334 CACHAK. Chap. XXXI. 



descending to a broad valley covered with gigantic scattered 

 timber-trees of jarool, acacia, Diospyros, Urticece, and 

 Bauhinice, rearing their enormous trunks above the bamboo 

 jungle : immense rattan-canes wound through the forest, 

 and in the gullies were groves of two kinds of tree-fern, 

 two of Areca, Wattichia palm, screw-pine, and Draccena. 

 Wild rice grew abundantly in the marshes, with tall 

 grasses ; and Cardiopteris * covered the trees for upwards 

 of sixty feet, like hops, with a mass of pale-green foliage, 

 and dry white glistening seed-vessels. This forest differed 

 from those of the Silhet and Khasia mountains, especially in 

 the abundance of bamboo jungle, which is, I believe, the 

 prevalent feature of the low hills in Birmah, Ava, and 

 Munnipore ; also in the gigantic size of the rattans, larger 

 palms, and different forest trees, and in the scanty 

 undergrowth of herbs and bushes. I only saw, however, 

 the skirts of the forest ; the mountains further east, which 

 I am told rise several thousand feet in limestone cliffs, are 

 doubtless richer in herbaceous plants. 



The climate of Cachar partakes of that of the Jheels 

 in its damp equable character : during our stay the weather 

 was fine, and dense fogs formed in the morning : the 

 mean maximum was 80°, minimum 58° 4. f 



The annual rain-fall in 1850 was 211 '60 inches, according 

 to a register kindly given me by Captain Verner. There 

 are few mosquitos, which is one of the most curious facts 

 in the geographical distribution of these capricious blood- 

 suckers ; for the locality is surrounded by swamps, and 



* A remarkable plant of unknown affinity ; see Brown and Bennett, " Flora 

 Javse : " it is found in the Assam valley and Chittngong. 



+ The temperature does not rise above 90° in summer, nor sink below 45° or 

 50° in January : forty-seven comparative observations with Calcutta showed the 

 mean temperature to be 1° 8 lower at Silchar, and the air damper, the saturation 1 

 point being, at Calcutta 0'3791, at Silchar 0-4379. 



