All books are subject to recall after two weeks Olin/Kroch Library DATE DUE UBRAr ~HiwK ^ 1900 g^ z^^^ ^ .a-i^i^a^T- PRINTED IN U.SA ?''~'8S 1 s 8 S "> ! 2 *' t ' : -C r 1 ? 1 : Si AM. No. 1 (1888). VJ)""^ CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 3 1924 068 348 774 REPORT BY MR. C. E. W. STRINGER OF A JOURNEY TO THE LAOS STATE OF ffAN, STAM. L L.i'^^P^gg^ T Pretented to 6oM Hmutt *" »«»^ «»««"< •« HOMBS. II«^I^ A Co.. »•}• • The Map which accompanies the Beport has been compiled by Mr. Chnstian Kovsing, from the surveys made by Mr. Clarke. I have, &oi (Signed) ERNEST 8AT0W. Inclosure 1. Rfporl of a Journey from Bangkok to Nan, taken by Mr. Clarke and Mr. Stringer, November ]S86— January 1887. WE left Bangkok on the nth November, 1886. , . , -.u v i Tw .■ • Above AjTithia the "mai yang- tree is to be seen along the banks with a hole ^VTA:, burnt in the trunk. A fire is lit in the side of the tree, which causes the res,n to run down into the cavity, and it is then collected, and when mixed with "dammar, the oil of another tree, forms the " chumim " used in Siam for the exterior of boats. The natives told us they had not yet seen any teak rafts fioatmg down ; there is probably some delay in sending them off at first when the river is full, for fear of their »«iig Trak riAi. ] Chaioat. Suun u«7-,^'i»^""; I| •••"• sawan 18 an island caDed Ko Cbek, about a quater of a mile long, in the middle of the I': The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924068348774 strewn. Wc had taken the left clianncl, whicli i« full of H/ind-hiriks, itiifi'ad of tlio right, *hich is safe. In less than an hour after leaving thi"* place vi<- entorcil the Nam-I'hrt. I'nkniir. There were formerly a lari^c nunil)er of Chino.o naw-slicd-! in I'.ik'nm i'lio, ''"" employed in entting up teak, a larj^e imrl of wbicli Ha> probaUly Htolen, l)iit it uduII seen> that they have all been prohibited now^, and we sii« s ):ne in ff)ursc> of d^'Mini tion. On reaching the mouth of the (.'hiin-Krai wc fmnd a snnUl villii;^i' o]ip i-ii • it, Mmh, .it calletl Paknanit'hiin-Krai, but no Nain-lJor.ipet as marked in Mr. Archer's Maj). We •'." '''""" had previously pished a small rivulet furthei- soutli, as the Nam-Horapet -^vas marled on '^"'" the Chart we had with us. The streapi would probably be quite dry for soiVie niiiiiji-^ in the year. Five hours later we reached the junction of the Kiii Chai.^r M • Yom, with the Khi-.n- Khlong Ricns, or Kwe Yai, as the natives call it. "" "-' A little higher up we saw a large quantity of " mii kabao " bt-ing rafted. Tiiis is " y " nn inferior kind of wood used for fuel. kii.a r. The banks where wc stopped for the- ni^ht were high and steep, but we «erc told \w\ of ilic that the water had been half-way up the posts of a iiousc which stood on.the fop of tlic *^'"' 'bank, bo that it had now fallen some 25 or 30 feet. ' • The part of the river we passed through next day was wild and desolate. Wc ^iw Drvi.nie jr'eat numbers of pelicans, herons, and other birds here, and several crocidiic'j. i""^' of '•"" In the afternoon we passed a large village called Rin Ifua DAng, and iialf-nn-hour I'',"'''- • aflerwarls reached anotiier, Ban Fa Pa, where we found the people engaged in culti- ^'^^^„n. vating cotton. The tax seemed very high, 1 salung 1 fuang a rai (22 Jd. per afrei, and 1 tical a picul (,133^) lbs.) duty at Ciiainat. In the evening we reached the new town of Pichit, also called Tlia-liicng, wliich is Pirint. only a small place. At Tha-li'), which wc passed the next day, there was a Chinese saw-shed, where Tha-IG native boats were being made. At'the month of the Khlong Tha-lo we saw a ijuantity of teak, which we i.ere told Khlong had comc^^own this creek. ' ''«■'''■ On tfie following day (the HHli November) wc rcachnl I'liitsanulok, aboS^^noon. i'h:i-,«nulflk. We sto] ped first below the Coiirt-hoiise, wlicro wp f'Diind the f^ni rnir, and alti^^i^s below Wat Phra-Chinarat, wliere we cxch.ingeil the boat wi; ii.id lir luglit iirwl from Bangkok for a " rua pet" in ca.sc the launeh eh luld not l)e a!