PEOCEEDINGS

OF THB

ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY

AND M0NTHLY RECORD OF GEOGRAPHY.

Explorations on the Chindwin River, Upper Burma.

By Colonel E. G-. Woodteobpe, k.e, c.b.

(Read at the EveningMeeting,December17th,1888.)
Map, p. 260.
South of the Brahmaputra river, and running generally parallel with its
course, lie the hill ranges which separate, first Assam from Cachar, and
then Assam from Burma. Sfcarting from the Garo Hills, these ranges
rise through the Khasia and Naga Hills, gradually higher and higher
till they culminate, to the west of Samaguting, in some lofty peaks,
which, strange to say, are not on the main range, but on spurs thrown
out from it. The principal of these peaks is Saramethi, which attains a
height of nearly 13,000 feet. To the south the hills run down past
Manipur into the Lushai country, separating Burma from Chittagong.
To the north-east they run up to the Patkoi, forming the watershed
between Assam and Burma. From Saramethi they diminish in height
till Maium Peak is reached, which is 7000 feet above sea-level. Here a
drop of 3000 feet occurs, and the range narrows considerably, aftbrding,
without doubt, at the Patkoi Pass the easiest route from Upper Assam
to Upper Burma; and at one time, not so very long ago, but before any
thought of the annexation of Burma occupied men's minds, this route
had attracted a good deal of attention, and had been much discussed as
the most promising by which to open out a trade route between Assam
and China. Wilcox, Hannay, Griffith,and Bayfield are all well known
as early explorers in these regions, Wilcox being the earliest and
perhaps
the ablest; but for many years very little has been done to
improve our
knowledge of the country through which a practicable route can be
found to China. In 1884-5 Major Macgregor and I visited the Khamti
country by way of the Diun, and in returning crossed the Patkoi at a low
elevation and struck the Chindwin river not far from its sources, which
are approximately in lat. 27? and long. 97?. Our way lay for some little
distance along this river, which is there known as the Turong Kha.
Major Macgregor described to you here two years ago our journey and
No. IV.?-Apbil 1889.] p
198 EXPLORATIONSON THE CHINDWIN EIVER, UPPER BURMA.

its difficulties, principally caused "by the excessive rainfall. The

lateness of tlie season and the swollen state of the rivers prevented our
exploring towards the Hukong Valley that season, and the next saw ine
in Gilgit, on the opposite frontier of India. Last cold weather an
attempt was made hy Mr. Needham, political officer at Sadiya, accom?
panied hy Captain Michell, d.q.m.g., and my late assistant, Mr. Ogle, a*
surveyor, to penetrate to the Hukong Yalley, but it was not successful,.
owing, as I understand, to failure of supplies, and the party returned
before reaching that valley, and our knowledge of it and its inhabitants.
is still incomplete.
I cannot help thinking that if we had been able to cultivate more
friendly relations with the Hukong Singphos in the years gone by, we
should have had their assistance in quieting the Mogoung district, which
has given us much trouble. A great gap exists, on our maps, in the
course of the Chindwin river between latitudes 26? and 27?, but I think
that the course marked on the map accompanying this paper is fairly
correct; and it will be seen that the general direction of the Chindwin
river throughout its length is a little east of south till, at Mingin, it
turns towards the Irawadi. Just at its sources the highest ranges lie
on its left bank, but from where our knowledge of it again is certain, the
high land is all on the right bank, the general level of the country to
the east being very low. At about latitude 25? 20' you will see that the
Chindwin receives a tributary, called there the Tuzu. The course of
this river was at one time a geographical puzzle. Major Godwin-
Austen first saw its southern branch in 1872-73, and it was then seen to
flow for many miles in a north-easterly direction, the valley being shut
in to the east by a lofty range, the peaks of which rose to over 12,000*
feet, and it seemed impossible that this river, flowing at an elevation of
smly 2000 feet, could find an exit between any two of these peaks-
^evertheless it was so. In March 1874, travelling down the southern
branch, our path lost sight of the stream for a short time, and when we
next sighted it, it was flowing in the opposite direction: the river, ira
width, velocity, and character, was the same, but it was flowing back?
wards. A little clearing of jungle on a favourable point showed us that
one from the north-east, the
just beneath us these two streams flowing,
other from the south-west, joining their forces, turned off at a right
the range
angle towards Saramethi, and forced a passage through
between two mighty spurs, which, overlapping each other, eompletely
shut out all view of the gorge of exit till we were exactly opposite
to it. I climbed to a high point below Saramethi and looked down
the gorge. It was a magnificent country, the lower hills soft
and covered with vegetation, the higher ranges bold and steep, clad
with majestic pines, and above all the rugged and bare rocky
while in every glen and ravine
precipices of snow-capped Saramethi;
streams leapt and tumbled with thunderous roar to join the river
 EXPLORATIONSON THE CHINDWIN RIVER, UPPER BURMA. 199

flowing thousands of feet "below. The southern warder of the gorge

rises to 11,000 feet, and between it and Saramethi lies a distance as the
crow flies of only about 20 miles; and yet midway between these two
peaks, and at a mean depth of 10,000 feet below their crests, the Tuzu
finds its way out to the plains of Burma. Looking through the gap
I could see beyond it?nothing. It seemed as if we had reached the lofty
mountains, which, as the ancients believed, encircle the world, and that
beyond the gorge the river must empty itself into space. We longed to
explore the mysteries beyond, but the season for safe travelling was
nearly past, our supplies had run very short, the country was inhos-
pitable, and we were beyond interpretation, even our interpreters and
guides from our last camp, a few miles off, being unable to understand
the dialect of the villages we had then reached. We could therefore
ask no questions as to our chances of reaching the Chindwin. Kafts
would probably not have lived, and the difficulties of forcing a path
through the gorge and beyond, with our limited time and engineering
appliances, would have been insuperable. Once on the Chindwin Vv-e
might have got on.
I was unable to reach the junction of the Tuzu and Chindwin last
year, but after I had left Burma, Major Baikes, Deputy Commissioner of
the Chindwin, went up in a steamer during the rains, in July or
August, and apparently found villages, though poor ones, above the
mouth of the Tuzu. Strange to say, although the steamer must have
been twice past the mouth of the Tuzu, on neither occasion did any of
the party on board notice where the Tuzu joined the Chindwin; which
seems very strange, as it is by no means an insignificant stream, unless
its fondness for surprises carries it offin some quite unexpected direction.
During the rains the Chindwin is navigable for a steamer drawing four
feet of water, up to about latitude 26?. I can only speak roughly, as I
have not seen any map of the course. Further progress was stopped by
a barrier of rock running right across the river, causing a waterfall of
some four or five feet. Before this was reached, the villages, which had
been growing fewer and farther between, and ever poorer, had ceased
altogether. Native information states that the river is unnavigable
above this barrier till the Hukong Valley is reached, where the stream
is sufficiently gentle for boats to be employed. As in the case of all
rivers in this region of excessive rainfall, the Chindwin rises very con?
siderably during the rains, but in the cold weather, and especially during,
March, April, and May, it is so shallow in places as to make navigation
difficult even for small steam-launches; while, here and there, whirlpools-
and narrows are the terror of steamer captains; and in April each of
the three Government steamers came more or less to grief?one of
them on its very first trip to Kendat. No doubt the navigation could
be improved without very much difficulty, though shifting sandbanks
are continually changing the position of the channels.
v 2
200 EXPLORATIONSON THE CHINDWIN RIVER, UPPER BURMA.

