1836.] lying north of the Tenasserim Provinces. 701 



as, under present circumstances, they must deprecate any reference against them 

 to the king of Siam, who might take advantage of the opportunity to place a 

 stranger in the situation of the deceased chief. Still the settlement was put off 

 till the arrival of the chief of Zimmay, who had returned to his town for a few 

 days, and I was obliged to quit without knowing the result of their deliberation. 

 I learnt, however, by a messenger who met me on my return from the Red 

 Kayens, that the affair had been terminated to the satisfaction of the owners of 

 the elephants, who had accompanied me from Maulamyne. 



" At this assembly the chiefs seemed on very bad terms with each other, and 

 their deliberations were conducted with much acrimony, and on one occasion 

 with personal violence. The Chow-Houa of Laboung appeared to have given 

 general dissatisfaction, though he again was full of complaints against the others. 

 This mutual bad feeling was shewn in the inditing of the letter brought by me 

 from the chiefs of Laboung. I was informed by one of them, that when it was 

 read to Chow-Houa, he ordered his name to be struck out without assigning 

 any reason. When I called on him to bid him farewell, I asked him why he had 

 done this. He begged me to be assured that no disrespect was intended by it ; 

 that the letter had been written without, in the least, consulting him ; and though 

 it was a very good letter, yet he declined to have his name in it under such cir- 

 cumstances. He then went on to say, that the death of the old man, whose 

 obsequies they were then celebrating would, he feared, be the cause of much 

 evil and misery to the country, owing to their own dissensions. 



" Having at last obtained the letter, and having been furnished with an order 

 for guides from the frontier to the Red Kayen country, I left Laboung on the 

 25th March." 



The route usually travelled from Laboung and Zimmay to the coun- 

 try of the Red Kayens on the west bank of the Salween, is through 

 Mein-loon-gyee, towards which Dr. R. bent his course and arrived on 

 the 31st March. Here he remained one day in order to procure rice 

 and other articles for himself and followers during the remainder of 

 the journey, as no villages would be fallen in with for some days. 



¥ April 2nd. Direction N. 15 "W. Distance 15 miles. 



" The road lay generally along the banks of the Mein-loon-gyee river, cross- 

 ing occasionally from one side to the other and through a magnificent teak- 

 forest. 



" 3rd. Direction N. 39 W. Distance, 20 miles. 



" The road much the same as yesterday's march. Crossed the river twelve 

 times during the day with the water sometimes over the saddle flaps. 



" 4th. Direction N. 75 W. Distance, 17 miles. 



" Left the Mein-loon-gyee to the eastward, and proceeded along a road of 

 much more rugged character, up a small stream which we crossed seventy or 

 eighty times. The hills are here more close and precipitous, but the tops of 

 many of them are cleared for grain cultivation, the only sign of the country 

 being inhabited. Met fifteen elephants returning from the country we are about 

 to visit, with stick-lac. 



" bth. Direction S. 80 W. Distance, 12 miles. 



** Crossed the highest part of this range at 7 a. m. from whence the water 

 4 Y 



