1836.] lying north, of the Tenasserhn Provinces. 621 



few declivities ; the path rocky. — 10. Rocky steep ascent for half an hour. — 10. 

 55. Saw the first pine trees. — 11. 30. Left the May-Gnoot. — 1. 20. We entered 

 pine forest, and no other tree is to be seen but a few stunted yews. — 3. Halted 

 on the N. E. bank of a small stream called the May-lie, which falls into the 

 May-ping to the eastward ; the path has been pretty good, and though rocky in 

 many places, I think less difficult than the Mein-lun-ghee road : it is the old road 

 to Martaban 61 , and has been little frequented for the last seven years ; the rocks 

 in all the high hills are granite of very dark colour externally. A good deal of 

 thunder and rain this evening ; this halting place is famous for tigers ; several 

 people have been carried off from it. 



"17th. Direction South, 30 West. Time, 3 hours, 20 minutes; distance, 

 11 miles. 



" 8. 30. Crossed the May-lie. — 9. 30. Proceeded by a nearly level path 

 alonu; the top of a small connecting range of hills in a noble pine forest. — 11. 

 30. Descended. — 11. 50. Halted on the banks of a small stream, the May-tome 6 '*. 

 Path remarkably good and nearly level for the last two and a half hours ; some 

 of the pine trees measured eight or nine feet in circumference, and are much 

 taller and straighter than the same trees in Europe. 



" \Sth. Direction South, 45 West. Time, 3 hours, 15 minutes ; distance, 

 1J miles. 



" 8. 45. Crossed the May-tome, and continued along a good path ; descending 

 for nearly half an hour. — 9. 30. Crossed a small stream. — 1], 15. Crossed 

 another small stream, and ascended with occasional small descents till 10, when 

 we halted on the southern bank of the May-titan 63 , running to the eastward. 



" The whole march to-day through the same fine open forest of pine ; the path 

 good and the hills not at all steep. Shot a jungle cow to-day : these are abun- 

 dant in some of the valleys near our route ; the flesh was harder than the worst 

 buffaloe. Tigers and the common deer are abundant. 



" 19M. I have been obliged to halt to-day to refresh the elephants, as the 

 passes are said to be difficult and no forage for three days for them : (there are 

 seventeen large and four small ones.) We are now on the site of an old city 64 

 formerly inhabited by Talines (to whom all the country to the westward formerly 

 belonged) and more lately to the Shuns, but has been deserted some years on 

 account of the devastation committed by the Burmans ; the valley is of some 

 few miles in extent, and through it runs the May-tuan river, which at this season 

 is about two feet deep, and as it falls into the May-ping, was formerly navigable 

 for small canoes to Bankok ; its course is extremely winding. 



11 20th. Direction South, 50 West. Time, 6 hours, 30 minutes ; distance, 

 30 miles. 



" 9. Ascended along a rugged bad path. 



" 10. 17. Descended. The firs which have been gradually diminishing in 

 numbers through the whole of to-day's march, are now only to be seen in single 

 trees towering above the other trees of the jungle. — 3. 48. Halted in a ravine 

 of very thick jungle on the west bank of the May-tuan, running to the north- 

 ward. 



" The march to-day has been the longest as to time, the most toilsome and 

 disagreeable since leaving Maulamyne ; the path has been either up or down steep 

 hills, or along the bottom of ravines into which the sun can only shine a few 