Above the junction of the Uru river with the Chindwin is the tea
district. I could not visit it, but I overlooked it from a hill on the right
bank of the river opposite Homalin. My guide told me that the
Maharajah of Manipur makes a large profit out of the tea seed, which
he buys in Thaungdut, and sells in Cachar. My guide, who spoke
English, also said, "By and by plenty gentlemen coming here, then
seeing many bungalows all over that side." A good deal of rice is
exported from the upper Chindwin, and one noticeable feature on the
river is the number of long bamboo rafts, each of which carries what at
first seems to be a small and neatly built village, but which is really a
number of small storehouses for grain, and one or two huts for the
raftsmen and their families. I was told that the commercial steamers
often do a good business in grain-carrying. The oflicers of the Bombay
Burma Corporation have long carried on extensive operations in the
magnificent teak forests of the Chindwin and Kabu valleys ; they have
several stations on the river, the highest being Kendat. It will be
remembered that King Thibaw's repudiation of the agreement with this
company and confiscation of their property were among the causes of
the war. When war was declared, several of the company's officials
were killed, and others had very narrow escapes.
South of Manipur, and bounding Burma on the west, lies a mass of
lofty hills, running in parallel ridges north and south, and inhabited by
the tribes known as Chins, Lushais, Shendus, and Kukis, all, I imagine,
closely allied. As the Lushais used to raid on our eastern frontier, and
do still on the Chittagong border,* so do the Chins raid on Burma. They
hold that human sacrifices are necessary to ensure the success of their
agricultural operations, and their views have not changed with the
change of administration in Burma, and their raids are not at all a
consequence of our annexation of that conntry. It may be necessary,
before these tribes can be induced to settle down quietly, to send a small
force against them from Burma to operate simultaneously with one
sent from Chittagong. This would be the best way of opening up the
hills, but such expeditions are costly, the country is very difncult for
troops, and the transport has to be carried on entirely by coolies; but
unless met from both sides the Chins would merely retire before us.
In the meantime, a special " Chin levy" is being raised, and pre-
cautionary measures are being taken to protect, as far as possible at
present, our Burmese subjects from Chin incursions; and certainly not
too soon if, as stated in a late Indian paper, it is true that in the month
of October, twelve Burmese were killed, many wounded, and 120 carried
offinto slavery by the Chins.
As to the climate, a little rain fell in December, and there were a few
*
Onlytwoor threedays afterthis paper was read,the telegraphbroughtnews of
a seriousChin raid on the Chittagongborder,whichneceseitatedan expeditionbeing
sentfromthateide as well as fromBurma.
 EXPLORATIONSON THE CHINDWIN RIVER, UPPER BURMA. 201

wet days in the beginning and end of January, otberwise it was fine and
pleasant. Towards the end of March there were a few thunderstorms,
and the weather became very hot, continuing so up to April and May,
when the thermometer averaged 100? in the shade; but it was dry, and
the temperature was pleasanter to bear than in Calcutta at 85?.
Now to turn to the more narrative portion of this paper.
On my return from Gilgit to Simla, in September 1886, I found that
a proposal had been made by the Chief Commissioner of Assam and
General J. Gordon, c.b., commanding the North-east Frontier District, to
the Government of India for an exploration of the route between Makum
and Bhamo; and it was proposed, moreover, that I should conduct this.
After much consideration the Government finally decided to postpone
the survey of this route for various reasons, not the least cogent being
that the country about Mogoung was in such a disturbed state that it
might be dangerous for a small party to attempt to pass through from
the Hukong valley, and a large party could not have attempted it for
want of carriage and supplies. Sanction was, however, given for a small
force to proceed from Manipur to the Kabu valley and the Chindwin
river, under General J. Gordon, and I was permitted to accompany tbis
force. I left Simla on the 28th October and proceeded to Calcutta,
where I was joined by my assistant, Mr. Ogle, a gentleman who has
been my companion in many of my exploratory trips in Assam and
elsewhere. He is an excellent surveyor, with great powers of endurance
and energy, combining personal courage with discretion, and possessed
of a good deal of forethought and resource: he is, moreover, a pleasant
and utterly unselfish companion, and as staunch a comrade as one could
wish for. To him I owe much of the success which I have achieved in
the survey. It is too often the case that the head of an enterprise gets
all the credit of success, and those who assisted him to it are overlooked;
and Mr. Ogle has not, I fear, met with the general recognition to which
his merits and worth en title him, and I often regret that it has never
been in my power to do more for one who has done so much for me.
My other assistants were, a native surveyor Bapu Jadu, a Mahratta, an
excellent man who had been employed with me on the Gilgit and
Chitral Mission, and a native cavalryman, Sawar Kishan Sing, of the
13th Bengal Lancers, a very fine specimen of a Sikh soldier. He also
had been employed in Chitral and Gilgit, and turned out excellent
work.
Our equipment consisted of (1) a Troughton and Siins' 6-inch
subtense theodolite with micrometer eye-piece and complete vertical
circle; and for general work, whether trigonometrical or astronomical,
such as I was engaged on, there could not be a better instrument.
(2) A subtense instrument for routes and traverses. This consists of a
small telescope mounted above a prismatic compass, the whole fitting on
a light stand. The telescope is fitted with micrometer eye-piece, the
202 EXPLORATIONSON THE CHINDWIN RIVER, UPPER BURMA.

