In 1827, following the First Anglo-Burmese War, John Crawfurd was chosen to travel to Burma (now Myanmar) on a diplomatic mission to the court of King Bagyidaw at Ava (now Inwa). Travelling up the Irrawaddy River from Rangoon (now Yangon), Crawfurd recorded his journey and his time spent in Ava. This book contains a narrative of the mission and is illustrated with several hand-coloured plates. While delayed due to ongoing repairs to his paddle steamer, Crawfurd began collecting natural history specimens and fossils, which he sent to London and Calcutta (now Kolkata). Among these were remains of a mastodon, now known to be a type specimen of the Stegolophodon (Stegolophodon latidens), an extinct relative of elephants. A description of the finds by William Clift and Roderick Impney Murchison was added as an appendix.
Crawfurd dedicated his account to George IV, and this may have been the copy presented to the King.