128 



REPORT TO THE GOVERNMENT 



I conceive that it is sufficiently accounted for by the wandering 

 habits of the people. 



Capabilities. — The greater part of the valley is well adapted 

 for the cultivation of rice, and as the soil is generally rich, approach- 

 ing in external characters to that of some parts of Upper Assam, 

 particularly Muttack, it is capable of supporting a large population. 



Products. — Of the mineral productions, the most remarkable is 

 Amber, for which the valley of Hookhoong has been long famous, 

 and from the existence of which it derives its Burmese name. The 

 mines are situated in low, wooded hills, from which they are distant 

 between five and six miles ; of this distance the first three miles 

 traverse the plain on which Meinkhoong is situated. The pits now 

 worked give occupation to about a dozen people ; they occur on the 

 brow of a hill : they are square, and of various depth, the deepest 

 being about 40 feet, the diameter not exceeding three feet ; the 

 workmen ascending and descending by placing their feet in holes 

 made in two faces of the square. No props are used to prevent the 

 sides of the pits from falling in, the tenacity of the soil rendering this 

 precaution unnecessary. The instruments used, are small wooden 

 shovels, a wooden crow-bar tipped with iron for displacing the soil 

 or breaking the rocks, baskets for removing the substances so dis- 

 placed, buckets made of the bark of trees* for removing the water 

 which is met with in the deepest pits, and rude leavers similar to those 

 used in Madras for the purposes of irrigation, for carrying the soil, etc. 

 from the pits to the surface ; these however are only used in the deeper 

 pits, a hooked bamboo answering the purpose in the shallower ones. 



The soil throughout the upper portion, and indeed for a depth of 

 from 15 to 20 feet, is clayey and red : the remainder consists of a 

 greyish-black carbonaceous earth, increasing in density with the depth, 

 and being very hard at a depth of 40 feet. The amber occurs in both 

 these, the clue to its existence being the presence of small masses 

 of lignite. The searching occupies but very little time, as the 

 presence of the lignite is readily ascertained ; all I saw dug out 

 occurred as small irregular deposits ; it did not appear to be abun- 

 dant. The people appear to have no guide for the selections of 

 favourable spots on which to commence their operations ; but having 

 once met with a good pit, they dig other pits all -around, and often 

 within a distance of two feet from the first one sunk. 



I could not succeed in procuring a single fine specimen ; indeed 

 * Probably from a species of Sterculia. 



