1832.] to the Tenasserim Sap an Forests. 547 



natives are now obliged to enter the Siamese ground to cut sapan- 

 wood. The wood of this tree is so very hard, that a labourer thinks 

 he has performed a good day's work if he has hewn three trees from 

 sun rise to sun set ; and as the forests are always damp and swampy, 

 nearly one-third of the people who proceed thither, are obliged after 

 a few days labour, to return to Mergui from suffering under fever, or 

 bowel complaints ; beside the musquitoes and leeches, the wood cutters 

 have to contend with a species of green snake from two to ten feet 

 long, and found among the leaves of the sapan tree. The bite of one 

 of these reptiles is so very poisonous, that the sufferer seldom survives 

 an hour. It preys upon birds, especially the peacock, which it chases 

 from tree to tree with great swiftness and success. 



October 5th to the 9th, 1830. — Continued our way up to the river. 



October 10th. — Arrived at a very steep hill, and made an attempt 

 to ascend it, but failed. I examined the sapan forest about it, but 

 found it bare of trees ; crossed the base of this mountain throuo-h a 

 deep ravine, and found great difficulty. In some places I was obliged 

 to be lowered down with ratans. We traversed round it, and came 

 to the banks of the river on the north-west side. It was so very steep 

 that we were obliged to make a bambu raft, and proceed on it to our 

 boat. It rained throughout the day. 



October 1 lth, 1830 — The head-man of my boat left me with six 

 other Burmese, and proceeded into the sapan forest : towards the even- 

 ing they returned on a bambu raft ; and brought some branches of 

 the sapan tree, and repotted to me that there were plenty of full grown 

 trees where they had been. 



October 12th. — Arrived at Meen wa Gheune, a famous place for 

 procuring sapan wood. Continued our way in a northerly direction, 

 passing at a distance immense sapan forests; passed a double range 

 of hills called Ara Moung Toung. This range lays north-west and 

 south-east ; they are not very high. 



October 13th, 1830. — Ordered the boat to be got ready, and started 

 at 7-30 A. m. lauded on a sandy beach and crossed a narrow neck of 

 land, where we came to a creek of considerable breadth, called by the 

 Burmese Pah Goon. It leads to Siam through a range of mountains. 

 I proceeded up this creek for some distance, and found the forest 

 here recently cut. — It is navigable for small boats. 



During the night we had much rain, with thunder and lightning 



October 14th. — At day Vi'^ht continued our course up the river ; 

 at 9 a. m. arrived near the falls of Toung doung ka dain, but the freshes 

 being strong, we could make no use of our oars, and were obliged 



