MM 



HlIiMA. 



The promontory of Kyaok-ta-ran, which forms the southern 

 extremity of the valley of the Irawaddi, in the eastern extremity of 

 one of the offaeU of the Aracaii Mountains. Nearly opposite to it 

 rises another chain of hills of rery moderate elevation, which however 

 in it* progress to the east increases in height, and forma a range 

 which is visible at the distance of fifty miles and upwards. The 

 higher portion of these mountains, called the Oalladcet Mountains, 

 extends in an eastern direction probably to the banks of the Setang 

 River. Nothing is known of this range but its geographical position ; 

 nor are we better acquainted with the country extending to the 

 north of this chain up to the capital of the empire, and occupying 

 the central parts of the southern portion of Birma, between 18 ana 

 22 N. lat, and the rivers Irawaddi and Salucn. It is supposed to 

 be a country of secondary and tertiary formation, and to constitute 

 a kind of uneven table-land of very moderate elevation. It is said to 

 have in general a very sterile soil, consisting mostly of sand or gravel, 

 and is very thinly inhabited. Perhaps the valleys along the rivers 

 form an exception. The hills, which cover the whole surface and are 

 commonly low, rise to a considerable height in only a few places. 

 A conical mountain, called Poupa, several miles to the east of Pughan, 

 is thought to attain on elevation of above 5000 feet. Crawfurd 

 thinks that the ranges visible from Ava to the south-east exceed the 

 mountains of Aracan in height ; and Sangermano states that the 

 Karians, who inhabit the neighbourhood of Tongo or T.iunii, have 

 been able to maintain their independence against the Birmons in their 

 mountain fastnesses ; whence we may infer that this portion of the 

 Birman territories contains extensive mountain ranges. 



The southern portion of the Birman empire is a low level country, 

 without any hills. It comprehends the delta of the Irawaddi and all 

 the extensive tract which spreads from its eastern branch to the 

 banks of the Setang River. Hamilton estimates the southern line of 

 the delta at 135 miles, the western at 145 miles, and the eastern at 11 J 

 miles. It contains more than 10,000 square miles, and is considerably 

 larger than the delta of the Nile. The country east of it may extend 

 over a tract of nearly the same area ; and thus this level country, 

 constituting the chief part of the province of Pegu, contains above 

 20,000 square miles. 



The Irawaddi enters the lowlands near 18 N. lat., where it throws 

 off a great number of branches of various magnitudes, watering a 

 large extent of country, and affording a convenient internal naviga- 

 tion, to which there are few parallels in any country. Many of these 

 branches reunite and divide again. The river falls into the sea by 

 fourteen different channels. The three principal are Bossein, Dalla, 

 and Rangoon, or Syrian. The Bassein River, also called Anank 

 Khiaun, that is, ' western channel,' forms an excellent harbour near 

 the Island of Negrais, and is navigable for vessels of considerable 

 burden up to the town of Bassein; farther upwards it is only 

 navigated by the river barges, and this navigation extends in the dry 

 season (from November to May) only to Lamena or Lemena, Higher 

 up it is a trifling stream, nearly dry, and all water connection with 

 the main river is interrupted ; but after the rains it becomes again 

 navigable for the river barges. This channel branches off from the 

 main river south of My-an-aung. 



After having thrown off the Boasein River on the right, the 

 Irawaddi continues to flow in a southern direction, but with 

 numerous windings, and sends off many smaller branches. At nearly 

 the same distance from the sea and the place whore the Bassein 

 channel branches off, is the second great branch of the Irawaddi, at 

 the village Yangain-chain-vah, the river here dividing its waters 

 between the Dallah and Rangoon channels. The Dallah channel 

 forms near the sea numerous wide branches, but they ore not navi- 

 gable, on account of the bars before their embouchures. The Rangoon, 

 or Syrian channel, which is also called the Asiao Khiann, that is, 'the 

 eastern channel,' flows off nearly in an eastern direction, and affords 

 in all Masons an uninterrupted navigation into the main river, being 

 from 80 to 150 yards across, and generally 3 or 4 fathoms deep, which 

 however on some shoals lessens to 2| fathoms, and in the dry season 

 to much leu. The advantage* which this branch of the Irawaddi 

 offers for navigation have concentrated on its shores, especially at the 

 town of Rangoon, all the maritime commerce of the Birman empire. 

 [RAXoooif.] In the dry season the tide* ascend the branches of tin- 

 river to the place where the two principal branches meet at the 

 village of Yangain-chain-yah, but in the wet season they are observable 

 in the Rangoon channel only as far as the village of Paulang, which 

 is many mUes farther down. 



The distance from Rangoon to Ava along the river is about 600 

 miles. At the height of the freshes, a war-boat, proceeding day 

 and night, has been known to go from Ava to Rangoon in four 

 days. In the <lry season, a war-boat, proceeding in the same manner, 

 will go from Rangoon to Ava in eight days, and in the rainy season 

 



Tho delta of the Irawaddi, as far as the tide reaches, is covered 

 with a thick forest of moderate-sized trees, sparingly interspersed 

 with some grawy plains. Above tide-reach the character of the 

 vegetation is greatly altered. The country is covered with a tall 

 rushy grass, among which are scattered trees from twenty to sixty 

 feet tiufh, without any underwood. The appearance of inhabitant* 

 and cultivation is extremely scanty. Here and there on the imme- 



BIRMA. IOM 



diate banks of the river are a few villages of Talain fishermen ; and 

 farther off are the Korian villages, somewhat more numerous, and 

 with a few patches of rice-culture. A* the banks of the river are a 

 foot or two above the level of the surrounding country, this circum- 

 stance might be taken advantage of for watering the hind to a great 

 extent. But irrigation is neglected, and the country is covered with 

 innumerable pools, which are often so extensive that they might be 

 called lakes. In the northern district of the delta, especially north 

 of Henzadah, the cultivated portion of the country is much more 

 considerable, and here the water of the river is used for irrigating 

 ti..- ];. i .! and*. 



