tN THE BURMHA DOMINIONS. I3I 



The oil is drawn pure from the wells, in the Tiquid 

 Irate as ufed, without variation, but in the cold feafoti 

 it congeals in the open air, and always lofes fome- 

 thing of its fluidity ; the temperature of the wells pre- 

 serving it in a liquid ftate fit to be drawn. A man 

 who was lowered into a well of i lO cubits, in my pre- 

 fence, and immediately drawn up, perfpired copiouily 

 at every pore : unfortunately I had no other means of 

 trying the temperature. The oil is of a dingy green 

 and odorous ; it is ufed for lamps, and boiled with a 

 little dammer (a refin of the country), for paying 

 the timbers of houfes, and the bottoms of boats, Sic. 

 which it preferves from decay and vermin ; its me- 

 dicinal properties known to the natives is as a lotion in 

 cutaneous eruptions, and as an embrocation in bruifes 

 and rheumatic affe6lions. 



The miners pofitively aflured me no water ever 

 percolates through the earth into the wells, as has been 

 fuppofed, the rains in this part of the country are feldom 

 heavy, and during the feafon a roof of thatch is thrown 

 over the wells, the water that falls foon runs off to 

 the river, and what penetrates into the earth is effec- 

 tually prevented from defcending to any great depth 

 by the.increafing hardnefs of the oleagenous argill and 

 fhift ; this will readily be admitted when it is known 

 that the coal mines at l^Vhitby are worked below the 

 harbour, and the roof of the galleries not more than 

 "fifty feet from the bed of the fca, the deficiency of rain 

 in this traiSt may be owing to the high range of moun- 

 tains to the wefiward, which range parallel to tlft? 

 river, and arreft the clouds in their pafiage, as is the 

 cafe on the eaftern fide of the peninfula of India. 



Solicitous to obtain accurate information on a 

 fubjeft fo interefting as this natural fource of wealth ; 

 I had all the principal proprietors affembled on board 

 my boat, and colletted fiom them' the following par- 

 ticulars, the foregoing I learned at the wells from the 

 miners and others. 



I 2 I EN- 



