MR COLQUHOUN’S ARRIVAL—PRINCE DEVAN—CHARACTER OF THE KING—VISIT TO
PRINCE DEVAN—MEMORANDUM ON THE RAILWAYS—GRANT REQUIRED FOR FURTHER
EXPLORATION—INTERVIEW WITH THE KING—TERMS REQUIRED BY
SYNDICATES—SIAM‘S CREDIT—THE CONNECTION WITH BURMAH—EXCURSION INTO
EASTERN SIAM—NAI SIN—AN OFFICIAL OF 2500 MARKS—POO BAH—GOLDEN
OPPORTUNITIES—TRUMPERY FORTIFICATIONS—AFTER THE STORM—THE BANG PA
KONG RIVER—LEGEND OF THE KOW DIN—AN INFATUATED MONK—CHINESE IN
SIAM—ESTIMATE OF POPULATION—CHINESE IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR
DESCENDANTS—MARKING THE PEOPLE—UNSCRUPULOUS GOVERNMENT MASTERS—THEIR
LITTLE GAMES—A VAST PLAIN—LITTLE CULTIVATION—LOVELY SCENERY—TRAMWAY
TO THE GOLD-MINES—RETURN TO BANGKOK—DR M‘GILVARY’S OPINION UPON THE
PROJECTED RAILWAYS—ONE OF THE GRAND WORKS OF THE CENTURY.
When Mr Colquhoun arrived, Mr Satow arranged an interview for us with
Prince Devawongse. This prince, who is colloquially termed Prince Devan,
like most Siamese is small in stature. His appearance was boyish, and
although perhaps thirty years of age, he did not look more than twenty.
He was then acting as private secretary to the king, filled the post of
Chancellor of the Exchequer, and had the character of being a person of
great tact, discretion, and ability. His post as confidential adviser to
the king must have been a difficult one, because his Majesty, although
well-meaning and even well-doing by spurts, is said to be infirm of
purpose and irresolute, indulging in half-measures, and becoming wearied
and languid before he has fully carried out a reform. There is therefore
no continuity in his actions, and he becomes exasperated at constantly
recurring abuses being thrust upon his attention. One cannot expect much
continuous energy or backbone in a potentate who is credited with a
harem containing about eight hundred wives and concubines.
Prince Devan, who is believed to be in earnest in wishing to reform the
administration of the country and to ameliorate the condition of the
people, received us courteously, and after shaking hands, offered us
cigars and ordered tea to be served. We entered into the purpose of our
visit, explained the advisability of opening up Siam by railways, and of
connecting it with our seaport of Maulmain, and pointed out on a map the
direction of the projected lines. He listened with great attention,
discussed the matter intelligently, and remarked that his Majesty the
king was fully awake to the importance of developing the resources of
the country by means of railways. The king, he said, had always been
well-disposed towards England, and would look favourably upon the
project for connecting his dominions with Burmah. He would arrange an
interview for us with the king, and would be obliged if we would send
him a memorandum on the subject of the projected railways to lay before
his Majesty before we were presented.
In the memorandum drawn out by us and forwarded to the prince we
proposed[29]—
(1) A main line from Bangkok to Kiang Hsen.
(2) A branch line to Luang Prabang.
(3) A branch line to Korat.
(4) A branch line to connect the main line with Maulmain.
We pointed out the commercial, strategic, and administrative advantages
of our projected system, and entered into the methods of construction,
explaining that the railways might be executed by one of the following
three methods:—
(_a_) By the State out of Government funds.
(_b_) By granting concessions (land, &c.) and a small guarantee.
(_c_) By granting a considerable guarantee, pure and simple.
We stated that should the king sanction the introduction of railways, it
would be for his Majesty to decide on which system they should be
constructed. If by either the second or third, we believed a private
company could be formed in London to undertake the enterprise on
moderate terms.
We then entered into the advisability of further explorations and
surveys being carried out, and said if his Majesty thought fit to grant
£3500 towards the Exploration Fund for their execution, Mr Colquhoun or
I would be willing to carry them out without drawing pay from the fund,
as our services had been volunteered and given gratuitously to the work.
Copies of this memorandum were submitted through Mr Satow to the Foreign
Office and the Government of India.
We found the king an intelligent-looking young man, about thirty years
of age, erect and well built, with a handsome face for a Siamese, a
slight moustache, and his hair cut and arranged, with its parting in the
middle, in European fashion. Although understanding English, the king
spoke in Siamese, Prince Devan acting as interpreter. Annoyed, perhaps,
at Mr Colquhoun’s plain-speaking letters to the ‘Times,’ his Majesty
addressed his remarks chiefly to me. After entering very fully into our
projects, and following the lines pointed out on the map, he said that
the matter required careful consideration, and he must consult with his
Ministers before determining upon his action.
Shortly after the interview Prince Devan assured us that the king had
expressed himself strongly in favour of the railways, and would probably
give his decision in a few days, on his return from his country
residence, which he was about to visit. He likewise said his Majesty
wished us to inquire in London and Calcutta what terms would be likely
to be required by English syndicates who might be willing to undertake
the projected railways, so as to enable him to judge whether or not it
would be expedient to grant the required concessions. Mr Colquhoun
replied that he was obliged to return at once to China, but I would
remain in Bangkok to await the decision, and if his Majesty desired it,
would be willing to negotiate the matter with secrecy and without delay.
Next day Mr Colquhoun left with Mr Scott, after giving me the names of
people from whom I might gain the required information, and I removed
from the hotel to Mr Satow’s house. Having procured the intelligence by
wire, I had another interview with the prince, and told him that the
lowest terms mentioned had been a seven per cent guarantee, with free
land for construction purposes, but that perhaps a smaller guarantee
would be required if the king granted leave for the timber necessary for
the undertaking to be extracted free of duty from the forests. He
considered, or pretended to consider, the terms very high, and said that
the Siamese Government could borrow money at an interest considerably
less than the guarantee, and construct the railway itself, which he
considered would be preferable, as the railways would then be theirs. I
said I was not aware that Siamese credit stood higher than that of
China, and that China had to pay about seven per cent for her recent
loans.[30] He could, however, easily settle the question by telegraphing
to their consul-general in London.
He then asked me whether I knew for certain that the Indian Government
would be willing to carry out its part of the Burmo-Siamese connection,
as it would be useless for the Siamese to construct their branch to the
frontier if the Indian Government did not intend to meet and join the
Siamese line. I replied that there could be no reasonable doubt on the
subject. The Chambers of Commerce, who represent our manufacturing and
mercantile communities, had for the last quarter of a century been
constantly urging our Government to connect Burmah with China, and our
projected connection _viâ_ Northern Siam was the only feasible one that
could be made. The cost of the branch to the Indian Government would be
but small, the benefits to be derived from it would be immense; it was
therefore most improbable that a great commercial nation like England
would let slip such an opportunity for increasing its trade. He might
entirely remove that doubt from his mind; for if the Indian Government
were to hesitate in the matter, our commercial classes, who formed the
voting power of our nation, would insist upon its being carried out.
After remaining for some time in Bangkok visiting the sights of the
place, which have been fully described by Carl Bock in his ‘Temples and
Elephants,’ and by other travellers, I made an excursion with Mr Satow
into Eastern Siam in a steamer belonging to Nai Sin. Nai Sin, in his
stockings—all Siamese nobles wear stockings, and are as proud of them
and as fastidious in their choice as our fashionable ladies are of their
bonnets—stood a miniature swarthy Bacchus, some 5 feet 3 inches in
height, and considerably more in circumference. Like Poo Bah in the
“Mikado,” he held many dignified posts, was Deputy Lord Mayor, Town
Magistrate, Commissioner of Rice Exports, and general go-between to the
palace and to all distinguished foreigners visiting the capital. He bore
the official title of Phya Thep Phaloo. His rank was denoted by 2500
marks, and he was proud of being a Siamo-Chinese and a near relation of
George Washington, the late Chow Hona, or second King of Siam. When
granted an audience with the king or with Prince Devan, Phya Thep Phaloo
fetched you in his carriage, ushered you through the burlesquely clad
guards, and acted as master of the ceremonies as far as the steps of the
presence-chamber, and conducted you safely home again.
Surely one would imagine, until acquainted with the manners and
customs of the place, that such a distinguished, trusted, and useful
factotum would receive a salary for such multifarious duties a little
above that of his theatrical representative, or at the very least
above that of a parish beadle at home; but such was not the case. The
Deputy Lord Mayor, Magistrate of the capital of Siam, High
Chamberlain, Gold-Stick-in-Waiting, rejoiced in a pittance of 200
Siamese ticals a year, the equivalent of £20 in English money. Such
pay for such appointments, of course, implied nearly unlimited
patronage, pickings, and such “insults” as Poo Bah and Siamese
officials cheerily pocket. I do not assert that Nai Sin profited by
his many golden opportunities, but if he did not, and general rumour
is to be believed, he forms nearly the single official exception in
the realm of Siam.
