CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VII.

_Report to the Government of India_, _12th July_, _1837_.

In the following report, I have divided the marches into series, corresponding with the countries through which they were made, reserving a table of the whole for a subsequent part. These series will be as follows--

1. From Sadiya to Beesa Lacoom.

2. From Beesa Lacoom to Namtusseek.

3. From Namtuseek to Wullabhoom.

4. From Wullabhoom to Mogoung.

5. From Mogoung to Ava.

I. FROM SADIYA TO BEESA LACOOM.

COUNTRY TRAVERSED BELONGING TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, AND FORMING PART OF THE SOUTH-EAST EXTREMITY OF THE VALLEY OF ASSAM.

1. From Sadiya to the Noa Dihing river mouth or Mookh. Direction east. Distance 6 miles performed in boat, the course lying up the Burrumpootur.

2. From Noa Dihing Mookh to Rangagurrah on the Noa Dihing. Direction SSE. Distance 12 miles, course lying along the dry bed of the Noa Dihing.

3. From Rangagurrah to Moodoa Mookh, on the same river. Direction south- east, the distance being 12 miles. {115a}

4. From Moodoa Mookh to Kidding. Direction south, the distance 9 miles, course south-east, along the bed of the Noa Dihing as far as Wakhet, thence diverging to SSW. through heavy jungle.

5. From Kidding to Namroop Puthar. Direction, nearly south, the distance being 12 miles, course lying through very heavy jungle, crosses the Karam Panee, {115b} which here is not fordable, and another considerable feeder of the Booree Dihing, and lastly up the Namroop.

6. From Namroop Puthar to Beesa Lacoom. Direction southwest, the distance 12 miles, the course extending at first over low hills and difficult ground, thence through heavy jungle intersected by narrow plains, lastly chiefly along the banks of the Darap Panee.

_Nature of the country_.--It will be seen that with the exception of the three first marches, and part of the fourth, the country is occupied by the heavy jungle so prevalent in these parts. The chief difficulties our party experienced arose from the limited manner in which the jungle had been cut for their passage.

_Rivers_.--The only one not fordable in the above route, is the Karam Panee, but this does not hold good either above or below the place I crossed. They all discharge much water during the rains, and even in the dry season are navigable for small canoes.

_Villages_.--These are as follows:--

1. _Digalo Gohain Goung_.--On the right bank of the Noa Dihing it is inhabited by Kamptees lately settled in our territory, and is a respectable village. The Noa Dihing here ceases to be navigable even for small canoes.

2. _Wakhet_.--This is a new but wretched village, inhabited by Singphos. Wakhet Gam was an adherent of the Duphas, and is by all account one of the worst-disposed Singpho chiefs. He is said even at this period still to traffic occasionally in slaves.

3. _Kidding_.--A temporary village, containing about 10 houses, inhabited by Nagas, now naturalised to the plains.

4. _Namroop Puthar_.--So called from a plain on the left bank of the Namroop. The village, which is a mean and despicable one, is on the opposite bank.

5. _Beesa Lacoom_.--Is situated on the right bank of the Darap Panee, which is fordable at the heads of the rapids. It contains 12 small houses. The Gam is, I believe, an uncle of the Beesa Gam, and exercises exclusive control over the tribe of Beesa Nagas. This influence he appeared to exercise to our disadvantage. He is a discontented man, and his behaviour to our party was very unsatisfactory.

_Population_. {116} --This is scanty enough, particularly when we consider that the houses in the above villages are much smaller than in the better sort of Singpho villages. With the exception of the Kamptee village the average number of people to each house cannot exceed five. Another small Singpho village exists on the Namroop, about 3 miles from Namroop Puthar, and not far from the site of the coal mine.

_Capabilities of the Country_.--These are of the usual description. The soil is productive enough, but the labour of clearing the drier spots is excessive. Excellent rice grounds exist in abundance between Beesa Lacoom and Namroop Puthar, but the cultivation of this, as well as of all the other necessaries, is limited to the quantity absolutely required. Scarcities of grain are of frequent, indeed almost of annual, occurrence; and this is chiefly owing to the pernicious influence of opium or Kanee, to which all our Singphos are immoderately attached. Of the _Mineral_ _Productions_, coal and petroleum were the only ones we met with.

_The coal occupies_ the greater portion of a precipitous part of the sandstone composing the left bank of the river Namroop. Three large veins have been completely exposed by the cutting away of the bank. The coal is I believe of good quality. The river immediately under the veins is very deep, and were it not for the rapids which intervene between the site of the mineral and the Booree Dihing, it would be difficult to conceive a spot affording similar facilities for the transmission of the mineral. I must however, observe, that even in the dry season the river is navigable for small canoes as far as the site alluded to. During the rains no difficulty whatever would be experienced in the carriage, as rafts might be made on the spot. No use is made of the coal by the natives, nor did they seem to be aware of its nature.

Of _the Petroleum_ {117} no use whatever is made, although we have ample experience from its universal use by the Burmese, that it is a valuable product both as affording light, and preserving in a very great degree all wooden structures from rot and insects. The springs occur in four different places, all close to the Puthar: of these three occur on the low hill which bounds the Puthar to the southern side, and one on the Puthar itself, at the foot of the range alluded to. The springs are either solitary, as in that of the Puthar, or grouped, a number together; the discharge varies extremely from a thin greenish aqueous fluid to a bluish grey opaque one, of rather a thick consistence: the quantity poured out by these latter springs is very considerable. On the surface of all, but especially on these last, an oleaginous, highly inflammable fluid collects in the form of a thin film. The jungle surrounding the springs ceases abruptly, the ground around, and among them, being covered with stunted grass and a few small herbaceous plants. Elephants and large deer are frequent visitors to the springs; of the former, the tracts are frequent, and they are sometimes shot here by the natives.

_Vegetable Products_.--The jungles afford several kinds of bamboo, some of which are of value; generally speaking the trees are not large, with the exception of a gigantic Dipterocarpus, wood-oil or dammar tree; of this particular tree I have seen specimens measuring 100 feet from the base to the first branch. The wood is of no value, nor have I seen any use made in Assam of the resinous secretion, which is in great vogue on the Tenasserim Coast for the construction of torches, etc.