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Burma. It appears that, some years back, when Mr. Henri was 

 sent here to work the serpentine mines, the gutta-percha tubing of 

 the pumps (used to get rid of the water that filled the excavations) 

 got out of order, and that he was about to return them to Manda- 

 lay for repair, when, noticing the little baskets used by the people 

 for baling were covered with a thin film of a material he thought 

 might answer his purpose, he inquired what it was, and was shown 

 the tree that yielded the substance ; this proved to be a Ficus 

 elastica, which circumstance was reported to the palace, and the 

 European merchants of Mandalay were not slow in introducing the 

 article into the market, for which there was now a large demand. 

 Before taking my departure, an old English kettle-drum bearing 

 the royal arms was produced, which had been brought by the 

 hpoongyee from Arakan : this I was asked to send to Rangoon for 

 repairs, but I postponed the commission until my downward voy- 

 age, by which time I hoped the matter would have been forgotten. 

 All matters of importance are decided by a committee, I learnt, 

 composed of the Governor, the royal priest, and the old hpoongyee 

 of the town, which latter canonically ranks superior to my new ac- 

 quaintance. 



303. Saturday, 14th February 1874. — Thermometer, 65° at 6 a.m. 

 Mogoung is the penal settlement of Burma Proper, and the centre 

 of the jade and amber trade. It numbers 600 houses, exclusive oi 

 the thirty-three small hamlets surrounding it, and which serve as out- 

 posts in room of a stockade. Though now deserving but the name of 

 a village, it is a place of great antiquity, and intimately linked with the 

 ancient history of this province ; and, if the records of the past may be 

 depended on, it was proclaimed the capital of the Pong Kingdom 

 in 1337 A.D. by Queen Soognampha. It is questionable whether 

 this is the original site ; I was told not, and that ancient Mogoung 

 is higher up the river. 



304. The village is irregular in shape, being widest in the 

 middle ; it is divided into . squares by a main street paved with 

 burnt bricks set on edge, running the entire length, and intersected 

 again by cross-roads at intervals of from 200 to 300 yards apart. 

 The bulk of the population are convicts, principally Burmans and 

 Shan-Burmans, undergoing different terms of transportation : those 

 who can give security that they will not abscond are regarded ticket- 

 of-leave men, and form part of the village police ; but all others are 

 heavily ironed, kept to hard labour, and put in the stocks at night, 

 there being no prison : for food and clothing they are dependent on 

 their relations and charity. There is a small colony of Chinese 

 engaged in the ivory and amber trade ; jade and rubber being included 

 when opportunity offers. They invest largely in opium, imported 



