Journals of Travels in Assam, Burma, Bhootan, Afghanistan and the Neighbouring Countries Part 21

The climate of Bamo is in April dry and sultry: the range of the thermometer being from 66 degrees or 68 degrees to 94 degrees or 96 degrees. North-westers are of common occurrence in this month, and are frequently of extreme severity. I saw very little cultivation about Bamo, some of the ravines alluded to had lately been under rice-culture; the chief part of the cultivation for vegetables, etc. is confined to the sandy islands, which occur here and there.

Of the numerous villages pa.s.sed between Bamo and Ava not one deserves especial notice, nor is there one, with the exception of Umeerapoora, the former capital, which contains 500 houses. Shewegyoo, which formerly occupied a considerable extent of the left bank near the south opening of the second Kioukdweng had been burnt by the orders of the Monein Myoowoon, on account of their having supplied troops to the emissaries of the Tharawaddi. Kioukgyee, the residence of the above governor, had a short time before our arrival been invested by a force in the interest of the Tharawaddi, but had been repulsed. The governor was to proceed with the whole population, amounting to several hundred souls, to Bamo, to join his forces with those of the Bamo governor. This part of the country was most unsettled and almost deserted. On reaching Katha the state of the country was more tranquil, all the people below this point having espoused the cause of the Tharawaddi. Katha contains 200 houses, and has a rather respectable bazaar; it is well situated, and has the most eligible site in my opinion, of all the towns. .h.i.therto seen. The most remarkable object is a n.o.ble Kioung, or Mosque, built by the head- man of the place; this is one of the finest now existing in Burma.

The only other large place is Sheenmaga, about a day's journey from Ava.

This is said to contain 1,000 houses. An extensive fire had lately occurred here. I counted 200 houses, and judging from the extent of the ruins, I should say it might probably have numbered between 4 and 500.

There are several villages contiguous to this, and I think that the district immediately contiguous is more populous than any part hitherto seen.

During the above portion of the journey our halts were as follows:--

1. Tapaw.

2. Mogoung river.

3. Mogoung river.

4. Lemar, in the upper Kioukdweng.

5. Bamo.

6. Tsenkan.

7. Kioukgyee.

8. Katha.

9. Tsagaya.

10. Tagoung.

11. Male, at the entrance of the lower Kioukdweng.

12. Kabuet, in the lower Kioukdweng.

13. Male.

14. Menghoon.

15. Ava.

This distance down the Irrawaddi may, in a fast boat, be performed in ten days, but owing to the disturbed state of the country we were compelled to avail ourselves of the first opportunity that offered to enable us to reach Ava; in addition the proper number of boatmen was not procurable, everybody being afraid of approaching the capital even a few miles.

The chief product I saw was Teak, of this there were large rafts at Tsenkan and elsewhere. This tree seems to abound in the hills forming the NE. boundaries of Burmah. I did not, however, see any of large size.

Tea is found on hills to the east of Bamo, and at a distance of one day's journey from that place. Through the kindness of Mr. Bayfield, I was enabled to procure specimens; the leaves were decidedly less coa.r.s.e, as well as smaller, than those of the a.s.samese plants, and they occurred both serrated and entire. No use is made of the wild plants in this direction, and the Chinese at Bamo, a.s.serted that it was good for nothing. It must be remembered, however, that none of them had seen the plant cultivated in China. Indeed the only real Chinaman we saw, was one at Kioukgyee, serving the Myoowoon as a carpenter: this man had been to England twice, and talked a little English.

Cotton is, I was informed, extensively cultivated.

But the most valuable product is the Ruby, which is procured from hills to the eastward of Tsenbo, and which are, I believe, visible from the opposite town, Mala. From the same place and to the SE., low hills are visible, from which all the marble in extensive use for the carving of images, is obtained; this marble has been p.r.o.nounced by competent authority to be of first-rate quality.

_Population_.--This must be considered as scanty. From a list of towns and villages, observed by Captain Hannay, between Ava and Mogoung inclusive, I estimated the population at 100,000 souls, but from this one- third at least must be deducted. In this estimate of the number of houses, Captain Hannay was probably guided, either by the Burmese census, or by the statement of the writer who accompanied him. From the numbers given by this officer, in almost every case one-third, and occasionally one-half, or even more, must be deducted: as instances, I may cite his statement of the number of houses in Bamo and Katha.

