PRODUCTS OF THE COUNTRY 5 



is abundant in the Tenasserim province. Manganese and 

 arsenic are obtainable near Mergui. Coal of an inferior 

 description is found near Mergui, but some eighty miles further 

 inland it is very plentiful and of the finest quality. A vein of 

 excellent coal was discovered near Thayetmyo, but it was 

 soon exhausted. Limestone is plentiful near Moulmein, where 

 are situated the Damathat Limestone Caves, but is scarce 

 elsewhere in the lower provinces. At Yenan-Choung (Stink- 

 ing Water Stream) are the celebrated earth-oil or petroleum 

 wells, and a few exist elsewhere in the province. 



In botany the province, and in fact the whole country, is 

 exceedingly rich. Its teak is inferior to none ; the Amherstia 

 is one of the most beautiful flowering shrubs in the world ; 

 whilst many of the orchids, wild-flowers, ground orchids, and 

 flowering shrubs and trees, are amongst the most lovely in 

 the world. 



Though it possesses many venomous snakes, such as the 

 hamadryad, cobra, bungarus, and others, they are seldom met 

 with. Its rivers and its coasts abound with the most delicious 

 ish, such as the pomfret, hilsa, mango, and many other 

 irieties, as well as such edibles as crabs, crawfish, eels, etc., 

 md its mountain streams afford capital sport to the lovers of 

 le gentle craft. The Thouk-a-ghat, or drinking-water stream, 

 rhich falls into the Sittang, a little below Tongho, is full of 

 tahseir and of a fish they call gnamein, which takes a fly, and 

 is capital eating. Diamond Island has long been famous for 

 ts turtle, and I used to turn many when at work at a light- 

 louse on the Great Coco. 



The vast forests and extensive plains covered with perpetual 



fetation swarm with mammals and birds, sought alike by 

 the sportsman and naturalist. The wild tea-plant, similar to 

 the indigenous tea-plant discovered in Assam, exists in 

 Karennee, and should one day become a great industry. It 

 has been tried on a small scale in Arrakan, and with most 

 favourable results. In Lower Burma the extremes of heat 

 and cold are not so marked as elsewhere, and there is a total 

 exemption from hot winds. There would be thus nothing 

 prejudicial to the development of leaf, and both the Burmese 

 and Karens are easily led, have no caste, and would readily 