Anyhow, Nai Sin looked the picture of a thriving and prosperous man,
owned rice-mills and fields, houses and a steamer, wives, concubines,
cattle and slaves, beamed with good-nature—or a very good semblance to
it—was a capital companion, and gave me one of the pleasantest holidays
I ever enjoyed in my life. By 5 A.M. we were on board the steamer, with
our bedding, servants, and baggage, and in a few minutes were steaming
slowly down the river in a thick mist which hid the beautiful orchards
that skirt the river and delude the stranger as to the real size of the
suburbs.
Two hours later we were passing Paknam and the pretty pagoda-decked
islands in the river, and smiling at the trumpery fortifications that
had been erected, under the supposition that they would tend to frighten
a hostile fleet from endeavouring to enter the river. It is needless to
say that one or two of our modern gunboats could not only silence these
batteries in a few moments, but demolish the ludicrously armed and
manned tin-pot vessels that his Majesty pleases to term his fleet.
Leaving the river, we quickly crossed the bar, and soon felt the
unpleasant effects of a heavy swell, arising from a strong gale that had
been blowing a few hours before. Passing junks partially dismasted,
endeavouring to make headway with the remnant of their mat-sails which
had been blown to tatters, and winding through fishing and mussel stakes
driven into the bed of the sea, we were glad to enter the mouth of the
Bang Pa Kong river and steam once more in quiet waters.
Journeying up the river, we passed several small villages, in which the
space between the ground and the floor of the houses, some six or eight
feet, was nearly filled with the shells of mussels, in which small
pearls are frequently found, and reached the Kow Din, or “cut off” of
the river, formed by a wood-cutter making a ditch for drawing his boat
over the neck of a bend. The ditch rapidly widened, thus shortening the
course of the river by several miles.
Nai Sin told me a story concerning this Kow Din. It appears that a few
years ago, when the cut off was yet only 70 feet in breadth, a famous
Buddhist monk arrived at the place. Finding his progress stopped by the
ditch being too deep to wade across, and believing in the power of his
merit, he faced his disconcerted disciples and addressed them thus:
“Stay where you are, and I, by the power of my merit, will become a
bridge for you to pass over. After crossing this stream, you can restore
me to my natural shape by pouring consecrated water upon my head.” He
then plunged into the river, and taking the form of a monstrous
crocodile, stretched across from bank to bank. A mouse was never yet
found to bell the cat. How could the infatuated monk expect such perfect
faith in his disciples as to make them tread across such a horribly
hideous bridge? Human nature had its way: no sooner was the miracle
performed than the disciples, glancing at the huge reptile, as if by
general consent fled homewards.
The Bang Pa Kong river is very serpentine in its course; so we did not
reach Toon Chang, the village where Nai Sin had his mill, until three
o’clock in the afternoon. The village was occupied by Chinese from
Swatow—married to Siamese and Lao wives—and by pigs. The population of
the various villages we passed on the river consisted chiefly of
Cambodians, Cochin-Chinese, Lao, a few Siamese, and Chinamen. Chinamen
in Siam seem to be ubiquitous. Half the population of the Meh Nam delta
is Chinese, and very few of the people are without some trace of Chinese
blood in them. The Chinese are neither serfs nor slaves, and can go as
they will throughout the country. Mr Eaton, the able and painstaking
American Baptist missionary in Bangkok, who attends to the Chinese
section of the Mission, terms them the Americans of the East. They are
the tax-gatherers, and, jointly with the king’s favourites, the
monopolists of the taxes of the country. Nearly all the trade is in
their hands. They are the shopkeepers, shoemakers, bricklayers,
carpenters, tailors, gardeners, and fishermen of Siam; the owners and
agents of some of the steamers; the coolies employed in the mills; they
man the cargo-boats and unload the ships; and are considered by
Europeans the best servants in the country. They are frugal in their
habits, quick to learn, and utilise everything. According to M. Gaston
Rautier, in an article in a recent number of the ‘Revue Française,’ the
most recent estimate of the population of Siam puts it down at about
10,000,000, roughly composed of over 3,000,000 Siamese, 3,000,000
Chinese, 1,000,000 Malays, 1,000,000 Cambodians, 1,300,000 Lao, and
about 400,000 Peguans, Karens, and other tribes. The Chinese, therefore,
form about a third of the population of Siam, and are nearly as numerous
as the Siamese.
Chinese immigrants not European subjects are considered by the Siamese
to be under their jurisdiction, and are subjected to the laws of the
realm. After three years’ residence, and at the close of every three
years from that date, they have to pay a tax of 4¼ ticals, equivalent to
8s. 6d. They are exempted from _corvée_ labour, and all other Government
requisitions, except the ordinary taxes. Their children have the option
of submitting to the triennial tax, or of selecting a Government master
and becoming Siamese. The grandchildren of Chinese immigrants are
classed and registered as Siamese, and are liable to _corvée_ labour as
soon as they measure 2½ sok, or 50 inches, to the shoulder, and are
marked to one or other Government master. The mark is tattooed on the
back of the right or left wrist, and all persons thus marked are liable
to be called out in their master’s department.
The people and the Government are both imposed upon by the unscrupulous
officials. Marked men die. The master avers that the man had not served
for a number of years, and claims arrears of money, equivalent to the
value of the labour he has omitted to do, from his wife and family. As
certificates for times served are not given, no available proof can be
brought to show the dishonesty of the master’s claim. Either the sum
must be paid or a paper of indebtedness must be made out giving the
master the power of selling the family, or as many of them as will cover
the amount of the declared deficit.
Another mode of making money out of the people is as follows: On
receiving an order for the services of a certain number of men, the
master calls many more than are required, and says he has to choose so
many from them. They all naturally want to beg off: those who offer the
smallest bribe have to serve. If instead of men being requisitioned, the
order is for posts, or other materials, oppression comes similarly into
play. Some years ago the king requisitioned ten posts from the minister
of certain provinces, the minister ordered twenty from the governor, who
ordered forty from the Samien, who ordered eighty from the masters of
the _prai-luangs_, who made the _prai-luangs_ cut a hundred and sixty,
on the plea that some of them would be hollow or otherwise imperfect.
Nai Sin’s mill is marked on the charts as the English mill, having been
built and owned for many years by an English firm who employed him as
their manager, until in time he became a partner, and ultimately owner
of the mill. The Blue Mountains, to the south of the entrance of the
river, had now faded into space, and the country had the appearance of a
dead level. To the west the plain extends for more than 100 miles to the
foot of the spurs of the Tenasserim range. To the east it reaches some
250 miles, with hardly a perceptible water-parting, then turning to the
south-east embraces the Tali Sap, or great Lake of Cambodia. To the
north and north-east it stretches 50 miles or more to the foot of the
Dong Phya Phai, or forest of the Fire King, the fever-infested hills to
the south of the Korat plateau. On the south it is bounded by the sea
and by the Blue Mountains, which contain the celebrated sapphire-mines.
As we passed up the river we found the land on both banks cultivated as
gardens, sugar-cane plantations, and rice-fields; and from the many
straggling villages along the course of the rivers and canals, one would
conclude that the country was thickly populated—but this is not the
case. Agriculture ceases a short distance from the banks, and not more
than one-twentieth of this vast and rich plain is under cultivation.
The scenery in Indo-China is indeed exquisitely beautiful: the streams
wind continuously through ever-changing foliage; with here and there a
house, pagoda, or temple peeping out from the trees; children playing on
the banks; people going to and coming from market in their little
dug-outs, the boats of the poor. Here and there a yellow-robed monk,
paddled along by the pupils of his school, on his morning mission to
collect from the religiously disposed the daily food for his monastery.
Men, women, and children, seemingly fearless of the numerous crocodiles
which infest the river, swimming about, laughing, screaming, joking, and
splashing each other. A hop-o’-my-thumb astride of a huge buffalo, until
the brute gets rid of him by rolling in the water. Here a gang of men
and women fishing with baskets or with fling-nets. The whole scene teems
with life, and the people seem gay notwithstanding the life they are
born to. We continued up the river as far as the tramway leading to the
deserted goldmines, near where the telegraph line crosses the stream,
and then returned to Bangkok.
On our arrival I found Dr M‘Gilvary had written to the local newspaper
strongly advocating the construction of the Siamese main line and its
connection with Burmah. He gave his opinion in these words: “Considering
its prospective influence on the civilisation and development of the
whole of South-eastern Asia, and its probable, if not certain, extension
to China, I verily believe it may be classed with the Suez Canal and the
great American Pacific Railway as one of the grand works of the
century.”
I trust that the Governments concerned in the construction of the
Burmah-Siam-China Railway may come to the same conclusion, and that this
great work, so important for the extension of British trade and for the
civilisation of South-eastern Asia, may soon be carried into execution.
