﻿2 
  THEOBALD: 
  GEOLOGY 
  OF 
  PEGTT. 
  

  

  Lord 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  elephant, 
  with 
  the 
  ideas 
  current 
  regarding 
  them 
  for 
  

   the 
  last 
  few 
  centuries, 
  when 
  the 
  wealth 
  of 
  the 
  kingdom 
  of 
  Ava, 
  was 
  as 
  

   proverbial, 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  still 
  classic 
  names 
  of 
  Golkonda 
  or 
  Samarkand. 
  

  

  The 
  mental 
  process 
  of 
  course 
  is 
  easily 
  understood, 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  

   erroneous 
  idea 
  becomes 
  developed, 
  that 
  that 
  land 
  must 
  be 
  wealthy, 
  and 
  

   its 
  inhabitants 
  prosperous 
  also, 
  where 
  gems 
  are 
  dug 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  earth, 
  

   worth 
  a 
  kingdom's 
  ransom 
  ; 
  yet 
  experience, 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  sound 
  political 
  

   knowledge, 
  teaches 
  us 
  that 
  the 
  humblest 
  minister 
  to 
  the 
  manifold 
  wants 
  

   of 
  a 
  civilized 
  community, 
  is 
  better 
  off 
  materially, 
  than 
  the 
  slave 
  (actually 
  

   or 
  essentially) 
  who 
  spends 
  his 
  days 
  in 
  pursuit 
  of 
  those 
  gems 
  and 
  pearls 
  and 
  

   yellow 
  ore, 
  whose 
  very 
  names 
  throw 
  such 
  a 
  halo 
  of 
  splendour, 
  unreality, 
  

   and 
  fiction 
  over 
  the 
  land 
  of 
  their 
  production, 
  the 
  ' 
  gorgeous 
  East/ 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  another 
  idea 
  too, 
  which 
  though 
  not 
  often 
  put 
  into 
  shape, 
  yet 
  

   lies 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  groundless 
  belief 
  touching 
  the 
  mineral 
  

   resources 
  of 
  unknown 
  lands, 
  and 
  that 
  is, 
  that 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  coal 
  and 
  

   iron, 
  meaning 
  cheap 
  coal 
  and 
  iron, 
  is 
  so 
  necessary 
  to 
  the 
  spread 
  of 
  

   "Western 
  civilization, 
  that 
  to 
  doubt, 
  or 
  rather 
  not 
  to 
  entertain 
  full 
  faith 
  in 
  

   their 
  existence 
  in 
  all 
  lands, 
  sufficiently 
  inviting 
  to 
  tempt 
  the 
  Saxon, 
  would 
  

   seem 
  like 
  arraigning 
  Providence 
  for 
  not 
  so 
  providing 
  for 
  the 
  necessities 
  

   of 
  that 
  favored 
  race. 
  Without 
  coal 
  and 
  iron 
  the 
  hardy 
  Saxon 
  pines 
  

   like 
  a 
  gudgeon 
  in 
  a 
  punchbowl, 
  and 
  hence 
  his 
  instinctive 
  unwillingness 
  

   to 
  conceive 
  of 
  countries 
  otherwise 
  eligible 
  and 
  tempting, 
  but 
  deficient 
  in 
  

   these 
  two 
  elementary 
  essentials 
  for 
  his 
  well-being. 
  

  

  As 
  regards 
  Pegu 
  proper, 
  there 
  is 
  very 
  little 
  indeed 
  to 
  quote 
  from 
  

   earlier 
  writers, 
  and 
  I 
  need 
  only 
  mention 
  a 
  few 
  papers 
  indirectly 
  connected 
  

   in 
  a 
  geographical 
  sense 
  with 
  the 
  province, 
  but 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  

   necessary 
  for 
  my 
  purpose 
  to 
  make 
  many 
  extracts. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Gleanings 
  of 
  Science, 
  Vol. 
  Ill, 
  page 
  59, 
  James 
  Prinsep 
  

   gives 
  an 
  analysis 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  interesting 
  alloy 
  of 
  platinum, 
  received 
  in 
  the 
  

   form 
  of 
  a 
  c 
  button' 
  from 
  Bhamo 
  ; 
  and 
  although 
  platinum, 
  or 
  its 
  alloy, 
  

   would 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  Burmese 
  by 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  shwe-bew 
  or 
  

  

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