252 Appendix. 



Shans invaded in the eighth, and completely occupied in the 

 beginning of the thirteenth century. They then arrogated 

 to their own dynasty, says Mr. Mackenzie, the title of Ahom 

 the unequalled softened afterwards into Assam 



" From ancient Shan records, discovered by Pemberton at 

 Manipur, it would appear that in the beginning of the Chris- 

 tian era the whole of the region extending from the moun- 

 tains on the south-east boundary of the Assam valley down 

 to lat. 22, and from the mountains, which separate Manipur 

 and Kubo valleys on the west, to Yunnan on the east, was 

 formerly known as the Shan kingdom of Pong, having its 



capital at Muang-Marong Having existed for many 



centuries in great splendour, this kingdom, in the beginning- 

 of the eleventh century, was broken up by the conquests of 

 King Anawrahta, the darling hero of the Burmese people. 



" Eventually the Pong kingdom was overthrown by the 

 Burmese, disintegrated, and incorporated with the Burmese 

 kingdom. 



" Though little trace is to be found of the glories of Pong 

 in the Upper Irawadi, or the country to its west, we can turn 

 with pleasure and interest to the little states of Manwyne, 

 Sanda, Muangla, Muangtha, or Hotha and Latha, Muangwan 

 and Muangmow, the relics of the Koh-Shanpyi, or nine Shan 

 states, which, cradled in the parallel ranges between the Sal- 

 ween and the Irawadi, have preserved their subordinate 

 independence, and represent the chief component parts of 



the ancient kingdom Anderson records that the great 



body of the population is engaged in agriculture ; and as 

 cultivators they rank even with the Belgians." 



NOTE. The points in this extract which I should wish to 

 impress on the reader are (ist) that the Shans, having all the 

 savoir faire of the Chinese agriculturists, came from Yunnan 

 to the Brahmaputra valley. (2nd) That as the Chinese claim 

 the orange as indigenous to their country, it is not likely that 

 such industrious agriculturists would not have brought the 

 orange with them, and established it wherever they settled, 

 more especially as the orange is easily carried, and its seeds 

 easily germinate, and produce fruit similar to the parent tree. 

 If the simtara orange had been introduced by them, its 