APPENDIX.
BURMAH-SIAM-CHINA RAILWAY.
RESOLUTIONS OF CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE.
LONDON.—On November 29, 1885, the following resolution was carried with
acclamation: “That this meeting of the members of the London Chamber of
Commerce and others interested in British trade with the East, having
heard Mr Archibald R. Colquhoun’s address, hereby accords its thanks to
Mr Colquhoun and to Mr Holt S. Hallett for the valuable services
rendered to commerce by them, with exceptional zeal and ability, in
studying and reporting upon the new markets of Indo-China and China, and
the best means of opening them; and further, that the attention of her
Majesty’s Government be directed to the great importance of these
Eastern markets, and of the services of Mr Colquhoun and Mr Hallett.”
MANCHESTER.—At the quarterly meeting of the Chamber, the President
stated that the question of the projected railway from Burmah to Western
China was one of the most important that had come before the Chamber for
some years past. He thought that it might very well come before the
Royal Commission on Trade Depression, who should insist, as far as they
could, that our trade with Burmah and Western China should receive at
all events the attention of the Indian Government. Before leaving this
subject he thought he might make allusion to the services rendered
gratuitously to British commerce by Mr Colquhoun and Mr Holt Hallett,
and to the fact that no recognition of their work had been made by the
Government. It seemed to him that it would not be improper for the
Chamber to call the attention of the Government to the services which
both gentlemen had rendered in the direction of promoting the interests
of English commerce.
LEITH.—On the 9th of December 1885, after careful consideration of the
whole of the published facts about the Burmah-Siam-China Railway, the
following resolution was passed: “The Leith Chamber of Commerce, after
carefully considering the communications received from Mr A. R.
Colquhoun, desires to record its sense of the value of the services
rendered by him and by Mr Holt S. Hallett to commerce in the far East,
and resolves to press upon the attention of the Government the
importance of opening railway communication between Burmah, Siam, and
Southern China in the interests of British commerce.”
TYNEMOUTH.—On the 11th of December 1885, the following resolution was
unanimously adopted: “That this Chamber accord their thanks to Mr A. R.
Colquhoun and Mr Holt Hallett for their valuable services rendered to
British commerce by their zeal and ability in studying and reporting on
the new markets of Indo-China and China, and the best means of opening
them by railway communication; and that her Majesty’s Government be
requested to give substantial recognition for their services.”
SOUTH OF SCOTLAND.—On the 5th January 1886, the Chamber wrote to the
Secretary of State for India representing that, “Having had under their
consideration certain communications relative to the establishment of
railway communication between Burmah and Siam and in Western China, they
are of opinion that such undertakings are of vast importance to the
development of British commerce in those countries, and deserve the
careful attention of her Majesty’s Government. They trust that the
numerous communications made to your lordship upon this subject will
receive early and due consideration, and in this connection I am also
desired to express the sense the Chamber entertain of the value of the
gratuitous services rendered in the cause of British commerce by Mr
Colquhoun and Mr Holt Hallett, and their hope that such services will
not fail to be recognised by her Majesty’s Government.”
LONDON.—At a meeting of the London Chamber of Commerce, held on the 14th
January 1886, a resolution was passed requesting the Government to
recognise the services to the trade of the kingdom by the explorations
of Mr A. R. Colquhoun and Mr Holt S. Hallett in connection with the
railway from Burmah to the south-west frontier of China.
OLDHAM.—At the annual meeting held on the 25th January 1886, it was
resolved: “That in the opinion of this Chamber the opening out of new
markets for British manufactures is of pressing importance at the
present time, and that her Majesty’s Government, in view of recent
events in Upper Burmah, be memorialised in favour of the construction of
a Burmah-Siam-China Railway as proposed by Messrs A. R. Colquhoun and
Holt S. Hallett, or by any route which may be deemed more eligible.”...
“That this Chamber calls the attention of the Government to the services
which Messrs Colquhoun and Hallett have rendered in the direction of
promoting the interests of English commerce.”
MANCHESTER.—At the annual meeting, held on the 1st February 1886, Mr J.
L. Hutton, M.P., the chairman, called attention to the development of
new markets with Western China through Burmah, and asked the Chamber to
support the action of the Board in urging the Government to recognise
officially the services which had been rendered in this respect by Mr
Hallett and Mr Colquhoun.
MANCHESTER.—Extract from Annual Report for 1885: “If ever railway
enterprise in those regions be developed—as suggested by Mr Colquhoun
and Mr Hallett, and as this Chamber earnestly hopes—the traders of
Lancashire at least will owe a deep debt of gratitude to those pioneers
of commerce who have devoted their services voluntarily for the benefit
of the country, for which, however, they have not yet received any
official or honorary recognition.”
LONDON.—Extract from Annual Report for 1885: “Both the commercial
community and British reputation for progress are indebted to Messrs
Colquhoun and Hallett for their unremunerated services to their country
in pursuing these investigations. It is to be hoped that her Majesty’s
Government will duly recognise and reward their services, as an
encouragement to both present and future commercial pioneers.”
ASSOCIATION OF CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE.—At the annual meeting, held on the
23d and 25th February 1886, it was resolved: “That this Association
strongly emphasises the importance of opening railway communication from
the ports of British Burmah, _viâ_ the Shan States and Siam, to the
south-western frontier of China, and requests the Executive Council to
urge, by deputation or otherwise, her Majesty’s Government and the
Government of India to give every possible facility and assistance in
promoting such communication.”
CARDIFF.—On the 18th November 1885, the following resolution was
unanimously passed: “That this Chamber desires to support any
well-considered scheme for the promotion of railways for the connection
of Burmah with Siam and China, and that the secretary is hereby
instructed to place this resolution before the Council of the
Association of Chambers of Commerce.”
HONG KONG, 1886.—To the Secretary of State for the Colonies. Resolved:
“That this Chamber bring to the notice of the Secretary of State for the
Colonies, the importance attaching to the explorations of Messieurs Holt
S. Hallett and A. R. Colquhoun, in Burmah and the Indo-China States, and
express a hope that the Government will support the construction of a
railway as recommended by these gentlemen, with a view to opening up
communication with Western China, which would prove of great commercial
value to both countries.”
MANCHESTER.—The following resolution was unanimously passed on September
30, 1885: “That, in thanking Mr Colquhoun for the important
communications addressed by him to this Chamber, the president be
authorised to express the regret of the directors that Mr Colquhoun was
prevented fulfilling his engagement to address the Chamber on September
16. The directors also desire to express their recognition of the
valuable services rendered to British commerce by the earnest zeal with
which the importance of opening up communication with Western China and
Eastern markets has been advocated by Mr Colquhoun and Mr Holt Hallett.”
GLASGOW.—The president, at the request of the directors, informed her
Majesty’s Secretary of State for India that—“After careful consideration
of a project submitted to the Chamber by Messrs A. R. Colquhoun and Holt
Hallett, after explorations personally conducted by them in Burmah,
Siam, and the Shan States, and for which thanks are eminently due, the
directors of the Chamber have unanimously resolved to represent to her
Majesty’s Government the Chamber’s sense of the general importance of
establishing railway communications in British Burmah and Siam, as a
means of opening up new markets for British commerce in those countries,
and by probable ultimate extension in China likewise; and consequently
also respectfully to urge on her Majesty’s Government to encourage and
assist the promotion of such a system of railways in British Burmah as
may be best fitted to tend to the development of British commerce in the
countries above referred to.”
WORCESTER.—The Worcester Chamber of Commerce has written to the
Secretary of State for India urging upon her Majesty’s Government the
importance of considering the present opportunity for opening up to our
commerce the markets of China and Indo-China, and the construction,
either by guarantee or directly, of a branch line of railway to the
Siamese frontier.
LIVERPOOL.—In reply to the questions put by the Royal Commission on the
Depression of Trade, the East India and China Trade Committee of the
Liverpool Chamber of Commerce has recommended “that the surplus revenue
of British Burmah should be employed in public works and for the benefit
of the country, and not be remitted, as at present, to Calcutta.”
LEEDS.—The following resolution has been unanimously passed and been
forwarded to the Secretary of State for India: “That in the opinion of
this Chamber it is highly desirable that a system of railways should be
carried out as soon as possible connecting India and China, as indicated
by Mr Colquhoun.”
THE BLEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION.—The following was amongst the
recommendations to the Royal Commission on Depression of Trade: “We can
only suggest that your Chamber calls the attention of the Commission to
the opening out of new markets, particularly that of Southern China, as
advocated by Mr Archibald Colquhoun, where we have every reason to think
that a large market exists for piece-goods of all descriptions.”
