ASIA DS 527 .6 .033 1879a ^for TpribHlt RY 4853 John M. Echols Collectior on Southeast Asia CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 3 1924 075 148 001 Cornell University Library 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/cu31924075148001 $ot Iflri&atr Cirrulalion. THOUSAND MILES UP THE IRRAWADDY; BURMAH PROPER. BY AN OFFICER. LONDON : Printed by the Army and Navy Co-operative Society, Limited, 117, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W. 1879. A THOUSAND MILES UP THE IRRAWADDY. About the beginning of August, 187s, Col. Gloag, R.A., and I formed the resolution of travelling together to Bamo in Upper Burmah. Being as it is nearly a thousand miles by river from Rangoon, and the farthest point reached by steam navigation, we considered that by going there we should see more of Burmah than we could in any other journey occupying the same time. We then applied for sixty days' privilege leave, and having obtained it, took our passage to Bamo. As we intended to go by rail as far as Prome to save time, we took return tickets from Prome to Bamo and back. My ticket for self and one servant came to about ^10. This of course includes neither food nor wine, the charge for food being four rupees a day. Wine, beer, &c, can be had on payment, and the charges are moderate. Our steamer, the " Irrawaddy,'' left Rangoon on the 15th August, but we ourselves, profiting by the quicker means of transit, did not leave till the morning of the 18th inst. The train goes at a very deliberate pace through a most uninterest- ing country — perfectly flat — its monotonous plains of paddy fields only relieved by still more monotonous patches of jungle. Being two hours late, we did not reach Prome till 9 p.m., having taken fifteen hours to travel 163 miles. As the A Thousand Miles up the Irrawaddy. steamer was not to arrive till the next day, we adjourned for the night to the Circuit-house. August igth. Taking advantage of the cool air of the morning, I got up and had a look about me. The Circuit- house is close to the river, which is here about 1200 yards broad. On the opposite side are some picturesque hills •covered with jungle, and custard-apple gardens : the latter looking not unlike vineyards. Winding amongst these hills is seen the road which crosses the mountains to Tongoop on the Aracan coast. I then walked up to the pagoda, which stands on a small hill overlooking the town. From there I got a beautiful view of the river, and saw also in the distance the ruins of a very old pagoda — date about a.d. 445 : this was •one of four pagodas, one of which was situated at each corner of the old town of Prome — the oldest town in Burmah — the remains of which are to be seen about three miles from the present town of'Prome. The modern pagoda to which we went is small, but is re- markable for the number of large bells in the court-yard. About midday our steamer appeared in sight, and we em- barked at 3 p.m. After leaving Prome the river is somewhat contracted in width, and runs between low hills, which are •beautifully wooded and occasionally crowned by pagodas. We found two ladies on board the steamer who were going up to join their husbands at Mandalay. They were waited upon by two young native girls, one of them being a Kukyen who had been bought by her mistress in Upper Burmah. She was de- scribed as being a perfect starveling when bought, but was now very fat and happy-looking. She was rather fairer than the majority of Burmese, women. The ladies gave us a good deal -of information about Mandalay. By their accounts it must be a wretched place to live in ; no getting about, and no news. We anchored for the night a few miles below Thyetmyo. Our steamer, with a flat on each side of her, could only go against the stream at the rate of about six miles an hour : with- out flats she would be able to go twelve miles in the same time. These steamers are all built on the model of the American river steamers. The accommodation for passengers is forward, and on the upper deck, so as to avoid the smell of the A Thousand Miles up tlie Irrawaddy. machinery and catch all the air. They draw about five feet ■of water when loaded. August ioth. As we approached Thyetmyo the hills on the west bank became higher. The station is picturesquely situated in a basin surrounded, or nearly so, by low hills. The river, which was now full, i.e., about thirty-five feet higher than in the hot weather, expands to a breadth of one and a half miles. At Thyetmyo we heard that Mr. St. Barbe, the Presi- dent at Bamo, had arrived there with Mr. Cooper's murderer, and was to be detained to act as prosecutor at his trial. We were rather afraid that he would not be able to get to Mandalay in time for the Bamo steamer, and that we should have to get on at Bamo as best we could by ourselves. That he was not delayed, however, will appear farther on. We only remained at Thyetmyo for two hours, and it was so hot that I did not go on shore. Meaday, a place which was •once occupied by British troops, and