124 S. E. Peal — A trip up the Dihing Basin. [July & AuausT, 



2. N'ofes of a trip up the Dihing Basin to Dapha Bani, Sfc.^ January and 

 February, 1882.—% S. E. Peal. 



Mr. Peal explains the object of his trip as being to make enquiries 

 connected with the feasibility of a trade route from Assam to the east 

 towards the Shan States to China. Taking into consideration the unsettled 

 state of Upper Burmah, and the fact tliat explorations for this purpose are 

 more needful east than west of Nawadi, Mr. Peal chose for his trip the 

 upper Dihing basin, previously visited by only one European, Wilcox, in 

 1827. Starting from Jaipur on the Dihing, Mr. Peal went by land to 

 Makum, and then, passing Tora Kusi, went on to Bor Phakial where he 

 secured a canoe and proceeded up the stream past Tirapmuk, Moko, 

 Paka-i-ling, Kerim Pani, Bisa, as far as Loaung : here the canoe was made 

 over to the Loaung Gam's keeping, and the party proceeded by land to 

 Bishi and then on to the Dapha Pani, Here they found a very wide, gras- 

 sy and flat valley extending some miles towards the north and bounded on 

 the west by a spur, while to the east, running north and south, was a very 

 remarkable level and straight cliff, alluded to by Wilcox who visited the 

 place in 1827. This cliff was so level and straight as to look very like a 

 huge railway embankment ; and at a short distance behind could be seen 

 another similar cliff, extending for some miles. Mr. Peal was informed by 

 one of his carriers, a Kampti, that there is only one passage up to the 

 plateau above in the whole length of about seven miles : the top of the 

 first clifE is perfectly flat and level to the foot of the second cliff, and then 

 flat again for a long way in. Mr. Peal suggests that the land was once 

 continuous between the western spur and the crest of the east cliff and 

 that the whole Dapha Pani valley has been slowly cut out to its present 

 depth. The river appears to have a rapid fall, and in the rains the floods 

 must be heavy and violent extending right across the valley. After spend- 

 ing a few days in this locality, Mr. Peal commenced his return journey. 



On his journey Mr. Peal obtained as much geographical and other 

 information as he could, both from actual observation and from the men 

 he met,' and concludes his paper by giving a summary of the results 

 of his trip. First, as to the direct route up Dihing or Diyun Kha, past Bisa, 

 Bishi and Khomong for Mung Kamti, he learnt that the route as far as 

 he went, and possibly as far as Khomong, is not so difficult as he had ex- 

 pected. The great difficulty is the want of supplies : as the country is 

 uninhabited, supplies for about ten days have to be carried. There are 

 fewer villages now than there were in Wilcox's time, as in a certain tract of 

 country where Wilcox passed five or six villages, Mr. Peal found none. Mr. 

 Peal frequently saw the signs of former villages and always where indicated 

 in Wilcox's map, though the names there given are not spelt correctly, for 



