TO THE COURT OF AY A. 
61 
each other by the large island of Balu. The con¬ 
fluence of the rivers before this bifurcation forms 
a sheet of water, interspersed with many green 
islets, five or six miles in breadth, and having all 
the appearance of a picturesque and beautiful lake. 
The view of this landscape, one of the finest 
pieces of scenery in India or in any other country, 
is seen to most advantage from the high hills 
immediately over the town of Martaban. 
The Ataran is the smallest, but the deepest, of 
the three principal rivers ; and instead of coming 
from the north, like the Saluen and Gain, its 
course is from south-east to north-west. We 
began to ascend it at half-past two o’clock; and 
after running, by estimate, about twenty-seven 
miles, stopped for the night at a range of hills 
called Ni-daong. 
Jan . 28.—The river passes through the Ni- 
daong hills : the principal part of the range, which 
is small, being on the right bank of the river, 
which, in fact, washes its base. This is one of 
many ranges of blue mountain limestone, inter¬ 
spersed through the plains of Martaban. The 
range rises to the height of not less than three hun¬ 
dred feet abruptly from the plain; its sides being 
often quite perpendicular, and wooded wherever 
there is the least hold for the soil to settle. We 
landed last night, but too late for investigation. 
Our visit was renewed, however, this morning; 
and, in a botanical point of view, our excursion 
