340 Journal of a visit to the Mishmee hills in Assam. [May, 



small streams ; and as the ascent is steep, although not great, it is 

 difficult of access, and might be well defended. 



I gained no clue to the actual existence of the tea, although the 

 yellow soil was not unfrequent towards the head of the Tenga Pdnee. 

 The Minaboom range, as I have above observed, is of no considerable 

 height ; it is covered with tree jungle, among which occurs a species 

 of dammai, amagnolea, and one or two species of oak. 



On arriving at Beesa I heard that Mr. Bruce was at Fingree, and 

 as that gentleman had previously expressed a wish that I should give 

 my opinion on his mode of tea culture, 1 immediately determined 

 on proceeding thither : with this view I left for Rapoo, which I reached 

 in two ordinary marches. There visited the tea, and then left for 

 Rapoodoo. Here also I visited the tea, which is abundant, appearing 

 to me the best of that produced in the Singpho territory ; — the soil is 

 precisely the same, in all its external characters, as that of the other 

 tea localities. 



: The tea plant being certainly adapted to some degree of shade, the 

 free exposure to the sun seems wrong in principle, evidently producing 

 a degree of coarseness in the leaves, totally incompatible, I presume, 

 with the production of fine flavored teas. 



. From this place I proceeded through heavy jungle, uninhabited 

 except by elephants, for two days, literally cutting my way where the 

 tracks of the elephants were not available owing to their direction. 

 Our course being determined by that of the Dibora, on the evening 

 of the second day we arrived at Choakree Ting in the Muttock country, 

 and halted on the Rolea Pdnee. The third day, after a very long 

 march of nearly twenty miles, carried me close to Ranga gurrah. On 

 reaching this I found that Major White was expected daily, but that 

 Mi;. Bruce had already returned to Sadiyd. 



I had the pleasure of accompanying Major White three days after 

 my arrival to Tingree, from which place we returned direct to 

 Sadiyd, the march occupying three days. 



The greater part of Muttock which I had thus an opportunity of 

 seeing may be characterised as capable of producing tea, the soil 

 being in almost every instance of that yellow color, hitherto found to 

 be so characteristic of the tea localities. To this the only exceptions 

 exist in the swampy ravines, which are occasionally of great extent. 

 The better portions consist of rather high plains, covered with tall 

 coarse grasses, and intersected here and there with narrow strips of 

 jungle. It may be considered as a comparatively open country ; — the 

 villages are numerous, and the people satisfied. Altogether Muttock 



