5 78 , Cox's Burmhan Empire. 
dress was a small fillet or handkerchief 
round the head, an open jamma* of 
fine white cloth, and a lungeef of silk 
plaid pattern, of the country manufac¬ 
ture; the texture, apparently, very 
good, and the colours, green, red, or 
blue, were vivid, and well fixed; the 
lobes of their ears also were perforated, 
with spiral gold rings in them ; they 
had each of them their separate atten¬ 
dants, with red lacquered boxes, con¬ 
taining their betel and cheroots (&r su¬ 
gars.) and an earthen goblet of water; 
the attendants, however, remained on 
deck. Tire crews in the boats were in ge¬ 
neral robust men, in gait, manners, and 
appearance, similar to their superiors, 
some small allowance being made for 
the hardihood of rusticity; they were 
also much darker-skinned, the natural 
effect of constant exposure in their la¬ 
borious vocation. A Chekoy also came 
on hoard much about the same time, 
in a common boat; he is in the war 
department, and is superior to the other 
two. He was a corpulent middle-aged 
man, rather shabbily dressed; but it 
appears he was despatched in a hurry 
to our assistance, in consequence ot 
our having grounded on entering the 
river, whereas the others had been 
waiting for me two days. The Chekoy 
had the same apparatus as the others 
for his betel, cheroots, &c., with the 
addition of a silver pheekdawn.f After 
chatting nearly an hour in the cabin, 
during which they chewed betel, 
smoked cheroots, and drank water, we 
adjourned to the deck ; and in half an 
hour more they desired leave to retire 
to their boats and put off. Their ques¬ 
tions were trivial, and their observa¬ 
tions mostly complimentary ; but they 
asked in particular after Captain Symes, 
and the gentlemen of the late embassy. 
This river is one of the finest for 
shipping 1 have ever seen. It is about 
six hundred yards wide at Rangoon, 
the water in general deep from shore 
to shore, the bottom good, and current 
moderate; how much the tide rises I 
have not yet learnt, but it must he very 
high, as ships of eight hundred or nine 
hundred tons can dock. 
* Jamma is a kind of loose jacket, gene¬ 
rally made of muslin, and tied or buttoned 
on one side of the breast. 
■f The lungee goes round the loins, two 
or three times, and is then brought between 
the legs, with one end hanging down in 
front. 
^ Pheekdawn, a vase made of brass or 
silver, for spitting into. 
The town has a rude appearance from 
the river, being composed of straggling 
huts of cadjan and bamboo, raised on 
piles close to ihe waters edge, slips for 
building Ships, and mud docks. Some 
few tiled houses are seen among the 
trees within the siockade, and the root 
of the custom-house is raised two stories 
in the Chinese style; part of the timber 
stockade, which encloses what is called 
the fort, is seen towards the river; and 
near the flag-staff is a very good wooden, 
pier, with a crane, and steps for land¬ 
ing goods, &c. 
ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY, 
October 23. For the first time, I to¬ 
day rode into the country, and found it 
agreeably diversified, with gentle ris¬ 
ings and slopes; and from the site of 
an old pagoda, I had a commanding 
view of the country for many miles 
round ; the Martaban mountains form¬ 
ing a boundary to the N.E., the valleys 
in general being cleared for paddy- 
grounds ; to the southward and west¬ 
ward of the river (the meander mgs of 
which are seen for many miles) is 
an extensive plain of paddy-grounds 
bounded by deep forests. The soil of 
the valleys is a sandy loam, covered 
with fine luxuriant pasture of grass 
highly nutritive, as is evinced, by the 
appearance of the cattle, which are as 
large and in as good condition as I have 
ever seen in any part of India. The 
soil of the knolls, or little hills, ap¬ 
peared to he a red loam mixed with 
sand, on a basis of red rock, that seems 
to have undergone the action of vol¬ 
canic fire. It is friable, and broken on 
the surface into gravel, and seems to 
contain a large portion of irptk The 
roads at present are very indifferent, 
but might very easily be rendered good 
and fit for carriages. In the vicinity 
of the town are several orchards of 
fruit-trees, and many pleasant situa¬ 
tions for building. The air is pure and 
elastic, and as yet I have not found the 
heat oppressive. The general salubrity 
of the air is best evinced by its effects ; 
the inhabitants, male and female, are 
a hale robust race; and strangers in 
general preserve their health, or recover 
soon if they arrive sick. 
NATX VE PROCESSION. 
November 14. I rode out to the great 
pagoda to see a procession of the na¬ 
tives. Fortunately my poyzah (or sircar) 
has a house close to the stairs leading 
from the great avenue to the pagoda. 
There I had carpets spread, and chairs 
placed for myself and Mr. Burnet, and. 
commanded 
