548 Extracts from a Journal. [Dec. 



to track the boat along the eastern shore, which occupied more 

 than four hours. At 1-30 p.m. arrived close to the falls; in the 

 centre is a small island, and on each side of it, it is lined with a reef of 

 rocks extending themselves to the main land. The falls are about 

 thirteen feet above the level of the water ; on the south side the water 

 rushes with great impetuosity over a bed of sharp pointed rocks with a 

 hollow sound. The depth of water here is about twenty fathoms : 

 saw three or four boats about two hundred yards from the falls, these 

 belong to the sapan wood cutters. 



October 1 5th, 1830. — Crossed over to the western shore in a boat, 

 with the whole of the boat's crew. Crossed a mountain, and found 

 the river took a north-west direction and narrowed ; from the top of 

 this mountain I saw the whole of the sapan forest as far as my eye 

 could reach ; descended the mountain, and walked along the banks of 

 the river until the evening, when I had a raft of bambus constructed, 

 and came down the river and arrived at our boats. 



October 16th. — After breakfast I ranged along the west banks of the 

 river ; I saw some natives cutting sapan wood. Here I saw several 

 straggling sapan trees, each bearing the mark of a knife ; and 

 I found on enquiry that they were the property of another gang of 

 wood-cutters. The people whom I met here told me that they intend- 

 ed to go more towards the southward to cut wood, and that the spot 

 where they are now employed, appears to have been occupied by others. 

 These men have, after some labour and time, cut only two rafts. The 

 forests, generally speaking, are not literally covered with sapan trees, 

 but only here and there a tree is to be found, so that the site which 

 the wood-cutter may fix upon for his field, turns out a chance as to 

 its abundance or scarcity. The natives of Mergui, who engage them- 

 selves in this enterprize, hold each a share in the produce of their 

 labour. 



October 17th, 1830. — During the day I employed myself in ex- 

 amining the heights of some of the mountains in the neighbourhood, 

 viz. Ka moun chat is about nine hundred feet high : others on the north- 

 west side of the river eight hundred and fifty feet high, and the " Two 

 brothers" (Area moung) mountains are about one hundred and ten feet. 

 Towards the evening, sent my boat to plant two flags on the western 

 sliore, as a base line ; took the height of Mecoun doung toung, six hun- 

 dred feet. This mountain lies to the south-west of Area moun toung 

 hill, and further on, in the same direction, is a round hill about four 

 hundred feet high. 