where the old barracks may still be seen, is about nine miles above Thyetmyo, and five or six miles farther on are the boundary pillars of British Burmah. Just above Meaday is an old Burmese fort which was taken by the English in 1824. August 2 1st. Some distance beyond the frontier are two or three large islands, the first of which is called Loongyee. All along the west bank of the river are wooded hills, a spur of the Aracan range. These gradually trend away from the river to the west. On the east bank of the river is a village, called Sinnwam-bwe, which bears a very bad character for dacoitee. Last time the steamer passed this village, three men were seen crucified on the banks of the river. Above Thyetmyo the jungle gets more open, and the country looks much drier than it does farther south. They say that partridges, hare, and quail are very numerous in these parts. After passing the islands the village of Maloon is seen on the west bank. It is .situated at the foot of a hill, at the top of which are five or six pagodas of different shape to those of British Burmah. There was formerly a stockade here, which was taken by the English in 1826. About 4 p.m. we anchored at Meula, where there is a Woon, -or chief magistrate. It is also a telegraph station on the road A Thousand Miles up the Irrawaddy. to Mandalay ; and we heard that a telegram was sent from here to the king, to the effect that a Colonel and a Captain were oh their way to Mandalay, but that their mission was unknown. On the opposite side of the river, on some high uplands, is a fort on modern principles, designed by an Italian in the service of the king. ; August 22nd. Early in the morning we arrived at Magive,. a town containing, I should think, about 5000 inhabitants. It is high and prettily situated, and its gilt pagoda, called Mya Thalwon, or the Golden Couch, occupies a conspicuous position on the cliff. Here the river becomes very broad, with numerous sandbanks. To the west is a level plain, across which are seen, at a distance of forty or fifty miles, the Aracan Mountains, some of which are here more than four thousand feet high. On the east bank are uplands, .sprinkled with scrub jungle, and in many places cultivated and divided into fields. These uplands terminate at the" river-side in sandy cliffs, deeply in- dented by water-worn channels. In some of the clififs above Magive, at a height of twenty or thirty feet, are holes looking like large rabbit burrows, without any visible means of com- munication either with the top or bottom of the cliff. I was told that these were the habitations of hermits. If this is the case, it bears a strong resemblance to the habits of the hermits of the middle ages. Large quantities of shells and corals are found on the surface of the high ground above the cliffs, shewing that at a comparatively recent period this country was covered by the sea. Some distance above Magive is the picturesque village of Ye'-nang-young, or Stinking Water Creek. It is the depot for the produce of the petroleum wells, which are some distance inland, and hence the name. The village is situated in one of the green valleys which here and there divide the line of cliffs. A small hill behind is covered with pagodas and kyoungs, rising one above another, and the strand is shaded by fine trees. Above Ye'-nang-young the sandstone cliffs fade away and reappear on the opposite side of the river. The double-topped mountain of Paopa comes into view to the east It stands so completely isolated that it would appear to be of A Thousand Miles up the Irrawaidy. volcanic origin. Yule says that it is an object of superstitious 'dread to the Burmese, who refuse to ascend it It is said to be very rich in iron and other minerals. The country on either side of the river becomes more and more barren and dried up, and the climate here evidently much more resembles that of Northern India than the damp climate of the coast of Burmah. We had no rain, and for the most part a cloudless sky, since we passed the frontier, and to-day the thermometer registered 94 in the shade at 4 p.m. The river now expanded in breadth very much, with low, flat islands. In the distance we saw one of the Burmese war boats. They carry forty rowers, with one man in the stern. The steamer anchored for the night at a point opposite the town of Semphyoogoon. We went on shore for a few minutes, but the ground was so muddy that we had very soon to return. On our way back to the steamer we passed through a temporary bazaar where dried chickens, .snakes, and lizards were being offered for sale. August 23rd. About 8 a.m. we passed the town of Tsilemyo. The greensward stretching down to the river, thickly shaded by fine trees, gave the place a most inviting appearance, and we greatly regretted not being able to land. There are a great number of pagodas here, some of them in good repair, but the majority in a dilapidated condition. It is said that in almost every house in the village lacquered ware is exposed for sale. Above Tsilemyo the Jau river