TEN 



196 



TEN 



but there arc also plains of considerable extent and some 

 wide \ alloys. The degree of fertility which tin- soil pos- 

 aeaet cannot be determined with any certainty, as only 

 ill portion of it is under culti\:ition ; but we are 

 inclined to adopt the statement of Dr. Hi i .ng to 



which these provinces are nuicli superior in fertility to the 

 Malay Peninsula, by far the greater part of them being 

 really" fertile, or capable of being made productive. He 

 thinks that the unproductive, sterile, or unavailable lands 

 are less than one-fourth of the whole : and he ascribes the 

 fertility not only to the natural constituents of the soil, hut 

 partly "also to the quantity of humus or decayed vegetable 

 matter which has accumulated through centuries, as the 

 whole country is an uninterrupted fore.-t, the greater part 

 of which has never been felled. 



The Xnrthrra jiortion of Tenasserim wo shall call the 

 Region of the Atta-yen (Attaran;, as this ri\er diains the 

 most fertile portion of it, and its valley must soon become 

 the centre of a consideral)le population. This region com- 

 prehends the whole of the country as far south as 15 N. 

 fat., or the districts of Aniherst and Yee. The most 

 northern districts are mountainous. Along the southern 

 banks of the Thoung-yin, which forms the northern bound- 

 ary of Tcnasserim, runs a mountain-chain, which, as far as 

 it 'is known, constitutes a continuous ridge. It is called Bo- 

 Thowng, and rises to more than 2000 feet above the sea- 

 level. It is composed of sandstone, limestone, and clay- 

 slate, and its declivities are very steep. In some parts it is 

 ovi rgiown with forests of bamboo. It is not known how this 

 chain is connected with the Thown-gee Mountains, and 

 the upper course of the Thoung-yin river is equally un- 

 known. 



The country south of the Bo-Thoung, adjacent to the 

 river Salween, and to the distance of ; miles from it, for 

 the more inland parts are not known, is a plain, which 

 however contains numerous masses of rocks, composed 

 chiefly of limestone and sandstone. These masses are iso- 

 lated, but they are disposed in lines running north-north- 

 west and south-south-east. Some of them rise to the 

 height of 2000 feet above the sea-level , but in proceeding 

 southward they sink lower, and on the banks of the Atta- 

 yen they rarely exceed GOO feet. Their structure, spe- 

 cially that of the limestone rocks, is remarkable, as the 

 sides generally are almost perpendicular, and consequently 

 bare, except in a few places, which are not so steep, 

 and where some stunted trees or shrubs crow. No level 

 ground occurs on their top, where they are also quite bare. 

 On their sides there are numerous chasms and caverns. In 

 the southern districts the number of these isolated masses 

 decreases. The tracts of land surrounding their bases are 

 distinguished by fertility, the soil consisting of tine black 

 loam. The remainder of the plain is much less fertile, the 

 soil being composed of an arenaceous clay mixed with a 

 small portion of saline and vegetable matter. The forests 

 which cover the plain contain only trees of moderate si/e, 

 and there is no underwood. 



Within the country just described (here is an extensive 

 alluvial tract, which occurs where the three rivers Salween, 

 Gyeng, and Atta-yen join. The principal of these rivers 

 is the Salween or Saluen. generally called by the natives 

 Than-I.weng : it originates in the south-western part of 

 Proper Chink, in Die province of Yun-nan, or farther to 

 the north; for its upper course is not known: in China it 

 i called Noo-kiang and Loo-kiang. Running in a gene- 

 rally southern course, it is supposed to lonu the boundary 

 between the' Shan States (Laos), which are subject to 

 Siam, and the Hirman empire. This part of is course is 

 not known. At the mouth of the Thoung-yin il begin-, lo 

 separate Tenasseinn from Duma, and this is the only part 

 of its course which has been investigated. Though at this 

 point the river is only about loo miles from its mouth, and 

 nas a great volume of water, it is not na\igablc. The 

 limestone and sandstone rocks, which are very frequent in 

 these, parts, cross the bed of the river, and form social 

 ledges, over which the current rushes with great impetu- 

 osity. NearTnvvng-bio-myoi about 1 7'-l' N. lat. i the lapids 

 are no strong as to prevent every kind of navigation except 

 perhaps dnnng the north-east monsoon. Then- are M'\eial 

 other rapids, though less dangerous, farther down, and 

 they cease only at Colon Island near 17" N. lat. i. where 

 the river divides into two channels. The eastern channel 

 alone i* navigable. The island is rocky, and about Id 

 miles long, but only about two miles wide in the widest 



part. Even below this island the banks of the river are 

 generally bordered by limestone rocks: and the n:. 

 turn is very dangerous, owing to the force of the ciiiTcnt 

 and the numerous eddies produced by the inequalities in 

 the bed of the river, which in these "pine.- niely 



deep. A boat once drawn within the vortex of a whirf- 

 pool is inevitably lost ; both boat and crew are earned 

 down, and never known to make their appearance again. 