>io to get np\\ii Phicbai. ' _ H ' We paid a visit to Wa*. Phra-Chinirat, and also to the remains nf tiie old city wiu Honmlm of behind it. There are similar remains on the west side of the rivei , ami wo were tol* °''' »*"■ that the river formerly ran round to the west of the to«n, instead of through it, as it does now, and that there is still a channel running round the ruins on tlie west, which^ however, is dry, except in the high-water season. We met one British subject here, a Ikirmese or a Shan, who b,ail a teak forest on the Kwe Noi, the mouth of which we reached in three hours from Phit-!anulAk. On the second day after leaving Phitsanulftk the launch ran aground several times Shallow durin" the morning, and at Ban Yan Yao there was a sand-bank which seemed to reach "•""'^ almost across! the river. This wc had great ditlieulty in passing, but eventually we found a practicable channel near the right bank. At Ban Ken wc ran aground again, and after some vain attempts to get the launch R^"'"" of on it was sent back to Phitsanulok, with orders to go down to Krung Tajiao if tiie fall '^"'"=''- iu the water rendered it necessary. Wc then transferred ourselves to the " rua pet," and, with four men poling, reached Phichii. Phichai shortly before midniglit. The following morning we visited the Luang .Mahatai, and his brother the " Poo Unksa Muang,*' or official administering the Government, the Governor having died some months before. We found that the Luang Mabatai was unpopular with tlic people, on account ef his injustice and oppression of them. It would seem important that the government of the Province of Phichai, with its eleven sub-provinces, should be in go} Surtfor TJu-fa. PhiUanulAk, the dimensions of the house being 7 ft. in. long. r> ft. broad, and .') H. 6 in. At noon wc saw a large crocodile on the bank, although wc had been told there were none up here. , , ■ . Long and bro&d stretches of sand (" hat") are the chief featun- of the river betwo.r, Phichai and Utaradit. The water is for the most part very Hlmllow, and tlic chnnnel is fuU of banks of sand and gravel. j- i • In the evening of the second day from Phichai wc stopped above Utaradit, having passed the town in the dark. In Tha-It the next morning we found a large number of Laos with bullocks, whicti they were loading with salt to take back to Phrc. . Above Utaradit the scenery is much finer than below, the banks being generally covered with lofty trees down to the water's edge. About four hours and-a-half after leaving Tha-It we pa.sscd the mouth of the Khiong Fang, a very small creek. . The water was often very shallow, and Bomctimes the men were obliged to get into the water and drag the boat. i ■ Tn, n — ti Muang Fang was reached early in the morning the day aTter leaving Tha-lt." rhc town is only a small one, and there are very few houses to be seen from the river. There was some difTiculty about providing us with elephants here. A meeting of the officials was to be held first to decide whose wc should have, and we should probably have had to wait one or two days for them, evon if we had eventually got the requisite number at all. We therefore decided to proceed by boat ; our boatmen from Phichai kere induced by an offer of 3 rupees a-day each to take us on to Tha-luet, and wc left Muang Fang in the afternoon of the day we arrived. ^ With regard to the Fang ji-on-mines, wc were told that they were a day s journey from the town, and that although/ some knives were made there no working of importance was carried on. • l n • In two hours and-a-half we reached Ban Tapao, which is in the Province of Nan, flaving passed some fine scenery on our way, and in the evening «c reached the village of Tha-luet. ^ l- • • i • o There were a considerable number of elephants here, the hiring price being 3 rujMjes a-day each, but the people were evidently afraid to let us have any vvithout orders from the Chief of Nan, lest they should afterwards be required at their hands by the Nan official who wa.s to go down to Bangkok