379 
OPERATIONS 
OF THE 
IRRAWADY COLUMN, UPPER BURMAH. 
BY 
LIEUTENANT G. F. MACMUNN, R.A. 
Sadon is a large Kachin village,, about 40 miles east of Myitkyina, a 
village on the Irrawady about 100 miles above Bhamo, our most 
northern military station in Upper Burmah. Sadon is only 12 miles 
from the frontier of China, about 4500 feet above sea level, and above 
it the hills stretch into China to a height of 13,000 feet. Though in 
our territory it had never been visited by British troops or officials till 
December, 1891—some nine months before, when an exploring party of 
50 mounted infantry, under Major Hobday (of the Survey of India) and 
Captain Elliot, were turned back by the Kachins at the Nam Li River 
some 18 miles from Sadon, and told that if they crossed the river they 
would be fired on. The party accordingly retired, promising, however, 
to return the next year. In addition to scornfully rejecting our over¬ 
tures the people of Sadon had also offended by harbouring the Wantho 
Tswaba and other outlaws. Accordingly a column left Bhamo about 
the middle of December, 1891, under Major Yule, Devonshire Regi¬ 
ment, with Lieutenant Holman, as staff officer, consisting of two guns 
No. 6 Bombay Mountain Battery, under Lieutenant Brownlow, R.A. 
(attached from No. 6 Bombay Mountain Battery), 50 men of Burmah 
Sappers and Miners, under Lieutenant Harrison, R.E., 100 men of 
the Devonshire Regiment, 200 men 3rd Burmah Regiment, 50 men 23rd 
Madras Infantry, with some 450 Panthay mules as transport, and 10 
elephants to work the line of communications. The column left 
Bhamo on the 14tli December, and on the 15th and 16th assembled 
and established a base at Senbo ; leaving Senbo on 17th, the column 
arrived at Myitkyina on the Irrawady on 23rd, crossed the river on 
24th, some 300 yards broad, by rafts, and arrived at Kritu, some three 
miles beyond the River Nam Li, where Major Hobday had been turned 
back the year before, on the 28th. During the night a few shots were 
heard in the jungles round, supposed to be signal shots. Several 
rumours had reached the column that 800 Chinamen had arrived in 
Sadon, which is about 12 miles from Kritu, to assist in the defence. On 
29th the column left Kritu and crossed the Tingari stream which is the 
8. VOL. XIX. 51 
