Tea is found on hills to the east of Bamo, and at a distance of one day’s journey from that place.  Through the kindness of Mr. Bayfield, I was enabled to procure specimens; the leaves were decidedly less coarse, as well as smaller, than those of the Assamese plants, and they occurred both serrated and entire.  No use is made of the wild plants in this direction, and the Chinese at Bamo, asserted that it was good for nothing.  It must be remembered, however, that none of them had seen the plant cultivated in China.  Indeed the only real Chinaman we saw, was one at Kioukgyee, serving the Myoowoon as a carpenter:  this man had been to England twice, and talked a little English.

Cotton is, I was informed, extensively cultivated.

But the most valuable product is the Ruby, which is procured from hills to the eastward of Tsenbo, and which are, I believe, visible from the opposite town, Mala.  From the same place and to the SE., low hills are visible, from which all the marble in extensive use for the carving of images, is obtained; this marble has been pronounced by competent authority to be of first-rate quality.

Population.—­This must be considered as scanty.  From a list of towns and villages, observed by Captain Hannay, between Ava and Mogoung inclusive, I estimated the population at 100,000 souls, but from this one-third at least must be deducted.  In this estimate of the number of houses, Captain Hannay was probably guided, either by the Burmese census, or by the statement of the writer who accompanied him.  From the numbers given by this officer, in almost every case one-third, and occasionally one-half, or even more, must be deducted:  as instances, I may cite his statement of the number of houses in Bamo and Katha.

In almost every case Mr. Bayfield counted all the houses, and in all doubtful cases, I counted them also at his request, so that I am enabled to speak with great confidence on this point.

As a collateral proof of the scanty population of this extensive portion of the Burmese territory, I may allude to the fact that Bamo, the third place in Burmah, and the emporium of great part of an extensive Chinese trade, contains only even at the rate of seven souls to each house, which is two too many, 4,250 inhabitants.  The capital may be adduced as an additional instance; for including the extensive suburbs, no one estimated it as having a larger population than 100,000.  It must be remembered also, that there is no doubt, but that the banks of the Irrawaddi are more populous than any other portion of the kingdom.

Throughout the above rather long journey, we were treated, with one exception, tolerably well; indeed our delays arose from the unwillingness, real or pretended, of the authorities to forward us on while the country remained so unsettled.  The headman of Kamein on our first arrival was extremely civil, but on our return after he had received news of the revolt of the Tharawaddi, he behaved with great insolence, and actually drew his dha on Mr. Bayfield.  It must be remembered however that he had been brought to task by the Mogoung authorities for having, as it was said, accepted of a douceur for allowing us to proceed to the serpentine mines.