for the ceremonie.'i in honour of the Crown Prince's confirmation as heir to the throne. The rice crop, too, had not been good, owing to insufficient rain, and some of the elephants had been sent away to get rice. On the second day, therefore, after our arrival, finding that there *ere only ftvc or six elephants available", we accepted the offer of two " rua salAa " or boats ^adc of a single teak log hollowed out, with an arched covering in the centre made of teak leaves on a frame-work of bamboo, and in these boats we started for Tha-pha. We soon reached some rather fine rapids, but by poling along the banks we ascended them without much difficulty. , . - . n . i On the following day we reached the mouth of a rather important creek called tlie Kblong Nam-phat, where wc saw a number of teak logs. There is a town called Nam- pba* , about half a day's journey up the creek, which is said to be in the Province of Shortly after midday we arrived at Tha-pha. Wc tried to induce our boatmen to take us on to Tha-fek, but they refused. Here again elephantfl seemed to be numerous, but the people appeared afraid to let u-s have them without orders from the Chief of Nan, although the money for their hire would probably have been very acceptable, as all the people seemed very poor. The officiab endeavoured to put us off by saying that we should be able to get elcphanU without difficulty at Tha-fek, but as we had been told the same thing at Tha- luet with respect to this place, the argument had not much weight. ^ Here, as at Tha-luet, we were lodged in temporafy huts of bambob and teak leaves, which had' been erected on the bank for the accommodation of the Nan official who was On the second day, finding wc could not hire a sufficient number of elephants, nor even buy four or fire to carry the baggage while we ourselves walked, we left Tha-pha for Tha-ffek in three "nut saias," similai to the former onea, but smaller, provided for us bj the Gorentor of Tba-pha. T Durinp (he da> wc jiasscd the Klilon;,' Chftlini on the Icftl.ank, and Huai (mountain Khiong Btreani) Wilfit and Huai Me-li on the ri«i;ht bank. Ch.iim. On the following day we passed (ho villairo of Tha-]a,au iToatlipd Tha-fck Hoon after Tha-fck. midday. Wc had met with but few rapids between tbi^ ami Tlia-pha, and none of any great difficulty. On our arrival we found two elephants jnst leaving t,,r Nan laden with Chinese Mc rrh«nd,M umbrellas and sandals made of bntlalo-hide. for '^^^"■ The Governor said he could j^ct either elephants or Imats for lis, to he ready the ""•t" P^o ncxt day but one, but that if we (ook ele|)lian(s we should have to -et fresh ones at 8i [|"||',"„[j' Sakhct, and probably at other villai;es before rcaehins Nan, wherea-, the boats wiuld ""'''"""• take us rip:bt throunjh, and we (heretortS resolved (o ;;o liv rivir. M e left Tha-fiik on the Oth Dceenibcr in foui •• rua --al.is.'' It was necessary to Hi-diin of have three men in each of (hese.'two to pole and one tn steer, as above 'Iha-fek the' "'"'" raiiids begin to be diHicuJt. On th^ first Jay we pa-sed sdinc ei;;lit or ten rapids where the men were obliged to get into tlie water and dra;r the Ijoats. We also passed the mouth of the Khlong .Me-li on the right bauk, one of the lari:est creeks in the neighbour- hood. On the following day wc reached the first rapid, where the boats had to be emptied Kpnc Kam. before they could be dragged through. It consi -ts of tiiree parts, the loner called Knr,^ On, Keng Kam, the middle Keng Oo, and the upper part Keng Ngom. Into the last flows J)"'„|J^''"" the Huai Ngom. The river here is full of masses of lilaok rock, amongst which the ^""'' water rushes down with great force, but there is no fall of any great height. The whole contents of the boats had to be carried about a quarter of a mile up to the top of the rapid. Here wc met some Toni^su traders from Nan taking; down hides and lioms to Tha-lt Torfr,u in boats similar to ours, but with large bamboos fixed along (he sides to give them mden. additional buoyancy. With great care they