Halted above Sheemnaga to look at Gaudama’s foot, a piece of workmanship contained in a pagoda; it is a very large foot, with a central circular impression.  This is about a mile below Endawka.  Sheemnaga never contained more than 400 houses, I counted upwards of 180, and although extensive traces of fire, and of new houses existed, I should reckon it to have contained only about 300.  At the Pagoda I gathered a curious Rutaceous-looking decandrous thorny tree, with foliis bijugis.

Reached Mengoon about 7 P.M.  Landed at the commencement of the sandstone hills, which in some places assume the form of cliffs:  texture very loose.  They are full of holes, and abound with blue rock Pigeons.  Gathered a Murraya.  Trichodesma indicus and Compositae, Asclepiadea, Calotropis gigantea, and a curious Arenariod-looking plant.

May 15th.—­Mengoon boasts of a huge unfinished Pagoda, consisting as it now stands of an immense square brick mass, surrounded by four fine broad raised terraces; it would have been, had it been finished, upwards of 700 feet high.  The dome was to have been with angular sides.  Height 170 feet; the basement, as may be supposed, is immense.  The plan or model of it was first built in a small adjoining grove to the south, by the grandfather of the present king.  The whole kingdom must have been occupied in its erection.  The entrance to it is guarded by two huge Griffins.  Several large bells lie close to it.  The country around is hilly; the hills low, raviny, and clothed with stunted vegetation.  Beautiful topes exist along the river bank, between this and the cliffs before alluded to; consisting chiefly of fine mango trees, noble Fici likewise occur.  About Mengoon, Jatropha Curcas is common.  Gymnemea, Calatropis gigantea, and Argemone abound.  We found a Pergularia, Lippia, Zyzyphus, and one or two small Euphorbiaceae.  The soil is dry, sandy, and barren.

We reached Ava about 1 o’clock.

May 21st.—­Went to Tsegai on an excursion:  the hills in this vicinity are low, none exceeding 300 or 400 feet, dry and barren, chiefly composed of grey carbonate of lime, and in some places Kancha occurs.  Pagodas are very numerous, but none are very large, or bearing the stamp of great age.  A fine view of country is however afforded:  large plains are seen to the east of the city, and between the hills and the river two large jheels are visible from the hills.

The vegetation almost entirely consists of low stunted, very ramous shrubs, and these are generally thorny.  Not a tree visible except Bombax and Tamarindus, but this last is planted.  A large subarboreous Cactus, spinosus, ramis 4 angulis, is common.  Noticed four species of Capparis, and the following plants, Barleria, Prionitis, Tamarindus, AEgle, Zizyphus, Cocos; Borassus, Bixa, Cordia, Punica, Ricinus, Melia Azederak; Citrus Cassia, near houses and on the hills; Euphorbia 2, Ximenia, Cleome, Boerhaavia, Adhatode,