In almost every case Mr. Bayfield counted all the houses, and in all doubtful cases, I counted them also at his request, so that I am enabled to speak with great confidence on this point.

As a collateral proof of the scanty population of this extensive portion of the Burmese territory, I may allude to the fact that Bamo, the third place in Burmah, and the emporium of great part of an extensive Chinese trade, contains only even at the rate of seven souls to each house, which is two too many, 4,250 inhabitants. The capital may be adduced as an additional instance; for including the extensive suburbs, no one estimated it as having a larger population than 100,000. It must be remembered also, that there is no doubt, but that the banks of the Irrawaddi are more populous than any other portion of the kingdom.

Throughout the above rather long journey, we were treated, with one exception, tolerably well; indeed our delays arose from the unwillingness, real or pretended, of the authorities to forward us on while the country remained so unsettled. The headman of Kamein on our first arrival was extremely civil, but on our return after he had received news of the revolt of the Tharawaddi, he behaved with great insolence, and actually drew his dha on Mr. Bayfield. It must be remembered however that he had been brought to task by the Mogoung authorities for having, as it was said, accepted of a douceur for allowing us to proceed to the serpentine mines.

The general idea entertained by the people through whose countries we pa.s.sed, was, that we had been sent to report upon the country prior to its being taken under British protection. Of the existence of this idea, Mr. Bayfield met with some striking proofs.

On reaching Katha our troubles ceased, and these, excepting at Kamein and Mogoung, only arose from the evident wish of the natives to keep at a distance from us, and not to interfere in one way or the other. At Mogoung I consider it probable that we should have been detained had it not been for the firm conduct of Mr. Bayfield, and his great knowledge of the Burmese character. At this place the authority of the Myoowoon, who was absent in Hookhoong, was totally disregarded, and his brother the Myoowoah, was in confinement, the Shan Matgyee having espoused the cause of the prince Tharawaddi.

_Conclusion_.--For the brief and rapid manner in which I have run through this last section of my report, as well as for having forsaken the arrangement adopted in the previous sections, I trust I shall be excused.

In the first place, this portion of the route had been previously travelled over by Captain Hannay and by Mr. Bayfield, by whom much additional information will be laid before Government; and in the second place, I would advert to the hurried nature of this part of our journey, and to the disturbed state of the country. For similar reasons I have only drawn up this account to the period of my reaching Ava. It will be at once seen that the information might have been much more extensive, especially as regards the revenues of the districts, but I abstained from interfering with subjects which were in every respect within the province of Mr. Bayfield; and the minute and accurate manner in which this officer performed the duties consigned to him, reconciled me at once to the secondary nature of the objects which were left for my examination.

I subjoin a tabular view of the marches, this will not agree entirely with those given in the body of the report, as one or two of those were unavoidably short. I give the table to shew the shortest period in which the journey could be accomplished by an European without constantly overfatiguing himself. If the total distance be compared with an estimate made from charts, all of which however are imperfect so far as the country between Meinkhoong and Beesa is concerned, the tortuousness of our course will be at once evident.

Marches. Miles

1 From Sadya to Noa Dehing Mookh, 6 2 To Rangagurreh, 12 3 To Moodoa Mookh, 12 4 To Kidding, 9 5 To Namroop Puthar, 12 6 To Beesa Lacoom, 12 7 To Halting place in the hills, 12 8 To Darap Panee, 12 9 To the Namtuseek, 12 10 Namtuseek, 10 11 To the Boundary Nullah, 12 12 To the Namaroan, 15 13 Namaroan, 13 14 To Khathung Khioung, 15 15 To Khussee Khioung, 13 16 To Kuttack Bhoom, 13 17 To Namtuseek, 10 18 To Nhempean, 18 19 To Kulleyang, 17 20 To Tsilone, 10 21 To Meinkhoong, 17 22 To Wullabhoom, 13 23 To Halting place towards the Mogoung river, 22 24 Mogoung river, 15 25 Ditto ditto, 13 26 Ditto ditto, 14 27 Kamein, {145} 14 28 Mogoung, 25 --- Total number of miles, 378

The remaining distance performed in boats may be thus estimated down the Mogoung river to the Irrawaddi, 45

From the confluence of the Mogoung river down the Irrawaddi to Ava, 240 --- 663 ---

Allowing twelve days for the performance of this last portion, which however is too short a time, the entire distance may be performed in forty days.

