April 18th.—­Halted up to this date, waiting for information especially regarding the army at Tsenbo.

In this place two fragrant Dipterocarpeae are found; as also Bixa, Tamarindus, and Carthamus, which last is cultivated and used both for food and dyeing.  About the Poongie houses some remarkable Fici occur, the trunk being divided so low down as to give the idea of a group of several trees.  The roots in addition are made to spread over the conical mounds, thrown up at their bases.

A race of wild-looking short men, called Lupai Khakoos, inhabit this vicinity, wearing a jacket, and dark-blue cloth with an ornamented border, worn with the ends overlapping in front.  They wear garters of the Suwa.  Their hair is worn either long or cropped, and a beard is also occasionally worn by the elders.

In this place very few regular Chinese are to be found, and the few that are here seen, are ultra-provincials; none are acquainted with the manufacture of tea.  This article is procurable here, but at a high rate; it is sold in flat cakes of some diameter; it is black, coarse, with scarcely any smell, and in taste not much superior to the Assamese article; 20 tickals weight sells for 1.25.  All the blue cloths of the Shans are dyed, Bayfield informs me, with Ruellia, or jungle indigo.

It is with these people that the only trade seems to be carried on, and this is limited to amber and serpentine.  They are very dirty, and excessively penurious, but industrious.  Owing to their habits and extreme penury, there is no outlet for our manufactures in this direction; so that I fully agree with Hannay’s statement, that 500 rupees worth of British goods would be unabsorbed for some years.  Rosa is common, also a Rumex; a Sisymbroid plant also occurs.  Among the trees, all which are stunted, Gmelina arborea occurs.  There are some Assamese slaves here among the people, one of them is said to be a relation of Chundra Kant, the Suddiya chief:  slaves are held in very small estimation with the Burmese.  Thus Bayfield asked his writer, who such a one standing near him was, whether a Shan or Singpho?  The man answered, “My lord, it is not a man; it is a Waidalee.”

Altogether, Mogoung is an uninteresting place; the surrounding plains are barren-looking, and inhospitable, and clothed with grass.  Here and there a ragged Nauclea, Careya, etc. is visible with Gmelina arborea.  The undershrubs are chiefly a Rhamnoidea, and a Phyllanthus.  Rosa is common; Rumex and Nasturtium are both met with.

News arrived yesterday evening to the effect, that the King is drowned, the heir-apparent in the palace:  and that Colonel Burney is with Thurrawadi!!!

My collections up to this place amount to 900 species.

April 19th.—­Left at 12, and halted after having gone about four miles.  The river continues the same as above; it is a good deal impeded by trees, and much more so by sandbanks.