692 Account of Arakan. [No. 117. 



The chief town of Arakan now, is Akyab ; it is situated at the 

 S. W. extremity of the district ; it was first occupied in the beginning 

 of 1826, and consisted only of a few fishermen's huts called Tset-twe^ 

 the name by which the present town is still known to the natives. 

 The old capital, which lies about 50 miles distant N. E. from Akyab^ 

 was abandoned on account of its unhealthiness. The site of Akyab 

 was well chosen. It is at the mouth of the principal river of the 

 country, the natural outlet for the produce of a vast extent of fertile 

 land ; the soil in the immediate vicinity is of a light sandy nature, 

 unlike that of the interior, which is generally clayey ; both the tradi- 

 tions of the people, the appearance of the surface, and the marine 

 remains, proclaim the site to have been but lately redeemed from the 

 sea. Shells are to be found near the surface in the streets of the 

 town, and on the roads of the station ; west of the station is to be 

 traced a raised sea-beach, along which a road now runs towards the 

 river Ma-yu, and between it and the present sea stretches a plain of 

 more than a mile in extent ; here tradition also points out where ships 

 used formerly to be moored.* To the S. W. of the station is a ridge 

 of sandstone rocks running nearly N. and S. some distance inland, 

 and elevated in some places from 25 to 30 feet above the highest 

 tides ; to this height the rocks are perforated by marine animals. 

 There is no tradition regarding any convulsion having raised this tract 

 of country. The same effects are visible along the coast for 50 or 

 60 miles from Akyab. In the upper portion of the ridge of rocks 

 above mentioned, no shells are to be found in the perforations, but 

 lower down oyster-shells are still seen adhering to the rock. On the 

 opposite shore of the Akyab harbour is a remarkable conical-shaped 

 rock on the top of a little hill elevated above the water about 1 50 

 feet. It is stated, that in the reign of king Thoo-re-ya-tseit-ra, the 

 water was so high, that this conical rock was only just protruded 

 above the surface, and the king on the occasion of a war-like expedition, 

 deposited there his hair comb as an off^ering, without moving from his 

 boat ; hence the rock is called to this day, Oo-bee-gyap-toung, " Head- 



* Akyab, the name given to the present town by foreigners, is perhaps derived fr"'^ 

 the name of a pagoda built hereabouts, which was probably a good land-mark in 

 former times, and therefore well known to mariners. The site of the pagoda is called 

 A-khyat-dau-kun, " Royal -jaw-bone hillock," from a jaw-bone o{ Gautama's being 

 buried there. 