wires in which can be made to intercept a given length, say 5 or 10 feet,

of a rod held by a man on the spot, the distance of which from the
observer is required. A table in the observer's note-book gives the dis?
tances corresponding to the angles subtended by the rod, and the compass
gives the direction. Thus bearing and distance can be plotted at once.
I have often used this instrument, and found it excellent, being able to
do as much as 18 to 20 miles of very accurate route survey or traverse
in a day.* Of course, each surveyor had his plane-table; and a small
supply of hypsometers, aneroid barometers, and chronometer watches
completed our equipment.
We travelled by way of Cachar, where we halted for a few days to
pick up our coolie establishment from the Khasia Hills, men who cer?
tainly make the best porters for the hills on that frontier. They are
strong, hardy, cheerful, easily contented, and can carry a load of 60 lbs.
in addition to their own little belongings, generally, in all, over 70 lbs.
We had one man once with a great appetite, who was never satisfied
with the ordinary coolie ration of 2 lbs. of rice daily, but wanted twice
that amount: he was told that if he had two men's rations he must
carry two men's load, and this
he willingly agreed to do, and
did. They carry their load
suspended by a band from the
forehead, and this leaves their
hands and arms free; a great
thing when the road, as fre?
quently happens, lies over or
round steep faces of rock,
with very little foothold, the
chief support being obtained
from canes and creepers,
which the men clutch as they
pass along. The Khasias
have a peculiar kind of chair
which they use for carrying
people in, and which we ad?
oftheKhasias. opted with great advantage
Travelling-cnair
for the transport of sick or
wounded men. It consists of a stout bamboo, about Hyq feet long,
which is split up for about two-thirds of its length. The split part is
then opened out so as to form a funnel, into the bottom of which is
worked a seat; half of the split portions are then cut away, and the
rest are worked with cane into a comfortable back to the seat; a small
foot-rest is suspended from the seat; and when one is accustomed
to it, it is not at all an uncomfortable mode of conveyance. I was
* In our Chitralexplorations,
Bapu Jadu and I ran nearly800 milesoftraversewith
thisinstrument,and the resultswereverysatisfactory.
 EXPLORATIONSON THE CHINDWIN RIVER, UPPER BURMA. 203

once carried thus by two men, turn and turn about, for six weeks, having
sprained my ankle badly.
The Khasia coolies brought down from Shillong, where I had left it
when I started for Gilgit, a Berthon boat which I had purchased in
1884, in London, for our explorations from Upper Assam to the Irawadi.
It is so well known that it is unnecessary for me to describe it here.
I need only say that it was the smallest size made, i. e. seven feet long,
weighing just a coolie load. One coolie always carried it, with oars
eomplete; and as it only takes two or three minutes to set up, and less
to shut up, it was always available. The road from Cachar to Manipur
lies across several high parallel ridges separated by deep valleys, through
which flow fine fishing streams, the Barak, Irang, &c. Sometimes our
day's march brought us to the banks of one of these streams, sometimes
we crossed one on the march. In either case I set up my boat and
sculled Mr. Ogle, who is no boatman though a fair fisherman, up and
down some deep-blue pool lying still between steep dark rocks and the
most glorious masses of foliage, while above and below murmured
dangerous rapids. Mr. Ogle would trail out a spoon, and was generally
very successful, especially in the afternoon, when our coolies were eating
the remains of their morning meal previous to making more elaborate
arrangements for dinner. Their lunch, if I may so call it, some cold
boiled rice, had been carried in plantain (banana) leaves, and the men
sitting at the river's edge threw from time to time a leaf into the
stream, and as it floated slowly down, fish rose at the grains of rice still
adhering to it. As the leaf was carried towards us I would so manoeuvre
that Mr. Ogle's spoon. with a long line out should pass under this leaf,
and it was a certain find; as witness an hour's sport one afternoon: five
fish, weighing 2\, lf, 1\, ?, and ^ lbs., an aggregate of 6 lbs. of mahseer.
The bridges across these rivers are peculiar. They are suspension
hridges constructed of cane and bamboos. The span is 50 to 60 yards,
and the footway from 20 to 30 feet
above the river, winter level. The _.s?,?n,,on
^?\ CaMES_ffo
suspension ropes are. strongly anchored \\ I]
t , t , ji \\ .Bamboos-. //
over, and to, living trees on the \V. """""""-//
banks. There is very little dip, not ^\ matting II
more than four feet. The section of y4/' \V/
the bridge is a parabola, with the ^L jt/
roadway in the apex. The roadway *s^^ JZyl/r
is matted, the matting being curved r-jp^p^E-i
up on either side to the height of SectionofSuspension Bridge.
about three feet, which gives a greater
idea of security. Innumerable stays and guys give a certain stability
to the structure. Ponies cannot easily pass, and in the winter a small
floating bridge gives them passage. In Assam two boats fastened
together and covered with a platform make a suitable horseferry-boat;
but in conservative and Brahminical Manipur such an innovation could
204 EXPLORATIONSON THE CHINDWIN RIVER, UPPER BURMA.

not be sanctioned, and when our transport officer, Captain Wilcocks^

a smart young fellow, suggested this plan to the Prime Minister, he
gravely said, "It would be an offence against the Deity, who would
assuredly visit the country with some dire affliction if He saw two boats
so unnaturally connected."
We reached Manipur on the 8th December, and spent a few day^
making arrangements with the Manipur officials for guides and small
guards?a matter of time, as something always interfered with business :
one day was unpropitious, another day was discovered to be the anniversary
of the death of the Maharajah's grandmother, and no public business could
be transacted nor amusements allowed. One morning the Maharajah's-
band came down, at the request of Mr. Primrose, the political agent, and
played to us for an hour, and much struck we were with the perform?
ance. The bandsmen are all young Nagas, trained by a native band-
master, to whom great credit is due. All these hill-men seem to have*
good ears, and often my Khasias used to arouse the echoes in the gloomy
forest till a very late hour at night with hymns from Moody and Sankey,
picked up from the missionaries, or with Bengali melodies, and the
effect was very good.
A description of my Manipuri guard may prove amusing, as the
guard themselves vastly amused my smart Sawar. They turned out
every morning with their heads muffled up in cloths, only their eyes
being visible, and their bodies swrathed in vast cotton quilts; their
weapons were either tied up in a cloth on their backs, or, more frequently,
given to a Naga to carry, the only object of their real care and solicitude
being their hookah, at which they took a pull every quarter of an hour.
It was not, as a rule, till midday that they di vested themselves of their
bulky coverings. A Manipuri sentry was always posted on my tent at
clusk, but I found from observation that as soon as I went to bed, the
sentry went to bed also.
The principal object for which we were sent to the Kabu Valley was-
to survey it carefully with a view to a possible division of it between
two rival chiefs; the Tsawbwa of Thaungdut (or Samjok) on the east,
and the Tsawbwa of Kale to the south. It was, however, finally decided
to administer the valley ourselves, and so we were saved the tedious
work of boundary surveys and were able to turn our attention to the*
country lying beyond and to extend the triangulation (which had been
carried to the borders in 1881-2 by Major Badgeley and Mr. Ogle) right
down to below Alon, whence a junction was effected with the triangula?
tion round Mandalay by Captain Hobday.
We left Manipur on the 13th December, when, having made all
arrangements for guides, small Manipuri guards, and supplies, we-
separated, Mr. Ogle going to Sanaching H.S. (Hill Station) and I to*
Munoi H.S. On the way Mr. Ogle started Bapu Jadu at his work.
Mr. Ogle soon had Sanaching, Manchuibung, and Kamong station sr.
 EXPLORATIONSON THE CHINDWIN RIVER, UPPER BURMA. 205

