992 Journal of on Expedition to the Chinese Frontier. [Dec. 



I experienced the utmost difficulty in obtaining satisfactory informa- 

 tion about the routes to China. Those who could have given me 

 information were either afraid to do so, or have been schooled to 

 repeat what the officers of Government had told me ; others were 

 again evidently interested in the road they recommended. 



The Chinese merchants residing in the place had told me that the 

 Kiang Tung road was the best, that the other I should find very diffi- 

 cult, having ranges of high mountains to cross, and that elephants could 

 not travel by it. I should only find scattered hill tribes and no 

 villages for a great distance. I therefore determined if possible to 

 obtain permission, either directly or indirectly, to my proceeding 

 by the road recommended by them, to enable the merchants who had 

 come up with me, and had all their goods on elephants, to accompany 

 me. I also hoped that the road having been once travelled by a British 

 officer with traders, might eventually facilitate its being thrown open. 



On the 27th I was happy to see part of the Chinese caravan 

 arrive, their report confirmed what I before heard about the road. 

 The chiefs had assured me that there was a road more to the eastward 

 than the above mentioned one, along the eastern bank of the Mekhong 

 or Cambodia river, with large towns and villages two or three days' jour- 

 ney apart. These the Chinese informed me did not exist, that they had 

 many years ago been pillaged and destroyed by the Siamese Shans, 

 and the road entirely overgrown with jangal and blocked up. Thev 

 also urged me to try and get the Kiang Tung road, which was by far 

 the best, thrown open. 



These merchants informed me that they were most anxious to carrv 

 on a brisk trade with our provinces, and that the market was most 

 satisfactory, but that the road travelled by those who visited us in 1836 

 was such as to render it impracticable for them to come by it. This 

 objection 1 am happy to say can be easily overcome by their taking 

 the road travelled by me on my return here from Zumue. I remon- 

 strated \.ith the Chou Raja Wu'n against sending me by a road either 

 impossible for elephants, or by one which had been for years closed in 

 addition to passing me to another Shan district. Permission was 

 ultimately given for me to select my own road from the information 

 I should collect on the way. It was however agreed that I should 

 not consider the road travelled by me as having been thrown open to 

 us, but merely as a favor granted me being sent on a mission. 



After many attempts to delay my departure 1 left Zumue on the 29th 

 in company with a Shan officer sent to escort me with six elephants, 

 and though before quitting it I had taken care to have the arrangement 



