24 
JOURNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
a considerable depth to coal and fossil shells. Of 
the latter, we unfortunately could obtain no spe¬ 
cimens ; but of the former, which proved to be 
brown coal, we obtained one or two good ones at 
the village of Renangyun. The oil drawers stated 
to us, that in clearing out old wells accidents some¬ 
times happened from the fire-damp, and they 
pointed out a particular well at which two men 
had lost their lives from this cause. 
January 3, 1827.—The steam-boat was got 
afloat on the forenoon of the 1st, with the as¬ 
sistance of three hundred Burmans, who may be 
said to have dragged her off the sand-bank by 
main force, and after lightening her by cutting 
off the whole of her poop, discharging all the bag¬ 
gage, and landing some of the heaviest parts of 
her machinery. The detention occasioned by all 
this, afforded us opportunities of examining the 
country in the vicinity of the Petroleum Wells, 
of which we availed ourselves to the fullest ex¬ 
tent. Our search after fossil bones was successful 
far beyond our expectation. As soon as the na¬ 
tives discovered our curiosity upon the subject, 
specimens were brought in to us every hour, so 
that we at last obtained a collection amounting to 
several large chests. Among these we could re¬ 
cognize those of several ruminant animals, of tor¬ 
toises, and alligators. The most numerous and 
remarkable, however, were the bones of an animal 
of the size of an elephant, which, until better in- 