flows into the Irrawaddy from the west, and from this point a range of sandstone hills border the river for some distance. They look extremely barren and destitute of water, and the villages are small, and few and far between. On one of these hills we saw two pheasants, but I do not know to what kind they belong. About 2 p.m. the many pagodas of Pagan came into sight, and an hour afterwards we were close alongside, and had a good view of them with our glasses. They are so numerous that it gives one the idea of an immense burying-ground filled with monuments erected to departed heroes. We recognised two of the pagodas so much admired by Yule, and certainly they are much superior in their style of architecture to the pagodas of the present day. These fine pagodas are almost all allowed to fall into decay, as the Burmese consider it much more 8 A Thousand Miles up tJie Irrawaddy. meritorious to build a new pagoda than to repair an old one. Pagan was founded about a.d. 850, and was abandoned by the Burmese in the Chinese invasion of 1284. The Burmese made their last stand here in 1826 against Sir Archibald Campbell's army. We found the small pumpkin pagoda of which there is a sketch in Yule in good order, but it is hardly so elegant as it appears in the drawing. Just above Pagan is Nyoung-60 where the lacquered ware of Burmah is chiefly manufactured. Here also there are numerous pagodas, one of them with a curious spire, shaped something like a hock bottle. In the cliff near Nyoung-00 are several hermits' caves; a ladder up to one of them gave evident signs of habitation. August 24th. About 8 a.m. we stopped at the village of Koonyuwa to discharge cargo. The people here were the poorest and the most barbarous-looking we had yet seen. The women and children came down to the river close to the steamer to bathe, and did not appear to be troubled by much regard for modesty. Above Koonyuwa the river expands to an immense breadth, being — including the sandbanks, which were now mostly covered with water — ten miles from bank to bank. One channel of the river Kym-dwen joins the Irra- waddy at this point. For the remainder of the day the river presented little of interest, but we saw a number of ducks and a flock of black curlews. The steamer was anchored for the night off Yandaboo, where the treaty was signed in 1826, and where there is a Catholic Mission Station. August 2jtA. Saw a large number of duck. The mountain of Paopa, which we first sighted on the 22nd, was still visible in the early part of the day. As we approached Ava the river gradually contracted in breadth, and the range of limestone hills near Sagain came into view. A conspicuous object on the west bank of the river is the Khoung-moo^ian Pagoda, built, as the legend goes, in imitation of a woman's breast. About 5 p.m. we were opposite the old capital of Ava, and here the view was very beautiful. On our left were the rugged hills of Sagain, dotted with picturesque monasteries and pagodas, while from their feet little valleys thickly shaded by groves of fruit-bearing trees ran down to A Thousand Miles up the Irrawaddy. the river's edge. To our right, across a noble sheet of water, lay the park-like plain of Ava ; and beyond rose range upon range of wooded mountains, all rose-coloured and purple in the glow of the setting sun. In front of us the river stretched its lake-like expanse to where the hill of Mandalay, bounding the distant horizon, marked our resting-place for the night. We had laughed at Yule's enthusiasm about the view from the Sagain hill; but as we looked at this scene in all the changing hues of the sunset we were forced to admit that his description was not far short of the reality. Passing Ava, we came to Amarapoora, which was. the capital in the days of which Yule writes. This frequent changing of the site of the capital, so contrary to all our European ideas, seems to be a relic of the wandering habits of the Mongolian ancestors of the Burmese. Ava, Amarapoora, and Tsagain have all been in their turn the seat of monarchy prior to its being established in i860 at Mandalay. The old wall of Ava still exists and has just been thoroughly repaired. The situation is much more favourable than that of the modern capital. At different bends of the river three forts, in which the arrangements for mutual support shew considerable skill, have been constructed by the king ; but there are at present no guns in them. Some five or six miles north of Amarapoora is Mandalay, which we reached as darkness set in. August 26th. In the morning Mr. Shaw, the English Resi- dent, to whom we had letters of introduction, sent two ponies down to the steamer for us, and bidding a temporary adieu to the hospitable Captain of our vessel, we set out for the Residency, which is about two and a half miles from the river. Our way lay through the suburbs of the city, which are chiefly inhabited by Munnipooris led captive from their native land by the Burmese. The road was exceedingly bad. There was no attempt at metalling, and