In this place very few regular Chinese are to be found, and the few that are here seen, are ultra-provincials; none are acquainted with the manufacture of tea. This article is procurable here, but at a high rate; it is sold in flat cakes of some diameter; it is black, coarse, with scarcely any smell, and in taste not much superior to the Assamese article; 20 tickals weight sells for 1¼. All the blue cloths of the Shans are dyed, Bayfield informs me, with Ruellia, or jungle indigo.
It is with these people that the only trade seems to be carried on, and this is limited to amber and serpentine. They are very dirty, and excessively penurious, but industrious. Owing to their habits and extreme penury, there is no outlet for our manufactures in this direction; so that I fully agree with Hannay’s statement, that 500 rupees worth of British goods would be unabsorbed for some years. Rosa is common, also a Rumex; a Sisymbroid plant also occurs. Among the trees, all which are stunted, Gmelina arborea occurs. There are some Assamese slaves here among the people, one of them is said to be a relation of Chundra Kant, the Suddiya chief: slaves are held in very small estimation with the Burmese. Thus Bayfield asked his writer, who such a one standing near him was, whether a Shan or Singpho? The man answered, “My lord, it is not a man; it is a Waidalee.”
Altogether, Mogoung is an uninteresting place; the surrounding plains are barren-looking, and inhospitable, and clothed with grass. Here and there a ragged Nauclea, Careya, etc. is visible with Gmelina arborea. The undershrubs are chiefly a Rhamnoidea, and a Phyllanthus. Rosa is common; Rumex and Nasturtium are both met with.
News arrived yesterday evening to the effect, that the King is drowned, the heir-apparent in the palace: and that Colonel Burney is with Thurrawadi!!!
My collections up to this place amount to 900 species.
April 19th.—Left at 12, and halted after having gone about four miles. The river continues the same as above; it is a good deal impeded by trees, and much more so by sandbanks.
April 20th.—Reached Tapaw in the afternoon; our progress is, however, very slow the stream being slight, but the river is much improved; being less spread out, owing to its greater proximity to the low hills: often very deep, generally clothed with jungle to the water’s edge. On the hills near Tapaw are some Khukeens of the Thampraw tribe, and on these hills bitter tea is reported to be found. This the Khukeens bring down for sale.
April 21st.—Continued our course, performing about twelve miles between 7 and 5, inclusive of one hour’s halt. At some distance from Tapaw and thence throughout the day, here and there occur rapids, which are much worse, from the stream being impeded by large rocks. In some places it is divided, in others, compressed between hills, and here it is very deep.
April 23rd.—Arrived at the Irrawaddi. The Mogoung river is very uninteresting; the stream being generally slow, sandbanks very abundant, as well as stumps of sunken trees. At its mouth it is deep, and about seventy yards across. The banks are either overgrown with trees or else grassy; the grasses being Arundo and Saccharum. On the steep banks of the hills where these descend into the river, ferns are common together with an Amaryllidea out of flower. Cadaba is common, as well as a large Mimosea. Rosa continues; as also Æsculus. On the road by which the Chinese branch off from Tapaw to the Irrawaddi, I gathered an arborescent Apocynea foliis suboppositis, and a Homalineous tree, floribus tetrameris; Salix is common all down the river. Teak only occurs occasionally. In one place I gathered Lonicera heterophylla, a fragrant Valeriana? and Jonesia in abundance; this last being here apparently quite wild. Adelia nereifolia, a Ficus, Ehretia arenarum, and the usual sandy plants occur on the banks. Pistia, Salvinia and Azolla are common.
The Irrawaddi opposite the entrance of the Mogoung river, is 600 yards across. It is a noble stream; has risen a good deal, and presents one unbroken sheet of water. The banks are by no means high, and are grassed to the brink. The water is cold and clouded; its temperature is 66½°, that of air in a boat 88½. We reached Tsenbo about 1 o’clock, having passed five or six villages, mostly small, and inhabited by Shans. Tsenbo numbers about 30 houses, but these as throughout Burma, as far as we have seen, are small; it is situated on a low hill on the left bank. Both banks are hilly, especially the right. The river has risen enormously during a halt here—many feet. In one hour we found it to rise about 16 inches. At this place I gathered a fine blue Vanda, and a curious tree habitu Thespiæ: stigmatibus 4. Between this and the entrance to the narrow defile Kioukdweng, which is about 1½ miles distant, three villages occur. This entrance is well marked, the river becoming suddenly contracted from 300 to less than 100 yards. We halted about 6½ P.M. at Lemar. Noticed four or five villages between Lemar and the village at the entrance of the defile. All these villages are inhabited by Poans, a distinct hill tribe. Passed through two fearful places, one in particular where the whole body of water rushes through a gate, formed by huge rocks not 50 yards wide.