64 Dr Hamilton'’s Account of Two Majps 
frontier of China, upwards of 200 British miles. In this space, 
M. D’Anville, in his Chinese Atlas, lays down the sources of 
two rivers proceeding south into the territories of the Shan. 
The eastern of these I agree with Mr Dalrymple in considering as 
the Msekhoup river of the accompanying maps, which, in several 
authorities, is called Menantay (see this Journal, vol. ii. p. 269, 
270) ; of course, it is a branch of the Msekhaun. The western 
of M. D’Anville’s rivers I consider as a source of the river of 
Siam. Now, in the general map of the slave, this is said to rise 
with two heads, the Mgeghuse and the Msepr^n, the latter of 
which, after the junction, retains the name. But the river laid 
down by M. D’Anville is so near the Loukiang or Saluaen, be- 
ing only about forty geographical miles distant, that it is in all 
probability the Mseguse. The Mseprsen, although reckoned the 
chief river by the Mranmas, must therefore either have escaped 
the notice of the Missionaries who surveyed the province of 
Yunnan, or its source must be without the limits which they 
chose to assign to the Chinese enipire. There is, however, 
plenty of room for a considerable river being interposed between 
the two laid down by M. DAnville ; as, where they leave China, 
they are about 120 geographical miles distant. The intervening 
country, being occupied by rude independent tribes, may very 
likely have prevented the Missionaries from reaching this branch 
of the river ; for, if it rose on the frontier, its course, in a direct 
line to Zsenmee, would only be about 180 geographical miles, 
while the course of the western branch would be 240 miles. It 
is not, however, always that the longest branch of a river gives 
the name ; for instance, the Mississipi has not run half so far as 
the Missouri, when the latter, on joining it, is considered as lost. 
The Mseghuse probably joins the Mmprsen in about 20° 40' N., 
and about half way between the junction and Zsenmse, the Mse- 
praen, which is a great river (Mrit) receives from the west the 
Msele, which, although of considerable length, is only dignified 
with the appellation Khiaun, and would appear to have its source 
near the boundary of Upper Laos, unless we suppose it to be 
the same with the Mraenlo, which runs through the western parts 
of that country. 
As I make the Msepraen approach nearer the Msekhaun than 
Mr Arrowsmith does, it is necessary for me to consider, that the 
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