434 MEMOIR OF A SURVEY OF 



son, with two ponies for our use, and our approach towards the villages 

 was noised by incessant beating on two little gongs. We passed two 

 or three temples, all built of bamboo and grass, but of Chinese design, 

 and on our left, the strongly stockaded village Choktep. Near the 

 great village or town, we saw two much finer tombs, built of pucka, 

 and having griffins and various other non-descript animals at the cor- 

 ners and about them. The town is closely built, but large, and forti- 

 fied with a high palisade, having pointed bamboos ingeniously worked. 

 The first appearance of the houses strikes with great surprise those who 

 are not accustomed to the style of building, as the floor on which the 

 family live is completely hidden under the low projecting eaves, and all 

 that appears to view is the open and dirty ground floor, crowded with 

 buffaloes and pigs. The Rajas house is in the centre of the town, 

 enclosed within an interior palisade. We passed it about six in the even- 

 ing, and were led to the Town Hall, which is contiguous to it. As scarcely 

 any of our people had arrived, we begged the young Prince, who had been 

 in attendance on us, to give us a dinner, after their own fashion, which 

 he readily did, and it proved a far more sumptuous repast than we anti- 

 cipated : it was served up in the lacquered JBurman boxes, which had 

 several compartments, and trays to hold rice, nicely laid on fresh plantain 

 leaves, and a number of small China basins, containing eggs and meats, 

 variously cooked ; and, at least, so far superior to our own culinary produc- 

 tions, that we hinted our inclination to have a breakfast in the same style. 

 They most obligingly continued to provide us while we stayed, and we 

 generally had presents from other families also, at the known time of our 

 taking our meals. They also gave us a spirituous liquor, very much like 

 whiskey, though inferior in strength, which was the more acceptable, as 

 our own small stock was nearly exhausted. 



At noon, the next day, the Raja, as he was called, paid us a visit 

 in state, He was preceded by four or five small gongs, about five and 



