204 Account of the Mountain Tribes [April, 



retaining the name of the united stream. The Mugaum river is navi- 

 gable for 40 or 50 miles above the town, and for small canoes, a good 

 deal farther, and extends in a northern direction. The Chinese wares 

 are transported up this river as far as practicable, and afterwards con- 

 veyed overland through Hukung and Busa to Assam. The journey 

 from Mung-kung to Assam occupies from 15 to 20 days. 



Route into China. — There are two other routes to China besides the 

 one mentioned, the one by a place called Senwa, and the other by 

 May-na} r , both of which run direct into Burmah, but little more is 

 known about them than their name. The intercourse between China 

 and Assam by any of these roads is extremely tedious, and can only 

 be followed by a trading people, who traffic as they move along, with- 

 out regard to time or distance. A knowledge of the extreme naviga- 

 ble eastern branches of the Brahmaputra has pointed out a much 

 shorter and more convenient pass, and this was travelled by Lieuts. 

 Wilcox and Burlton on their visit to the Bor-Kangtis. Following 

 up the river Noa, Dihing, which flows into the left bank of the Lohit, a 

 few miles above Suddia, they were able to proceed by water convey- 

 ance to within nine days' journey of Mung-lang, on the banks of the 

 Irawadi, and without experiencing any serious difficulty or incon- 

 venience farther than the jungly state of the country. 



Importance of a Road. — A road passable even for mules or oxen 

 between the navigable branches of the Noa Dihing and the Irawadi 

 could not fail to be of great national benefit, and would open a channel 

 for the direct importation of all the valuable productions of Central 

 Asia. It would also tend to the complete civilization of the savage 

 mountaineers, who inhabit these regions, and enable a force to pene- 

 trate into the centre of the country, whither they can at present 

 retreat with comparative impunity. It is doubtful how far those tribes 

 would contribute to the formation of roads, or the furtherance of any 

 attempt on our part, to extend our intercourse into the interior ; they 

 have hitherto been jealous of any encroachment, and not many 

 years ago, gave proofs of the spirit by murdering the individuals who 

 conducted Lieut. Bennett to the Patkoi boundary. 



But the time, it is to be hoped, has already arrived when these fertile 

 tracts will be taken under our especial protection ; when the untutored 

 barbarian must submit to civilization and improvement, and his wilds 

 and his wastes to the ploughshare and the hoe of British agriculture. 



The most important articles of trade exported by the Chinese from the 

 Singpho country are gold dust, precious stones of various colours, and 

 ivory. 



Gold Dust. — The gold dust is procurable from most of the streams 