ready, and having observed to them from Munoi, I went on to Tammu

via Yangopopi thana. The Kabu is a long narrow valley, flat and
open, lying to the west and south-west of Manipur, and in Burmese
territory, the boundary here between Manipur and Burma lying along
the foot of the hills of the former state; Yangopopi thana, a wretched
collection of huts in a rotten stockade, forming one of the frontier out-
posts of Manipur. In the Kabu we have another instance of two
streams flowing in opposite directions, meeting, and turning off at
right angles through a range of hills. The Kabu valley is bounded on
the east by a low range called the Angoching, its peaks rising from
2000 to 3000 feet above the sea, the general level of the Kabu being
approximately 600 feet. The watershed between the Kabu valley and
the stream running to Kalemyo is so very low that looking south from
Tammu, it is difficult to believe that there is a watershed there, and
this may perhaps have led to the old maps having the name Kabu
carried down to Kalemyo.
In the summer of 1886, the political officer at Manipur, Major
Trotter, was sent into the Kabu Valley with a view to bringing it
ultimately under his administration. He passed through Tammu to
Pantha, the next large village, where he was well received and lodged,
with Major Hailes and the escort, in a monastery just outside the village
stockade. Everything went well till 2 a.m. when they were all suddenly
aroused by shots from the village, which was found to be full of dacoits
summoned by the head-man of Pantha and the Bishop of the Kabu
Valley. Major Trotter was shot in the knee, and died eventually of his
wound. The dacoits were beaten off after several hours' fighting, and
the village was burned, but our party had to retreat. Major Hailes
afterwards returned to Tammu, which was thenceforth held by us.
The dacoits erected a stockade at Changnenong, about three miles from
Tammu, whence they continually threatened that post. Major Hailes
was wounded in a skirmish and had to go into Manipur, and the command
devolved on Captain Stevens of the 42nd G.L.I. Things seemed so bad
in the autumn of 1886, that Captain Stevens received orders to abandon
Tammu and retire into Manipur territory; fortunately he knew how
disastrous such a step would be, and feeling sure that he could hold his
own, practically disobeyed orders and shortly after attacked and signally
routed the enemy, driving them from the Kabu Valley. The Viceroy
was so impressed with his conduct in incurring such a fearful responsi-
bility as he did in remaining at Tammu, that he wrote a letter of thanks
with his own hand to Captain Stevens.
I reached Tammu on the 21st December, and halted next day to pay
up and discharge the Manipuri guard and guides, and iix the position of
Tammu. On the 23rd I took the coolies up to a hill, Laiching, about
three miles north of Tammu, which afforded a good station, and began
to clear it. I was joined here by Mr. Ogle, and on the 25th we returned
206 EXPLORATIONSON THE CHINDWIN RIVER, UPPER BURMA.

to Tammu to eat our Christmas dinner with the oflicers there?Major

Dyce, D.A.A.G. North-east Frontier, Lieutenant Berkeley, 44th Regi-
ment G.L.I., Dr. Younan, and Mr. Mitchell, a young civil engineer in
charge of the new cart-road between Manipur and Tammu. General
Gordon had gone on to Kendat. On the 28th we again separated,
Mr. Ogle returning to Munoi and Laiching to observe, while I went
on to Auktaung, where I found Captain Stevens, who arranged for me
to go to a high point above Kampa, which I intended to make our next
forward station. As I wished to see General Gordon, who was to return
on the 2nd January, I employed myself in the meantime in putting up
crow's nests in a couple of lofty trees, one at Auktaung, the other on
a low range three miles to the east; from these I was able to fix my
positions and do some topography. These stations in the trees were
necessary, owing to the dead level of the forest, no amount of clearing
giving any extensive view.
The General returned on the 3rd, and I had a long talk with him
about our work. Nothing had been settled then about the Kabu
question, and he and Captain Raikes, Deputy Commissioner, Chindwin,
were anxious that our operations should not include clearing some peaks
on the Angoching range, where we had hoped to make stations, from
which to extend our triangulation eastward. They thought that the
suspicions of the Thaungdut Sawbwa would be aroused and that he
would mistake our marks for boundary pillars. We eventually got a
couple of points lower down on the range out of Thaungdut territory,
but our work would have been a little better had we been able to clear
the peaks we had first decided on.
As there was no objection to my going to the peak above Kampa, I
started on the 4th, reaching the village in the afternoon. It had lately
been visited by Chins, who had utterly destroyed it; nothing but a few
charred sticks remained of what had been rather a fine village. Dead
half-burnt buffaloes lay in unexpected corners, or in the jungle, poison-
ing the atmosphere, and I was glad to get away next morning. I asked
my interpreter how he knew that Chins and not dacoits had burnt the
village. He replied, " Oh! because the monastery has been burnt.
Had dacoits destroyed the village, being good Buddhists, they would
have spared the temples ; but the Chins having no religious fears, spare
nothing."
The Chins are nearly allied to the Kukis and Lushais, whom they
resemble strongly in appearance and habits. They live in the hills
bordering the Kabu Valley to the south of Manipur, and raid as far as
the Chindwin river, which they never cross, and which receives its
name from them. The Chins are afraid of water, into which they never
venture to any depth. So afraid of them were the villagers that they
told me they never, in the cold weather, slept in the villages at night,
but in the jungles, and always in a different spot each night. With the
 EXPLORATIONSON THE CHINDWIN RIVER, UPPER BURMA. 207