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE.—Among the answers compiled by the North
Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce to the questions issued by the Royal
Commission on Depression of Trade is the following: Asked their opinion
as to what measures could be adapted to improve the existing condition
of trade, the committee reply: “By freeing the canals from the control
and from the monopoly of railway companies; by developing the resources
of India; by a close commercial alliance with our colonies; by opening
out new markets, particularly that of South-western China, as advocated
by Mr Archibald Colquhoun in his paper lately read before the London
Chamber of Commerce; and by a check, if possible, to the further
depreciation of silver.”
HUDDERSFIELD.—In December 1885, the Huddersfield Chamber of Commerce had
framed a series of answers to the questions sent out by the Depression
of Trade Commission, and in reply to the question as to the remedy for
the depression, the Chamber says it seems most desirable to encourage
the opening of new markets and to afford every legitimate facility for
trade in the markets already opened, and adds that the report recently
made by Mr Archibald Colquhoun in reference to the possibilities of
China and similar nations, deserves most careful attention.
CALCUTTA.—Bengal Chamber of Commerce, on 24th January 1886, again had
under consideration the subject of the trade with Western China. The
Chamber, while not pledging itself to Mr Colquhoun’s or any other
particular route, has urged that something should be done immediately to
open up that trade, and has also expressed its sense of the great
services rendered by Mr Colquhoun and Mr Hallett.
BRISTOL.—January 1886: “That this Chamber is of opinion, and considers
it important, that a system of railway should as soon as possible be
carried out connecting India and China, as advocated by Mr A. R.
Colquhoun.”
HULL.—On 24th February 1886, resolution introduced at the Associated
Chambers’ Annual Meeting: “That, having regard to the great importance
to British commerce of establishing communication with China through
Burmese territory, this Association urge by memorial or deputation to
her Majesty’s Government the necessity of doing all in their power to
secure this advantage.”
DUNDEE.—Abstract of Report by Directors of Dundee Chamber, 31st March
1886. Resolved: “The directors, considering the importance of connecting
Burmah with India and China by means of railways, and seeing that Upper
Burmah has now been annexed, are of opinion that her Majesty’s
Government should encourage the construction of such a system of
railways as may best develop the resources of those countries, and thus
give additional outlets and new markets to British commerce.”
RANGOON.—On 11th June 1886, at a general meeting of the Rangoon Chamber,
attention was drawn to the valuable services rendered by Messrs
Colquhoun and Hallett in directing public attention in Europe to the
capabilities of Burmah and the adjacent countries as markets for English
goods, and in pointing out the best means for extending British trade in
Indo-China.
“The Rangoon Chamber has not as yet sent any formal acknowledgement of
its sense of the importance of the services thus rendered, but now
conveys the thanks of the Chamber for the work done, and expresses the
hope that the Indian Government will see its way to granting to Messrs
Colquhoun and Hallett some fitting recompense for an important public
service thus voluntarily rendered.”
IPSWICH.—In February 1887, resolved: “That the suggestions for the
extension of railway communication in India, and especially Burmah, are
worthy of the strongest support from Chambers of Commerce, as offering a
probability of an extension of trade from and to this country.”
LIVERPOOL.—East India and China trade section. On 23d March 1887,
resolved: “That this committee is of opinion that the extension of
railways in India and Burmah is very desirable in the interests of
commerce, and the committee hopes that the Government of India will
continue to give its best attention to the subject.” Adopted by the
Chamber.
BIRMINGHAM.—On the 26th May 1887, resolved: “That this meeting of the
Birmingham Chamber and the mercantile community of the town considers
that the connection by railway of India and China is of the greatest
possible importance to the extension of British trade, and that Upper
Burmah and the Burmese Shan States having been acquired by England, as
the railway proposed by Messrs Colquhoun and Hallett would run entirely
through British and Siamese territory, the Government should take the
matter into their serious consideration with a view to the construction
of the same without further delay. That this Chamber tenders its best
thanks to Messrs Colquhoun and Hallett for the services they have
rendered to this country in bringing this matter so forcibly before the
attention of the commercial community, and urges the Government to adopt
their suggestions and to make suitable recognition of their services.”
LONDON.—On the 7th of November 1887, it was resolved that: “This meeting
of members of the London Chamber of Commerce and others specially
interested in Eastern trade, having heard Mr Colquhoun’s final report on
the prospects of railway communication between Burmah and South-west
China, and considering that the economic value of Burmah would be
greatly enhanced if approved lines of railway could be established,
resolves, that her Majesty’s Government be approached with a view to
their urging upon the Government of India the great desirability of
conceding a guarantee to any responsible private enterprise which may be
prepared to undertake the construction of the approved lines; and
further, that this meeting desires to express its sense of the high
value of the reports of Mr A. R. Colquhoun and Mr Holt Hallett, which
have placed the project in such a practical shape before the commercial
community.”
MANCHESTER.—The Manchester Geographical Society, on November 8, 1887,
adopted the following resolution: “That the members of the Manchester
Geographical Society tender their best thanks to Mr Colquhoun for his
able address, and for the services rendered by him, and by his friend
and colleague Mr Holt Hallett, in so constantly and forcibly attracting
the attention of the mercantile community to the great importance of
connecting British Burmah with Western China by railway. In the
interests of British commerce this Society would urge her Majesty’s
Government to take this matter into serious consideration, with a view
to the construction, without further delay, of the best and shortest
route of railway.”
LEEDS.—On November 9, 1887, the Leeds Incorporated Chamber of Commerce
passed the following resolution: “That this meeting of the members of
the Leeds Incorporated Chamber of Commerce, and others interested in the
Eastern trade, having heard Mr Colquhoun’s report on the projected
railway connection between Burmah and South-western China, is of opinion
that it is highly desirable, in the interests both of the Burmese and of
British commerce, that the connection should be made, and would
respectfully urge upon her Majesty’s Government the advisability of
conceding a guarantee to responsible private enterprises for securing a
railway connection between those countries.”
GLASGOW.—On November 11, 1887, the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce passed
the following resolution: “That the cordial thanks of the meeting be
given to Mr Colquhoun for the important and instructive address he has
just delivered, accompanied with an expression of the hope that a direct
railway route may soon be opened up from Burmah to the frontiers of
South-western China, and of the opinion that her Majesty’s Government
should be approached with a view to urging upon the Government of India
the great desirability of conceding a guarantee to any responsible
private enterprise which may be prepared to undertake the construction
of approved lines.”
OLDHAM.—On the 14th November 1887, the Oldham Incorporated Chamber of
Commerce passed the following resolution: “That this Chamber again
expresses its belief in the urgent necessity for opening up railway
communication between British Burmah and South-west China.”
DEWSBURY.—On the 20th December 1887, it was resolved, that “The members
of the Dewsbury Chamber of Commerce tender their best thanks to Mr Holt
Hallett for his able address, and for the services rendered by him and
by Mr Colquhoun in so constantly and forcibly attracting the attention
of the mercantile community to the vast importance of connecting the
British Burmese port of Moulmein with Siam, the Shan States, and China
by railway; and that in the interests of British commerce this Chamber
urges her Majesty’s Government to take this matter into serious
consideration, with a view to their carrying out this railway without
further delay.”
HALIFAX.—At the annual meeting of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, held
on January 18, 1888, the following resolution was passed: “That this
meeting desires to place on record the appreciation of the members of
the Chamber at the zeal and energy displayed by Mr A. R. Colquhoun and
Mr Holt Hallett in not only considering but in reporting upon and
surveying trade-routes between Burmah, Siam, and Western China. It would
further urge upon Government the necessity of taking steps to bring into
direct railway communication the vast and important interests existing
in the South-western provinces of China and our Burmah possessions; and
would further draw the attention of the Government to the services which
Messrs Colquhoun and Hallett have rendered to the interests of British
commerce in the East.”
NEWCASTLE AND GATESHEAD.—The annual meeting of the Newcastle and
Gateshead Chamber of Commerce was held yesterday, 27th January 1888, in
the Guildhall, Sir C. M. Palmer, Bart., M.P., President, in the chair.
There was a large attendance. Mr W. S. Daglish moved the following
resolution: “That the best thanks of the members of this Chamber are
due, and are hereby given, to Mr A. R. Colquhoun and Mr Holt S. Hallett
for their able and exhaustive efforts to bring before the commercial
community of this country the value of Burmah, Siam, and South-west
India as new markets, and the best means of opening out the same; and
this Chamber of Commerce would urge on the Government the advisability
of making every effort to promote railway communications with and
through these countries.” Mr T. Omerod seconded the resolution, which
was carried unanimously.
BLACKBURN AND DISTRICT.—At a meeting of the Blackburn and District
Chamber of Commerce on February 8, 1888, the following resolution was
unanimously passed: “That this meeting of the Blackburn and District
Chamber of Commerce begs to express its high appreciation of the pioneer
work of Mr Holt Hallett and Mr Colquhoun with regard to the railway
communication between British Burmah and South-western China, and takes
this opportunity to impress upon her Majesty’s Government the importance
of at once taking measures for the construction of a good practicable
railway to connect those important markets with our Indian possessions.”
