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JOURNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
CHAPTER VIL 
Geographical Description—Limits and Extent.—General aspect. 
—Rivers—Lakes-Sea-coast and Harbours.—Civil Divisions. 
—Towns.—Population.—British Conquests.—Arracan, Mar¬ 
taban, Ye, Tavoy, and Mergui. 
The correct limits and real extent of the Bur¬ 
mese dominions are, as may well be supposed, un¬ 
known to Europeans ; and, in general, I have 
nothing better than probable conjecture to offer 
on this important subject. The extreme Western 
limits may be described as extending as far as the 
93° of east longitude, and the extreme Eastern as 
far as about 98° 40'. The utmost Southern limits 
are in latitude 15° 45' north, and the extreme 
Northern, probably between 26 ° and 27 °• The ex¬ 
treme breadth of the country, therefore, comprises 
better than 5^° of longitude, and the extreme 
length, about 11° of latitude. We may conjecture 
that the area is, in round numbers, about 184,000 
square miles, English. The present Burmese do¬ 
minions are bounded to the South by the sea ; to 
the West by Arracan, and by the petty states of 
Cassay, or Kath£, and Assam, or Athan; to the 
North and North-east by the Chinese province of 
