Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1837-05-31


My boat is sample of the smaller kind,
such as persons in moderate circumstan-
ces use for going from town to town, and
such as is greatly used in the small way
Of trade along the river 1t is a canoe
followed out Of single log, 46 feet long,
deepened by single plank fastened on
each side. At each end the wood is solid
for three or four feet, the stern standing
up out of water, The forward ha is
decked with bamboo and thatch AS Bur-
mans sit cross-legged on floor to row,
this accommodates them in using both
oars and poles. From the middle of the
boat, about twelve feet towards the stern is
covered with q thatch roof raised about
three feet making two apartments, one for
sleeping, and the other which contains q
table, chair, &c, serving as paror.-
The sides of the latter are made of LIGHT
mats, the upper half turning up for win
dow. The sleeping-room is but three feet
high, as baggage, food, &c must be kept
under it; but the floor of the sitting.room
being near the bottom of the boat, enables
us to stand up in it. Behind the rooms is
my kitchen, viz: shallow box filled with
earth; beneath it is wood and water
hanging at the sides is the hen-coop.
Round the rooms is an outrigger, to ena-
bic the men to pass back and forth with
out intruding on me. This last appen-
dage is not common to boats of this size.
Finding her 10 roll heavily, we fastened
at the water-mark bamboo, ten or eleven
inches in diameter, running nearly the
length of the boat The sail, which is of
course square, is fastened between two
bamboos, which stand up abeam of each
other, in the form Of the letter V.
Such is my home for much of this
rains" For the first few days, was so
cramped and incommoded with rain, heat
and mosquitoes, that it was difficult to do
anything in the way of study. But now
am completel y at ease. the mosquitoes
are left behind, my little matters are all
adjusted, and enjoy myself as we'll as l
could anywhere else. Especially is it a
great luxury to enjoy the entire command
of my time-a luxury for many years
almost unknown.
On the twenty-third of June, being
within a day or two of Prone, the mo-
notony of the unbroken level began 10 be
relieved by the occasional sight Of distant
hills; and soon they approached the river,
and gave us the novel sight of stones and
gravel. The rocks are caIcareous sand
stone and buccia, the gravel chiefly quartz.
Undulations now begin to appear in the
surface Of the country, and on the whole
the scenery was attractive. More delight
full weather could not be- A fine shower
or two nearly every day, lasts perhaps
half an hour, and the temperature varies
agreeably from eighty to eighty-6ve de-
grees in the day. descending two or three
degrees at night This for the hot sea-
son, as it now is, was much cooler than |
had expected. The banks now begin TO
be high, and dry enough to admit walking
along the shore, and | find it pleasant to
pass through the beautiful groves Of man
go, tamarind, and palm trees, which divide
the villages. Hitherto we have had viii
lagos in sight almost every moment
sometimes several at time. II is so, still
but on ascending the bank we find others
not visible from the boat, stretching along
mile back from the river. Beyond are
extensive paddy fields, with large herd:
OF buffaloes.
The river having risen thirty feet bov'
its lowest stage, and filling many chan
nels generally dry, we take these to avoit
the current, and glide about distributing
tracts among retired villages, general!
small, but sometimes consisting of severa
hundred houses. AS no missionary ha
gone up the river to give tracts in tn
rainy seasons, there is little doubt but tina
many of these people for the first tim
! received the knowledge of the true rel
gion. On the great river, we often fin
persons who have had tracts, and nov
utterly refuse them. But in these by-way'
: all receive them with G ladness.
| I feel especially anxious to furnish tn
boats with books. Coming out of ever
: creek, they will carry some knowledge
the eternal God to hundreds of village
: where no missionary is likely to penetrat
for years.
have been pleased 10 observe seVers
/ times late y, an ingenious, and to me no
= ell mode Of fishing. A score or more
e gourds are suffered to float down tn
e stream, from each of which depends
: hook and line. The fisherman in his IL
a tie canoe passes from one to another, ia!
), ing up what is caught, batting the hoo
9 &c.
5 A powerful southerly wind brought
il to Prone, (Pyee or Pe-emyu. as the n
10 tives call it, early on the afternoon OF II
ie oath, and gave us sufficient opportunity
ID viewing the city. For eight or MI
or miles the villages had been contiguou
:, some of them very large. We wake
W over good deal Of the city, which seen
is less than 400 houses and exhibits ever
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