ASSOCIATION OF CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE.—Resolution passed at annual
meeting, 21st February 1888: “That this Association requests the
executive council to communicate with the Prime Minister and the
Secretary of State for India, urging upon them—Firstly, To advise the
Government of India to order an immediate survey of the railway routes
to South-west China from Burmah, in order that railway communication may
be opened without unnecessary delay.”
MANCHESTER.—At the ordinary monthly meeting of the Manchester Chamber of
Commerce on April 24, 1889: “With reference to the address recently
delivered by Mr Holt Hallett to a joint meeting of this Chamber, the
United Cotton Spinners’ Association, and the Manchester Geographical
Society, it was arranged that a resolution in favour of more vigorous
prosecution of railway enterprise in India should be submitted to the
quarterly meeting of the Chamber to be held on Monday next.”
LORD SALISBURY ON THE CONNECTION OF BURMAH WITH CHINA BY RAILWAY.—The
following letter from Lord Salisbury has been received by the
secretaries of the Lancashire and Cheshire Conservative Working Men’s
Federation (Mr S. C. Nicholson and Mr F. W. Deacon), in reply to a
resolution passed by the Executive Committee of the Federation after
hearing Mr Holt S. Hallett’s recent address, which resolution supported
Mr Hallett’s views, and urged the Government to encourage by every means
in their power the extension of the railway system in India and Burmah
with a view to opening out South-western China to British trade:—
“HATFIELD HOUSE, HATFIELD, _April 20, 1889_.
“SIRS,—I am desired by the Marquis of Salisbury to acknowledge your
letter of the 13th instant. I am to say in reply that the Government
would be very glad to see Burmah and South-western China united by
railway, and fully believe that if such a measure could be carried
into effect it would have the beneficial consequences which you
indicate, especially to the industries of Lancashire and Cheshire. It
is probable that when the existing Burmese railway is taken up to
Bhamo it will receive a further extension up to the frontier, but no
decision to this effect has yet been taken, as the possibility of such
an undertaking must depend upon the conditions of the regions through
which such a railway would pass. They have in past times been very
disturbed, and the efforts to obtain a partial survey of the country,
which have been made more than once by the Indian Government, have
been frustrated by the uncivilised and turbulent character of the
people.
—I am, your obedient servant, R. T. GUNTON.”
INDEX.
Aborigines, the, 21.
Accadian literature of Chaldea, 52.
Acolytes, rules for the, 303.
Adepts at intrigue, 445.
Adultery, punishment for, 301.
Alabaster, Mr, on slavery in Bangkok, 447.
American Presbyterian Missions in Siam and Zimmé, 93.
Ancestral and demon worship, 82, 151.
Ancestral spirits, consulting, 106.
Aneroid, accident to, 226.
Ang Sa Lome, 324.
Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1874, 116.
‘Annamese Chronicles,’ a source of history, ix.
Archer, Mr, British Consul at Zimmé, on the extent of the trade
converging at Kiang Hai, 209 _et seq._
—his report on Muang Fang, 351.
Assassinating a lover, 118.
Auckland, Lord, Governor-General of India, viii.
Augury of fowl-bones, the, 347.
Ayuthia, former capital of Siam, 412.
Baber’s, Mr Colborne, survey of the Bhamo route, 427.
Ban Bung Kay-ow, 440.
Bangkok, arrangements for boat-journey to, 390.
Bang Pa Kong river, 459.
Ban Hsope Kyem, 72.
Ban Hsope Long, 90.
Ban Hta, 108.
Ban Huay Hee-o, 310.
Ban Huay Ngoo, 368.
Banian-tree, a large, 362.
Ban Kau, 395.
Ban Mai, 225, 310.
Ban Meh Chai, 224.
Ban Meh Chan, 184.
Ban Meh Chun, 403.
Ban Meh Hang, visit to, 357.
Ban Meh Kap village, 331.
Ban Meh Kaun, 335, 337.
Ban Meh Kee, 184.
Ban Meh Kih, 345, 360.
Ban Meh Lim, 334.
Ban Meh Meh, 332.
Ban Meh Mon, 345.
Ban Meh Pik, 402.
Ban Meh Sai, rice-plain of, 247.
Ban Meh Set, 370.
Ban Meh Soi, 73.
Ban Meh Soon, 345.
Ban Meh Ta, 288.
Ban Meut Kha, 394.
Ban Nang En, 392.
Ban Nong Long, 74.
Ban Nyang village, 392.
Ban Pa Sak, 136, 187.
Ban Pah Yang Neur, 403.
Ban Pang Kai, 307.
Ban Perng, 369.
Ban Poo-ken, 220.
Ban Soop Tau, 400.
Ban Ta Doo-a, 402.
Ban Ta Doo-er, 393.
Ban Ta Ngoo, 441.
Ban Ta Pee, 78.
Ban Wung Pone, 439.
Ban Yang Tone village, 218.
Bargaining with an abbot, 300.
Barrier to boat traffic, 399.
Bathing images, 261.
Bau-gyee, 54.
Bau Koke, 54.
Bau plateau, natives of the, 47, 59.
Bau Sa Lee, 48.
Bau Sa-lee-am, 395.
Bed-bugs, abundance of, 278.
Bed without dinner, 362.
Begging for meals, 302.
Bentinck, Lord William, orders a mission to the Shan States, viii.
Bernard, Sir Charles, chief commissioner of Burmah, 419
—his opinion on the railway question, 422.
Betel-chewing, 371.
Bible translated into Shan, 312.
Bigits, Prince, expected visit of, 283
—visit to, 373
—conversation with, on the railway project, 381.
Birds and monkeys dying of grief, 173.
Blossoms, spring, 220.
Boat-hire on the Meh Nam, 65, 68.
Boat-journeys from and to Bangkok, 413.
Bock, Carl, on the mineral wealth of Lakon, 281.
Bo Toung hill, 14.
Books, palm-leaf, 301.
Bowring, Sir John, on the population of the Shan States, 383.
Boxing and wrestling, 385.
Boxing with regular gloves, 217.
Bribery and extortion at frontier guard-house, 295.
Brick and tile works, 89.
Bridge disaster, 386.
Bridging the Salween, 14.
Britons, ancient, and Shans compared, 200.
Bronze images of Gaudama, 193.
Brothels in Bangkok, 452.
Bryce, Mr, manager of the Bombay Trading Company, 5, 10, 24, 39 _et
seq._
Buddha, footprints of, 70
—a crowned, 166
—a, forty-five feet high, 228.
Buddhist legend, 254.
Buffaloes, light-coloured, 90.
Bugs in Karen houses, 10.
Bureng Naung, the Burmese Emperor, 49.
Burial customs, 175.
Burmah-China railway, prospects for a, 171.
Burmese Christians, 15.
Burmese Shans, 145.
Burmese Shans, invasion of, 335.
Burning the dead, 49.
Butterflies, abundance of, 181, 251.
Butterfly in man, Burmese psychology of the, 181.
Cabalistic charms, 81.
Camp-dinners and cookery, 128.
Canal irrigation, 127.
Caravan traffic through Zimmé, 104.
Carriage from China, cost of, 170.
Cartographer of the R.G.S. on Mr Holt Hallett’s survey, 293.
Cattle, black, export of, 30
—with nose-bags and masks, 146.
Cattle-breeding among the Khas, 22.
Cattle-disease spreading, 359.
Cattle with nose-bags and masks, 146.
Caverns, flat-arched, 394.
Cham race of Malay stock, x.
Chambers of Commerce on the Burmah-Siam-China Railway, 464 _et seq._
Charms let in the flesh, 138.
Chaum Taung, 226.
Chedi Lee-am, large monastery at, 91.
Cheek, Dr, 98 _et seq._
Chetties, or Native of India bankers, 29.
Chinese chop-sticks, 85.
Chinese fortifications, 142.
Chinese in Siam, 461.
Chinese pack-saddles for mules, 212.
Chinese settlers from Ssuchuan, Kweichau, and Yunnan, 196.
Chow Oo Boon, Princess, lends elephants to exploring party, 313.
Chow Oo-Boon, the spirit-medium and historian of the royal family, 49
—instances of her power, 105.
Christianity a great boon, 325.
Cicadas and their music, 284.
Cities, ancient, 199
—deserted, 223.
Clarke, Sir Andrew, and the Siamese system of railways, 425.
Cliffs a mile high, 397.
Clothing worn by females, 52.
Colquhoun, Mr, author of work on Siam, 48
—expected meeting with, 381
—arrival, 454.
Commissariat arrangements, 5.
Communication cheap, necessity for, 415.
Confessions in Siamese police courts, 449.
Confucius and Buddha, 182.
Consulate, visit to the, at Bangkok, 445.