CHAPTER VIII.

_Notes made on descending the Irrawaddi from Ava to_ _Rangoon_.

_28th May_.--I left Ava and halted about two miles above Menboo.

_29th May_.--Continuing the journey, the country appears flat with occasionally low hills as about Kioukloloing, no large villages occur; the river is sub-divided by churs; no large gra.s.ses to be seen, and the vegetation is arid. Bombax is the chief tree: Mudar and Zizyphus occur: Guilandina, Crotolaria a large Acanthacea, and a Jasminioides shrub are the most common plants: Bora.s.sus is abundant: Fici occur about villages.

The banks are generally sandy, not high.

Yandebo. This is a wretched village; barren plains bounded to the east by barren rather elevated hills; base jungly. Observed the tree under which the treaty was signed with the Burmese at the close of the late war. It is an ordinary mango, near a paG.o.da on a plain with two large fig trees. I counted to-day 28 boats sailing up between this and our halting place of yesterday, mostly large praows. The banks present few trees, are flat, barren, and from being occasionally overflowed, adapted to paddy.

Halted at Meengian, which is a middling sized village on the left bank, about a mile below Tarof myoo.

_30th May_.--I made an excursion into the country which is dry, barren, and sandy, with a descent towards the banks of the river. Zizyphus, Acacia, Euphorbia 20 feet high, Calotropis, Capparis 2, etc., occur all the same as before, only one Ehretiacea appears to be new. Hares are very common. Likewise red and painted Partridges, and Quail. Carthamus and Tobacco are cultivated, specially the latter at Meengian. The most common tree here, is Urticea procera? which has always a peculiar appearance. The country towards Pukoko becomes prettier, the left bank wooded, and the ground sloped very gradually up to Kionksouk, which is barren, and 2,000 feet high at least, with the slopes covered with jungle.

_31st May_.--Pa.s.sed Pagam, a straggling town of some size, famous for its numerous old paG.o.das of all sorts. The surface of the country is raviny, and the vegetation continues precisely the same. Below Pagam, the range of low hills becomes very barren: altogether the country is very uninteresting.

The low range of hills on the right bank is nearly dest.i.tute of vegetation. The hills present a curious appearance of ridges, sometimes looking like walls. The country continues the same.

Halted opposite Yowa.

_June 1st_.--A low range of hillocks here occurs on the left bank, and as in other places, consisting of sandstone with stunted and scanty vegetation.

Tselow is a large place on the left bank, the river is here much spread out, with large sand banks. The hills on the right bank present the same features; pa.s.sed Pukangnai, a large village on the left bank. Pa.s.sed Pukkoko, Pagam, Tselow, etc., the hills about this last place abound with Prionites. Strong wind prevails.

_June 2nd_.--Yeanangeown 10 A.M. The country continues exactly similar to that already observed--hillocks intersected by ravines, loose sandstone, very barren in appearance. Vegetation is the same, but more stunted; fossil wood is common, especially in the bottom of ravines.

{147} Of fossils very few were seen, but more are to be procured by digging. The most common trees are Zizyphus, Acacia, and a Capparis: the most common gra.s.s Aristida. Arrived at Yeanangeown, a busy place judging from the number of boats.

Wind less strong. At 2 P.M. stopped at Wengma-thoat, where Zizyphus is extremely common. Euphorbia seems rather disappearing.

The plants met with at the halting place six miles above Yeanang, were Euphorbia, Olax, Zizyphus, Mimosa, Carissa, Ximenia, Prionites, Calotropis, Gymnema, Capparis pandurata et altera species arborea, Murraya rare, Gossypium frutex 6-8-petal, Xanthophyllum blue, petiolis alatis of Tagoung, Sidae sp. On the right bank flat churs continue covered with a small Saccharum. Vegetation more abundant and greener than before. Ficus again occurs and Stravadium occasionally.

Pa.s.sed 5 P.M. Memboo at a large village on right bank, containing perhaps 200 houses. The river below this runs between two ranges of low hills, similar in every respect to those already pa.s.sed. A Kukkeen woman was observed, who appeared to have a blue face, looking perfectly frightful.