1864.] 



'Extract from Journal of a Trip to BTiamo. 



193 



for about half or a third of a mile, entered old Pagan by a p&th way- 

 passing over a low ill-defined ridge, which the quantity of brickwork 

 in the soil, as well as the assertions of the Thoogyee and followers, 

 made evident as the north wall of old Pagan. To the west and east 

 the same ridge could be seen to extend, but could not be followed 

 for more" than a few yards on account of the thick and prickly jungle. 

 About sixty yards to the south, we came on a mass of brickwork, ap- 

 parently an old pagoda, on which was a rude Budh protected by a 

 modern though dilapidated shed, and with its back against the remains 

 of the original Dzedi. There was nothing peculiar about it, but by 

 the image were several of the brick casts above mentioned, but of a 

 different stamp from those the Thoogyee had shown me at his house, 

 The inscription was here more distinct, and, like the others, in the 

 Nagari character. The Thoogyee permitted me to take the two most 

 perfect. Continuing south for about 500 yards through dense jungle, 

 the narrow path led us to a round pile of bricks overgrown with brush- 

 wood and grass, the ruin of a conical pagoda called by the people the 

 " Mwy Zeegoon Phra." We climbed its almost perpendicular side by 

 a path already worn, and from the top, could see how utterly the site 

 of both cities was converted into forest and jungle, The walls could 

 not be traced even in the faintest manner. The low ground to the 

 east, however, was plainly outside the city. Several spots within had 

 been used for " Toungya" cultivation : none had been otherwise made 

 use of. ^Returning by the same path, for further progress southwards 

 was barred, I got the best of the natives to accompany me to the 

 eastwards, where he said the north-east corner of the city was ap- 

 parent. We must have wandered through cartways and jungle paths 

 about half a mile to the eastward before we came upon the supposed 

 corner. To the westward I could not trace the wall, but straight to 

 the south we traced distinctly the high brickwork for fully half a 

 mile. To the right was impenetrable jungle the whole way, to the left 

 low ground with occasional patches of forest, and much of the long 

 feathery grass, which only grows in places well watered. This low 

 land, the man said, is covered by water in the summer, and at that 

 time there is a current all along by the wall. 



The jungle defied further progress. The guide said that the wall 

 continues straight on southwards for twice the distance that we had 

 come. We now passed through an ordeal of many scratches; and 





