1836.] lying north of the Tenasserim Provinces. 697 



west bank of the Salween, who, sometime previous, had sent a mes- 

 sage to Maulamyne to say they should he glad to see an European 

 officer in their country, and to open an intercourse with us. 



Dr. R. started on the 29th December, and arrived at Laboung on 

 the 26th January, 1835. Here he found that his old friend the 

 " Chow-tche-Weet," or " Lord of Life," was dangerously ill. The 

 old man received him, however. Dr. R. says — " On entering his 

 house, I found the chiefs and elders assembled and a curtain across 

 the room. After some conversation, chiefly regarding the war to 

 the eastward and the great blessings conferred on this country by 

 our occupation of the Provinces, the curtain was drawn aside, and 

 showed us the poor old man evidently on his death-bed, with his 

 children and grand-children around him. He spoke but little ; said he 

 was glad to see me again, and handled one of the muskets I had 

 brought with me to present to him." 



After staying a few days at Laboung, Dr. R. proceeded to Zlmmay. 

 Here he had some long discussions with the Chow-Houa of that 

 place relative to some impediments and restrictions he had placed on 

 the trade in cattle, and to some late attempts on the part of the fron- 

 tier Shan petty chiefs to levy tribute on the Kayens residing on our 

 side the boundary river. These matters were, however, amicably 

 adjusted, and much kindness and attention were shown him. It was 

 the period of an annual festival, for which he was urgently pressed 

 to stay. He says — 



" One of the amusements at this festival was the letting off of large rockets — 

 each rocket being honored with some name, and supposed to appertain to some 

 chief or great personage. One was appropriated to me ; and my coolies and 

 servants being joined by a number of Maulamyne traders then in the place, who 

 entered into the spirit of the thing, my rocket was well attended to the ground 

 with dancing and singing, to the delight of the Shans, to whom Burmese music 

 and dancing was quite a novelty. The rockets were all of wretched construc- 

 tion, but it so happened that mine performed its duty in a style infinitely supe- 

 rior to any on the ground ; and such is the superstition of these people, that I 

 feel confident this incident has made an impression on their minds of the supe- 

 riority of our nation which will not easily be effaced." 



Here Dr. R. met a large portion of the annual caravan of Chinese 

 traders, of whom he says — 



" At Zimmay I found the caravan of Chinese traders, consisting of 200 mules 

 and horses. Three hundred more were said to be at Moungnan, where cotton is 

 abundant. They had arrived in the country a considerable time before me, and 

 were preparing shortly to return home. 1 had a good deal of conversation with 

 the two heads of the caravan, who seemed to be intelligent, enterprizing charac- 

 ters. They said they had long entertaiued the idea of visiting Maulamyne : and 

 now that they were invited to do so, and were assured of protection, they would 



