144 Fish, Isinglass, Salt, Edible Birds' Nests* [No. 110. 



Only the day before I arrived, a Chinaman, (the only one indeed who lives 

 at Kyok Phyoo) who acts as agent for his countrymen who trade on the 

 coast, bought up five maunds (400 lbs) of these fish sounds for about 25 

 rupees a maund. 



A small rock, known as the Pagoda Rock, at the mouth of the harbour, 

 furnishes the edible birds' nests in small quantities, and the government 

 derives an income from it as well as from wood oil, wax and honey. In 

 the year 1835-36, the collections of revenue on account of the edible 

 birds' nest found at the island of Ramaee stood at 106 rupees and that 

 for the whole Province at 4160 rupees in the Government books, while 

 the collections on occount of form of wood oil was 17 rupees — eath oil 

 162 rupees — bees wax and honey 660 rupees. The nests the China junks 

 carry off. Such are the chief productions of the harbour. Many other 

 fish of course abound, but the pomfret, the mullet, the becktee, and the 

 oyster stand foremost. 



I must now allude to another subject, and that is one of considerable 

 importance. I allude to the manufacture of salt. The water of the har- 

 bour at Kyok Phyoo contains a much larger quantity of saline matter 

 than that in the Sunderbunds. On'comparison it will be seen, I believe, that 

 the one holds near 20 per cent more saline matter in solution than the other. 

 The government has already taken advantage of this circumstance, and 

 has caused Golahs to be erected, whereat they store salt, which the people 

 of the Province are but too happy to supply at 4 annas a maund. The 

 manufacture is solely by solar evaporation, and the preparation is of the 

 finest quality. Such opportunities must demand greater attention, and 

 a few years more will probably see this superior article, superseding 

 almost to utter extinction, the dirty earthy article w r hich is now obtained 

 from the Sunderbunds.* 



One of my earliest enquiries, after landing at the picturesque station of 

 Kyok Phyoo, was, to enquire into the progress made in the recent coal 

 discovery.f I found that the principal locality here alluded to, was not on 

 the island of Ramree itself, but on a rock off the island about a mile, 

 know by the name of ' the Cap Island,' but that minute traces of it had 

 been found at a point of the main island which is nearest in contiguity 



* My friend and correspondent alludes to the Salt as sold in the bazaar : it is 

 perfectly white, and pure when first made, but the process of removal, and weighing 

 dirties it in some degree and the adulteration by the retail dealer brings on the earthy 

 look he alludes to : 7, not 4, As. is the price given. — H. T. 



f I beg here to state that what is here stated regarding the coal localities at Kyok 

 Phyoo was reported by me to the Secretary of the coal Committee and has since appear- 

 ed in Dr. McCleland's Journal. 



