Lower Chindwin District Volume A
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BURMA GAZETTEER LOWER CHINDWIN DISTRICT UPPER BURMA RANGOON OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT, GOVERNMENT PRINTING, BURMA TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE PART A. THE DISTRICT 1-211 Chapter I. Physical Description 1-20 Boundaries 1 The culturable portion 2 Rivers: the Chindwin; the Mu 3 The Alaungdaw gorge 4 Lakes ib. Diversity of the district ib. Area 5: Surveys ib. Geology 6 Petroliferous areas ib. Black-soil areas; red soils ib. Volcanic rocks 7 Explosion craters ib. Artesian wells 8 Saline efflorescence ib. Rainfall and climate 9 Fauna: quadrupeds; reptiles and lizards; game birds; predatory birds 9-15 Hunting: indigenous methods 16 Game fish 17 Hunting superstitions 18 Chapter II, History and Archæology 20-28 Early history 20 History after the Annexation of 1885 (a) east of the Chindwin; (b) west of the Chindwin: the southern portion; (c) the northern portion; (d) along the Chindwin 21-24 Archæology 24-28 The Register of Taya 25 CONTENTS. PAGE The Alaungdaw Katthapa shrine 25 The Powindaung caves 26 Pagodas ib. Inscriptions 27 Folk-lore: the Bodawgyi legend ib. Chapter III. The People 28-63 The main stock 28 Traces of admixture of other races ib. Population by census: densities; preponderance of females 29-32 Towns and large villages 32 Social and religious life: Buddhism and sects 33-35 The English Wesleyan Mission; Roman Catholics 35 Animism: the Alôn and Zidaw festivals 36 Caste 37 Standard of living: average agricultural income; the food of the people; the house; clothing; expenditure on works of public utility; agricultural stock 38-42 Agricultural indebtedness 42 Land values: sale and mortgage 48 Alienations to non-agriculturists 50 Indigence 51 Wages ib. Growth in prosperity ib. Agrarian customs 51-58 Tenants 58 Large estates 63 Chapter IV. Agricalture and Irrigation 63-105 Number of agriculturists 63 Absorption of the waste for cultivation ib. Wet and dry crops 64 Area under the different crops: dry crops on rice land ; new crops 65 Normal area of crop failure 66 Dry and wet lands and the main orders of soil ib. The standard crops in different parts 67 Average area of the holding 69 CONTENTS. PAGE Agricultural advances 69 Modes of agriculture 70 Manuring 74 Description of the chief crops: rice; millet; sesamum; cotton; red bean; groundnut; green bean (pèdi); onions; plantains; betel-vine 75-85 The tari, or toddy palm 86 Floods 93 Insect and other pests ib. Weeds 95 Saline efflorescence 96 Cattle: grazing and breeding ib. Irrigation: ordinary types; customs 99 The Pyaungbya weir 102 Traces of Shan influence ib. Saline-water irrigation ib. Artesian-well irrigation and irrigation from springs ib. Lift irrigation: wells; other modes 104 Tanks ib, Possible irrigation works ib. Chapter V. Forests and Minerals 105-119 Boundaries of the Lower Chindwin Forest Division 105 Physical features: forest-bearing areas; floating streams 106 History 107 Surveys: settlement of reserves; working plans 108-109 Teak: other trees: extractoin of teak 110 In; bamboo; thitsi; cutch 111 Forest roads ib, Fire-protection and conservation of the forests 113 Forest establishments 114 Changes in administrative boundaries 115 Revenue and expenditure ib. Minerals: platinum and oilier minerals 116 Lime ib. Salt: the Salingyi brine-wells 117 Petroleum 119 Coal ib. CONTENTS. PAGE Chapter VI. Occupations and Trade 119-136 Census of occupations 119 Annual emigration 121 Traders: bamboo-plaiters; blacksmiths; brass workers 122-123 Saddlery 123 Fans; wooden pattens; sandals; tattooers; mahouts 124 Bamboo lacquer ib. Unglazed pottery 126 Hair-combs ib. Silkworm breeding; well-baskets ib. Forest occupations ib. Local distribution of occupations 127 Mills and factories 128 Trade in Burmese times ib. Markets ib. Distributing centres and fairs 129 Exports and imports ib. Lines of trade 130 Trade carried by the railway ib. Trade carried by the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company's steamers ib. Country boats and rafts ib. Road trade routes 132 Distribution of exports and imports 133 Prices 135 Weights and measures ib. Chapter VII. Means of Communication 136-141 The railway 136 The Chindwin and the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company's service ib. The Mu 137 Ferries ib. Roads maintained by the Public Works Department 138 Road bridges 141 Expenditure on roads ib. District Fund Roads ib. Village roads ib. CONTENTS. PAGE Chapter VIII. Famine 142-154 Rainfall 142 Examination of the belief that the rainfall is decreasing ib. The dry zone in the eighteenth century: Sangerraano and Symes 144 Indications of a diminished water-supply 145 The probable causes 146 The practice of terracing dry cultivation 147 Tracts less liable to crop-failure ib. History of the seasons since annexation 