nce of this last portion, which
however is too short a time, the entire distance may be performed in
forty days.

CHAPTER VIII.

_Notes made on descending the Irrawaddi from Ava to_
_Rangoon_.

_28th May_.--I left Ava and halted about two miles above Menboo.

_29th May_.--Continuing the journey, the country appears flat with
occasionally low hills as about Kioukloloing, no large villages occur;
the river is sub-divided by churs; no large grasses to be seen, and the
vegetation is arid. Bombax is the chief tree: Mudar and Zizyphus occur:
Guilandina, Crotolaria a large Acanthacea, and a Jasminioides shrub are
the most common plants: Borassus is abundant: Fici occur about villages.
The banks are generally sandy, not high.

Yandebo. This is a wretched village; barren plains bounded to the east
by barren rather elevated hills; base jungly. Observed the tree under
which the treaty was signed with the Burmese at the close of the late
war. It is an ordinary mango, near a pagoda on a plain with two large
fig trees. I counted to-day 28 boats sailing up between this and our
halting place of yesterday, mostly large praows. The banks present few
trees, are flat, barren, and from being occasionally overflowed, adapted
to paddy.

Halted at Meengian, which is a middling sized village on the left bank,
about a mile below Tarof myoo.

_30th May_.--I made an excursion into the country which is dry, barren,
and sandy, with a descent towards the banks of the river. Zizyphus,
Acacia, Euphorbia 20 feet high, Calotropis, Capparis 2, etc., occur all
the same as before, only one Ehretiacea appears to be new. Hares are
very common. Likewise red and painted Partridges, and Quail. Carthamus
and Tobacco are cultivated, specially the latter at Meengian. The most
common tree here, is Urticea procera? which has always a peculiar
appearance. The country towards Pukoko becomes prettier, the left bank
wooded, and the ground sloped very gradually up to Kionksouk, which is
barren, and 2,000 feet high at least, with the slopes covered with
jungle.

_31st May_.--Passed Pagam, a straggling town of some size, famous for
its numerous old pagodas of all sorts. The surface of the country is
raviny, and the vegetation continues precisely the same. Below Pagam,
the range of low hills becomes very barren: altogether the country is
very uninteresting.

The low range of hills on the right bank is nearly destitute of
vegetation. The hill