TRANSACTIONS OP SECTION E. 679 



From a geographical point of view the most interesting feature is the extra- 

 ordinary number of large rivers which ilow through or rise within the province, 

 affluents of the Irawadi, the Salwin, Mekong, Yangtse, West River, and Eed 

 River ; the second, third, and fourth of these, as they enter Yiinnaii all ilow in 

 deep valleys side by side for many miles, barely twenty miles one from another, 

 with a huge mountain range intervening. Farther south these rivers separate, 

 allowing room for the headwaters of the Red and West Rivers, the centre of the 

 Province, the watershed between these various river-systems thus forming an 

 elevated plateau, the plains on which are mostly about 6,000 feet in elevation. 

 The climate varies according to the elevation from perpetual snow to perpetual 

 heat, with every intervening stage ; consequently the fauna and Hora, and the pro- 

 duce of the fields, vary considerably. The seasons are well defined — rains, cold 

 weather, and hot weather ; the former the least pleasant, especially to travellers. 

 Trade is nearly at a standstill owing to the shocking condition of the roads and the 

 unhealthiness of the valleys, which are held in great awe by the Chinese merchants. 

 The hills, except in the neighbourhood of the towns, are well wooded and abound 

 in small game, though the larger wild animals are conspicuous by their absence. 

 A large quantity of minerals exist, mines of copper and silver — some worked, others 

 deserted — being constantly met with. 



Situated as it is in the south-west corner of the empire, with French territory 

 on the south and English on the west, much attention has been drawn to 

 Yiinnan, and after various schemes had been propounded for tapping the trade, 

 the Yiinnan Company fitted out an expedition under Major Davies — to which I 

 was attached by the Government of India to survey and report on Yiinnan — with 

 a view to deciding whether a line of railway was possible from Burma into China. 

 This we successfully accomplished in two successive seasons ; but, owing to the 

 mountainous country and the poor prospects of traffic, it has been decided to 

 abandon any idea of a railway on these lines. In a short time a railway will be 

 completed, but it will be from Tongkiug and not from Burma. 



Yiinnan is as regards scenery the flower of China and most pleasant to travel 

 in, always excepting certain rudeness, which everyone must expect, from the 

 Chinese themselves. 



2. Colonisation and Irrigation in Uganda and the British East Africa 

 Protectorate. By E,. B. Buckley, C.S.I. 



This paper commences with a description of the climate, and a statement of the 

 rainfall, m the British East Africa Protectorate. A brief description is also given 

 of the Uganda railway, which is mentioned as a monument to the skill of its 

 engineers. The political and local effects of the railway are referred to. 



The paper refers to the climatic conditions which affect Lake Victoria Nyanza, 

 nnd has an Appendix showing the rise and fall in the surface of the lake since 1896. 

 The causes of the fluctuations in the lake are discussed, and it is shown that the 

 volume of water which is actually available for storage in the lake for purposes of 

 irrigation is not so great as might be supposed. 



The Uganda railway passes through the high lands of East Africa, where a 

 tract of land, the size of England north of Liverpool and Sheffield, lies at an 

 elevation of more than 5,000 feet above the sea and has a pleasant and temperate 

 climate. There seems to be no doubt that this country is eminently suited for 

 colonisation, and that, if it could be irrigated, nearly all European crops and fruits 

 could be grown in it. 



The paper discusses the possibilities of irrigation in East Africa, which do not 

 seem very hopeful. The three main rivers, the Juba, the Tana, and the Sabaki, 

 are not well known and their discharges at diflPerent times of the year are not 

 recorded. The rivers are navigable in their lower reaches near the sea. It seems 

 likely that irrigation from the Juba and Tana might be possible in the higher 

 lands, and that 30,000 or 40,000 acres might be irrigated from the Sabaki, just 

 below the point where the Tsavo River, which is fed from the snows of Kilimanjaro, 

 joins the main stream. But the paper points out that the area commanded lies 



