TO THE COURT OF AVA. 
229 
there are few parallels in any country. It falls 
into the sea by not less than fourteen different 
channels. 
The Kyen-dwen river, much inferior in size 
to the Irawadi, appears to have its origin in the 
mountains of Assam. It falls into the Irawadi in 
the latitude of 20° 35', after running over five 
degrees of latitude in a course nearly south. 
The Burman territory contains a great many 
lakes. Those in the lower provinces are nume¬ 
rous, but small. According to the native state¬ 
ments rendered to Captain Alves, there appear to 
be in the province of Bassein alone about one 
hundred and twenty-seven. The lakes of the 
upper country are much larger, and we had an 
opportunity of seeing several ourselves of consi¬ 
derable extent. There appears to be one, about 
twenty-five miles in a north-west direction from 
the capital, which is above thirty miles in length ; 
but this is the largest in the country. 
The Burman territory has about two hundred 
and forty miles of sea-coast, extending from the 
Cape of Negrais to that of Kyai-kami, or the 
new settlement of Amherst. The whole of this 
is low, marshy, and broken by at least twenty 
channels of rivers or arms of the sea. The greater 
number of these, exposed without protection to 
the open sea, and choked by sandbanks, are unfit 
for navigation. There are but three harbours; 
that of Martaban, of Rangoon, and Bassein, Of 
