72 S. E. Peal—WNote on the old Burmese route [No. 2, 
Whether these villages were kept there by the authorities or remained 
there of their own choice, and benefitted by the line of trade we cannot 
now say, but soon after the close of the Burmese war, they migrated 
westwards ; possibly the state of frontier anarchy that followed left them 
too often at the mercy of necessitous soldiery, to avoid whom they retreated 
to the higher ranges. 
On Griffiths’ arrival, therefore, at Bisa, instead of pursuing the old route 
up the Namrip river, towards the Loglai basin, we find he made a sudden 
turn westward and passed through the “ Morang Naga” country, crossing 
Patkai near Yugli at 5,000 feet elevation, and subsequent ranges at 3,500 
and again 5,100 feet, Nongyang lake being left fully 20 to 25 miles to the 
east. 
The old route, in fact, at that time had been abandoned—neither food 
nor transport could be got there—and he was compelled to go where these 
were obtainable ; the old path also by that time would have been covered by 
jungle and more or less impracticable. 
Properly speaking the name Patkai applies only to the highest ridges 
wherever they occur ; in few places are they continuous for any distance ; the 
water parting is often cut up into distinct groups of hills with many low 
places intervening, more especially towards the eastwards, where from the 
Nongyang lake, they sink lower and lower, to where Singphus assert they 
have crossed nearly on the level after Rhinoceros. 
It is in this neighbourhood that Mr. Jenkins and others consider it 
extremely likely that passes may be found at even less than 2,000 feet 
elevation, and it is evidently near here that the old route lay. The basins 
of the Namrip on the north and Loglai on the south, so closely approach 
each other from opposite sides, as to leave but one march between them 
from water to water. 
These two drainage basins, shewing as they do the lowest levels on 
each side to be in such close proximity, and where the soft strata is most 
rapidly denuded, naturally indicate the lowest part of the range. 
Pemberton describes the old route as follows : 
“ Bisa, which is the principal village and residence of the head of the 
“Singphu tribe of that name, stands about 10 miles from the gorge of the 
“ defile through which the pass leads, and the first stage is to the Namrtip 
“Nulla, on the banks of which good camping ground is found 16 miles 
“from Bisa. 
“ Between the Ist and 2nd stages two hills are crossed, the Tontik 
“and the Nunnun, neither of which present any difficulties that might not 
“be easily overcome. The Namrip flows between these hills, and the 
“ Nunnun* falls into it a short distance from the second encampment ; 
* Namphik, 