Copper found in Lakon, 281
—mine of, at Muang Kut, 291.
Courageous lady, a, 60.
Courtship, marriage, and divorce among the Shans, 128.
Creation of man, Buddhist legends of the, 182.
Criminal sentenced to slavery, descendants of, 302.
Crown commoners, 132.
Curiosities, bargaining for, 300.
Cushing, Dr, 1 _et seq._, 31, 127
—has smallpox, 286
—house for, built in two days, 294
—on the present condition of the Shans, 387.
Customs of the Zimmé ladies, 99.
Cutch, preparations of, 370.
Dacoiting boats, 406.
Dagger, bargaining for a, 353.
Daguinseik, a Siamese frontier post, 33.
Dale, a beautiful, 286.
Damming streams for fisheries, 224.
Dana Toung range of hills, 10.
Dances of the Karens, 37.
Dang Whung Chow, 437.
Dead forest, 251.
Decoration of temples and monasteries, 92.
Deer-lick, a, 362.
Deer startled, 344.
Demoniac, a, 112.
Demons, residence for, 141.
Deserted cities of Manola, the, 186.
Devan, Prince, on the proposed railway, 455 _et seq._
Dianas, youthful, in Zimmé, 99.
Dinner served in European style, 125.
Disease, theory of, the Siamese, 273.
Distilling pots, huge iron, 209.
Divorce, payments for, 174.
Doctor, a Siamese, 272
—payment of, by the job, 275
—adds to his income by acting as a priest to the demons, 276.
Dog offered to demons, 3.
Dong Phya Phai, 462.
Drainage of district flowing in three directions, 341.
Dredges, hand, 435.
Drinking habits of the Khas, 22.
Droves of pigs and laden cattle, meet, 45.
Duplicate kings of Siam, 285.
Dutch expelled from Burmah, vii.
Dwarf races of Indo-China, 21.
Dyes, use of, 87.
Eastern Siam, excursion to, 458.
Eclipse seen at Muang Ngow, 254.
Eels, eating white, 187.
Elephants, motion of, 11
—crossing steep hills, 25
—hiring, 33, 40
—cruel drivers of, 45
—without tusks, 177
—elephant-driving, 178
—danger when driver is careless, 179
—as tool-users, _ib._
—man killed by a wild elephant, 214
—buying an elephant, 216
—playing truant, 285
—training, 316
—a vicious one, 326
—attacked by a vicious, 359.
Embroideries, Shan, excellence of, 392.
Embroidery sent to Burmah, 87.
“Emerald Buddh,” the celebrated, 167.
Enhancement of prices, 296.
Entangling demons, 331.
Ethnology of Burmah and Siam, x. _et seq._
European goods at Kiang Tung, 213.
Evil spirits, scaring, 259.
Execution, modes of, 32.
Exorcist, an, 107.
Expectant Buddhas, implements for the use of, 322.
Exploration, proposals for further, 454.
Exploring party, number of the, 127.
Exports from Lakon to Bangkok, 280.
Faith-healing, 183.
Fang Min, 76.
Fever, malarious, Mr Webster on, 279.
Fighting crickets, fish, and cocks, 237.
Filthy dwellings, 277.
Fisheries, river, 224.
Fisherwomen, panic-stricken, 360.
Fishing by women, 87
—for a livelihood, 164
—by moonlight, 176.
Fishing, implements used in, 169.
Flies, bloodthirsty, 179
—a plague of, 311.
Flood of 1877, the great, 3.
Floods, extraordinary, in Siam, 411.
Foot-and-mouth disease, 327.
Footprints of Gaudama, 70, 165.
Foreign competition for trade, 414
—marriages, 131.
Forest-clad plain, 78
—a magnificent, 180.
Foresters, visit to Burmese, 123.
Fortifications of the Shans, 199.
French influence in Siam, 421.
Frenchified monk, 443.
Fresco-paintings of hell punishments, 299.
Frontier dues, 163
—trouble on the, 407.
Fugitives put in chains, 355.
Fumigation and disinfection, 294.
Funeral buildings, royal, 248.
Furniture, Shan, 83.
Gadflies, 208.
Gambling and opium dens, no, in Viang Pow, 366.
Gambling currency, 234.
Gambling games in Siam, 235
—monopoly of, in Siam, 238.
Gambling-house jails, 243.
Game, large, abundance of, 345
—an unsuccessful hunt for, 354.
Garments, homespun, 87.
Garnier’s journey, 426.
Gaudama sacrificed to, as the goddess of mercy, 51
—formerly Indra, 228, 406
—footprints of, 320.
Geological formations, peculiar, 396.
Ghoul spirit, the, 83.
Gibbons, wailing of, 43
—agility of, 208
—the cry of, 307.
Giving, a privilege, 302.
Glutinous rice, 13.
God of medicine, the, 272
—fee to, 275.
Goddess of mercy, the, 51.
Gods, waking the, with water, 264.
Gold and silver carried while travelling, 2.
Gold, indications of, 147
—in the Kiang Tung Lawa country, 175.
Gold-mines, tramway to the, 463.
Goteik defile, 431.
Gould, Mr, British Vice-Consul to the Zimmé Shan States, 283, 314 _et
seq._
Government masters, unscrupulous, 461.
Government masters in Siam, 131.
Government monopolies, Siamese, 244.
Governor in league with dacoits, 406.
Guardian spirits of districts, 325.
Hair-cutting in Siam, 345.
Hairy-faced men, 443.
Hang Sat, 285.
Head-dressing of Zimmé Shans, 138.
Headless spirits, 111.
Hermaphroditism, 99.
Hills, precipitous, 335.
Hlineboay village, 4
—its market, _ib._
—river, 3, 11.
Hong, Chinese, a, 87.
Hong Htan, 285.
Horse-hair lace, 213.
Hot springs, 24.
House-building, rules for, 82.
Houses in the Shan villages, 80.
Hsong Keveh, 78.
Htong Htan, 87.
Huay Bau Kyow, 61, 266.
Huay Kao, 120.
Huay Kay-Yow, 394.
Huay Kok Moo, 223.
Huay Kyoo Lie, 256.
Huay Ma Koh hills covered with teak, 26.
Huh Sai, 329, 337
—valley of the, 54.
Human sacrifices, 49.
Hysteria and evil spirits, 111.
Idols, fallen, 355.
Image of Buddha destroyed by missionaries, 109.
Images, manufacture of, 67;
purloining of, 351.
Immorality of princes, 452.
India and China as markets for British manufactures, 415.
Indra’s heaven, 70.
Inquisitive people, 338.
Inscriptions on foundation-stones, 385.
Insignia of office, a chief’s, 162.
Iron-mine guarded by demons, 54
—near Kiang Hsen, 196
—in Lakon, 281.
Japanese books, library of, 446.
Joke about Phra Chedi Sow, 271.
Judge, a Christian, 268.
Jungle demons, 397.
Jungle-fire, 184.
Kamait, catching a, 336.
Kamait language, the, 336.
Kamaits, the, 21.
Kamook lumber-men, 400.
Kamooks, the, 21.
Kamphang Pet, 412, 437.
Kanyin, or oil-tree, 248.
Karen interpreter and guide, 6.
Karen tribes, xiii.
Karen villages, 36
—Christians, 279.
Karen Yain, 36.
Karroway Toung or Parrot’s Hill, 21, 47
—pass, 23.
Ka-wat or pagoda slaves, 122.
Khas, the, 21.
Kiang Dow, 75
—province of, 330
—description of the city of, 334.
Kiang Hai plain, 126, 149, 153
—villages near, 173.
Kiang Hsen, 75
—arrival of expedition at, 189
—extent of city, 195
—destruction of, in 1804, 201
—repopulation of, 202.
Kiang Hsen plain, 184, 402.
Kiang Hung, 427.
Kiang Hung Shans Burmese subjects, 151.
Kiang Ngai, 338.
Kiang Tung Lawas, a Jung tribe, 144.
Kiang Yuen, 120.
King, petitioning the, regarding misgovernment, 408
—missionary’s opinion of, 410.
Kissing with the nose, 83.
Koo Saik Choung river, 17.
Korat plateau, 462.
Kow Sau Kyow, 402.
Krong Suen Ma, 438.
Kun Lôn ferry, 431 _et seq._
Kweh Chow village, 88.
Kyoo Pow, 207.
Kyouk Toung hills, 11.
Labour, cheap, for the railway, 281.
Labour-supply of Muang Fang, 352.
Lace prized, 387.
La-hu people, general characteristics of the, 160
—their vocabulary, 161.
La-hu women, dress of the, 159.
Lake-basins, ancient, 145, 329.
Lakon, description of the State of, 267
—law and justice in, 269
—trade of, 280.
Land-tax or rent, 135.
Land yielding 250-fold, 350.
Lanma-Gyee Garté police station, 12.
Lao marriage, 355.
