﻿PHYSICAL 
  GEOGRAPHY, 
  19 
  

  

  The 
  province 
  of 
  Pegu 
  embraces 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  

   Irrawadi 
  below 
  the 
  parallel 
  of 
  19° 
  30', 
  with 
  that 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   Bassein 
  district 
  also 
  lying 
  between 
  the 
  Arakan 
  Yomah 
  and 
  the 
  sea, 
  and 
  

   so 
  much 
  likewise 
  of 
  the 
  Rangoon 
  district 
  as 
  edges 
  round 
  to 
  the 
  east- 
  

   ward 
  into 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Sittoung. 
  It 
  is 
  bounded 
  on 
  the 
  east, 
  for 
  the 
  

   greater 
  portion 
  of 
  its 
  length, 
  by 
  the 
  Eastern 
  or 
  Pegu 
  Yomah,* 
  a 
  small 
  

   portion 
  only 
  of 
  it 
  lying 
  East 
  of 
  that 
  range 
  ; 
  which 
  portion, 
  however, 
  

   contains 
  the 
  old, 
  though 
  now 
  unimportant, 
  city 
  of 
  Pegu, 
  from 
  which 
  

   the 
  province 
  derives 
  its 
  name. 
  To 
  the 
  West, 
  it 
  is 
  bounded 
  by 
  the 
  

   Western 
  or 
  Arakan 
  Yomah, 
  but 
  comprehends 
  the 
  strip 
  of. 
  country 
  in- 
  

   tervening 
  between 
  the 
  hills 
  and 
  the 
  sea, 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  Gwa 
  Choung, 
  

   which 
  separates 
  the 
  Bassein 
  district 
  from 
  Sandoway. 
  To 
  the 
  North 
  it 
  

   is 
  bounded 
  by 
  the 
  possessions 
  of 
  the 
  King 
  of 
  Ava, 
  the 
  boundary 
  line 
  

   nearly 
  coinciding 
  with 
  the 
  19° 
  30' 
  parallel 
  of 
  latitude, 
  whilst 
  to 
  the 
  

   South 
  it 
  is 
  hemmed 
  by 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Martaban. 
  

  

  Climate. 
  — 
  Embracing, 
  then, 
  as 
  Pegu 
  does, 
  a 
  littoral 
  tract 
  of 
  country 
  

   hemmed 
  in 
  between 
  the 
  sea 
  and 
  the 
  Arakan 
  range, 
  a 
  delta 
  wherein 
  

   debouches 
  through 
  a 
  thousand 
  creeks, 
  a 
  mighty 
  river 
  beneath 
  a 
  tropi- 
  

   cal 
  sun, 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  spread 
  of 
  country 
  towards 
  the 
  frontier, 
  lying 
  

   beyond 
  the 
  immediate 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  sea, 
  Pegu 
  possesses 
  a 
  very 
  

   considerable 
  range 
  of 
  climate 
  in 
  its 
  different 
  sub 
  -divisions. 
  As 
  rain- 
  

   fall 
  in 
  the 
  East 
  plays 
  a 
  part 
  in 
  geological 
  agencies, 
  second 
  only 
  

   to 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  frost 
  in 
  northern 
  lands, 
  I 
  shall 
  devote 
  a 
  brief 
  space 
  

   to 
  its 
  consideration; 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  more 
  necessary, 
  as 
  a 
  hankering 
  

   for 
  averages 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  betrayed 
  the 
  compiler 
  of 
  the 
  Meteorological 
  

   Table 
  A 
  3, 
  appended 
  to 
  the 
  Administration 
  Report 
  for 
  1868-69, 
  into 
  a 
  

   misplaced 
  attempt 
  to 
  strike 
  a 
  general 
  average 
  for 
  the 
  entire 
  province. 
  

  

  ed 
  by 
  sparse 
  and 
  disunited 
  Karen 
  tribes. 
  If, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  statement 
  based 
  on 
  

   legitimate 
  grounds, 
  the 
  sooner 
  the 
  official 
  map 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  is 
  brought 
  in 
  accord 
  with 
  the 
  

   views 
  of 
  Government 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  boundaries 
  of 
  the 
  province, 
  the 
  better. 
  At 
  present 
  it 
  would 
  

   seem 
  as 
  though 
  a 
  British 
  officer 
  claimed 
  jurisdiction 
  beyond 
  the 
  limits 
  assigned 
  to 
  British 
  

   Territory 
  by 
  the 
  official 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  Frontier. 
  

  

  * 
  Yomah 
  — 
  backbone 
  or 
  main 
  range. 
  

  

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