The Atta-\eii or Attaran is known up to tlie . 

 its source. Its principal blanch originates to the soutii ..f 

 the Three Pagodas in the Thown-gee range, and is called 

 Zimee. It flows north or north by west, and is rather a 

 dee]) river, for even at a short distance froi. 

 three feet deep, and this depth increases as it pro; 

 farther down, where it is joined by numerous small 

 from the Thown-gee range. The current is never rapid, 

 and hence it is used for floating down teak timber. The 

 tide advances to Nat Kyeanng, about 70 miles from the 

 mouth of the Atta-yen. Above Alta-yen, which is more 

 than :) miles from the mouth of the'river, the /in 

 joined by the 'Way-nio, which comes fiom the south, and, 

 alter the confluence of the two branches, the ri\ 

 called Atta-yen. This river has a verv winding course, 

 and the current is hardly perceptible. As the tide, which 

 here rises to 19 or 20 feet, advances more than 30 miles 

 above the confluence of the /imee with the Way-nio. it 

 is very probable that the whole fall of the Atta-yen, which 

 amounts to 50 miles, if all its bends are taken into account, 

 does not exceed 12 feet. Tlie liver isveiydecp: ill the 

 lower part no bottom is found with '.) fathoms, and up to 

 Atta-yen there is never less than 3 fathoms of water. 



The Gyeng or Gain comes from the east, but its upper 

 course is imperfectly known. It is a broad river in its 

 lower course, but is shallow and full of sand-banks. 



These three rivers unite nearly at the, same place, about 

 30 miles from the open sea, and by their confluence form 

 a broad sheet of water, which is about 15 miles long fnun 

 north-east to south-west, and from five to six miles wide, 

 and interspersed with numerous wooded islands. This 

 expanse of waters is separated from the sea by a large 

 island called Phulloo-gewn, or. according to i'lawfurd. 

 Hahi. This island is about 20 miles long, and 10 in ave- 

 rage width. A chain of low sandstone hills runs through 

 Its length, never exceeding 200 feet in height. The shores 

 of the island are covered with low mangrove jungle, but 

 it forms only a narrow belt, which is traversed by several 

 creeks that penetrate several miles into the island, and 

 on which behind the mangrove jungle there are plains, 

 which extend to the hills and are covered with rice-fields. 

 The water which is collected above this island finds its 

 way to the sea by two channels, of which the southern 

 runs due south and is about 20 miles long, and called the 

 Martaban river. The navigation of this river is difficult, 

 as the depth of the channel is not more than two or three 

 fathoms at several places, and there are many sand-banks. 

 It does not appear that the channel north of the island of 

 Phulloo-gewn is visited by large vessels. 



The country which surrounds the expanse of water into 

 which the three rivers disembogue is interspersed with 

 limestone hills, but the intervening plains are covered with 

 a thick layer of alluvial soil. The banks of the lake and 

 of the rivers are covered with mangroves, and unlit for any 

 agricultural purpose, but at a short distance from the 

 water's edge the alluvial plains are destitute of trees and 

 .shrubs, and exhibit a very considerable degree ol fertility, 

 producing rich crops ol rice where thev are cultivated. 

 This lich agricultural tract extends to the eonllucii. 

 the /imee and \Vay-nio rivers. 



The country drained by the Zimee is also a plain, which 

 is much higher than that on the Attu-yc:i river, as the 

 banks of the' first-named river rise to 'JO feel above its sur- 

 face, whilst those of the Atta-yen are \ci\ lov\ and subject 

 to inundation dining the rains. The plains on the Ximee 

 river are nearly a dead level in their lower dislrn-fs, und 

 no limestone hills occur above the confluence of the two 

 rivers; but in proceeding farther south the surface of the 

 country becomes undulating, and in approaching the. 

 ThOfrn-gee rang.' it is broken by numerous deep ravines, 

 though it cannot be called mountainous. This exit 



1^ covered with a deep layer of clay of considerable 

 fertility, and the country contains e\ten.-i\e lores) s, in 

 which the teak ' - to a large si/e. lint there ure 



also tracts of less fertility, where the soil is very hard and. 



