Luttora is not so large as Nsas; formerly the Luttora Gam was the chief of all this soil, but he has been partly deserted by two bodies of men who have respectively chosen Nsas and Htan-tsantan.

The Gam visited me in the evening at our halting place on the Ponlong; he is a large, coarse, heavy-looking man, nearly blind, and excessively dirty.  He proposed of himself to me, to become the Company’s ryott in accordance with the wish, he said, of the Dupha Gam; but when I told him he ought to send or go to the Suddiya Sahib, or Political Agent, he said he wanted to see the Dupha first:  he was accompanied by a very loquacious oldish man, who had just returned from Hook-hoom, to which place he had gone with the Dupha.  They left apparently not much pleased at my being empty handed.

Dec. 5th.—­Left at 6.5, reached the Muttack Panee about 8.5, having come through much heavy bamboo jungle; we then ascended the dry bed of the Muttack, and ascended after some time the Minaboom.  This was most tedious, as we continued along the ridge for two hours; we then commenced our descent, but did not reach the Meera Panee much before 1 P.M.  Down this we came here, and then along some curious chasms in the sandstone, and encamped about 3.  The difference of soil between the Minaboom and the Mishmee hills is most obvious; on the N.E. declivity there is much soil; but on the opposite side little but rounded stones which supply the place of soil, and in places we saw nothing but sandstone conglomerate? or indurated soil with many boulders imbedded in it, and a blackish greasy clay slate; while on the Mishmees, on the contrary, all is rock, hard and harsh to the touch; or where loose stones do occur on the face of the hills, they are all angular.  The vegetation of sandstone is likewise far more varied; and that of the Meera Panee district, abounds in ferns, among which is Polypodium Wallichianum.  The Tree-fern of Kujing I observed in the Muttack, Sedgwickia in Minaboom, two Magnoliaceae, one bracteis persistent, induratis, and a Dipterocarpus.  The chief vegetation of the ridge consists of grasses, among which bamboo holds a conspicuous place.  A Begonia was common along the Muttack.  The Meera Panee would well repay a halt of two or three days.

At our halting place we met four Burmese, despatched by the Maum, {51} who has arrived at Beesa on a visit to the Luttora Gam.

Dec. 6th.—­Reached Beesa after a sharp march of six hours.  Our course lay at first down the Meera Panee; here I observed more of the Polypodium Wallichianum, which is common throughout the Singfo hill country, and appears to be used as grog, at least the juice of the petioles.  We then diverged to the westward through heavy jungle, and the remainder of our march consisted of uninteresting dense jungle, water-courses, and excessively low places.  Observed Sabia in some of the jungles; the only interesting plants gathered were an Impatiens and two or three Acanthaceae.  About 2.5 P.M. we came on the Noa Dihing, which is now nearly dry, the water having flowed into the Kamroop.  No boat, not even a dak boat, can come near Beesa.  It is obvious that this river here never presented any depth, both banks being very low; the bed consists of small hard boulders.