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Pak Priau, above which point the navigation of the river becomes more difficult owing to the number and the size of the rapids, he walked to Petawi for the purpose of vis- iting another famous pagoda.

Mouhot subsequently returned down river to Bangkok, whence he travelled by Chinese junk to Chantabun, ex- ploring the islands lying off the coast and later the coun- try in the vicinity of his new headquarters. He also made a short journey into the neighbouring province of Batambang, and on his return travelled down the coast. to Komput, in Kambodian territory. He visited Udong, the then capital of Kambodia, made a short stay at Pnom Penh, the present capital, and passing over the border into Annam spent three months among the wild tribes called Stiens, who occupy the Brelam country. After this he returned once more to Udong, ascended the branch of the Great Lake which joins the Mekong at Pnom Penh, and explored in detail the immense Khmer ruins of Angkor, which he was the first European to de- scribe minutely and with some pretence to scientific ac- curacy. This work accomplished, he passed a period of four months in the mountainous country of Pechaburi, thence returning overland to Bangkok, examining by the way some of the Khmer ruins in the province of Batam- bang,

During all these wanderings Mouhot had broken little new ground, for almost everywhere the ubiquitous Roman Catholic missionaries, Frenchmen of the wonderful Société des Missions Etrangères, had been before him; but on his return to Bangkok he set about making prep-