The core of this work is the journal kept the Surgeon-General of the British Forces in Madras, who spent time in Burma in 1874-75. In it, Gordon records numerous observations of Burmese life and customs; as well, more than a third of the book is devoted to notes gathered from other sources on the history, peoples, government, religion, festivals, flora, fauna, geology, and climate of the country. First published in 1875, the journal includes over 30 photographs, chromo-lithographs, pen-and-ink sketches, and woodcuts.