148 Seasons of scarcity-1890-91; the famine of 1891-92; 1895-96; 1896-97; 1903-04; 1907-08 179-151 Improbability of famine conditions arising 151 Suspensions of revenue 152 Substitutes for food-grains in times of scarcity ib. Local division of the rainy season 153 Chapter IX. Administration, General and Judicial: Public Works, etc 154-173 Burmese administrative divisions within the district 154 Military and marine forces in Burmese times 156 The twelve regiments 157 The boat villages 158 Administration after annexation: external boundaries ib. Internal boundaries 159 District officials 160 Village administration ib. Civil Justice 161 Registration of documentary transfers of property 163 Civil Police 164 Military Police 165 Criminal Justice: the magistracy 166 Amount of crime 167 Offences against property; against the human body; violent crime; dacoity; robbery; cattle-theft 167-168 Offences against the opium and excise laws 168 Gambling 169 The preventive sections ib. Prisons 170 CONTENTS. PAGE Public works: administration and chief public buildings 171 Post and Telegraph arrangements 172 Ecclesiastical 173 Chapter X. Revenue Administration 173-195 Revenue in Burmese times; the household tax, thathameda 173 Royal lands 175 Miscellaneous revenue ib. Estimate of total collections in Burmese times 176 The military aids ib. Gross revenue since annexation ib. Land Revenue: State-land assessments after annexation: early surveys ib. The cadastral survey 177 The Summary Settlement ib. The Regular Settlement 178 Land tenures: the non-State or private tenure 179 The State tenure 179-183 ib. Service lands: the major and other regiments; occa- sional levies; Shan service land 179 Other State lands 181 Property in fruit trees 183 Area of land by tenure 184 Thathameda before and after Summary Settlement ib. Land-revenue and thathameda collections 85 Dates of collection of revenue 186 Coercive processes for the recovery of land-revenue and thathameda ib. incidence of taxation 187 Prosperity or otherwise of the district ib. Minor sources of revenue: fisheries 188 Stamps ib. Excise administration; in Burmese times 189 After annexation: excise on liquor ib. Revenue from liquor excise 190 Revenue from tari shops ib. Revenue from other licenses ib. Preventive staff and offences 191 CONTENTS. PAGE Opium administration: before 1888 91 1889 to 1894 ib. 1894 to 1904 92 Since 1904 93 Revenue from opium 94 Other narcotics ib. Revenue from salt ib. Chapter XI. Local Self-Government 195-200 The Mônywa Municipality: constitution 195 Population ib. Revenue and expenditure ib. Sources of revenue and heads of expenditure 196 incidence of taxation 197 Heads of revenue: market-rents and slaughter-houses ib. Tolls and ferries ib. Heads of expenditure: public works; conservancy; hospital; water-supply ib. Precautions against fire 198 The District Fund: constitution 199 Heads of revenue and expenditure ib. Public works ib. Establishment 200 Revenue and expenditure ib. Chapter XII Education 200-204 Literacy at census periods 200 Educational administration 201 Primary education in Public schools ib. Unregistered private schools 202 Secondary education in Public schools ib. Mission education: the English Wesleyan Midone. School at Mônywa ib. Expenditure on education 203 Survey school 204 Chapter XIII. Public Health 204-211 Burmese surgery and physics 204 Hospitals: the Mônywa Municipal hospital 205 CONTENTS. PAGE The chief diseases: cholera; malarial fever and the sale of quinine; yaws; plague 206-207 Vaccination 207 Sanitation and water-supply: in Mônywa town and in rural areas 208 Vital statistics 210 CHAPTER XIV. MINOR ARTICLES 212-225 Mônywa Town 212 Mônywa subdivision ib. Budalin township 213 Ayadaw; Budalin; Kanbyu; Kinzan; Maungdaung; Naunggyi-aing; Ngapayin; Nyaunggan; Yèdwet 214-216 Mônywa township 216 Alôn; Indaing; Kothan; Kyaukka North; Kyauksit- pôn North; Kyehmôn; Lèzin: Malètha; Minywa; Mônywe; Myobaw; Ngwedwin; Nyaungbyubin; Thazi; Thitsein; Wayaung 217-219 Yinmabin subdivision 219 Kani township 220 Kônywa; Yinbaungdaing 221 Salingyi township ib. Kangôn; Kyadet; Linzagyet; Ngakôn; Salingyi; Satan 222-223 Palè township 223 Chinbyit; Hlawga; Kyenin; Letpagan; Mônthwin; Nyaungôn; Palè 224-225 Bibliography 227 Index 231 GLOSSARY. Chaung, stream. Chetty, the money-lending caste of Madras. Myothugyi, vide ywa-thu-gyi. Nat, spirit. Pèdi, green bean, Taiksa-ye, syn. myosa-ye. Tari, toddy, borassus flabelliformis. Thathameda, the household tax. Thitya, the shorea obtusa. Thugyi, ywa-thu-gyi, headman of a circle of villages. BURMA GAZETTEER LOWER CHINDWIN DISTRICT (UPPER BURMA) PART A.--THE DISTRICT. CHAPTER I. Physical Description. The Lower Chindwin district lies between north latitudes 21° 48´ and 22° 50´ and east longitudes 94° 16´ and 95° 39´ and falls partly within the Dry and partly within the Northern Wet zones of Burma. The wet-zone portion