were able to get their boats down one side of the rapid without unloading them. We afterwards met other Tongsus higher up the river coming down with tl)e same merchandize. There were a number of Laos (ishing near (his rapid, most of them probably coming Fiihing. from Muang Uin, which is close to. Soon after leaving this rapid we reached another, where the boats could not have Slow pro- got through without being first unladen ; but the men were able, though with difficulty, i!re»so»iii; to drag them one by one through a side creek. On stopping for the night we had '" "•" *■ probably only gone 4 or J miles during the day. .The next day we passed three rather difficult rapids, the first of which we partly avoided by going through a side creek. Numbers of Laos were to be seen along the banks, living in temporary huts, and engaged in fishing. At Keng Phai, which we reached on the following morning, the boats again had to Keng Ph»i, be emptied before they could i)roceed. .\bove this rapid is Keng Pliik, which is about Keng Phik, .'iOO yards long, and beyond it is a long reach of unbroken water shut in by hills on each ^^^ '"^ side. Above (his again is Keng Thi, into which Hows the Huai Thi, which is of con- siderable size, and has it-, rise atJA: village of Si Sakiiet. On the fourth day after leaving Tlia-fek we pa.ssed a lofty rock of red stone, called Kh«o Ph« Khao Pha Deng, rising almost perpendicularly from the river on the right bank, " Pha" ^"S- is a Lao word meaning rock, and the name therefore signifies " Hill of Red Rock." On the other side of the river were huge masses of black I'ock piled one on another, and beyond them a lofty hill covered with trees to its summit. In tlie afternoon wc came to Keng Khani, in the middle of which is an island. KccgKham The right channel is impracticable, but the boats were able to proceed by the left, after we had disembarked and part of the cargo had been taken out. Soon afterwards we came to the Keng It. Mone>. Wat Poo- SDiDiararha The Sanaiii Ldwi and euttunii. the .un. MoBt of th,-pcople st*y here a week or \cn days, and then r«ta™ home with they had been unloaded.' 'fhere arc no more >T'^r„vZ Ken' Lt^an? Re ow th.s none above Ban San, ^vhich we p.vssoa the day after '^^-^jj^^^^S ^^^'^"be «ecn, and we llrt^es^flUrand dei^r ::^ ^tSX^^ ^^:'^^ «-« ^^ -^'^-- ^%So*^^'ching Ban Srtn we passed the n.^^^^^^^^^^^ This stream, we were told, is of considerable length, boats Doing anic '" Te°Si°foMh'e night above Muang Sft, situated at tho^mouth of the Nam Sa, and ii'thfe^^nfnfof the nLt day. the mh ^^;f^;:^:-^S"^ t" river, is The town is situated about a quarter of a mi c tn.n. ^nt "„-> ^ j , inclosed by four .alls of unequal lengt^ -%r1i:ui::krTl'Te most pJt neat a^.d and has one or two gates on each side. ^ ^^ ''""'^^^'^.i^n, xhc Palace, if such his sons, with the exception, perhaps, <>f ^«;"K «^,';5^™ Sk'\vith figures of fabulous 11 f ♦!,„ /"iiiof Tho Kaohawonc was away with tne siamLsi, ymy^ cu^ t^ all sons of the Chiet. i tie «a"»'J^""fe " . „ ,•' .j^ ^^ 33,,^ jurfng our stay. their hands. , „ii,„1pH to nbovc is the ' old town," consisting About 2 miles distant on t le road """-^^J/", ^^°''f ' ^o size It was formerly '"•";:; '■.'ill...." .. ™'W.,, i, hold .er, ..n-in, »»' ^J ^^ br.lliTo.l"."'.: s"^l':.iLr:ff.r7arr:„"u'»^sro; u„ u a ...» -...«. « are used instead. , „ „ . „ :_ ,w„ town is Wat Poomintaracha, a square buildmg.with The most mportant " wat in ^hc totm is ^^^ ^^^^ ^j^^ ^^^ •"""S»°e.f their ...mferg-vc us .0™ infom.li.n «,n«r.i.K the !•« »i =»*"»• probably be put to death. . ,^ ^ „,, execution during the year Lr,r S3r:Xt-tfr*io te .„e .„„ r«„ „ «,e p,Uo.e„ .. the time of our visit. r -.*-.■.■ ».4iC*. -ifiat^^arsiows.