JOURNAL 



OF THE 



ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL 



Part II.— PHYSICAL SCIENC 

 No. I.— 1881 



I. — Report on a visit to the Nongyang Lake, on the Burmese Frontier, 



February 1879.—% S. E. Peal, Esq. 



[Received November 11th; — Read December 1st, 1880.] 



(With Plates.) 



Last year, I prepared a short note on the old Burmese route over 



Patkai, via Nongyang, viewed as the most feasible and direct route from 



India to China,* and, having a month's leave in the cold season, I determined 



to proceed, if possible, to the pass over the Patkai leading to Upper 



Burmah, report on the same, take altitudes, &c, and explore the Nongyang 



Lake, in the valley of the same name beyond, on the Burmese side of the 



water-parting. 



Permission to travel east and to cross the frontier was kindly given to 

 me by the Chief Commissioner of Assam, in time to enable me to start from 

 Jaipur, on the Dihing river, by the end of January 1879. 



Hitherto, on this line of route considerable delay and inconvenience 

 have always been caused to travellers from the want of a sufficient 

 number of trustworthy load-carriers ; parties have been detained eight 

 and ten days while the necessary men were collected, and en route exorbitant 

 demands have often been made. At times, as in the cases of Major Sladen's, 

 and Mr. Cooper's parties it completely frustrates all attempts at progress. 

 I therefore secured enough men whom I could rely on as porters before 

 starting. The party consisted of seven picked Bengali coolies, an Assamese 

 * Journal, A. S. B., Vol. XLVIII, Part II, 1879. 

 1 



