circles of the Prome District : 

 a small amount comparatively is obtained from the Kyoongone, 

 Mahathaman, Poungday, and Padomig Districts, the latter place 

 being on the west bank of the river. There are no factories for 

 the manufacture of raw silk in the town of Prome or its immediate 

 vicinity ; but a large proportion of the silk goods exposed for sale 

 in the bazaar are manufactured at Shoaydoung and Mandalay. 

 The Shoay Sandaw Pagoda, which was so shaken by the earthquake 

 of 1858 as to bring down the htie and portion of the superstructure, 

 is, of course, one of the sights to be seen, while the nicely-designed 

 market also repays the trouble of a visit. About midday is the 

 time to see this latter place to advantage ; then the different stalls, 

 generally kept by women, are tastefully arranged with gaudy Man- 

 chester piece-goods, and other foreign and indigenous tawdry, which 

 sell at fabulous prices. The beau monde of the place are now to 

 be seen promenading the arcade in crowds, dressed in their gayest 

 attire, which rivals even the colours of the rainbow, and add materi- 

 ally to the gaiety of the scene. 



17. I had not much leisure, however, to spend among this gay 



and happv throng, for the Little time 



PromT^ 011 ° f Ficm dasUca at tnere ^ as to s P are l devoted to an 



examination of the few Ficus elastica 

 trees that are cultivated by followers of the Buddhist faith ; but, 

 as our stay was too limited for me to gain all the necessary 

 information, I was obliged to ask Mr. Hough, the Sub-Assis- 

 tant Conservator of that division, to assist me in collecting data, 

 which he, in his usual good-natured way, very kindly under- 

 took to do, accomplishing his task in that faultless manner 

 that characterizes his work generally. I cannot do better than 

 quote verbatim Mr. Hough's replies to my questions. " With 

 " regard to the India-rubber trees planted by the Forest Department 

 " in the Prome plantation, they came from Bhamo, were obtained 

 "and brought down by Captain Spearman; twenty-three plants 

 "in number, of which six plants were sent to Rangoon for the 

 " plantations in that division. They were received in May 1S72 

 " and planted in June of the same year; their heights varied from 

 " 9 to 18 inches — two of them were 4 feet in height; they lived 

 " about ten months. It is not known whether or not they were 

 " seedlings or cuttings, — believed to be the former. They were 

 " planted, some in the valleys or quin of the plantation, and some 

 "on slopes. The soil in the valleys is alluvium, derived froni 

 " sandstone ; on the slopes sandstone soil moderately deep. 

 " The soil in which the plants were brought down from Bhamo 

 11 was put in round the roots, when they were planted at the planta- 



