214 
Notice of Dr. Richardson’s 
[July 
Raheng, and the Burmese Yahaing. You may recollect that it was the governor 
of Tak, called in Siamese Fhaya Tak , who came down and drove the Burmese out 
of the old capital of Siam, after they had had possession of it for some months. 
This chief was the father of my friend the Rdja of Lig6r, and is said to have 
been of Chinese extraction. 
Dr. R.’s map improves our knowledge of the geography of Upper Siam, by 
showing that the Menam river, to the north, consists of several large branches, 
filling up the space which in all former maps was left by confining the course of 
the river to one large stream, along which the different towns were placed. 
Dr. R. saw no cannon at Labting, but I think he says that this town, as well as 
Zemi, as he heard, is surrounded by a brick wall. The chief and people of Labung 
expressed great apprehensions of our power and intentions. They were particu- 
larly struck with the circumstance of our not being afraid of going in open broad 
daylight to attack Martaban the other day, although they said that it would have 
been better to have gone at night, and been able to burn all the inhabitants in bed! 
When Dr. R. said that we had no desire to interfere with other people if they 
t would leave us alone, and that we are a straight-f orward race, they answered : 
“ I hat is the very reason we are so afraid of you. If you advanced s hilly -shally, 
in a serpentine line, like a Burmah, we might hope to avoid you ; but there is no 
resisting yon when you come but on like the horn of a large animal.” 
The above are the contents of the letter; and to this we are enabled to add, 
through the kindness of a gentleman to whom we have been often indebted for 
similar favours, the following particulars, extracted from Dr- Richardson’s journal. 
The paper, which is a very interesting one, will be published, we understand, at 
full length in the forthcoming volume of Transactions of the Asiatic Society. 
In consequence of several friendly communications between Mr. Maingy, the 
British resident at Mulmthi, and the Zemi chiefs, in which they more than once 
requested the visit of a European officer, Dr. Richardson of the Madras establish- 
ment, was directed to accompany on his return the bearer of one of these letters, 
and entrusted with an answer and some small presents for Chau-che-wit, the 
chief of Labung. 
Dr. Richardson quitted Mulm^n on the 11th Dec. 1829. The first hundred 
miles of route Ifry up the Thalafn river, which at starting is confined by limestone 
rocks. The banks are described as mostly covered with jungle. Occasionally a 
cleared tract appeared, and the jungle was sometimes varied by rocks. On the 
15th they reached the entrance of the bills, which Dr. R. considers to be volcanic, 
although on the immediate bank of the river he observed some beds of clay slate. 
The Thalain is represented as hut 300 feet wide at this place. Here the boats 
were quitted, and the baggage adjusted for coolee loads. 
The route now lay through a low mountainous country, the path being generally 
cither the stony bed of a stream, or over steep hills, and so bad, that riding was im- 
possible. Yet the Careens declare that the pass is practicable for bullocks, and that 
it is the same by which the Burman army entered in 1790. The country appears 
to be chiefly jungle, though occasional rice grounds were seen, the grain of a parti- 
cularly fine quality, small, but transparent, and when boiled of the purest white. 
The teak and the varnish tree, or ise-tse, were also seen, as also the tree which 
furnishes the Catechu 1 . Wild animals abound — elephants, tigers, bears, deer, &c. ; 
the rhinoceros being only found in the plains. On the 25th they reached the 
banks of the Meguen river, from 150 to 160 feet in width. This river joins the 
Menlangi, about one day’s journey above the confluence of the Thdng-§n with it. 
Here they were met by a party dispatched by the Zemi chief to receive them, 
to whom a letter was forwarded, reporting the arrival of the English agent. They 
brought the very acceptable reinforcement of five elephants, the people having 
suffered much from the nature of the roads travelled. With the elephants, and the 
assistance of a raft, every thing was crossed on the 26th ; and on the 27th Dr. 
Richardson's party proceeded, accompanied by the deputation. The distance to 
tins river, from the point where they left their boats, was 66 miles. 
. Hiey continued to follow the course of the river for 40 miles, frequently cross- 
ing it, the country being entirely deserted, and covered with jungle. On the 31st 
they met with two villages, each surrounded by a patch of cultivation. A consi- 
ei able tract appeared to have been under cultivation the preceding year. The 
, rice , !' lis I )art of the country was ascertained to be of the glutinous kind, called 
y he Burmese Cachmru. The Careens who had hitherto accompanied the party 
1 Acacia Catechu ? — Ed. 
