1S37-] 



from Ava to the Frontier of Assam. 



391 



Irawadi river, or that part extending from Ran gun to Ava, had been 

 delineated by Lieut. Wood of the Engineers, who accompanied Cap- 

 tain Symes on his embassy to that Court ; and that the features of 

 the surrounding country, the size of the towns, its natural productions 

 and population^ had at the same time been investigated by the ac- 

 curate Buchanan. Charts of this portion of the river, extending to 

 Monchabu, the capital of the great Alompra, had at a far earlier period 

 been constructed, but the surveys were avowedly made in a manner 

 not calculated to inspire much confidence in their accuracy ; and the 

 attention of Europe was first extensively drawn to this field of inquiry 

 by the publication of Symes, whose exaggerated views of the civiliza- 

 tion, power and resources of the Burmese empire were generally adopt- 

 ed, while the more accurate estimates of his successor Coxe were 

 treated with comparative disregard. 



In the very infancy of our intercourse with the Burman empire, 

 and when the most persevering attempts were made to obtain settle- 

 ments at various points of the coast, the more remote stations on the 

 upper portion of the Irawadi river were not forgotten ; and Bamu 

 or Bamo was even then known as the emporium of a trade between 

 the Burmese and Chinese, in which our aspiring merchants were 

 most anxious to share. It is asserted that, at the commencement of 

 the 17th century, factories were established in that neighbourhood, 

 but the permission to remain was shortly afterwards withdrawn, and 

 the information which it is supposed was then obtained of the sur- 

 rounding country has never been rescued from oblivion : — this is the 

 less to be regretted as the loss has been fully compensated by the 

 results of recent research ; and the journey of Captain Hannay, of 

 the 40th Regiment Native Infantry, from Ava up the Irawadi river, 

 to the frontier towns of Bamo and Mogaung, has at length rendered 

 this hitherto inaccessible region almost as well known to us as the 

 more southern districts, through which this noble river directs its 

 course. Many geographical points of extreme interest have been 

 determined by the personal observation and inquiries of this merito- 

 rious officer. Bamo has for the first time become accurately known 

 from the same source— much valuable information has been gained 

 respecting the trade carried on between Ava and China in this remote 

 corner of the Burman empire — the habits and localities of some of the 

 principal tribes occupying the mountainous tracts bordering on west- 

 ern Yunan have been successfully investigated— the position of the 

 very remarkable valley of Hukong has been determined — the Pyen- 

 dwen or amber mines have for the first time been examined by the eye 



