106 



FROM HOOKHOOM TO AVA. 



Sheemnaga never contained more than 400 houses. I counted 

 upwards of 180, and although extensive traces of fire, and of new 

 houses existed, I should reckon it to have contained only about 300. 

 At the Pagoda I gathered a curious Rutaceous-looking decandrous 

 thorny tree, with foliis bijugis. 



Reached Mengoon about 7 p. m. Landed at the commencement 

 of the sandstone hills, which in some places assume the form of 

 cliffs : texture very loose. They are full of holes, and abound with 

 blue rock Pigeons. Gathered a Murraya. Trichodesma indicus 

 and Composite, Asclepiadea, Calotropis gigantea, and a curious 

 Arenariocl-looking plant. 



May \bth. — Mengoon boasts of a huge unfinished Pagoda, con- 

 sisting as it now stands of an immense square brick mass, sur- 

 rounded by four fine broad raised terraces ; it would have been, had 

 it been finished, upwards of 700 feet high. The dome was to have 

 been with angular sides. Height 170 feet; the basement, as may be 

 supposed, is immense. The plan or model of it was first built in a 

 small adjoining grove to the south, by the grandfather of the present 

 king. The whole kingdom must have been occupied in its erection. 

 The entrance to it is guarded by two huge Griffins. Several large 

 bells lie close to it. The country around is hilly ; the hills low, 

 raviny, and clothed with stunted vegetation. Beautiful topes exist 

 along the river bank, between this and the cliffs before alluded 

 to, consisting chiefly of fine mango trees, noble Fici likewise occur. 

 About Mengoon, Jatropha Curcas is common. Gymnemea, Calotropis 

 gigantea, and Argemone abound. We found a Pergularia, Lippia, 

 Zyzyphus, and one or two small Euphorbiacese. The soil is dry, 

 sandy, and barren. 



We reached Ava about 1 o'clock. 



May 21s£. — Went to Tsegai on an excursion: the hills in this 

 vicinity are low, none exceeding 300 or 400 feet, dry and barren, 

 chiefly composed of grey carbonate of lime, and in some places Kancha 

 occurs. Pagodas are very numerous, but none are very large, or bear- 

 ing the stamp of great age. A fine view of country is however afford- 

 ed : large plains are seen to the east of the city, and between the 

 hills and the river two large jheels are visible from the hills. 



The vegetation almost entirely consists of low stunted, very ramous 

 shrubs, and these are generally thorny. Not a tree visible except 

 Bombax and Tamarindus, but this last is planted. A large subarbore- 

 ous Cactus, spinosus, ramis 4 angulis, is common. Noticed four species 



