24 Mission to the Court of Siam. [No. 97. 



one or two buffaloes each for breaking the cane ; the heaps of 

 firewood opposite each seemed disproportionally large. The banks 

 of the river are excessively low, but at the village where we 

 halted for breakfast, on proceeding about a gunshot in land, 

 you pass a belt of cocoanut trees, with a good deal of under- 

 wood, and come out on an extensive plain, which appeared 

 to reach to the May-nam, quite dry at this season, and covered 

 with paddy stubble. Here we were again assured of the existence 

 of a road, perfectly dry and good, and the fact of an elephant 

 (called white, but which only differed from the common ones 

 in having a reddish coloured head) having crossed lately to Ban- 

 kok. 



February 7th — Started lh. 30m. a.m. with the moon ; the fog 

 which did not clear up till 8 o'clock was so thick that nothing 

 was to be seen. The east bank of the river, near which we kept, 

 was of the same character as yesterday, but fewer inhabitants ; 

 indeed, I did not see a village till we reached this place. We 

 halted at a custom house chokey from 5h. 15m. till 6 a.m. 

 just before reaching which we passed the cross branch lead- 

 ing to the May-klong, the banks of which are thickly peopled by 

 salt makers ; the sea water being evaporated, is repeated by fresh 

 artificial inundations into quillets like those of a paddy field ; 

 the salt is sold at three annas a basket, and pays one rupee eight 

 annas duty ! Passing the chokey we leave the main branch of the 

 river, which runs away westerly to fall into the sea, and at 7h. 

 50m. enter the Maha-tshi Canal, which runs north-east to Ban- 

 kok ; just above the bifurcation is situated Moung-tachin, an 

 uninhabited low square brick fort, and immediately below it 

 a village of Talines of nearly 100 houses, joining which is 

 the Siamese town of Moung-tachin. The water here being salt 

 they get their water from Bankok for six months in the year ; 

 the Chinese, who appear to monopolise the traffic of the coun- 

 try, bringing it down in jars, or in perfectly tight boats which 

 they fill ; the price is sufficiently moderate. Here a tay had been 

 built for our reception, which we reached at 8h. 15m. having 

 been on the way about six hours. The Myo-won's brother was 

 at the tay to receive me, and he himself soon afterwards came 

 out in a sort of Chinese monshell ; he was dressed in China 



