1841.] Report on the Island of Chedooba. 423 



but as before noted it is of a most mild quality, and made principally from 

 a leaf found in a jungle, with but little tobacco. It is the only one of an 

 excitable nature in use, if indeed the mild mixture they smoke, is so at all. 

 The only beverage is water, and though the licensing of shops for liquor 

 and opium, is, in the more populous towns of Ramree, and the mainland, 

 gradually tending to deprive their neighbours and countrymen of those 

 parts, of the invaluable inheritance of national sobriety, Chedooba is as 

 yet clear of the infection. 



The acquirements of education are the result of the labours of the 

 priesthood, who thus repay the maintenance allotted them by the public. 

 All classes receive alike attention, the extent of which goes to the learning 

 to read and write ; of this benefit however, the children alone of the more 

 populous villages of Chedooba principally partake, they alone being large 

 enough to maintain continually an establishment of the sort, though every 

 village has attached to it, a Riong or Church, and a School room, 

 to which occasional visits are paid by itinerant priests. Spinning cot- 

 ton, and the use of the loom are branches of domestic education, 

 learnt by the females at home ; while as soon as he is old enough to 

 bear its weight, the boy sallies forth with his parent, and his dah, to assist 

 in clearing the jungle for cultivation, or in felling it for fuel. 



The skill in the use of this weapon, thus learnt, is very great ; in shape 

 it resembles our bill-hook, with the sharp edge along the outer or convex 

 side, but it is without the crook, longer and heavier, the largest in this 

 latter particular fully equalling that of one of our own axes, with a blade 

 nearly two feet long, and about 4 inches in width. With this weapon, 

 the ease and rapidity with which the largest trees are felled is very great, 

 and the Mug is perhaps as dexterous a woodsman as the Kentucky 

 man himself; the facility with which acres of large trees were felled on 

 the hill tops, to clear them for Theodolite observation, gave ample oppor- 

 tunity to note and appreciate his ability in this point, as from it was 

 reaped a most valuable and correct means of effecting a survey, which 

 without it would have been greatly increased in labour and sources of 

 error, as well as occupation of time. 



The tree is not felled so low down as with the axe, but breast high, 

 which raises an objection to felling with it for timber, though not in mere 

 clearing for cultivation. Every man in the Island has his dah, which is 

 his constant companion, and is in constant use, to fell his timber, to make 

 his cart, his house, his canoe, his baskets for fishing or other purposes, 

 and last not least to chop up his curry. A Mug without a dah might as 

 well be without a right hand. 



