B i u 



435 



JB 1 tt 



it borders on Aracan, it probably does not run west of 93 

 20' long. The length of this country from the western 

 mouth of the river Irawaddi to its source in the country of 

 the Bor Khamti, may be about 950 miles. Its width to the 

 south of the parallel of 24 amounts at an average to 220 

 miles, but to the north of it only to 180 miles. In this esti- 

 mation, Upper Lao is not taken into account, which, between 

 21 30' and 23 N. lat., extends perhaps 100 miles farther. 



The Birman empire has about 240 miles of sea-coast 

 along the gulf of Martaban, extending from the cape of 

 Kj ai-kami, near the British settlement of Amherst in Mar- 

 taban, to Cape Negraia, the southern extremity of the Ara- 

 can Mountains. The whole of this coast is low, marshy, 

 and broken by at least twenty considerable channels of 

 rivers or arms of the sea. 



The Birman territory is divided from the British province 

 of Aracan by a range of mountains called by Europeans 

 the Aracan Mountains, but by the natives Anaupectau- 

 meaw (Anupectu-mew) or the Great Western Range ; also 

 Yeomadong or Romapokung Mountains. It begins at 1 6 

 N. lat. with Cape Negrais (Negraglia of Sangermano), 

 called by the Birmans Modaen, and extends in a northern 

 direction with a slight bend westward to the northern boun- 

 dary of Aracan, about 21 N. lat. The southern part of 

 it, extending from 16 to 18 between the Delta of the Ira- 

 waddi and the Gulf of Bengal, presents one continued ridge 

 of craggy rocks of a moderate height, whose bare cliffs of a 

 reddish colour generally approach so near the sea as not to 

 leave any intermediate level ground between them and the 

 ocean. This portion of the range is called by the Birmans 

 Modaen Garit, from the Birman name of Cape Negrais. 

 To the north of 18N. lat. the mountains recede farther 

 from the shore, and here begins the level country of Aracan 

 on the west, while on the east extends the valley of the 

 river Irawaddi. In this tract the mountains rise to a greater 

 height, and between 20 and 21 N. lat. the highest sum- 

 mits are thought to attain 6000 feet above the level of 

 the sea. Their western slope towards the plains of Aracan 

 and the Gulf of Bengal is very rapid; but to the east they 

 descend in a kind of terraces formed by three or four or 

 more lateral ridges of less height, which however pre- 

 sent rapid declivities on the east and west. 



Three mountain-passes traverse the Anaupectau-meaw 

 Mountains and connect Birma with Aracan. The most 

 southern, called the Tongho Pass, leads from Padaong 

 Mew on the Irawaddi, 18 34', to Tongho in Aracan, 19 15' 

 N. lat. The highest point of the pass is 4692 feet above the 

 sea, and many parts of it are so difficult that it cannot be 

 travelled by beasts of burden. The eastern ridges are com- 

 monly covered with bamboo jungle, but on the western 

 declivity there are extensire forests of lofty trees. The 

 second pass connects Sembeghewn, in the valley of the 

 Irawaddi (20 40' N. lat.), with Aeng in Aracan (19 53' 

 N. lat.), and is called the Nairiengain Pass, from a small 

 stockade of that name erected on the highest part of it. 

 The Birmans used it as a military road to Aracan, and 

 had rendered it passable for beasts of burden by building 

 bridges over the precipices and cutting away the rocks in 

 many places. Before the occupation of Aracan by the 

 British, a considerable commerce was carried on by means 

 of this road. This commerce is said to have occupied 40,0.0.0 

 persons, but this number seems greatly exaggerated. This 

 road is now rapidly falling into decay, being exposed to the 

 destructive influence of the south-west monsoons. The 

 third mountain-pass begins likewise at Sembeghewn and 

 leads to Talak in Aracan, 20 ]0' N. lat. ; by this pass the 

 Birmans entered Aracan at the time of the conquest of that 

 country. But it seems that they did not use it afterwards, 

 probably because that which leads to Aeng presented less 

 difficulties. We have no information of any kind respecting 

 this road. 



To the north of 21 N. lat. the mountains appear to de- 

 crease considerably in height, but at the same time they 

 divide into several ranges, running mostly north and south, 

 and occupying a considerable tract of country. This rugged 

 highland, which extends between and along the upper 

 branches of the Aracan river, the Surmah or river of Silhet, 

 and some tributaries of the Kyan Duayn, a .branch of the 

 Irawaddi, is inhabited by savage nations which are inde- 

 pendent of Birma and not subject to any of the princes 

 protected by the British. The principal of these tribes are 

 the Kookis, and on that account this countey is called the 

 highland of the Kookis. It has not been ascertained how 



far the authority of the court of Ava extends into this 

 region. 



