50 



UPPER ASSAM. 



approached it, the ascent is steep and capable of being easily defend- 

 ed ; the south side is bounded by the Ponlong Panee, which runs 

 into the Tenga Panee. If any ascent it is an easy one, and must be 

 to the westward ; to the north, there is a small stream, but neither 

 this, Ponlong or Tenga are any thing but mere rills, which may 

 be easily leaped over in the dry seasons. Our route from Nsas was 

 to the W. of south. No stockades appear to exist in this quarter. 



Luttora is not so large as Nsas ; formerly the Luttora Gam was 

 the chief of all this soil, but he has been partly deserted by two 

 bodies of men who have respectively chosen Nsas and Htan-tsantan. 



The Gam visited me in the evening at our halting place on the 

 Ponlong ; he is a large, coarse, heavy looking man, nearly blind, and 

 excessively dirty. He proposed of himself to me, to become the 

 Company's ryott in accordance with the wish, he said, of the Dupha 

 Gam ; but when I told him he ought to send or go to the Suddiya 

 Sahib, or Political Ageht, he said he wanted to see the Dupha first : 

 he was accompanied by a very loquacious oldish man, who had 

 just returned from Hook-hoom, to which place he had gone with 

 the Dupha. They left apparently not much pleased at my being 

 empty handed. 



Dec. 5th. — Left at reached the Muttack Panee about 8£, having 

 come through much heavy bamboo jungle ; we then ascended the dry 

 bed of the Muttack, and ascended after some time the Minaboom. This 

 was most tedious, as we continued along the ridge for two hours ; 

 we then commenced our descent, but did not reach the Meera Panee 

 much before 1 p.m. Down this we came here, and then along some 

 curious chasms in the sandstone, and encamped about 3. The differ- 

 ence of soil between the Minaboom and the Mishmee hills is most 

 obvious; on the N. E. declivity there is much soil ; but on the oppo- 

 site side little but rounded stones which supply the place of soil, and in 

 places we saw nothing but sandstone conglomerate ? or indurated soil 

 with many boulders imbedded in it, and a blackish greasy clay slate ; 

 while on the Mishmees, on the contrary, all is rock, hard and harsh 

 to the touch ; or where loose stones do occur on the face of the hills, 

 they are all angular. The vegetation of sandstone is likewise far 

 more varied ; and that of the Meera Panee district, abounds in ferns, 

 among which is Polypodium Wallichianum. The Tree-fern of Kuj- 

 ing I observed in the Muttack, Sedgwickia in Minaboom, two 

 Magnoliaceae, one bracteis persistent, induratis, and a Dipterocarpus. 

 The chief vegetation of the ridge consists of grasses, among which 



