ON THK ROUTE FROM ASSAM TO AVA. 



137 



out. Generally speaking it is deep and the stream is not violent. 

 It appears to me to afford every facility for navigation ; in one or two 

 places troublesome shallows are met with, and in several places the 

 channel near the banks is impeded by rocks. It is only in 'the upper 

 defile, or Kioukdweng, that the navigation is during the rises of the 

 river dangerous, and at times impracticable. On our reaching Tsen- 

 bo, which is about 12 miles below the junction of the Mogoung river 

 with the Irrawaddi, the river continued to rise in a most rapid degree, 

 Mr. Bayfield ascertaining by measurement that it rose 16 inches an 

 hour. We were consequently compelled to push on, as we were 

 informed that the next day the defile would be impassable. The 

 Kioukdweng alluded to commences about two miles below Tsenbo, 

 the river becoming constricted from 1000 to 150 yards. The rush 

 of water was great, and was rendered fierce by rocks which exist 

 in the midst of the river. Still further within the defile the diffi- 

 culties were increased ; at one place the whole of the enormous body 

 of water rushes through a passage, and it is the only one, certainly 

 not exceeding 50 yards in width. The passage of this was really 

 fearful, for on clearing it we were encountered by strong eddies, back- 

 waters and whirlpools, which rendered the boat nearly unmanagable. 

 These scenes continued, varied every now and then by an expanded 

 and consequently more tranquil stream, until a gorge is passed, well 

 known by the name of the " Elephant and Cow," two rocks which are 

 fancifully supposed to resemble the above named animals ; the defile 

 then becomes much wider, and the waters flow in a tranquil and rather 

 sluggish manner. The depth of the river in this defile is, as may be 

 supposed, immense ; Mr. Bayfield ascertained during his passage up, 

 at a season when the waters were low, that in many places no bot- 

 tom was to be found at a depth of 45 fathoms. The necessity of this 

 enormous depth is at once evident, and is pointed out by the con- 

 figuration of the banks, which are in many places sheer precipices. 

 Two other defiles exist between Bamo and Ava, of these the middle 

 or second is the shortest, in both the steam flows sluggishly, and 

 there is no impediment whatever to navigation. In these the depth 

 is great, but owing to their greater width, much less so than in the 

 upper. 



The temperature of the waters of the Irrawaddi is as usually 

 obtains, except during the rises of the river caused by the melting of 

 snow, when it is higher than usual. 



t 



