92 
JOURNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
steep, and indeed generally almost perpendi¬ 
cular. The land consists of a succession of 
little hills, crowded upon each other, with fre¬ 
quent ravines, and no plains or valleys. The 
trees are of stunted growth, and thinly scatter¬ 
ed, leaving the bare sand frequently exposed. 
At Wet-ma-sut we examined the rock, and 
found it, as before, composed of sandstone. 
At one o’clock, a strong current being against 
us, we reached the village of Re-nan-k’hyaung, 
usually pronounced Ye-nan-gyaung. This com¬ 
pound word means literally 44 odorous water 
rivuletbut Re-nan is the term applied to 
the petroleum, or earth oil, of which this vil¬ 
lage is the mart. About two miles before 
reaching Re-nan-k’hyaung, Dr. Wallich, Dr. 
Stewart, and Ineutenant Coxe, landed, and 
walked along the narrow beach until close to 
the village, and succeeded in procuring some 
interesting and remarkable specimens of petri¬ 
factions. Some of these resembled stalactites, 
and were only incrustations of sand, of the 
form of the substance which composed the ma¬ 
trix, being of a soft and loose texture. Ry far 
the greater number consisted of masses of wood 
of considerable size, impregnated with chert, or 
horn-stone. In these, not only the external 
form, but the appearance of the fibre and bark, 
