IV. FROM WULLABHOOM TO MOGOUNG.

IV. FROM WULLABHOOM TO MOGOUNG.

COUNTRY TRAVERSED FORMING CONSIDERABLE PORTION OF THE MOGOUNG VALLEY, THROUGHOUT SUBJECT TO BURMESE AUTHORITY.

March 1. _Halted_ on a small stream, a tributary of the Mogoung river.--Direction nearly S. distance 22 miles, course at first along the Namphyet, thence over low hills, forming part of the S. boundary of the valley of Hookhoong.

2. _Halted_ on the Mogoung river.--Direction S. distance 22 miles, over similar low hills until we reached the Mogoung river after a march of four hours, soon descending into its bed, which we followed.

3. _Mogoung_ river.--Direction S. distance 13 miles, course along the bed of the river.

4. _Mogoung_ river.---Direction SE. distance 14 miles, course continued along the bed of the river.

5. _Kamein_.--Direction SSE. distance 14 miles: on starting left the Mogoung river: course throughout over fine open high plains intersected by belts of jungle.

6. _From Kamein to Mogoung_.--Direction SSE. Distance 25 miles, course over high open plains and dry woods. Many nullahs occurred on the route: crossed the Mogoung river opposite to Kamein.

_Nature of the Country_.--The low hills which are passed before reaching the Mogoung river, are covered with tree jungle, but they afford scarcely any thing of interest; they are here and there intersected by small plains, covered with the usual grasses. {130} The country traversed while following the Mogoung river, is most uninteresting, the road following almost entirely the sandy bed of the river, the banks of which are either covered with grass or tree jungle. On leaving this most tortuous river, the face of the country improved and became very picturesque, presenting almost exclusively fine high, and rather extensive plains covered with grass, and partially with trees, while here and there they are intersected by strips of dry tree jungle. Low hills are visible frequently, especially to the eastward.

_Villages and Towns_.

1. _Kamein_, on the right bank of the Mogoung river, at the junction of the Endaw-khioung, consists of two stockades, one on a small hill the other at the foot. Both together contain about 32 houses. The inhabitants are Shans. It is a place of some consequence, as it is on the route from Mogoung to the Serpentine mines. From Kamein, Shewe Down Gyee, a conspicuous mountain, so called, bears east.

2. _Mogoung_, on the right bank of the river of the same name, just below the junction to the Namyeen Khioung, contains rather fewer than 300 houses. Although it contains so few houses it is a place of considerable extent. It is surrounded by the remains of a timber stockade, similar in construction to those of Burmah proper. The houses are mostly small, and I speak within bounds when I say, that there is not a single one that bears the stamp of respectability. There is a bazaar, but nothing good is procurable in it. Tea and sugar-candy are rare and high priced. Pork is plentiful. Mogoung is situated in a plain of some extent, this plain is surrounded in almost every direction by hills, all of which, with the exception of Shewe Down Gyee, are low: the nearest of these are about three miles off.

The inhabitants are mostly Shans, there are some Assamese, the chief of whom is a relation of Chundra Kant, the ex-Rajah of Assam. The best street in the town, though one of small extent, is that occupied by the resident Chinese, none of whom however are natives of China proper. Of this people I should say there are barely 60 in Mogoung, and, judging from their houses, none of which are of brick, I should say they are very inferior to their fellow-countrymen residing in Bamo.

During our stay in Mogoung, which was protracted owing to the disturbed state of the country, the population was much increased by Shan-Chinese returning from the Serpentine mines; and as there was a considerable number of boats engaged by them for the transportation of the Serpentine, the town looked busier than it otherwise would have done.

The Mogoung, river is here about 100 yards broad, but it is much subdivided by sand banks: it is navigable for moderate sized boats a considerable distance above the town. In the upper part of the course this river abounds with fish to an unprecedented degree; of these the most numerous is the Bokhar of Assam, and of this I have seen shoals of immense extent.

The Namyeen is a small and shallow stream. Although from the extent of the stockade Mogoung has evidently in former periods (during the Shan dynasty) been of extent and consequence, it is at present a mean and paltry town. It derives any little consequence it possesses from being the rendezvous of the Shan-Chinese, who flock here annually for procuring Serpentine.