our ponies were generally either cautiously skirting huge ruts, picking their way through foetid mud, or crossing watercourses of uncertain depth. The houses were for the most part poor and mean-looking, but we passed several fine khoongee-kyoungs, in some of which the wood carving was very beautiful. Swarms of most repulsive pigs prowled about in all ritrpr tinns. a.nd the filthy curs are a A Thousand Milts up the Irrawaddy. terror to every respectably dressed passer-by. At last we came to the Residency, which is on the bank of an almost dry canal,. and which is surrounded by a screen of bamboo mat-work some ten feet high, which effectually conceals the enclosure from the outer world. Within this enclosure is the Resident's- house — a rambling wooden edifice, — the house of the Assistant Resident, the Court for the trial of cases arising between Burmese and. British subjects, the Post Office, &c., &c The site is a very bad one, and the tout ensemble of the buildings by no means impressive. We were most kindly received by Mr. Shaw, who invited us to stay with him whilst we remained in Mandalay. At dinner the same evening we met the re- mainder of the English official community, consisting of the Assistant Resident, the Chaplain, and the Doctor. August 27th. In the morning we started, a party of four, to go to the top of Mandalay hill. Shortly after leaving the Residency we 'came to the City, through which our road lay. It is built like the old walled cities of Burmah, and the modern ones of China, in the form of a square, the sides being about a mile long. It is enclosed by an earthen parapet, which is faced on the outer side by a brick wall 26 feet high, crenelated at the top, and flanked by rectangular brick towers projecting from the wall at distances of 200 feet Twenty yards from the foot of the wall a deep moat, 100 feet in breadth, runs round the city. There are three gates on each side, and above the gateways, standing as it were on the top of the wall, are porches with ornamental carved roofs as in the sacred buildings of Burmah, which have a very quaint and picturesque effect. The moat is crossed by wooden bridges, and when we passed was gay with the bright flowers of the lotus plant, which completely covers it in many places. The streets, though straight and broad, are very bad, and the houses are mostly poor structures of wood and bamboo. A large quarter of the- city had been recently burnt down, and the inhabitants were living in roughly extemporised huts, which were, some of them, absurdly small. We were struck by the enormous proportion which the priests seem to bear to the rest of the population. Almost every third person we met was attired in the yellow robes of a phoongee, some of them having the most villainous- A Thousand Miles up the Irtawaddy. n ■countenances I ever saw. On our way we passed the palace enclosure, which lies in the centre of the city. A high wooden stockade prevented our seeing anything of the interior. Leaving the city by one of the northern .gates, we again crossed the moat, which in this part is full of war boats and racing boats. In the distance we saw the royal barge with its high gilded roof. Shortly afterwards we came to the foot of the hill where we left our ponies. A flight of rude steps leads up the hill, and the. ascent was somewhat fatiguing, but we were well rewarded by the view from the top. The city lay spread like a map beneath us, and we could see all the streets, and the various buildings in the palace enclosure, while beyond the level plain in which it stands rose the rugged outlines of the Shan mountains. We had also a capital view of the river, both to the north and south of us. Perhaps what struck us most was the insignificant appearance of the city thus seen from above, and the badness of the site. The plain all round is flat and marshy, and it has not even the advantage of close proximity to the river. There is an excellent site for a town near Mendoon, on the other side of the river. The hill on which we stood perfectly commands Mandalay, and a very few guns placed there would render it untenable. In the evening we went to see the church, schools, &c, built for the S.P.G. Mission by the king. They are all built of teak, and are full of the most beautiful wood carving, which discloses itself in the most unexpected places. August 28th. There was a scare in the city to-day, caused by a rumour that the king was dead. The vendors of merchandise hastily carried off their goods, and the city gates were shut. An hour or two afterwards the rumour was contradicted, and confidence partially restored, but it seems to show the unsettled state of the capital, and the anarchy that may so easily ensue at any moment In the evening we dined with Dr. Williams, a gentleman who has been connected with Upper Burmah for many years, and who understands the Burmese most thoroughly. He had a Burmese band to play to us after dinner, consisting of a harp, harmonicon, and flute. They were joined afterwards by a young girl who sang and