commencement of the rainy season raiding ceases. A small guard wras

placed in some of the villages liable to attack; and the Chins were on one
occasion taken by surprise, some Gurkhas having arrived just the evening
before they attacked. They dreaded Gurkhas very much, having an idea
that the Gurkhas are cannibals who eat their enemies. In the Kabu, as
elsewhere in these regions, a heavy, white, wet fog settles down during
the early morning in all the valleys and over all low-lying ground, and it
is impossible to see through it for more than a few yards. It very often
does not lift till 10 or 11 a.m. The Chins attack usually in the early
morning when this fog is lying low; they wait till the men have gone
out to the fields, and then unperceived slip into the village, burn it, and
in the resulting confusion kill, and carry offas many as they can.
We did not reach the peak that day, but on the 6th I succeeded in
finding it. There was not much clearing to be done, and it turned out
an excellent and most useful point. It overlooks the whole of the Kabu
Valley on one side, and on the other, Kendat and a long stretch of the
Chindwin. To the west the view is bounded by the high Chin ranges,
densely covered to the very summits by forest jungle, a few brown
patches on one long spur running down into the valley, showing where
were the first fields of these dreaded savages. Below, the Kabu lay
stretched at our feet, also covered with forest, in which fine teak trees
grow side by side with a poor relation called "ing," bearing a strong
family resemblance to theieak, but utterly valueless. It was a curious
thing that although I was 3000 feet above the valley, very few of the
villages or even the somewhat extensive fields were visible, so shut in
and swallowed up were they by the tall forest. To the north the view
is bounded by the Naga Hills rising ever higher and higher towards
Saramethi, but to the east the eye drops suddenly some 8000 feet to the
valley of the Chindwin; the country on its left bank being very low,
a confused mass of little hills, with one or two isolated and conspicuous
peaks on the far horizon.
On the 12th I returned to Tammu, having done all I could in the
southern portion of the valley. At Tammu I again picked up Mr. Ogle,
who had been doing some good work, and together we went to one of the
points on the Angoching range, already alluded to, returning to Tammu
on the 17th; on the 18th I took the opportunity of the return of some
influential refugees from Kendat to their houses to send Bapu Jadu
with them in boats down the Yu river to Kendat. He surveyed the
whole of the stream with the subtense instrument and made a valuable
addition to our maps. On the 21st Mr. Ogle left for Auktaung to
survey the country between that place and Kendat by a road called the
Minthami route, and to do some more triangulation.
The 22nd was too wet a day to move, but on the 23rd I started with
the General by the Sweja route for Auktaung on the Chindwin, which
we reached on the 25th. Here we met Lieut. H. Daly, Political Officer
208 EXPLORATIONSON THE CHINDWIN RIVER, UPPER BURMA.

in charge of the Lekayain district, a very able and zealous young officer,
whose headquarters were at Poungbyin, and with him I started for that
place.
On the 26th we stopped for the night at a place called Kaia, where
we lodged in a very nice little " ziat," or traveller's rest-house, a feature
in all Burmese villages. It is generally a prettily carved and very well
carpentered room, constructed entirely of wood, raised a few feet from the
ground, and opening in front into a spacious verandah. Here cholera
broke out among my coolies. Mr. Mitchell had had cholera among his
Naga coolies while at work on the Sweja route; we stopped at one of
his camps for the night, and must have picked up the disease there.
The first case occurred at 8 p.m., just as we were going to dinner.
Mr. Daly sent to the priests, who kindly placed at our disposal one of
their small houses adjoining the monastery, in which they kept a
bishop's throne and some spare drums; to this we removed the sick man
to keep him apart from his fellows; the native doctor and I remained
with him till 12, and just as I was going to sleep, a man lying immedi?
ately under that portion of the raised floor where my bed was, began to
groan. Getting up, I found he also had been seized, and I removed him
to the ziat where the other poor fellow was lying. The doctor and I
again did what we could till 2 a.m. without success. At 6 a.m. a third
man was seized. The first two died in the early morning, the third
lingered till the afternoon; a sepoy was also seized in the morning and
we sent him up by boat with the sick coolies and the doctor to
Poungbyin.
The villagers were again very good in assisting us in burying the
dead and in getting boats, &c. All the arrangements for the dead and
sick delay ed us, and as we had a long march of 23 miles, a good deal of
it through slush and mud, we did not get in till late. The next day
we halted to let the native doctor join us and to rest the coolies.
Poungbyin is a largish village on the Chindwin, 70 miles above
Kendat, and on the opposite bank is a large marsh and lake where wild
fowl of all kinds literally swarm. Subadar Hema Chand, of the
44th G.L.I., stationed at Poungbyin, used frequently to go out for a
couple of hours of an afternoon and return with a couple of geese and
six or seven ducks of various kinds, not to mention snipe and such small
game. He is a great shot either with gun or rifle; and, somewhat rare
for a native, brings down birds on the wing as easily as when sitting.
On the 29th, Mr. Daly and I, with a guard of 50 men of the 44th
under Hema Chand, started on a trip to the Uyu river; we marched up
to Homalin by land, returning by river in boats, paying a short visit to
the Tsawbwa of Thaungdut on our way down. He was very friendly
and said we might explore any part of his dominions.
During our trip we saw some gold-washing. Small channels conduct
water into a wooden tank sunk in the ground. The gravel containing
 EXPLORATIONSON THE CHINDWIN RIVER, UPPER BURMA. 209

gold-dust is brought down' in baskets from the low hills near, and the
heavier stones are sifted out with a bamboo sieve; the finer portion is
then put into a circular wooden vanelling vessel and held over the tank;
water is then poured over and the vanelling carried on till only the gold-
dust remains; the residuum is a fine black heavy sand containing iron.
On our return to Poungbyin on the 7 th, we found that the place had
been attacked by Chins two days previously and part of the village
burned before the garrison, under Captain Boileau, succeeded in driving
them off. My Berthon boat proved most useful on the Chindwin. I
sculled myself nearly the whole of the 70 miles between Homalin
and Poungbyin, and I was able to explore small creeks on the way, and,
going ahead, could look about for good plane-table stations before the
heavier boat, in which were my khaldsis and plane-table, came up, and
thus saved time. I had intended after this trip to have gone down to
Kendat, but rumours of dacoits being in the neighbourhood induced
Mr. Daly to organise two more little excursions eastward in the hope of
catching some of them ; and although we were disappointed in this, I
was enabled to do a good deal of work. I finally reached Kendat on the
'27th February, where I found Mr. Ogle, who had made all arrangements
for commencing the triangulation of the Chindwin.
On the 1st March, Mr. Ogle went down with Bapu Jadu to a point
we had fixed a fewrmiles down the river, and pointed out the hills ahead
which the bdbu was to clear; and on the 2nd, having got all his men
and boats together and a guard of the 18th B.L.I., he started offdown
stream, while Mr. Ogle went back to the station on the Minthami route
to observe some necessary angles. Till the 6th I was employed at oflice-
work with the writer, and in advising about the curtailment of the
?stockade, which was far too large for the garrison intended to be left
there.
On the 6th March I left with Colonel Toker and Captain Raikes in a
steam launch for Mingin, in which district a rebellion had just occurred,
and there seemed a chance of being able to move about with the troops.
However, this rebellion had collapsed, and the leader, Budayaza, had
been captured before we reached Mingin, and so I returned with
Captain Raikes to Kalewa. Thence he despatched messengers with
presents to the Tsawbwa of Kale, whom he had been trying for some
time to induce to make his submission. The message was to the effect
that he and I, being now in the neighbourhood, would pay him a visit,
if agreeable to him.
In consequence of the disturbances in the Mingin district, the Kendat
authorities had recalled Bapu Jadu, and finding that both he and
Mr. Ogle, were detained idling at Kendat, I asked Captain Raikes to
employ the few days we had to wait for the answer from Kale in taking
me up to Kendat and starting the triangulation again. This, with his
wsual readiness to oblige, he agreed to, and once more work was resumed.
210 EXPLORATIONSON THE CHINDWIN RIVER, UPPER BURMA.