The most valuable product of the Mogoung district is the Serpentine; the mines producing which, we visited from Kamein. The marches are as follows,

1. _From Kamein to Endawkhioung_.--Direction SSW. Distance 10 miles, course over low hills covered with jungle, with intervening grassy valleys of small extent; crossed the Isee Een nullah.

2. _Halted on a plain_, on a patch of ground lately under cultivation. Direction SSW. Distance 14 miles. Course over a similar tract of country; continued for some time close to the Endawkhioung; crossed several nullahs.

3. _Halted in the jungle_.--Direction WNW. Distance 17 miles. Country the same: we changed our course on reaching the path which leads to Kionkseik, a Singpho village, diverging to the N.; halted within a short distance of Kuwa Bhoom.

4. _Reached the mines_.--Direction WNW. Distance 10 miles, course over small plains and through jungle until we reached Kuwa Bhoom, which we ascended in a WNW. direction, extreme altitude attained 2,799 feet. The descent was steep, varied by one or two steep ascents of some hundred feet in height. On nearing the base of the range we continued through heavy and wet jungle, until we arrived at the mines.

These celebrated Serpentine {132} mines occupy a valley of somewhat semi- circular form, and bounded on all sides by thickly wooded hills of no great height. To the north the valley passes off into a ravine, down which a small streamlet that drains the valley escapes, and along this, at a distance of two or three miles, another spot of ground affording Serpentine is said to occur. The valley is small: its greatest diameter, which is from E. to W. being about three-quarters of a mile, and its smallest breadth varying from 460 to 600 or 700 yards.

The whole of the valley, which appears formerly to have been occupied by rounded hillocks, presents a confused appearance, being dug up in every direction, and in the most indiscriminate way; no steps being taken to remove the earth, etc. that have been thrown up in various places during the excavations. Nothing in fact like a pit or a shaft exists, nor is there any thing to repay one for the tediousness of the march from Kamein.

The stone is found in the form of more or less rounded boulders mixed with other boulders of various rocks and sizes imbedded in brick-coloured yellow or nearly orange-coloured clay, which forms the soil of the valley, and which is of considerable depth. The excavations vary much in form, some resembling trenches; none exceed 20 feet in depth. The workmen have no mark by which to distinguish at sight the Serpentine from the other boulders; to effect this, fracture is resorted to, and this they accomplish, I believe, by means of fire. I did not see the manner in which they work, or the tools they employ, all the Shans having left for Kamein, as the season had already been over for some days. No good specimens were procurable. The workmen reside in the valley, drawing their supplies from Kioukseik.

On our road to the mines we met daily, and especially on the last march, parties of Shan-Chinese, Burmese, and a few Singphos on their return. Of these in all Mr. Bayfield counted about 1,100, of whom about 700 were Shan-Chinese: these were accompanied by ponies, which they ordinarily use as beasts of burden. The larger blocks of stone were carried by four or five men, on bamboo frames; the smaller, but which still are of considerable size, on ingenious frames which rest on the nape of the coolies' neck; the frame has two long arms which the bearer grasps in his hand, and which enables him to relieve himself of his burden, and re-assume it without much sacrifice of labour, as he props his load against a tree, which is then raised by the legs of the frame some height from the ground. The valley we visited affords I believe the greatest quantity of the stone, which is said to be annually diminishing, neither are pieces of the finest sort so often procurable as they were formerly wont to be.

The path to the mines is on the whole good; it is choked up here and there by jungle, and the occurrence of one or two marshy places contribute to render it more difficult. It bears ample evidences of being a great thoroughfare.

The greater part of the stone procured is removed in the large masses, to Kioukseik, and thence by water by the aid of the Endawkhioung to Mogoung. At this place duties are levied upon it. Hence almost the whole is taken to Topo by water. From this place the Shan-Chinese carry it to their own country on ponies.