Lao provinces of Siam, 321.
Laos tribe, 21.
Lapoon, 12
—immigrants to, 216
—reach, 289
—description of, 291
—visit the chief of, _ib_.
‘Lapoon Chronicle,’ 33.
Lascivious spirits, 398.
Lāun Ten, 191.
Lawa race, xi.
Lawa villages, 36.
Lawas, the, and their customs, 38.
Leaning pagoda, 188.
Lent, the Buddhist, 258.
Lepers, banishment of, 78.
Legend of Chaum Taung, 226.
Legend of Kiang Mee-ang, 198.
Legend of Loi Chaum Haut, 323.
Legend of Loi Htong, 182.
Legend of Loi Kiang Dow, 324.
Legend of Me-lang-ta, 58.
Legend of Muang Nŏng, 187.
Legend of Nan Cham-a-ta-we, 49.
Legend of Poo-Sa and Ya-Sa, 57.
Legend of the dipped prince, 269.
Legend of the hare-lip, 345.
Legend of the Kow Din, 460.
Legend of the Lakon, 271.
Legend of the rapids, 69.
Legend of the Ring Lake, 272.
Legend of Tum Tap Tow, 342.
Legend of Wat Pra Non, 317.
Liars, the greatest, in the East, the Siamese, 298.
Libraries of the monasteries, 301.
Loi Ap Nang, 399.
Loi Chang Hong, 396.
Loi Chaum Haut, 369.
Loi Chaum Haut mountain, 323.
Loi Chong Teng, 320.
Loi Hin Poon, 393.
Loi Hoo-a Soo-a, 76.
Loi Hsope Kang, 74.
Loi Kai Khee-a, 73.
Loi Kat Pee, 324.
Loi Ken Noi, 329.
Loi Keng Soi, 397.
Loi Kern, 64, 393.
Loi Kiang Dow, 323, 335.
Loi Kom, 56.
Loi Kom Ngam, 47.
Loi Kom Ngam mountain, 44.
Loi Kong Lome, 250.
Loi Kook Loi Chang, 148.
Loi Koon Htan, 285.
Loi Kow Chung, 440.
Loi Kow Luong, 441.
Loi Kyoo Pa Săng, 341.
Loi Law village, 77.
Loi Loo-en, 225.
Loi Luong hills, 401.
Loi Meh Pa Neh, 404.
Loi Mok, 144, 309.
Loi Mon Kow Ngam, 270.
Loi Mum Moo, 140, 309.
Loi Nan, the Lady’s Hill, 335, 338.
Loi Oo-um, 369.
Loi Pa Chan, 136.
Loi Pa Chan plateau, 309.
Loi Pa Hem, 205.
Loi Pa Kha range, 401.
Loi Pa May-Yow, 396.
Loi Pa Tyoo, 144.
Loi Pa-Yat Pa-Yai, 332, 341.
Loi Pah Heeng, 256.
Loi Pah Khow hill, 56, 72.
Loi Pah Kung, “the mountain of the tiger’s head,” 76.
Loi Panya Lawa, 395.
Loi Poo-ay, 153.
Loi Pwe, 46.
Loi Saun-Ka-tee, 205.
Loi Soo Tayp mountain, 91
—ascent of, 120.
Loi Ta Khan Lai, 74.
Loi Tat Muang Ken, 368.
Loi Tong Wai, 46, 47.
Loi Too-ey, 329.
Loi Wung Ka Chow, 402.
Lolo and Kaun villages, 365.
Lotus, use of the, as a symbol, 51.
Lover’s lute, description of a, 386.
Luang Prabang, 21, 135, 321.
MacLeod’s, General, journey to China through Burmah, viii.
M‘Gilvary, Dr and Mrs, 94—the Doctor joins the exploring party, 123
—sermon to the people by, 333.
Madras boys good fighters, 7
—their honesty, 128.
Maing Loongyee, 16, 24, 27
—its watersupply, 31.
Manners, learning, 304.
Maps of the country, 332.
Market at Zimmé, 100
—great variety of wares at, _ib._
Markets, need for new, 415.
Marriage customs, 174—curious, 366.
Martin, Rev. Mr, 94
—joins party, 313 _et seq._
Mau Sau, a celebrated native hunter, 353.
Maulmain thoroughfare, 4.
Maung Doo, halt at, 127.
Maung Fang, leave for, 315.
Maung Haut, 61
—party leaves, 69.
Maung Hit, excursion to, 196.
Maung Kent, 328.
Maung Pan, state of, 156.
Meals, 84
—daily particulars of, 249.
Medicine and pills, theft of, 383.
Medicines, stock of, 6
—Siamese, 174, 273
—ingredients in a dose, 274.
Meh Ai, the river of shame, 346.
Meh Chan, 351.
Meh Chun valley, 76.
Meh Fang, 341
—camping at, 344
—river, 360
—valley of the, 75.
Meh Gat, 42.
Meh Hang, 329, 341.
Meh Hau Prat, stream, 44, 370.
Meh Haut river, 61.
Meh Hkort valley, 136.
Meh Hkuang, 392.
Meh Hkuang river, 88, 127, 288.
Meh How river, 284.
Meh Hto river, 48.
Meh Ing, 153.
Meh Ing river, 225, 247.
Meh Ka, 91.
Meh Ka Lah, 136.
Meh Ka Ni, 42.
Meh Ka Tone, 27.
Meh Kang, 74, 135.
Meh Kee-ow, 309.
Meh Khan, 87.
Meh Khoke plain, 165.
Meh Kok, 27, 135.
Meh Kong or Cambodia river, 21, 156, 224
—great eastern bend of the, 190.
Meh Kong valley, 23.
Meh Lah river, 255.
Meh Lai, 393.
Meh Lai river, 45.
Meh Laik river, 24, 44.
Meh Li, 75.
Meh Lim, 320.
Meh Low, 88
—hot springs of, 311
—valley of the, 308.
Meh Lye, 44.
Meh Mau river, 256.
Meh Nam delta, population of the, 460.
Meh Nam river, navigation on the, 250, 441 _et seq._
Meh Ngat, crossing the, 363
—defile of the, 368.
Meh Ngor river, 21, 24
—its width and depth, 26.
Meh Ngow, arrival of expedition at, 252
—description of the city of, 253.
Meh Nium river, 20, 21, 24, 31.
Meh Nium valley, 44.
Meh Pai, 353.
Meh Pa-pai, 60.
Meh Pau, a tributary of the Thoungyeen river, 17.
Meh Phit, 75.
Meh Pik, or the Pepper river, 147.
Meh Ping, 64, 127, 320, 330
—sources of the, 328.
Meh Poi, 341.
Meh Sa river, 320.
Meh Sa Lin river, 31, 42.
Meh Soo-ay, a royal game-preserve, 147.
Meh Sow river, 287.
Meh Ta, valley of the, 88, 287.
Meh Ta Loke, 360.
Meh Tan, 393.
Meh Teng valley, 329.
Meh Teun, 393.
Meh Tha Wah, 18, 23.
Meh Too, 23.
Meh Trien, valley of the, 283.
Meh Tyen, 48.
Meh Wung, 141
—valley of the, 251
—villages on the, 278
—crossing the, 283
—basin of the, 309
—mouth of, 403.
Meh Yee-ep, 393.
Meh Yom, 439.
Meh Yu-ek, 251.
Mehongson, 353.
Merchandise brought by Chinese traders, 213.
Mha Tha Ket, 48.
Meh Wung, 404.
Mineral springs, 24.
Missionaries approve of the extension of the railway system, 96
—friendly footing of, 205
—illness of, 363.
Missionaries bad sportsmen, 357.
Missions, promising field for, 389.
Mokmai, a Burmese Shan State, 334.
Mon race and language, the, xi.
Monasteries in Maing Loongyee, 31.
Monastery, visit to a, 78.
Monastic life, entering, 337.
Moné, the chief of, subject to Great Britain, 157.
Mong Hpai, 432.
Mong Nai, 432.
Monk spoilt by the ladies, 165.
Monks, evil practices of, 301.
Monopolies, effect of, 365.
Monosyllabic languages, 161.
Moonlight scene, a, 330.
Moung Loogalay, 326.
Mountain villages of the Khas, 21.
Moway, famous quarries of, 300.
Muang Fang, 337
—arrival at, 347
—description of, _ib._
—population of, 349
—history of, 353
—cost of carriage to, _ib._
—leave the city, 360.
Muang Hăng State, 335.
Muang Haut, 295, 392.
Muang Hpan, 223.
Muang Ken, 368.
Muang Ko, 437.
Muang La Maing, 120.
Muang Len, 426.
Muang Ngai burned, 335
—the city of, 338.
Muang Ngam, 350.
Muang Ngow city, 245.
Muang Nium principality, 30.
Muang Nyon, 350.
Muang Penyow, 229.