It was now getting very hot and all the hill.sides were wreathed in
flames from jungle fires, the smoke from which rendered the atmosphere
very dense, and greatly hindered our work henceforth.
As I have said, the country to the east of the Chindwin above and
about Kendat consists of a confused mass of low hills, or table-lands,
intersected by numerous ravines and water-courses, and enclosing flat
cultivated valleys. The only possible way of surveying this country is
to traverse the small streams and village paths. These hills and plateaux
seldom attain a height of 500 feet above the general level of the plain,
and are all of such a uniform elevation that it is of no use to make
clearings for plane-table work. Below Kalewa, also, the country through
which the Chindwin flows is so low, or broken up into such a confusion
of low hills, that little or no topography could be done from any of our
trigonometrical stations, and military considerations prevented our
leaving the river banks for any distance. The forest on these low hills
is very light and open?a few stunted and scantily foliaged trees, with
little or no undergrowth.
Kalewa is very prettily situated on an elevated tongue of land,
between the Myittha and the Chindwin, at their junction, and is the
runs along
port for the Kale country. The one street of the village
the ridge, gradually rising to a commanding eminence crowned with
numerous graceful pagodas, shrines, and zidts. Here the sepoys lived,
and I also had a ziat to dwoll in?a nice airy building overhanging
the river which flows far below. The whole of the platform is of
brick, and formed a perfectly firm foundation for the theodolite in
taking observations for latitude, and here I obtained the best results.
Each pagoda spire is crowned with the usual hti, or gilt umbrella,
with nine small bells attached to each; at night, when a gentle
breeze plays over the hill, the air is full of sweet sound, which
rises and falls with beautiful effect. Often I lay awake at night
listening with pleasure to these innumerable fairy tinklings high over?
head, which mingled with my dreams when at last I slept. Around
Kalewa rise high peaks sloping to the south and east, but falling in
and at night we could see the jungle
abrupt precipices to the north,
fires creeping like snakes in long undulating lines up these steep slopes.
I asked Captain Baikes' Burmese servant how these fires originated.
He said, " At this time of the year the ground is covered with dead
leaves and dry grass, rocks roll from above on to others below and strike
sparks which set light to the inflammable dry vegetation." We were
inclined to pooh-pooh this explanation at first, but further questioning
of other entirely independent witnesses always elicited the same reply.
When we went up to Kendat I had left instructions with my
chaprdssi, Jhanu, to go up to a conspicuous point about three miles from
Kalewa and 2400 feet above it, and put up a mark; on my return I
found he had not done so. He had started with some sepoys with the
 EXPLORATIONSON THE CHINDWIN RIVER, UPPER BURMA. 211

intention of getting up, but the day was hot and the climb was a stiff
one, and the guide took them by an unnecessarily roundabout route,
probably from not clearly understanding where he was wanted to go.
The sepoys were disgusted at having to climb hills, being princi?
pally long Pandis of the 18th, and they dawdled and sat down
frequently, saying they were not built to climb hills, and when Jhanu
remonstrated and said if I had been there they would have been up in
half the time, they replied irreverently, " Bosh! is he a bird to fly up
this confounded hill ? " And so Jhanu came back with his work undone.
I therefore, on the night of our return to Kalewa, requested the subaddr
commanding our 18th escort, a very nice gentlemanly man, to pick me
out a few good walkers, and we started next day at daybreak ; crossing
the Myittha took us some time, and we left the opposite bank at 7 a.m.
It was intensely hot, the slopes were very steep and covered with dry
leaves and grass, slippery to a degree. The range is quite precipitous
to the north, and slopes at an average of 40? to the south, the ridge
being a mere knife-edge, barely wide enough for foothold; indeed, where
we put up the mark we could not keep a footing till a little earth
platform had been built up. We reached the top at 8.45, and flashed
down to Kalewa, to the intense astonishment of the sepoys who had
gone with Jhanu. An idea of the steepness of the hill-side may be
formed when I say that when I had my lunch a hole had to be dug for
me to sit in and smaller ones for my heels, my feet being further
supported by a log pegged up below them. I got the mark up and
returned to Kalewa in the evening.
The next day an answer came back from the Tsawbwa to the effect
that raids by Chins, which were frequent just then, kept him at Indin,
his temporary capital, and so he could not come to Kalewa, but he
should be delighted to see Captain Kaikes at Indin if he would take
the trouble to go so far; so we made all arrangements to start on the
15th March. I had my Berthon boat with me, and it was the delight
and admiration of all the Burmese. At Kendat and Kalewa I frequently
went out for a scull in the evening, and there were always several
naked little urchins on the bank waiting for me, and when the boat
was launched they stepped in after me with as much calmness as if it
was the regular ferry-boat. Their confidence in me and my boat was
highly gratifying. On tlie 15th we started, the whole party in boats,
for Indin. On the way up we passed one or two villages which had
been lately looted and burnt by the Chins, in dread of whom the vil?
lagers build huts on piles in mid-stream, or roof over boats lashed
together in pairs and moored far out in the river; and to these temporary
abodes they retire at night, as Chins have a dread of water, as before
mentioned.
In all river scenery in Upper Burma the new comer is struck by
every here and there meeting with a little forest of tall bamboos rising
212 EXPLORATIONSON THE CHINDWIN RIVER, UPPER BURMA.

