1869.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 155 



we passed the sites of numerous villages that had been washed away 

 entirely ; yet on striking the Yang-tzu at Swifoo in October, I was 

 astonished to find the river had been three feet below its last year's 

 level, though it was higher for the time of the year than last year. 

 The rains which caused such unusual destruction in the country I have 

 alluded to, commenced in June, and subsided towards the end of 

 July, or beginning of August, so that the waters in the plains, which 

 in November were higher for the time of year, than has been known 

 for a long time, could scarcely have been influenced by the rains of the 

 mountains, which had subsided by the middle of August, and thus I 

 am led to infer that the cause of these floods in the plains is purely 

 local ; perhaps the Tung-ting Lake and the Han River are the great 

 feeders of the lower Yang-tzu. 



A long discussion followed the reading of this paper. 

 Col. Thuillier drew the attention of the meeting to a few of the 

 most interesting points in the account which Mr, Cooper has given 

 of his exploration of Western China. These researches are most 

 valuable not only in a commercial point of view, but also as bearing 

 upon the geography of the country. He (Col. Th.) considered it the 

 duty of every one, who had folio wed the explorations of former travellers 

 in the same parts of the country, to remind Mr. Cooper of the perilous and 

 dangerous nature of the route which he had selected for his further 

 explorations. However, Mr. Cooper's experience in those districts, 

 was no doubt an extensive one, as clearly shewn by his travels, and he 

 (Col. Th.) desired to express the hope that Mr. Cooper will be able, 

 in spite of all the enormous difficulties, to enlarge in every respect 

 our knowledge of that country. 



Col. Th. begged to propose that the special thanks of the meeting 

 by given to Mr. Cooper for his very interesting account of his travels, 

 and also an expression of their best wishes for the success of his further 

 explorations. 



Dr. J. Anderson in seconding Col. Thuillier's proposition, wished to ask 

 Mr. Cooper, if he had obtained any information regarding the sources of 

 the Irrawadi. Dr. A. put this question because he had made special 

 inquiries during his stay at Bhamo regarding the upper course of 

 that river, and had been informed that the largest branch rans in a 

 north-easterly direction. Capt. Wilcox saw, from the Patkoi range, 



