Capt. Baker defcribes the country bordering on the Ava river, from the fea to Lundfey, as being very flat, and the foil rich; and, I suppose, like that at the lower parts of the courfes of the Ganges, Indus, and other capital rivers, formed out of the mud depofited by the inundations of the river. This low tract is named Pegu, and formed an independent kingdom in 1754, when it was reduced by the King of Burmah, to the state of a dependent province. Burmah borders on Pegu to the north, and occupies both banks of the river as far as the frontiers of China. On the northwest is Meckley, which we have before taken notice of: and on the west Aracan (or Reccan) and Rofhaan. On the east, it has the kingdom or country of Upper Siam; which, Capt. Baker informs us, begins at a small distance eastward from the city of Ava; a ridge of mountains feparating it from Burmah and Pegu. The King of Burmah, whofe capital is Ava*, and from whence the whole kingdom, tho' erroneoufly, is often denominated, is faid to poffefs not only the country of Meckley, in addition to those of Pegu and Burmah; but also the whole tract which lies on the north of it, between China, Thibet, and Affam. Du Halde's map fpeaks pofitively, as to this point, but with what truth I know not, as I have never been able to gain any information on the subject. Capt. Baker informs us, that the country of Burmah, adjacent to the banks of the Irabatty, or Ava river, between Pegu and Monchaboo, is in fome places hilly, and in other flat; but not fo low as to fuffer inundations. Its produce is, in most respects, nearly the fame as that of the countries contiguous to the Ganges; and, it is remarkable, that the lands which produce the greatest quantity of Saltpetre, are much about the fame distance from the fea, as those of the fame nature on the fide of the Ganges. The country of Burmah produces the best Teek † Timber in India. N * Although Ava is reckoned the capital, yet we find that Monchaboo was the refidence of the King in 1755. + This wood, which may not improperly be ftyled Indian Oak, is for the purposes of fhipbuilding in warm climates, of much longer duration than the European Oak. Teek fhips of 40 India. The forefts which produce this most useful and valuable article, are fituated between the western bank of the Ava river, and the country of Aracan; and are only 250 miles from the sea, by the course of the river. The Sanpoo, or Thibet river, was fuppofed by M. D'Anville to be the fame with that which is called, in the lower part of its course, the river of Ava: but we have now little doubt of its being the fame with the Burrampooter, which enters Bengal on the northeast, and joins the Ganges near the fea. It was traced by me in 1765, to about 400 miles above the conflux; that is, as high as the latitude of 26°, longitude 91°; where the Bengal districts end, and thofe of Affam begin: but I was not permitted to go any higher. However, fome few Europeans, engaged in the Goalparah trade, and amongst others, M. Chevalier, the late Governor of Chandernagore, by permiffion of the King, went as high up as the capital of Affam, about the year 1762: but was under a confiderable degree of restraint, with respect to making remarks, either on the course of the river, or on the country. As M. Chevalier, however, went on a very large embarkation, we are convinced that the river is navigable for large boats, through a space about equal to the distance of Buxar from the fea; that is, between 600 and 700 miles. It may probably be navigable much higher up; though its navigable courfe cannot be equal to that of the Ganges; this flowing chiefly through a level country, and the Burrampooter through a mountainous one.. I have placed the capital of Affam, Ghergong *, 160 G. miles nearly E. b N. from Goalparah, according to the report of the. Affamers. They alfo informed me, that the Burrampooter has a very long courfe previous to its entering Affam; and that it comes from the N. W. thro' the Thibet mountains. Now the Lama's 40 years old and upwards, are no uncommon objects in the Indian feas; whilst a European built ship is generally ruined before fhe has continued there five years. Called fometimes Kirganu. map map of Thibet in Du Halde, describes the courfe of the Sanpoo, to within 120 G. miles of the affumed fituation of the capital of Affam and still nearer to fome parts of the Burrampooter that are known, and have been described by the Affamers. : These facts, together with those respecting the Ava river and Nou Kian, establish (I think) the strongest prefumptive proof poffible of the Sanpoo and Burrampooter being one and the fame river, under different names *: and pofitive proof can never be obtained, but by actually tracing them; a circumstance unlikely ever to happen to any Europeans, or their dependants. Some difficulty arifes in fixing the pofition of Laffa, the capital of Great Thibet. We have the history of the Lamas' map in Du Halde, which is not altogether favourable to its character; especially in the parts towards the fource of the Sanpoo and Ganges. A close examination of its particulars, turns out ftill more unfavourable to it. For inftance, the