out of the water, with a black reel attached near the top of each pole.
On inquiry he learns that these are fishing stations, the method of catching
fish being as follows :?A small basket about six inches deep is suspended
from the top of the pole by a piece of cane; to the brim of the basket is
fixed a U-shaped stick, the ends of which are split. The bamboo pole
passes through the loop of the U and the basket is thus held to the
bamboo, but allowed movement with the current of the stream ; a reel
with a line ending in two strong
cords, carrying a hook each, is fixed
to the pole above water, and the
split ends of the U receive the
cords and hooks. These hang just
below and in front of the basket,
which is weighted with stones and
contains packets of pounded rice in
leaves, and hangs near the bottom
ofthe river. The action of the cur?
rent keeps the basket in motion,
shaking out the powdered rice,
which the fish come to eat, and
not seeing the unbaited hooks in
the issuing cloud, get caught.
Their tugs pull the hooks away
from the split sticks holding them,
and their struggles are indicated
by the eccentric movements of the
portion of the bamboo holding the
reel above the surface, to a boat-
man waiting near.
About three miles above Ka-
lewa is a large outcrop of coal, a
seam of about 10 feet thick, of
which a good deal had been taken
out for the steamers plying on the
Chindwin. The bank had been
Fish-trap.
undermined, and further excava-
tions were dangerous and had been stopped for the time when we
passed up. I made a careful survey of the river as we went along.
We reached Indin on the afternoon of the 17th, and landed at a point
about three miles off,whence a path to Indin cut offa great bend of the
river; and here the Tsawbwa met us in great state with a procession of
girls carrying vases of flowers on their heads, musicians, dancing girls,
matchlock men, and spearmen, and personal attendants bearing a gold
umbrella over him. He mounted us on two elephants with funny little
howdahs, with only space in each for one person, and conducted us in
 EXPLORATIONSON THE CHINDWIN RIVER, UPPER BURMA. 213

state to Indin, where we were installed in a very fine and commodious

priesfs house (Poongyi Kyoung).
The next few days were spent by Captain Baikes in bringing his
megotiations with the Tsawbwa to a satisfactory conclusion. At first
nervous and suspicious, the latter soon acquired confidence in our good
faith, and became quite friendly. One day I visited a curious limestone
hill about seven miles off and got a good view of the valley; and
from this and other points around Indin I managed to secure a good
deal of topography, though jungle fires and thick haze prevented my
doing as much as I should have liked and could otherwise have done.
While at Indin, my time was spent after dinner in taking stars for
latitude, and Captain Baikes kindly assisted me greatly both then and
on other occasions by recording for me. We were fortunate in meeting
some influential Chin chiefs while we were there, and they had a long
interview with Captain Baikes, in which they agreed to use their
influence in putting down raiding on the Tsawbwa's territory. (The
Chins raided in April last and carried off this Tsawbwa from Indin,
with other captives.) We left Indin on the 22nd, well pleased with our
visit, and reached Kalewa on the 23rd. On the 27th we steamed down
to Mingin, and on the way we saw Mr. Ogle's camp, and anchored. He
came on board for an hour and reported progress. I was very sorry to
find he had been suffering from a bad attack of fever for a few days, but
was recovering, and had got on well with the work. On the 28th
Captain Baikes very kindly sent the steam-launch up to Mr. Ogle;
and this enabled him to finish his work, as far as Mingin, by the 30th,
when he joined us.
On the lst of April we took Bapu Jadu up to a point suitable for a
station, and left him to clear it, and pointed out some hills ahead, which we
wished him to clear, and then started in the steam-launch, which thence-
forward was at our disposal, to go up the river again to observe from all
the stations which Mr. Ogle and the sub-surveyor had been putting up.
We managed it in this way: there was no room in the launch for us to
sleep comfortably, so we took the outer fly of Mr. Ogle's tent, which
was large enough to affordus both shelter, and was very quickly pitched
on the bank at night and as quickly struck in the morning. At dawn
we rose, got our few traps on board, and started for the nearest station,
*
having chhota hazri on board. I deposited Mr. Ogle and his party on
the bank at the landing-place for his station, and went on to mine,
sending the launch back when I had landed. As soon as Mr. Ogle
finished his work, he signalled to me, and I could then guess the time
he would take to rejoin me; we then went on together. Sometimes,
though rarely, we could visit two stations each during the day, but
generally three altogether were all we could manage.
We got back to Mingin on the 6th, and waited a few days hoping to
* Chhotahazri= little
breakfast,the earlyeup oftea.
Ko. IV.?April 1889.] a
214 EXPLORATIONSON THE CHINDWIN RIVER, UPPER BURMA.

see the sub-surveyor's onward marks; we saw one, but could not make
out any clearings on the highest range. Mr. Ogle therefore started on
the 10th to put things right. He returned on the 14th, and on the
15th and 1.6th we observed at stations near Mingin. On the 14th April
we received the first letters we had had since 5th March, owing to con-
fusion resulting from our postal line being changed from via Manipur
to via Mandalay.
On the 17th news came that a new steamer going down the river
between Mingin and Alon had run aground, and it was doubtful
whether our launch might not be wanted to assist the steamer. Our
departure was therefore delayed a little, but we were able to start on the
18th, and observing at several stations on the way, reached Alon on the
21st, where we halted for one day to bring up arrears of correspondence,
and then returned up the river observing. All our work above Aldn
was finished by the end of April, only a few points remained south and
east which the sub-surveyor cleared. At Alon we lived on board a
steamer, as accommodation was limited in the small bamboo-walled hut
which did duty for quarters and mess-house for the officers of the
garrison. It had been very hot for some time past, the thermometer
going up to 104?-106? in the shade frequently during the day. The
anchorage was not as salubrious as it might have been, and the result
was that I got a touch of fever in the first week in May.
I was very anxious to visit Lepadaung H.S. to pick up some points
I had previously observed to, and I went down one morning when I
ought to have stayed in bed; we had a long walk across a barren stony
plain, and up a ravine where the breathless atmosphere was like a
furnace, finishing up by a very steep climb of 700 feet. With Mr. Ogle's
assistance, I finished the observations and got back to the steam launch,
but I had to go to bed on my return to Alon, and was on my back till
the 24th, i. e. nearly three weeks. I was moved up on the 15th to the
officers'barracks, Captain Sage very kindly giving up his little room to
me, and all the officers,from Colonel Toker downwards, did what tbey
could for me. The resources of the place were limited, there was no ice,
no soda water, no champagne, the commissariat bread was almost
uneatable, and I lived on tea and indifferent soup for three weeks.
During this time Mr. Ogle was very busy visiting Chaukkah twice,
having been disappointed by the weather of seeing all he wanted on his
first visit. Some heavy storms having cleared the atmosphere he was
more successful on the second trip. At last on the 24th May, a steamer
came and took us all to Mingyan, where Captain Hobday met me.
Mr. Ogle and I left for Mandalay on the 26th in the mail steamer, and
there, thanks to the kind care of General Sir G. White and Captain
Hobday, I rapidly recovered strength, and after a fortnight's stay we
proceeded down to Kangoon. We left Eangoon on the 22nd June and
reached Calcutta on the 25th, and Shillong on the 17th July.
EXPLORATIONSON THE CHINDWIN RIVER, UPPER BURMA.?DISCUSSION. 215

