1837.] Journal of an Expedition to the Chinese Frontier. 993 



about the road officially communicated to him, yet the day after we 

 left he received a letter from the court officers directing him on no 

 account to permit me to proceed by Kiang Tung, but to escort me by 

 the road travelled by the Chinese caravan. This was privately com- 

 municated to me, and I was convinced they had determined clandes- 

 tinely to use every means in their power to prevent my journey, but 

 to appear outwardly to be assisting me from fear of offending us. 



We reached the frontier village of Puk Bong belonging to Zumuk on 

 the 6th of February. Here the road to Kiang Tung branches off from 

 the one they proposed my going by. Our progress had been slow, 

 and the Zumue chiefs had had ample time to send a reply to the officer 

 with me, but none came. An attempt was made to delay me here, 

 no rice was to be procured, and all the elephants belonging to the 

 village were away in the jangals, and it would take at least four or 

 five days to collect all I required for my journey to Kiang Tung. An- 

 ticipating detention on the road before I left town from the manner 

 the authorities were putting off my departure, I had taken the precau- 

 tion to load two elephants with rice and was thus perfectly indepen- 

 dent of the Shans for supplies. The officer finding I had come 

 prepared and would not stay for my elephants, volunteered to accom- 

 pany me two marches to put me in the right road, though I had a man 

 with me whom I had hired for the purpose of showing me the road. 

 Finding this officer after the two marches inclined to come on, I en- 

 couraged him to do so, wishing him to witness every thing that occur- 

 red at Kiang Tung, that he might report the same to his chief, and 

 thus convince his countrymen whatever they might think, that I had 

 truly stated to them the object of my mission. 



I reached the first village belonging to Kiang Tung on the 13th, 

 and the town itself on the 26th, and was received in the most flatter- 

 ing manner. I was introduced to the Tsaubua on the 22nd. He and 

 all his chiefs really rejoiced at my arrival and were lavish in their terms 

 of the respect they had for us, and assured me they had long been most 

 anxious to open a communication with us. He tried to dissuade me 

 from proceeding towards China on the plea of the states to the north- 

 east of his territory, and through which I should have to pass, being 

 in a state of anarchy and confusion consequent on the death of the 

 Kiang Tung Tsaubua. 



The town is situated in 2I<>47'48' / north latitude and about 

 99° 39' east longitude. It is a poor and thinly populated place, sur- 

 rounded by a brick and mud wall, but so badly erected that it is 

 constantly falling down. It is built on some low undulating hills 



