1020 Mission to the Court of Siam. [Dec. 



the Siamese post on the frontier, at least they have travelled in this 

 direction some years ago. 



December 2Jth. — Kyeun-Kyaung-let-tet, 4h. 20m., eight miles. 

 Left the last ground at 7h. 45m. and march generally in the di- 

 rection stated, though the route has been very tortuous, over broken 

 ground through a forest of tall trees, with an underwood of bamboos 

 so broken down and interlaced by the wild elephants, that our pro- 

 gress was exceedingly slow, excepting for about a mile, when our 

 march happened to lay along a wild elephant tract. There has been no 

 signs of any path throughout the day, and the elephants did not come 

 up till past 7 P* m. Saw only a few teak trees just before coming to 

 our ground, which were nearly all killed for felling, though we saw no 

 stream that appeared adapted for floating them to the river. The soil 

 appears good, though broken by many wild ravines, and water by no 

 means scarce, but no sign of this part of the jungle ever having afford- 

 ed subsistence to a human being. Marks of the same variety of wild 

 beasts as yesterday. 



December 28th. — Near the Zimee, a little above Kyeun-Kyaung, 

 3h. 10m. a. m. nine miles. Start at 8, along a small path, the same as 

 yesterday; at 8h. 25m. cross the Maz-Pra, or Ko-tor Kuag, a branch of 

 Meetakut, about which there is a good deal of fine teak, and the path 

 begins to be well marked; at8h. 50m. cross a small stream and an old 

 Kareen clearing; 9h. 40m. cross another small stream; at9h. 50m. come 

 on the road by which timber had been dragged in the monsoon to the 

 Kyeun-Kyaung, which we reach at lOh. 10m.; passing down in the 

 direction of the stream, come on it again at lh. 20m., where it joins the 

 Zimee ; passing up that river, ten minutes halt at a wood cutter's hut. 

 The Zimee is even at this season of considerable width, and has at this 

 place and season five or six feet of water. We obtain another basket of 

 rice, price three rupees, and gain information about the road between 

 this and Jung-Jung-Khay ; a great deal of very fine timber still in this 

 forest close to the river. 



December 29th — Small stream, 6h. 50m., two miles. 9 a. m. 

 left last halting place, where there are the stumps of a teak stockade 

 still to be seen which was erected 1147, (a. d. 1812) by Along Min- 

 dora, the grandfather of the present king of Ava, on his expedition 

 against Bankok, but taking a road too much to the eastward got into 

 ravines, quite impassable for people with loads ; from their steepness 

 and the thickness of the jungle, we were obliged to return to the 

 ground we had left, and at half past 12 took a fresh departure, and 

 inarching along at a short distance from the banks of the Zimee, 