place where the Ganges enters the plains of Hindooftan, is placed under the 28th degree of latitude; tho' it is known by our late obfervations, to be in about 30°. With respect to the longitude, we have no grounds, on which to form an exact comparison; but we may conclude generally that the distance between Laffa and Hurdwar is near 2 degrees of longitude less than it ought to be: I mean, provided that Laffa be near its true position with respect to Pekin, in the Lama's map †. With respect to Hurdwar, the proof is pofitive of its being 2 degrees farther to the fouth than it ought to be; and this furnishes a ftrong prefumptive one, that all the western parts of the map, are faulty in the fame proportion: and that the fources of the Ganges and Sanpoo, instead of being between the 29th and 30th degrees of latitude; are, in fact, between the 31ft and 32d. Nor am I fingular in this opinion: for M. D'Anville found it neceffary • The interval between the known part of the Sanpoo and that of the Burrampooter, is defcribed by dotted lines. + Laffa, in the Lamas' map is about 24° 17' weft from Pekin, or 91° 40′ east from Greenwich. to make the very alterations both in latitude and longitude, which I have been fuggefting. And I fhould be wanting in candour, and in respect to his memory, fhould I forbear to do justice to his nice difcernment in placing the entry of the Ganges into Hindoostan, by inference from Delhi, almost in the very spot where I have now placed it, by actual furvey. But M. D'Anville, ignorant of the respective positions of Bengal and Laffa, adopted the latitude of the latter place, given in the Lamas' chart: that is to fay, about 29° 35'. Father Giorgi, who travelled to Laffa from Bengal (and whofe route is expreffed in my map) fays the latitude * of Laffa is about 30 degrees and a half;' and by what follows, it can hardly be in a lower parallel. The late Mr. George Bogle, who was fent by the Governor of Bengal on an embaffy to the Grand Lama of Thibet in 1774, travelled by way of Coos-Beyhar, Taffafudon, and Paridrong, to Chanmanning, the then refidence of the Lama, and nearly in the fame parallel of latitude with Laffa. Unfortunately, very little geographical information was furnished by this journey; unless the bare account of the number of days he was on the road between the two laft places, may be deemed fuch. However, this information, such as it is, joined with other circumstances, helps to affure us that Laffa is farther to the north, than the Lama's map. represents it for Taffafudon, the capital of Bootan †, is by the accounts of the Bootanners, about 46 G. miles horizontal distance from Luckiduar, in a direction nearly north; and Luckiduar being. in 26° 56′, Tassasudon cannot be in less than 27° 43'. Paridrong ‡, is a confiderable way beyond that, and may be fuppofed to be in 28 degrees at least: but the Lamas' map places it in 27°; making an error of a whole degree of latitude. This place and the chain * Vide Alphabetum Thibetanum. + Thibet and Bootan are often confounded together. The latter is properly a feudatory, or dependency of the former, and borders on Bengal. 1 Called Paridfong in the Lamas' map. of of mountains near it, have been regarded as the common boundary between Thibet and Bengal: but Mr. Bogle has cleared up this matter, by affuring us that Paridrong is the frontier town of Thibet towards Bootan, and not towards Bengal. And we have before afcertained that Bootan occupies an interval of at leaft a degree of latitude between Bengal and Thibet. Thus, I flatter myself, this difcuffion refpecting the fituation of Paridrong, joined to the information of P. Giorgi, will convince the reader, that the latitude of Laffa, if not perfectly right in my map is, at least, nearer the truth than it has usually been represented. Its longitude is taken from the Lamas' map, in which it is reckoned 24° 17′ west from Pekin, or 91° 40′ caft from London. Had the bearings and latitudes of Mr. Bogle's route been taken, we should not only have been able to determine the pofition of Laffa, with fome degree of accuracy (as the direction of the road is fo much to the north) but also most of the intermediate places. Mr. Bogle was fixteen days on the road from Paridrong to Chanmanning. The distance affigned between these places in the Lamas' map, is about 167 G. miles of horizontal distance; and this diftance I have adopted in my map. The fouthernmost ridge of the Bootan mountains, rifes near a mile and half perpendicular, above the plains of Bengal, in a horizontal distance of only 15 miles; and from the fummit, the astonished traveller looks back on the plains, as on an extensive ocean beneath him. There are not many paffes thro' this ridge, and all are fortified. The fort of Dellamcotta, which commands. the principal país, was taken by storm in 1773 ; and the fame of this exploit made the Thibetians fue for peace; and was the immediate occafion of Mr. Bogle's embaffy. The road between Bengal and Taffafudon, lies chiefly over the fummits of stupendous mountains, or along the borders of craggy precipices; fo that the * * By a detachment under the command of Capt. John Jones.. direc |