Muang Phan, 221.
Muang Sat, 350.
Muang Soon Dok, the town of the flower-garden, 120.
Mud, boiling, to make tea, 225.
Musical water-wheels, 89.
Myawadi, 419.
Naiads, offerings to the, 259.
Nam Proon, 432.
Needlework, fancy, 103.
Neis, Dr Paul, French navy, 135
—his survey for a railway route, 278.
New Htow, 394.
Nga-peur-dau village, 14.
Ngio (Burmese Shans) raids, 365.
Ngio, or Moné Shans, 158.
Ngu race, xi.
Nirvana, the state of, 337.
Nong Doo Sakan, 88.
Nong Hang, 225.
Nong Sang, 89.
Nong Vee-a plain, 342.
Offerings to the dead, 17, 147
—for the monks, 257
—to the spirits of the land or rivers, 259
—to the good influences, 373.
Ogres, Madras boys taken for, 167.
Oo-caw stream, 24.
Ootaradit, 441.
Organ or pipes, the Laos, 339.
Oxen used for drawing timber, 308.
Paddy-birds, flocks of, 209.
Pagoda, a fine, 91
—of the Emerald Rice-bowl, 121
—on Loi Tee, 288.
Pahpoon, 33.
Pah Took, 255.
Pa-kin-soo, 392.
Pak Bong, 88.
Pak Muang, 90.
Pak Nam Po, 441, 442.
Palace at Zimmé, 101.
Palace of the angels, description of the, 324.
Palmyra-trees, 401.
Pang Eemoon, swampy valley of, 60.
Pang Hpan, 43.
Pang Ngao, village of, 225.
Pang Pau, 341.
Pa Sang, 88.
Pass 6500 feet above the sea, 156
—a dangerous, 287
—a difficult, 342.
Passports supplied to the exploring party, 125.
Paths over the hills, nature of the, 36.
Patriarch, family, 129.
Pau-ku-lay Toung, 17.
Pau Pa Teun, 177.
Pedlars, Burmese, 253.
Penyow, 224
—expedition leaves, 246.
Peoples, Dr, 112 _et seq._
Petchaburi, governor of, 407.
Petroleum at Kiang Dow and Muang Fang, 333.
Petticoats, purchasing, 392.
Phayre, Sir Arthur, on British interests in Siam, 421.
Phichai, 441.
Photographic apparatus spoiled, 20.
Phya Khrut or Garuda, the king of eagles, 234.
Pigs, wild, ravages of, 186.
Pillar-Rock, 401.
Ping Shans, 49.
Plain, a beautiful, 364.
Plants, dangerous, in the jungle, 361.
Play, a Shan, 338.
Poayhla, 430, 432.
Portuguese ousted from Burmah, vii.
Pottery, manufacture of, 233.
Prayers, chanting, 452.
Prices of various articles at Maulmain, Bangkok, and Zimmé, 296.
Primitive pagoda, a, 308.
Prince, an intelligent, on the best railway route, 143.
Princes in their best clothes, 154.
Princess trader, visit to a, 103
—her opinion on the proposed railway, _ib._
—friend to the missionaries, 117.
Principality, ancient, of Hsen, 200.
Prisdang’s, Prince, letter, 114.
Prison of Bangkok, 451.
Prisoners in chains sawing timber, 102.
Procession of exploring party when entering Kiang Hai, 154.
Propitiation of spirits, 179.
Provisions, out of, 358.
Punishments in the Buddhist hells, 263.
Purchas’s visit to Zimmé, vii.
Quambee, 10.
Quanta, 3.
Quinine, value of, 363.
Races, separation of, in the cities, 352.
Rachel, a Shan, 228.
Raheng, 15
—the White Elephant route to, 278
—reach, 404
—leave, 435.
Railway communication, proposed branch line from Yembine to
Tehdau-Sakan, 1
—proposed route of railway from Maulmain, 48
—paths for a railway, 56, 75
—discussion with the King of Zimmé about the railway, 102
—suggested route, 143
—road for a line to China, 151
—Dr Cheek on the prospects of a Burmah-China railway, 170
—branch line to Muang Fang, 184
—benefits of opening up the country by, 196
—chief’s opinion regarding labour, &c., for constructing, 214
—loop-line to Zimmé, 215
—proposed route to Muang Phan, 222
—importance of Penyow in regard to, 232
—route along the valley of the Meh Wung, 251
—how to tap the trade of Muang Nan and Muang Peh, 252
—proposed line from Bangkok _viâ_ Lakon, 255
—Dr Neis on the railway connection of Burmah and China, 278
—cheap labour for the railway, 281
—desire for the projected railway, 292
—a branch line from Lakon, 309
—line from Zimmé to Kiang Hsen, 361
—talk with Prince Bigit on the subject of railways, 381
—routes for the railway, 403
—importance of connecting India with China, 415
—the Indo-Burmese and Burmo-Chinese projects, 416 _et seq._
—advantages of Maulmain as a terminus, 417
—the Siamese route to Raheng, 418
—Sir Charles Bernard and other authorities on the projected routes,
419 _et seq._
—character of the Bhamo route, 429
—the Maulmain or nothing, 433
—commercial importance of the proposed railway, 434
—resolutions of Chambers of Commerce on the Burmah-Siam-China
Railway, 464 _et seq._
Rain-god Indra, descent of the, 260.
Rangoon and Mandalay railway, 14.
Rapids shooting, dangerous, 395 _et seq._
Raspberries, wild, 46.
Rebellion of the Zimmé Shans against Burmah, 88.
Religious buildings erected by the Burmese, 124
—ruined, 355.
Rénan’s, Ernest, ‘New Studies of Religious History’ quoted, p. 57,
note.
Responsibility of villagers for loss and crime in their district, 139.
Rice-plain, a large, 179.
Rice-plain of Zimmé, 127
—export of, from Penyow to Lakon, 231.
Richardson, Dr, viii.
—his visit to Maing Loongyee in 1829, 30.
Ringworm, 192.
River, a filthy, 230.
Robbing an image, 198.
Romantic princess, a, 117.
Roses, wild, 247.
Routes from China, 213.
Rubies, searching for, 403.
Ruby-mines, 61, 266.
Ruins of temples, extensive, near Kiang Hsen, 193.
Russia and Siam, comparison between, 297.
Russian railway across Asia, projected, 420.
Sacred cave of Tum Tap Tow, 342.
Sacred hills, 182.
Sacrifices to evil spirits, 22
—to ancestors and demons, 52.
Salt used as currency in the Zimmé market, 164.
Salween mountain, 329.
Salween river, 3, 10.
Sambhur deer, a, 403.
Samuel, Thomas, first English visitor to the Shan States, vii.
Sapphire-mines, 462.
Satow, Mr, British consul-general in Siam, 419.
Sawankalok, 439.
Scott, Mr (Shwé Yoe), on religious tortures, 380, 445.
Service, evening, in a temple, 316.
Settlements, formation of, 220
—method of forming new, 350.
Sgau Karens, 17.
Shadow spirit, the, 83.
Shan dynasties in Burmah, 82.
Shan ladies, visit to, 321.
Shan language and its dialects, 312.
Shan Queen in English dress, 119.
Shan race, xv.
Shan States or kingdoms, 32.
Shans bartering goods, 46.
Shaving the head and eyebrows, 304.
Shoaygoon, 1, 3.
‘Siam and Laos,’ by Dr Cheek, quoted, 170.
Siam, British stake in, 420.
Siam railways need high embankments, 411.
Siamese authorities, apathy of, 390.
Siamese Commissioner, visit the, 113.
Siamese, description and dress of, 113.
Siamese frontier post, 20.
Siamese history, early, xiii.
Siamese officials expect bribes, 19.
Silk-cotton trees, 71.
Silver coinage in use, 163.
Silver-mines, 75, 403.
Siva worship, 319.
Sketching the scenery of the country, 64.
Slave-bondage, 131.
Slavery, gambling a cause of, 238
—the law of Siam, regarding, _ib._
—parents selling children into, 240.
Slavery in Bangkok, 452.
Slaves, price of, 31, 130
—purchased from Red Karens, 388.
Smallpox, outbreak of, 28
—outbreak of, in Penyow, 232
—callousness of natives as to, 233.
Smith-work of the Shans, 55.
Snake, sitting on a, 362.
Snake-worship, 318.
Soil and foliage, 146.
Song Kare, 91.
Song Kweh, 400.
Soom Cha, 402.
Spinning-wheels, emigrants carrying, 363.
Spirit-clans, formation of, 396.
Spirit-medium, a, 105.
Spirit-worship of Ping Shans, 373.
Spirit-worshippers, 15.
Spirits alluring travellers, 398.
Springs, hot, 340.
Ssumao, a Chinese frontier post, 151.
Stone images of Buddha, 233.
Stork, King, 448.
Story of a yak, 59.