T6 
Dr Hamilton on a Map of the country 
Ajit. VS^.-^Account of a Map of the country north front Ava. 
By Francis Hamilton, M. D. F. R. S. & F. A. S. Lond. 
& Edin. With a Map. Communicated by the Author. 
During a visit of ceremony from one of the secretaries of 
state (Zaredogri) to the British resident, while we were at Am- 
arapura, I had an opportunity of forming an acquaintance with 
a relation of that officer, who was a native of Taunu. This 
person, a mild and well behaved man, afterwards visited me to 
obtain information respecting Bengal, and in return gave me 
several draughts of the country. He was not sO intelligent 
and quick as the slave who gave me the general map already 
published, (Edin. Phil. Jour. No. III.) ; but he was not so ti- 
mid, having powerful connections ; and, after I began to .be 
satisfied with his performances, did not think it necessary to ex- 
punge his writings. In this, however, he used many contrac- 
tions, so that, without the assistance of the person I found at 
Calcutta, I should have been unable to make out the spelling of 
many names at full length. 
This personas first attempts, as might be expected, were very 
rude. He began at a given place, say his native city, and, go- 
ing on in a certain direction, he laid down the places occurring, 
until his paper afforded no more room. He then twisted round 
his line, until he completed the route with which he had com- 
menced. Then he returned to the first point, and commencing 
with a second route, proceeded in the same manner, and con- 
tinued so on until he traced the whole of what he intended. The 
remote parts were thus distorted in a most extraordinary degree. 
After some pains, however, he improved much, and produced the 
map, now published on a reduced scale. (SeePLATElI.) Although 
this is very superior to his first attempts, it is not quite free from 
the errors into which he at first fell. The rivers are marked by 
double lines as in our maps. Mountains are represented by 
waved single lines^ surmounted by rude delineations of trees, 
good deal in the style of Chinese procelain ; ^nd I have reason 
to think, that, like the Chinese artists, he has given to each kind 
a sort of appropriate form, although the resemblance is by no 
means striking to a botanist, and I am not prepared to point out 