The country which extends to the eastward of the delta seems to 

 be of the same description. It is drained by the !'.., I: . ,r and 

 the Setaug. The Pegu River, which is called l.y the natives Bagoo 

 Kioup, or ' Pegu Rivulet,' has its source in the Q&Uadzet hills, and 

 unites with the Rangoon branch of the Irawaddi three miles below 

 the town of Rangoon. It is navigable only a few miles to the north- 

 ward of the town of Pegu, which advantage it owes wholly to the 

 action of the tide. In the fair season it is almost dry at low-water. 

 The Setang has its sources near 20 N. hit, and runs southward the 

 whole of its course, till it empties ita waters into the northernmost 

 angle of the Bay of Martabau. In its lower course this river is of 

 great breadth. Beyond the reach of the tides it is an inconsiderable 

 stream ; and even as low down as the town of Tongo it ia only 

 navigable for boat*. It* mouth is confined by sand-banks, and is 

 liable to a dangerous bore, which renders ita navigation impracticable 

 for large vessels, and difficult for vessels of all descriptions. 



That portion of the Birman empire which extends along the 

 western banks of the Salucn River is almost entirely unknown. It 

 seems to be more mountainous than the country along the middle 

 course of the Irawaddi, but to contain some fertile tracts. 



Of Upper Lao, or that portion of Birma which extends on the left 

 bonk of the Solueii River, between the Chinese province of Yunnan 

 and the kingdom of Siam, we have so little information, that we only 

 know it to be a mountainous country, which however contains some 

 fertile and cultivated tracts along the courses of the rivers. It seem* 

 to be rich in metallic wealth. 



The Saluen River forms the eastern boundary-line between Birma 

 and Siam and the British province of Martaban for between 500 and 

 600 miles. The Saluen, or Thaluen, called also Sanluen, rises in the 

 eastern districts of Tibet, in the country of the Xou or Noui and ita 

 upper course is called by the Chinese Nou-kiang. It afterwards 

 paaaes through the Chinese province of Yunnan, where it is named 

 the Lou-kiang. Continuing its southern course it leaves China, and 

 divides the province of Upper Lao from the remainder of the Birman 

 territories, and afterwards forms the boundary Ix'twccn Siam and 

 Martaban on one side, and the Birman empire on the other. This 

 river is remarkable for the small number of large bends and for not 

 forming a delta, as is the case with all larger rivers in this port of the 

 world. It is likewise less navigable : vessels of moderate size can 

 only come up to the town of Martaban, anil with difficulty and 

 danger. Small boats may ascend as far as Ka Kayet, at the con- 

 fluence of the Yunzalaen River ; but farther to the north the naviga- 

 tion in the wet season is entirely interrupted by numerous eddies, 

 rapids, and cataracts. About 1 2 miles north from the town of Martaban, 

 a creek, called the Kadachaong, leads from the Saluen to the Setang, 

 and another channel hence to the Pegu River ; so that there is an 

 inland water communication between the Saluen and the Bassein 

 branch of the Irawaddi, a direct distance of more than 200 miles. 

 Near ita mouth the Saluen is divided into two branches by the 

 island of Balh, which is about twenty miles in length, and about half 

 that extent in average breadth : it U noted for ita great fertility in 

 rice. The southern branch of the Saluen, between the island of 

 Bold and the new settlement of Amherst, is seven miles across, and 

 the wider of the two. 



Climate. The climate of such an extensive country, which extends 

 over 12 degrees of latitude, must, of course, vary very greatly. In 

 the lowlands of the delta of the Irawaddi and generally throughout 

 Pegu the south-west and north-east monsoon* divide the year between 

 them, and hence there are only two seasons, the wet and the dry. 

 From the end of April to the end of July, or during the south-west 

 monsoon, violent rains pour down ii'-arly without int. Tiiiinmon ; and 

 at the beginning, as well as at the end of thin pi-riod, the rains are 

 accompanied with tremendous thunder and lightning, and with 

 violent winds. These rains are followed by an unsettled state of 

 weather, which continues to the end of October. But from this time 

 to April the season is perfectly dry, except in the month of February, 

 when a little rain sometimes falls. In the mornings however thick 

 fogs are frequent in October and November. 



In the valley of the Irawaddi and the adjacent hilly countries 

 throe seasons are observed, the cold, the hot, and the rainy. The 

 cold Mason, which may be called the winter, though it never freeze* 

 < ws, prevails during the two months which precede the winter 

 solstice and the two which follow it. The air is dry, the nights and 

 morning* chilly, and the heat of the day very moderate; but mist* 

 are frequent in November and December. This is the most pleasant 

 part of the year, and the season of the harvest of rice, grain, and 

 pulse. In March and April it is often very hot, and the heat con- 



