people; they occur on the brow of a hill: they are square, and of
various depth, the deepest being about 40 feet, the diameter not
exceeding three feet; the workmen ascending and descending by placing
their feet in holes made in two faces of the square. No props are used
to prevent the sides of the pits from falling in, the tenacity of the
soil rendering this precaution unnecessary. The instruments used, are
small wooden shovels, a wooden crow-bar tipped with iron for displacing
the soil or breaking the rocks, baskets for removing the substances so
displaced, buckets made of the bark of trees {128} for removing the water
which is met with in the deepest pits, and rude levers similar to those
used in Madras for the purposes of irrigation, for carrying the soil,
etc. from the pits to the surface; these however are only used in the
deeper pits, a hooked bamboo answering the purpose in the shallower ones.

The soil throughout the upper portion, and indeed for a depth of from 15
to 20 feet, is clayey and red: the remainder consists of a greyish-black
carbonaceous earth, increasing in density with the depth, and being very
hard at a depth of 40 feet. The amber occurs in both these, the clue to
its existence being the presence of small masses of lignite. The
searching occupies but very little time, as the presence of the lignite
is readily ascertained; all I saw dug out occurred as small irregular
deposits; it did not appear to be abundant. The people appear to have no
guide for the selections of favourable spots on which to commence their
operations; but having once met with a good pit, they dig other pits all
around, and often within a distance of two feet from the first one sunk.

I could not succeed in procuring a single fine specimen; indeed the
workmen denied having found any of value during the last six years! It
is an article in great request among the Chinese and Singphos; at the
pits, however, it is not high priced, and a first rate pair of ear-rings
are procurable at Meinkhoong for 5 tickals; in Assam 10 rupees are
occasionally given. Meinkhoong is annually visited by parties of Shan-
Chinese, for the purpose of procuring this mineral; the caravan at the
time I passed this village had returned, and I believe was met by Mr.
Bayfield. There was a small party of Lupai Singphos from the East of the
Irrawaddi, consisting of a Tsonba and six or seven followers still
waiting for a supply.

The spot occupied by pit