May 8th.—Reached Katha at 6 P.M. Throughout the day saw little of interest. What we did see, gave evident tokens of disturbances,: villages deserted; dogs starved, howling piteously; canoes without owners. At one village a few miles below Kioukgit, our arrival caused much excitement, and a gun was fired off as a signal of alarm on our approach.
May 9th.—Katha is on the right bank of the Irrawaddi; it is situated on an eminence, and commands a fine view of a fine reach of the river; the situation indeed is excellent. It contains nearly 200 houses, but these are not of the better description. To the west is a fine chain of hills, the lowest ranges of which are distant about one mile and a half; the highest peaks are perhaps 1500 feet. No signs of alarm or disturbances are here visible, although part of the force that invested Kioukgit came from this village. We here learn the agreeable news that the country below is quiet, and that no robbers now infested the road. The Thogee is a fine looking young man; very polite. This village boasts of some pretty pagodas, well grouped, and a very fine Kiown, the workmanship of which astonished me, particularly the carving; it is built of teak, the posts being very stout, and very numerous. Several merchant boats left before us, apparently anxious for our escort.
Behind the town is a large plain used for the cultivation of paddy. Otherwise the jungle comes close to the houses, although the larger trees have been felled for firewood, etc.: the woods are dry, and tolerably open. In the morning I went out towards the hills; the chief timber trees are a fine Dipterocarpus, and a Hopea; Pentapetes likewise occurs; Terminalia Chebula. Gathered a fine Arum, somewhat like A. campanulatum. An arboreous Gardenia, as at Mergui; Myrtacea, Vitex, Bauhinia of yesterday; Randia, Andropogon aciculare; some stunted bamboos were likewise observed. Altogether Katha is the prettiest place I have yet seen. The river opposite it is confined to one bed, about 500 yards broad.
May 9th.—Left at 7 A.M., and reached the mouth of the Shwe Lee at 1 P.M.; the distance according to B. being sixteen miles. Passed a few villages, but none of any size; the houses of all continue of the same description. The river presents the same features. Salix continues. Sandbanks occupied by annual Compositæ occur, two Polygona, Campanula, a Ranunculus, much like that of Suddiya, a Labiata, Paronychia, two Spermacoces; Bombax occurs just below Katha; Salix and Rosa continue. Shwe Lee is a considerable river, at the mouth between 4 and 500 yards broad; but one-third of this is unoccupied by water, and the stream is not deep, although of the ordinary strength. Above, it narrows considerably.
7½ P.M. Temperature of the air 76°. Of Irrawaddi 74°.
May 9th.—Tsa-gaiya. This is a mean village on the left bank, about eighteen miles from Katha; it is close to a low range of hills, and occupies part of a plain, which is adapted for paddy cultivation. Near the village to the North, is a small jeel, covered to a great extent with a large Scirpus, Jussiæa, Azolla, Salvinia, etc. Water-fruits are abundant; round this paddy is cultivated, and they appear to cut it at this time. Low ground near the jeel is covered with a low, handsome Stravadium or Barringtonia, as well as a Xanthophyllum, resembling exceedingly in appearance a Leguminosa: the wood is hard. Calamus is also common. A handsome Nauclea occurs, and on the grassy margins of the plain a small Euphrasia is common.
During our stage I observed large quantities of Bombax, and a tree apparently the Beloe of Assam; the banks were either grassy or wooded, especially on the right bank, which is skirted entirely by hills of the same barren looking description. The grasses are all small compared with those of Assam.
May 10th.—Reached Tagoung late in the evening at 7½: distance thirty-two miles. The river continues the same; the hills on the left bank are much broken into ravines: all continue clothed with the same stunted vegetation.
May 11th.—Tagoung is a miserable village on the left bank; it occupies a rocky eminence, and contains less than 100 houses. It is the most inferior village I have yet seen, the streets being dreadfully dirty and the houses very mean. We visited an old pagoda, about a mile from the town, which is surrounded by an antique wall, much obscured by jungle, and more resembling a bund. On our route hither we landed at Thigan, a village containing about forty houses, and prettily situated at the foot of a hill of micaceous sandstone, on the right bank. At this place are the remains of a fort built by the Chinese, of slabs of the rock forming the hill. Similar remains exist at Myadoung, on the opposite bank, as I learn from Mr. Bayfield. I gathered a Sida, Capparis, Prionitis, Gnaphalium, and a Xanthoxylia petiolis alatis armata; an Adiantum grows between the slabs composing the wall. At Tsenkan I observed an Agave, a different Cactus, a fleshy Euphorbia; and an Ananassa is common all about.
About Tagoung the botany is varied, and interesting. I gathered about fifteen plants that had not occurred before, two Poæ, two Andropogons, a Zanthoxylum, and an Olax. The most interesting is an Apocynea, floribus infundibulifor. lamina reflexa, fauce squamis dentatis 10, serie duplici dispositis, interioribus petalis oppositis et majoribus, antheris, in conum stigma omnino coadunatis. Cotton cultivated here; plants taller than usual. The villages around are all forsaken owing to one of them having been attacked by Khukeens, and two men carried off. Hence the population at Tagoung, although usually scanty, is now much increased from adjoining places. A small river falls into the Irrawaddi immediately above Tagoung.