Thus far the western boundary of the Birman Empire is 

 formed by mountain-ranges. The remainder, from 24 N. 

 lat. up to the Nagas Mountains, which divide it from Asam, 

 is bounded by the territories of the Raja of Munipoore, a 

 prince who has placed himself under the protection of the 

 British, and whose country extends eastward as far as the 

 Nampagna River, a branch of the Khyanduaen, which 

 constitutes the boundary line of the Birman Empire in 

 this part. 



The northern extremity of Birma is again separated by 

 mountain ranges from the neighbouring country. The 

 ranges called Patkoi or Poapuo Mountains, which rise to a 

 great height, and the still higher Langtan Mountains, 

 divide it from Asam and the countries along the Upper 

 Brahmapootra. In the high summits, whence the Brah- 

 mapootra descends to the west, are also the sources of the 

 Irawaddi, which river may with great propriety be called the 

 river of Birma, as all the countries drained by it and its tri- 

 butaries belong to that empire, with the single exception of 

 the southern part of Munipoore. It has lately been ascer- 

 tained that no part of the Chinese empire extends so far 

 west as the banks of the Irawaddi. We shall, therefore, fol- 

 low the course of this river, and make some observations on 

 the countries drained by it. 



The different opinions respecting the source of the Ira- 

 waddi, and its identity with the Zangbo-tsin of Tibet, will 

 be examined under the head of BRAHI^APOOTRA. Lieut. 

 Wilcox was informed that its source was at no great distance 

 from that of the Brahmapootra, to the south of it, and about 

 fifty miles from Manchi, a town of the Bor Khamti. The 

 river soon issues from the mountains, and enters a plain, or 

 rather an extensive valley, occupied by the Bor Khamti. 

 The country here forms a perfect level, partly cultivated, 

 and partly studded with clumps of trees and bamboos, and 

 intersected by a number of rivulets. The Irawaddi opposite 

 the town of Manchi is only eighty yards broad, and fordable. 

 The plain on its banks is 1855 feet above the level of the 

 sea. 



From the country of the Bor Khamti the Irawaddi con- 

 tinues its southern course through three degrees of latitude 

 to Bhanmc'i, through countries about which we have scarcely 

 any information at all. It would seem that high mountain- 

 ranges frequently close upon it, and at other places plains 

 of considerable extent border its banks. Such on its western 

 side are the Samokhtura Mountains and the plain of Mung- 

 kung, extending on both sides of the Mungkung river far to 

 the west. The mountain-ranges are partly in possession of 

 the Singfos, a powerful mountain tribe which also occupies a 

 considerable portion of the mountains south of Asam, and 

 everywhere maintains its independence in the mountain- 

 fastnesses. The ranges which divide this portion of Birma 

 from the Chinese province of Yunnan seem to be exceed- 

 ingly rugged, and the difficulties encountered in traversing 

 them have always frustrated the attempts of the Chinese 

 to conquer the countries along the Irawaddi. From Manchi 

 to Bhanmo the river falls in the course of about 350 miles 

 1300 feet, being at the latter place only 500 feet above the 

 sea. This accounts for the river being unnavigable for the 

 greater part of that distance, except for small canoes.. 



Bhanmo is a place of some note, being the principal 

 market for Chinese goods, which are brought to this town 

 on horses and asses. Below Bhanm6 the river suddenly 

 turns to the west, but soon resumes its southern course, and 

 thus continues to a few miles east of Amarapoora. The 

 river flows in this tract through a valley of no great breadth, 

 the mountains inclosing it on each side, and frequently ad- 

 vancing to the very banks of the river, especially on the 

 east. Between Bhanm6 and Amarapoora the river is only 

 navigable for small trading boats. 



Above Amarapoora the Irawaddi begins to decline to 

 the south-west, and from that town it runs in a western 

 direction for nearly a hundred, miles, as far as the mouth 

 of the Kyan-Duayn. With the change of the river the 

 face of the country is changed. Issuing from the nar- 

 row valley it enters a very wide one, or rather a plain. 

 Along its banks, and especially on the southern side, the 

 level country extends for many miles, in some places even 

 to thirty, and even then is not bounded by high mountains, 

 but by moderate hills, which increase in height as they 

 recede farther from the river. Considerable portions of this 

 plain are covered by the inundations of the river in the wet 



3 K 2 



