1006* Journal of an expedition from Moulmien to Ava. [Dec* 



Burman subjects, to pass through the point of territory under his 

 jurisdiction ; he at length agreed to it, but proposed to levy a duty 

 of 10 per cent, against which I remonstrated as exorbitant, consider- 

 ing the nature of the road. A reference on that point to Zimmay will 

 however be necessary. On the 6th January left Mein loon gyee with 

 only five days' provisions, about one- fourth of what I wished to pro- 

 cure. We travelled along the road used in the monsoon (the Mein loon 

 gyee river being too deep to ford), and reached the Thalween in lat. 18* 

 16' 14" N. on the 16th without seeing a single village. In the after- 

 noon, the Thoogyee of Ban-ong the Ka-reen-nee village on the western 

 bank, crossed over to my tent and told me that he had the orders of 

 Pha Pho (the chief of the Kareens) to detain me here as it was his 

 intention to come this far to meet me. After some remonstrance I was 

 obliged to comply. Our rice bad been short for some days and we had 

 now the greatest difficulty in procuring one meal a day of a mixture 

 of cholum and rice, and even that, though the people were out all the 

 morning, was often not brought in till the evening. On the 26th 

 even this failed us and we were obliged to push on with the consent 

 of the Thoo-gyee who declared himself unable to assist us. Travelling 

 by the same road as on my last mission, we reached Pha Pho's village 

 on the 28th, havinar passed three or four small villages. We found 

 that Pha Pho had been gone a day or two on his way to meet us on 

 the Thalween, but as he had gone by a road lying to the northward 

 of the one we had come by, we missed him, and, what was of more 

 material consequence at the time, our provisions which he had 

 taken with him. The people at the village were however very atten- 

 tive, and his youngest son went with two of our elephants on the fol- 

 lowing morning to a Toung-thoo village half a day off, for rice. 



On the evening of the first of February Pha Pho returned, and on 

 the 3rd I waited on him with your letter and presents. He received me 

 kindly and after several friendly visits and some discussion, I succeed- 

 ed in obtaining an answer to the letter, promising every facility and 

 protection to our traders, bringing a pass from Maulmain, passing 

 through his country to the Cambodia Shan states ; he also agreed to the 

 Shan traders passing through to Maulmain ; he promised to levy no 

 duties, but said that the traders must make a small present on asking 

 leave to proceed. He assured me my visiting the other chiefs was quite 

 unnecessary, as he was the paramount authority, and any arrangements 

 made with him must bind the others ; as I did not know what towns 

 I might have to visit in advance, and my presents not being very 

 numerous, though quite valuable enough for the people I had to deal 

 with, I did not visit them. 