The results of our work are as follows:?an area of 2800 square miles
was triangulated; a portion of the Manipur Valley (860 square miles)
was surveyed on the 1 inch = 2 mile scale; the whole of the Kabu
Yalley, and a large portion of the Lekayain district, comprising an area
of 3924 square miles; and an accurate map obtained of the Chindwin
river between the Uyu river and Monyua below Alon.
Afterthe paper,
Captain E. W. Dun (Deputy Quartermaster-General,Indian Intelligence
Department) submittedthe following notes on the paper, which were read to
the meeting. He said that though he had travelled in the country described
by Colonel Woodthorpe,north of Manipur and east of Samaguting,he could add
little to the informationgiven by so experiencedand observant a traveller.
He would venture to make a few remarks,the result of observationsmade while
he was employed in charge of the Intelligence Branch in Burma, on a subject
which then forceditselfon his attentionand mightmake an appropriateappendix
to Colonel Woodthorpe's paper. The subject is, the systematic collection of
geographicalinformationabout as yet unvisited countries. The subject has had
an attractionfor many distinguishedmen, and he mighi perhapsbe permittedto
instance Colonel Yule as the greatestcompiler of informationof this character.
When he enteredBurma, in November 1885, Colonel Yule's map of Upper Burma
was our sole guide to the northernportion,and without it we should have been
absolutelyat sea. He was placed in chargeof the IntelligenceBranch at Mandalay
in February 1886. In March it became evident that Burma was very far from
being conquered,and that numerousexpeditionswould have to be despatchedfrom
Mandalay in all directions. He was directedto supplyinformation on whichgenerals
could frametheir combinations,and fromwhich the Commissariatcould calculate
the requirementsof columns. At this time the Survey Departmentwas not repre?
sentedin Burma, nor would therehave been timeto make surveys. In these straits
he turnedto native information, and soon foundthat the Burmans possessed(com?
parativelyspeaking) admirable maps, many of them drawn roughlyto scale. As
the royal collectionhad been inadvertentlydestroyed,thesemaps had to be sought
foramong the privatecopies of formergovernorsof districts. This was an operation
of some delicacy,as many of these men naturallyhated us, and a sortof reignof
terrorexisted which preventedthe well-disposedfrombeing seen in conversewith
British officials. Many and various were the artificeswhich had to be employed,
and most picturesque and strange the circumstancesunder which the maps were
obtainedamong the ruined nobles of the Burmesecourt; This, however,only lent
a zest to the undertaking,and by the time Major Hobday of the Indian Survey
Department arrived,native maps of almost the whole of the valley of the Irawadi
had been collected. Major Hobday now supplied fixedpoints,and thejoint resultof
theirlabourswas a map comprising7? of latitudeand 4? of longitude,which,though
far fromaccurate,was found to be useful and eagerlysought after. As the work
progressed,much assistance was obtained fromroute surveysby militaryofficers>
but the main point he wishedto bringto noticewas the practicalvalue ofthe native
information collected.
In the followingyear the same systemwas applied to more distant portionsof
Burma?the Shan States, the Singpho countrybetween Bhamo and the Uyu river,
where the great Endawgyi Lake and the Jade quarries are situated, Wuntho
territory,which is an independent Shan State, and the Yaw country. On the
informationthen collected,five columns of troops were moved distancesvarying
from200 to 600 miles each. These columnswere suppliedwith foodand transport
Q 2
216 LETTERS FROM MR. F. C. SELOUS ON HIS JOURNEYSTO THE

to carrythem throughtheirjourneys,on calculationsbased on the native information

collected,and their movementswere timed to allow of junction with one another,
and of theirwithdrawalfromunhealthylocalities beforethe rains set in. Opera?
tions were extendedthe followingseason, and severalcolumnsare now being moved
on the native informationcollected last summer. The most popular and reliable
plan of arrivingat this information was, he found,to have a space of grounddug up
to the depth of one footand to get natives who had travelled in the part of the
countryhe wished to inquire about to constructthereona reliefmap. He had a
piece of groundnear a Shan caravanserai,in a shady garden wherethe traderswere
glad to rest, talk, and drink tea, and they constructeda reliefmap of the whole
of the Burmese Shan States. Their scale was a day's marchto a notched stick,and
thoughthe methodwas rough and unscientific, the results proved useful. An ex?
perimenthas thus been made on a sufficiently large scale which proves that native
information, when carefullycollected,sifted,and compared,can be made ofconsider?
able practicalvalue; and travellerswho are delayed (as is frequentlythe case) by
want of transport,political obstruction,&c, on the thresholdof the fieldof their
labours,will not find theirtime wasted if they try and get a reliefmap as above
describedconstructed. Savages will take a chiidishpleasure in work of this kind,
when half-an-hour'squestioningwill make them thoroughlyweary and out of
temper. The whole of Southern Tibet, WesternChina, and the countryoccupied
by the Shan races, which covers a much larger area than is at present generally
believed,could be thus mapped out by personsstationedat such trade centresas
Darjiling, Dibrugarh, Batang, Tali-fu, Bhamo, Luang-Prabang,and Zimme. Both
the Burmese and Shans have a wonderfulaptitude for map-drawing,which it is
probable the Tibetans share. Chinese maps he had found very puzzling, but all
along the frontiers of this vast regionmuch valuable informationmightbe collected.
Captain Dun added that he regrettedthat he had no Burmese or Siamese maps
to show to the meeting. They were verycuriousand amusing,

Letters from Mr. F. C. Selous on his Journeys to the Kafuhwe River,

and on the Upper Zambesi.

Map, p. 260.
We received from Mr. Selous, in February, another valuable map, illus?
trating the journeys he undertook north of the Zambesi and in the
Barotse country, after his return from Mashuna Land, his map of which
was published in the *Proceedings' for May 1888. After sending the
map and the following letters, he decided on returning to England, and
arrived in time to revise his map for publication.
Banks of the Zambesi,Oct.10,1888.
I left Panda-ma-Tenka on June 5th, 1888, with sixteen pack donkeys
and about twenty-five porters, with the intention of
crossing the Zambesi
at Wankie's, and then following the northern bank to the mouth of the
Kafukwe, as I did in 1877.* From there I intended to strike north,
through the Manica country, and, if possible, reach the Garenganze
country,?(?west of Lake Bangweolo, where elephants are said to be very
* Vide
'ProceedingsK.G.S.,' 1881,p. 169.
f See Mr. Arnot'spaperand map in the *Proceedings/ante,p. 65.
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