--, ■■•s^j ^': , ulc I.I The memeerfl of Ihe Sanritn recciTe no pej; bat while we wofc »t Nan a quantity of Tr.b.i, Rail was brought in as tribute from some mines or iprings about four days' journcv from "" the town and each of the members of the Samuii received a portion of this as wpH'm the Uuel It IS also customary when an elephant is sold for the buyer to pay 16 rupeen and the Boiler 4 rupees aw fees to the Sanam. ^V ith regard to slaves, every man of the lower orders must be enrolled at the Sanfini as '^i .v. i« v, the slave of >^nme master, but he is allowed to' choose whom he will serve, and if he does not like one he may re-enrol himself as the slave of another, his own name being tticn changed. A slave is fed by his master while he U workbg for him, but at other times he must feed lumself. No purchase-money is paid for him by his owner. No one is allowed to catch the wild elephants which are to be found within a few Eiephjoi.. days' journey of the town except those who are appointed by the Chief, and if a captive elephant dies the tusks must be sold to the Chief at a fixed rate. During the first three days of our stay we went daily to sec the cremation Cr^m.'mn ceremonies, which took place in the open space in front of the Palace, the Chief and his cer. m.,u.e.. sons looking on from bamboo sheds erected for the purpose. The first da^ we saw some boxing by young Laos, yhich the people seemed never tired of watching. Some novel features to Europeans were the postures and grimaces which seemed to be considered an essential part of the fighting, and the use of the feet, in which some of the combatants were rather dexterous, occasionally dealing their antagonists a smart blow in the face with them. On the second day, in addition to the boxing, a game was placed which bore some resemblance to football. A large cocoa-nut well greased was thrown amongst a number of young men, who then struggled to get possession of it, and the ohe who managed to get away with it to the other end of the ground received a prize. After the ceremony of throwing limes containing 2-anna pieces amongst the crowd had taken place, the " prasat," or wooden structure containing the urn, was borne aloft on the shoulders of about niritty men, and carried out to a place on the bank of the river, about a quarter of a mile from the walls, followed by a long procession, in which were the sons of tlie Chief with their attendants. In accordance with tlie barbarous custom prevalent here, the " prasat " was opened and the body taken out and stripped of all its coverings before the pyre was lighted by the Uparat. After a fortnight's stay we took leave of the Chief and left Nan on the 27th Depsrture December with eight elephanU. *^'°"' ^'»° Four hours' travelling brought us to Ban Nam Hua, and in the evening we reached Mmng Si. Muang Sa. Our course during the day was close to the river bank, and crossed the Nam Su at the entrance to the town. Muang Sa is of considerable size, having about 700 inhabitants, exclusive of women and children. The Governor is a son of the Rachawong', and grandson of the Chief of Nan ; at the time of our visit he was away with the troops at Luang Phrabaing. We were ' lodged for the night in a very good "salft." Our path next day crossed the Nam Sa gfeveral times, and led through dense jungle Ro«ii up steep paths, through dry beds of mountain streams, and tall grass. In the afternoon ihroiijii the we reached a small " sala " where we camped for the night. jongic. On the following day we crossed several strcam.s, and the route was generally Bounrf.ir? diversified by hills and valleys. In the afternoon we passed the boundary between Nan ^}'»Mn and Phre, marked by a post about 8 feet high. Phi"e'" Another hour's journey from this brought us to a small clearing near the Huai Kami, where we pitched onr teat for the night. During the day we had met two sets of elephants belonging to Shans, who were gt^g from Phre to NAn to buy rice, which was ' • scarce in Phre. j The whole of our course next day lay near the Huai Kami, which we crossed some lluai K«mi. fifty times. About notm we reached a large village inhabited by men in the employ of a Shan vrho works the forest near the Huai Kami After leaving this stream, having followed its course for about two days, we came to a larger one called the Me Lai. On the 1st January we started from the bank of