From the stone various ornaments are made; from the inferior kind, bangles, cups, etc. and from the superior, which is found in small portions generally within the larger masses, rings, etc. The stone is, I am informed by Mr. Bayfield, cut by means of twisted copper wire. The price of the inferior kind is high.

It is from these mines that the province of Mogoung derives its importance; so much so, that its revenue is said to exceed that of any other Burman Province. The sum derived from the Serpentine alone is stated to be occasionally as high as 40,000 Rs. per annum.

Owing to the avidity with which this product is sought after by the Chinese, it is highly desirable to ascertain whether it exists in Assam, which indeed is probably the case. I believe it is reported to exist near Beesa; at any rate, blood-stone is found in this extremity of the valley of Assam, and this, in Chinese eyes, is of considerable value. If the Serpentine is found, specimens should be sent to Mogoung. As the Shan-Chinese are reported to be a most penurious race, a small reduction in the price below that of the Burmese, would suffice to divert the current of the trade into Assam. Another interesting product, although of no value, exists in the shape of an Alkaline spring on the Sapiya Khioung, which hence derives its name. The water of this spring bubbles up sparingly and quietly from under the rocky bed of the above mountain torrent, it is quite clear, of a decided and pure alkaline taste: it is used by the natives for the purpose of washing, and it answers this remarkably well. Of this interesting spring Mr. Bayfield took specimens for analysis.

Salt is procurable within a distance of three or four days from Kioukseik.

_Vegetable products_.--Teak, and some of it is of a fine description, occurs both on the route between the Mogoung river and Kamein, as well as between Kamein and the Serpentine mines. The natives do not however appear to cut it, probably owing to the want of water carriage. Fine timber trees, nearly allied to the Saul, likewise occur on the road to the mines.

I met with the tea but once. This occurred among the low hills dividing the Mogoung district from the valley of Hookhoong, close to the Dupai- beng-kheoung, or Tea tree Nullah. There was no difference in the specimens brought to me from the plant of Assam, with the exception that the leaves were even larger than in the plant alluded to; it did not occur in abundance. It exists I believe, in another place on this route, and among the same hills, but I did not succeed in procuring specimens. Throughout both routes scarcely any cultivation was seen. Between the Mogoung river and Mogoung town considerable portions of some low hills to the East, presented the appearance of clearings. It must however be observed, that the appearance of clearings is a most fallacious ground on which to form an estimate of the population; 1st, owing to the habits of a nomadic population; 2ndly, because a spot once cleared, keeps up the appearance of a clearing for a long time; and 3rdly, because some particular spots are, from some local cause or other, exclusively inhabited by grasses, the prevalence of which will at a little distance always give one the idea of cultivation.

_Population_.--This in the somewhat extensive tract of the Mogoung district traversed, is very scanty. That of Mogoung and suburbs may be estimated at about 1,600, and that of Kamein at 250. In addition to these places, I have to mention a small Singpho village of three or four houses, seen on a range of hills during our first march towards the mines, and bearing about WNW., and Kioukseik. This latter place we visited on our return from the mines, it is a stockaded village, containing 16 houses, and about 120 souls. It is situated about 100 yards from a small stream, the Nam Teen: it is inhabited by Singphos: it is about a mile from the divergence of the road to the mines, and bears from this spot nearly due south. During the season of operations at the mines it is a place of some consequence, as all the necessary supplies of grain are procured from it. At the time of our visit, there was a good sized bazaar along the Nam Teen, which was likewise a good deal crowded by boats.

The neighbouring hills are inhabited here and there by Kukkeens, the most troublesome perhaps of all mountainous tribes; but there are some other villages about the lake, called the Endawgyee. We had an opportunity of viewing from a distance the above lake on our return from the mines. From an open spot on the eastern face of Kuwa Bhoom, it bore nearly due south, and was estimated as being 15 miles distant. We could not distinguish its outline, but we saw enough to satisfy us that it was a large body of water. It is situated in an extensive plain near a range of hills, part of which form portion of its banks. From the same spot we could see Shewe Down Gyee, the large range from which the Namtunai takes its course, bearing nearly due east, and at an estimated distance of 35 miles; the situation of the mines is therefore nearly due east from Kamein.