264 Captain Hannay's Route [April, 



and he and I proceeded hand in hand through a street of Burman 

 soldiers, who were posted from the landing place to the Myo-wun's 

 house, a distance of nearly a mile : we were preceded by the Myo-wun's 

 people carrying spears, gilt chattas, &c. and at intervals during our 

 walk, a man in a very tolerable voice, chaunted our praises, and the 

 cause of our coming to Mogaung. Several women also joined the 

 procession, carrying offerings of flowers and giving us their good 

 wishes." 



The Myo-wun appears to have lost no time in availing himself of the 

 advantages of his situation, for on the very day after landing, he 

 commenced a system of unsparing taxation, to enable him to pay for 

 his appointment. A rapid succession of governors within a very few 

 years, all influenced by the same principle, had already reduced the 

 inhabitants of Mogaung to a state closely bordering on extreme pover- 

 ty, and the distress occasioned by the exactions now practised was 

 bitterly complained of by the wretched victims of such heartless 

 extortion. The Shan inhabitants of the town were employed by the 

 Burmese officers to enforce this excessive payment of tribute from 

 the Singphos and Kakhyens of the surrounding hills, which had led 

 to much ill-will on the part of the latter, by whom they are stigma- 

 tised " as the dogs of the Burmans." 



" The town of Mogaung," says Captain Hannay, " is situated at 

 the junction of the Namyeen or Namyang, and the Mogaung or Num- 

 hong rivers, and extends about a mile from east to west along the 

 bank of the last named river, the west end of the town being bounded 

 by the Namyeen khyoung, which comes from the district of Monyeen 

 in a direction S. 43 W. The town of Mogaung, strictly speaking, is 

 confined within what is now only the remains of a timber stockade. 

 Outside of this, however, there are several houses, and within a 

 short distance a few small villages are scattered about, but even 

 including all these, there are not more than 300 houses. Those with- 

 in the stockade are inhabited by Shans, and those outside by Bur- 

 mans, Phwons, Assamese and a few Chinese. The latter to the 

 number of 50 reside here, and are under the authority of a Thoogyee 

 of their own nation ; — they derive a profit from their countrymen 

 who come annually in considerable numbers to purchase serpentine. 

 Amongst them I saw both blacksmiths and carpenters, and, for the 

 first time since leaving Gangetic India, I saw the operation perform- 

 ed of shoeing horses. The Shans, inside the stockade, reside in 

 large houses, such as 1 formerly described having seen amongst the 

 Phwons ; — the Burmans and others live in the same description of 



