﻿PHYSICAL 
  GEOGRAPHY. 
  25 
  

  

  From 
  Menghyee, 
  the 
  assumed 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  delta, 
  to 
  where 
  the 
  

   Irrawadi 
  crosses 
  the 
  frontier, 
  is 
  92 
  miles, 
  and 
  the 
  general 
  course 
  

   of 
  the 
  river 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  as 
  coinciding 
  1 
  in 
  direction 
  with 
  a 
  line 
  drawn 
  

   through 
  Prome 
  and 
  Henzada, 
  having 
  a 
  bearing 
  North-west-by-north. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  East 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  Irrawadi, 
  only 
  three 
  streams 
  of 
  any 
  

   importance 
  enter 
  the 
  river, 
  viz., 
  the 
  Kini 
  stream, 
  6| 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  

   frontier, 
  the 
  Boolay 
  stream, 
  11^ 
  miles 
  below 
  the 
  Kini, 
  and 
  the 
  Naweng 
  

   stream, 
  26| 
  miles 
  below 
  the 
  Boolay, 
  and 
  2 
  miles 
  above 
  Prome. 
  On 
  the 
  

   West 
  bank, 
  the 
  only 
  important 
  streams 
  are 
  the 
  Mahtoan, 
  3 
  miles 
  above 
  

   Kahmahj 
  the 
  Muday, 
  31 
  miles 
  below 
  Kahmah; 
  the 
  Thahn-ni, 
  6| 
  miles 
  

   below 
  Pudoung 
  ; 
  the 
  Thalaydar, 
  4| 
  miles 
  above 
  Akouktoung, 
  and 
  the 
  

   Tsandah, 
  4 
  miles 
  above 
  Myanoung. 
  The 
  whole 
  of 
  these 
  streams 
  pour 
  

   down 
  a 
  large 
  body 
  of 
  water 
  during 
  the 
  rains, 
  but 
  shrink 
  to 
  small 
  

   streams 
  during 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  All 
  these 
  streams, 
  however, 
  from 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  quicksands 
  at 
  their 
  

   mouth, 
  present 
  difficulties 
  to 
  the 
  traveller 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  elephants 
  

   and 
  cattle, 
  a 
  considerable 
  detour 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  firm 
  fording 
  

   place. 
  The 
  most 
  formidable 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  are 
  the 
  Naweng 
  and 
  Boolay, 
  

   though 
  they 
  intersect 
  the 
  so-called 
  military 
  road 
  to 
  the 
  frontier, 
  and 
  yet 
  

   remain 
  unbridged 
  after 
  20 
  years' 
  occupation.* 
  

  

  One 
  remarkable 
  feature 
  which 
  must 
  not 
  be 
  overlooked 
  in 
  any 
  

   physical 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  Irrawadi 
  valley, 
  is 
  the 
  general 
  narrowness 
  

   of 
  the 
  actual 
  bed 
  which 
  the 
  river 
  has 
  carved 
  for 
  itself 
  through 
  the 
  plains. 
  

   In 
  no 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  Irrawadi 
  do 
  we 
  see 
  such 
  a 
  vast 
  breadth 
  

  

  * 
  This 
  is 
  all 
  the 
  more 
  remarkable 
  when 
  the 
  enormous 
  sums 
  of 
  money 
  are 
  considered 
  

   which 
  are 
  expended 
  on 
  roads 
  and 
  culverts, 
  where 
  no 
  such 
  expenditure 
  is 
  needed 
  to 
  meet 
  

   actual 
  risk, 
  difficulty, 
  or 
  danger. 
  If 
  the 
  cost, 
  labor, 
  and 
  materials, 
  expended 
  on 
  the 
  

   numberless 
  little 
  culverts 
  and 
  trumpery 
  bridges 
  which 
  can 
  in 
  no 
  way 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  essential 
  

   to 
  traffic, 
  had 
  only 
  been 
  expended 
  on 
  such 
  dangerous 
  spots 
  as 
  the 
  Naweng 
  and 
  Boolay, 
  these 
  

   formidable 
  streams 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  bridged 
  ere 
  this 
  three 
  times 
  over. 
  Where 
  is 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  a 
  

   Railway 
  to 
  Frome, 
  if 
  between 
  Prome 
  and 
  the 
  frontier 
  two 
  such 
  dangerous 
  streams 
  as 
  the 
  

   Naweng 
  and 
  the 
  Boolay 
  are 
  allowed 
  to 
  remain 
  unbridged 
  ? 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  new 
  illustration 
  of 
  the 
  

   hankering 
  for 
  ruffles 
  before 
  the 
  owner 
  is 
  possessed 
  of 
  a 
  shirt 
  ? 
  

  

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