the Mii Lai and walked to the left Arri»il tt bank of the Me Yom in about three hours, having stopped for a short time on our way at I'^'re• Ban Thong Kong. On arriving at the town of Phre we took up our quarters in the Sanam, or Court-house. The Phjas hch? do not meet in the'Sanam every day as at Nan, but any i>erson who Sinftm ai wishes to have a case tried must first visit the different Chaos at their hotises, aud then ^*"^ there may be • consultation at the house of the Governor or Uparat Ma*a^ Ptre has not as neat and prosperous an appearance as Muang Niin, and ™' ^^^ ■eems rather poTerty-atricken. The pr^ence of an Opium and Gambling Farm may be Jf^^^. m the (tartial cause of this. Anotlioi' reiiHon \iM'nK>r liavin;;' ilicd noni' rn lu'l' 1 1\ Iho I'liarfit wn-^ (Ijc chief ninii ill the town, and would proltubly lie nimle fiovcrnor Wr. ting of One day during our stay wo enisscil tlic river and im I in see llie working of teak '•••'''• in n forest leased to a Cliiiiainan. Men from the nciLcliliimrlinnil nf Ijuan;:; I'linihang, c.i'K'd Kamooks, who will undergo '^rvM hnrdshiiis for small pav, are generally employed to work the forests, under the siip'Tiutendcnce of Slians or IiuriMC.-.c. Dop«rt>iro AVc lett I'hri.' on the 9th January with elepiiants lent us by the I'parat and another from Phic Chao. Ukcoity. On (he following day wc met some natives with an elephant which had been stolen by dacoits and recaptured. We were told that thieves were numerous in the neighbour- hood of Ban Dan, where v e encamped on the third day. Uunrodit. We reached Utaradit on the 12tli January, and paid a visit to the Oovernor. He '^l'''^- informed us that the Governor of Lapli', one of the sub-provinces of F'liichai, was living close to, instead of in his own province, wliicli, owing to lax government^ was full of !| thieve.'^. We afterwards paid him a visit and found him to be an opium-smoker. We lelt Utaradit tlie day after our arrival, in a " rua jict." ■i Kl.lons On arriving at the mouth of the Kbloni;- Pining wc walked up the creek for Homo jj I'liriiif;. d -ti'.nee, and founil it almost entirely eaiity. We were told that in the high-water •3 -0,,-, n a four-cheo boat could get through to the other end, which is on the Mii Yom, • three nights below Sukhothai, in two hoiiis. Hsur rii. i. On the fifth day we stppped for the night at Bang Phai, a small fishing village at reiciiibu^i. iin' mouth of a creek of the same name. This creek leads to Petchabun, but it is very t A eii euitous ; the distance between the two places can be walked in four hours. ' 'jl Kiiiong About two hours and a-halfs journey from here is th% Khlong Kinak, which leads jj Kinik. tp Muang Phum. The distance can be traversed in two hours by boat, but there was no ''• water at the time. Wc arrived in Bangkok on the 2-3rd January, 1887. ■ 5 :.- i. )•• ••I Appended is an itinerary of the parts of our journey not included in that annexed to Mr. Archer's lleport, namely, from Phichai to Nan, and from Njin to Phre. Itinkrauy. Phichai to Tha-liiet by H-cheo "rua pet," at about SJ miles per hour: — Hours. To Bm) Tao-hai . . . . . . . . • • • • • • ■ • 'i Hut Sang Kwc .. .. .- .. •• .. -i Km Mill . . . . . . . . ■ • . • • ■ • ■ ^» 11,-m Ta-iow . . . . . . . . ■ ■ • . • • • • H Thu-It .. ■• •■ •• •• -1* Il.in Nirin N^an .. .. .. «• ■• .. •• ^5 Baa 1 'an . . . . * . • . • - • ■ - •• • • ^ ^IunIl^,' FmiK • • •• ■• •• •• •• ^, Il.in lopao (I'A Thu.).. ... .. ... .. .. .. 24 Thi-lllct .. .. .. ■• ■• •• •• •■ 2f Tha-liiet trt X:i i in " rua salas," polinj; an 1 paddlin,' at an aveiM;e rate of 2 miles . . per liour: — .. it ' Hour*. ii To l'..V i;i.l.Mi^- N;iM I'b.it.. T. -iM Palt K:,|.M>:C!ilnn .. .. .. •• •• •■ •• ' t. • I'akliiiM.M.' ).i 6* . ;1 1 l,a-!ik ^t I'l.k Kl.loi.s! M.-I'i .. •■ •• •• •• ■• •• '- KiMip Kio . . . . " i .. K..m I ,. KoNok l\ „ M.k 8» Hu..l Mcl'..t.' ,"\ Kciis Lunn(t .. .. •• ■• ■• •• " ii UiM Sin .. .. •• •• *• ■■ •• •• ", I'ak Nan. Wah •• •• •• •• ■• " 'j Mua^««' lli Mu&Dg Nin . . • • • ■ " ■ ■ " ' THA ^AO TO MUANG NAN. ZSMUni