Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1837-03-15
o. S. MURRAY, ED1roR AND PRopR1EroR

, J. himself We slept generally in the
boat, stopping at shady villages to cook
our food, distribute tracts, &c.
The whole region Immediately above
Maulmein is alluvial the rocks chiefly
blue limestone of excellent quality. The
country is fat, fertile, and beautiful but
though once populous, is now thin y in
habited. The scenery is rendered 70.
mantle and peculiar by small mountains,
rising abruptly from the level fields to the
height of four, FIVE, and six hundred feet
the base scarcely exceeding the size Of
the summit. In most parts, trees and
shrubs cling to the sides; but here and
there the castellated and perpendicular
rocks project above the foliage, like the
turfets of some huge ruined tower. On
the SUBMITS Of many Of them, apparently
inaccessible to human feet, Boodhist zeal
has erected pagodNs, whose white forms,
conspicuous far and near, remind the
traveller every moment that he surveys
a region covered with the shadows of
spiritual death. Some of the smaller of
these hills, descended. My heart sicken-
ed as stood beside the dumb gods of this
deIuded people, looking down and around
on fine country, half pcopled by half
civilized tribes, enjoying but half the
blessings Of their delicious climate, borne
by whole generations to the chamber Of
death. They eat, and drink, and die
No inventions, no discoveries, no attain
ments, no enjoymt nts, are theirs but such
as have descended to them age by age :
and nothing is left to prove they have
been, but their decayed pagoJas, misshap-
en- gods and unblesssd graves.
Remarkable Cares.
Most Of these mountains contain caves,
some of them very large, which appear to
have been, from time immemoriaI, spe-
ciaIly devoted to religious purposes
The wealth and labor bestowed on these
are for themselves sufficient to prove how
great the population has been in former
ages. | visited, in these excursions, three
Of the most remarkable-one on the Dab
Gyeng, and two on the Salwen They
differed only in extent, and in the appa.
rent antiquity Of the idols they contained
Huge stalactiteS descend almost to the
floor in many places, while in other sta
lagmites of various magnitudes, and fan
tnstic shapes, were formed upon the floor
In each, the bats occupied the lofty re.
cesses of the ceiling, dwelling in deep and
everlasting twilight. In one they seemed
innumerabIe. Their ordurc covered the
bottom in some places to the depth o
many feet Throwing up some frag'
ments Of stone idols, we disturbed their
noon-tide slumbers, and the effect was
prodigious, The futter of their wing:
created a trembling or pulsation in the air
like that produced by the deep base note!
of a great organ. In the dusk of every
evening, they issue from the cave in I
thick column, which extends unbrokel
for miles. The natives all affirmed Thu
to be the case every evening and Mr.
Judson himself, being once here in tn
evening, with Major Crawford and others
saw the almost incredible fact
This cave has evidently been long de
serted, except that a single large mag
at the entrance is kept in repair, betor'
which were some recent offerings.
felt therefore no hesitation in carrying OF
some Of the images.
The last one we visited is on the Sa
wen, about fifteen or twenty miles abov
Maulmein. The entrance is at the boz
tom Of a perpendicular but uneven face
the mountain, enclosed in a strong brio
wall, which forms a large vestibuIe.-
The entrance 10 this enclosure is by
path, winding along the foot of the mour
tain, apd nothing remarkable strikes tn
eye till one passes the gate, where tn
attention is at once powerfully arreStet
Not only is the space within the wa
filled with images Of Gaudama Of ever
size, but the whole face Of the mountain
to the hight of eighty or ninety feet,
t covered with them. On every juItIn
, crag stands some marble image, coveTe
with gold, and spreading its uncouth Pre-
r portions to the setting sun. Every re
1 cess is converted into shrines for other
70 The smooth surfaces are covered by sma
{ fiat images in burnt clay, and set in stuC
co. Ofthesc last there arc literally tbOl
sands In some places they have falIe
= off with the plaster in which they wei
7 set, and lelt spots of naked rock, again
: which bees have built their hives und
( turbed. No where in the country have
: seen such display Of wealth, ingenult
!, and industry But imposing as is tn
2 spectacle, it shrinks to insigni6cance, cor
t pared to the scene which opens on Ell
S tering the cavern itself. 1t is of va
size, chiefly in one apartment, which nee
}, no human art to render it sublime. III
e eye is confused, and the heart appaiie
y at the prodigious exhibition of infatuatle
C and folly. Every where, on the fioo
Of over head, on the Jutting points, and
'e the hanging festoons of the roof a
y crowded together images of Gaudama-
the OFFERINGS Of Successive ages Son