BURMA GAZETTEER. SYRIAM DISTRICT VOLUME A COMPILED BY J. S. FURNIVALL, I.C.S. (ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER) ASSISTANT SETTLEMENT OFFICER AND COMPLETED BY W. S. MORRISON, I.C.S. (ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER) SETTLEMENT OFFICER RANGOON OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT, GOVERNMENT PRINTING, BURMA 1914 [price,--Rs. 2-4-0=3s. 5d.] LIST OF AGENT SALE OF GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS. IN INDIA: THACKER, SPINK & Co., Calcutta and Simla. W. NEWMAN & Co., Calcutta. THACKER & Co., Ltd., Bombay. HIGGINBOTHAM & Co., Madras. SUPERINTENDENT, AMERICAN BAPTIST MISSION PRESS, Rangoon. * D. B. TARPOREVALA & SONS & Co, 103, Medows Street, Fort, Bombay. BUTTERWORTH & Co. (India), Ltd., 8-2, Hastings Street, Calcutta. IN ENGLAND: HENRY S. KING & Co., 65, Cornhill, E.C. A, CONSTABLE & Co., 10, Orange Street, Leicester Square, W.C. KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRÜBNER & Co., 68--74, Carter Lane, E.C. BERNARD QUARITCH, II, Grafton Street, New Bond Street, W. P. S. KING & SON, 2 & 4, Great Smith Street, Westminster, S.W. GRINDLAY & Co., 54, Parliament Street, S.W. T. FISHER UNWIN, I, Adelphi Terrace, W.C. W. THACKER & Co., 2, Creed Lane, Ludgate Hill, E.C. LUZAC & Co., 46, Great Russell Street, W.C. OLIVER & BOYD, Tweeddale Court, Edinburgh. E. PONSONBY, LTD., 116, Grafton Street, Dublin. B. H. BLACKWELL, 50 & 51, Broad Street, Oxford. DEIGHTON BELL & Co., Trinity Street, Cambridge. ON THE CONTINENT: R. FRIEDLANDER & SOHN, II, Carlstrasse, Berlin, Germany. OTTO HARRASSOWITZ, Leipzig, Germany. KARL W. HIERSEMANN, Leipzig, Germany. ERNEST LEROUX, 28, Rue Bonaparte, Paris, France MARTINUS NIJHOFF, The Hague, Holland. * For· the ease of official publications excluding those of the Legisiative Department of the Government of Burma. TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION. PAGE Constitution of the district. Boundaries. Area and position. Natural and administrative divisions. Scenery. Hills. Rivers. Climate- Geology--Geological History. Economic Geology. Soils. Salt. Clay. Fauna. Flora. Light-houses 1-10 CHAPTER II. HISTORY AND ARCHÆOLOGY. Part I.--Pre-Talaing History. Geographical limits. The seven periods. Early geography. The primitive indigenes. The Hindu colonists. Relations between indigenes and colonists. The Cambodians. Summary of Pre-Talaing influences 10-17 Part II.--The First Talaing Dynasty. Talaings prior to the foundation of Hanthawaddy. Origin of the name "Talaing". Foundation of Hanthawaddy. First dynasty in Hanthawaddy 17-21 Part III.--The Empires of Pegu. The three empires of Hanthawaddy. The first Peguan empire. The second Peguan empire. The third Peguan empire (The Barnabite Fathers) 22-27 Part IV.--Modern History. The Burman Conquest. The foreign factories 27-29 Part V. History from 1874 to 1853 30-32 ii CONTENTS. PAGE Part VI.--Archæology. Archæology. The laterite ruins. The Letkaik series. Walled cities 32-33 CHAPTER III. THE PEOPLE. Growth of population at annexation 1855 to 1872. The first Census, 1872. The sekond Census, 1881. The Census, of 1891,1901 and 1911. Distribution by age, Races, tribes and castes. Language. Distribution of races. Indians. Immigration and emigration. Social organisation. Towns and villages. Houses. Furniture. Gardens. Dress. Food and fuel. Prices. Wages. Cost of living. Domestic ekonomy. Poverty. Religious life. Local deities. Totemism. Fetichism. Agricultural customs. Amusements 34-65 CHAPTER IV. AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION. Outline of development. Primitive conditions, Lines of subsequent development. Settlement of 1867. Re-organisation of agriculture, 1859 to 1870. First Regular Settlement, 1879-1882. First revision settlement, 1897-1899. Sekond revision settlement, 1907-10. Agriculture at the present day. Agricultural indebtedness. Present methods of agriculture. Agricultural stock. Fertility. Gardens and miscellaneous cultivation. Dhani. Causes of crop failure, floods and drought. Irrigation 65-91 CHAPTER V. FORESTS AND MINERALS. Kinds of forest. Fuel reserves. Forest administration. Reserved forests. Nature of the forests. Methods of List of trees in the district. Minerals 91-97 CONTENTS. iii PAGE CHAPTER VI. OCCUPATIONS AND TRADE General table of occupations, Analysis. General conditions at annexation, Localised and village industries. Industrial methods. Modern industries. Census figures. Industrial organisation 97-105 CHAPTER VII. MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. Post and telegraph. Waterways. Ferries and rest-houses. Roads 106-107 CHAPTER VIII. FAMINE. Scarcity 107-108 CHAPTER IX. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION. Organization of Hanthawaddy, period 1376--1566 A.D. Reforms of Tha Lun Min Tayagyi. Period 1632 --1784. Modern Burman administration, 1763 to 1852. The Sittans ("Doomsday Books".) British Administration. Personnel Area. List of Deputy Commissioners. Criminal and Civil Justice. Criminal Administration. Civil Administration. Registration. Police Administration. Reorganisation of 1861. Reorganisation of the Village Police. Local Administration 108-125 CHAPTER X. REVENUE ADMINISTRATION. Introductory. Land Revenue Administration until 1860.The two problems. The development of the country-- Summary of measures taken. The lease system. The grant system. Waste Land grants, 1861. Waste Land sales, 1863. Waste land grants, 1865. Fallow lands. iv CONTENTS. PAGE Occupation rights. Indirect measures of development. improvements of Agriculture. Veterinary improvements. Supply of labour. Results of measures taken for development. Collection of the revenue. The first settlement. The second (Lloyd's) settlement. Period 1867--1879. First regular settlement (1879-82.) Period 1880--1897. The first Revision settlement. The settlement of 1897--1900. The settlement of 1907--10. Personal taxation. Capitation tax. Exemption. Collection. Land Rate in lieu of Capitation-tax. Income-tax and its substitutes. Administration of fisheries. Methods of fishing. Salt boiling. Salt administration. Excise revenue--Liquor Drugs. Abkari rules, 1861-Stamp revenue 125-160 CHAPTER XI. LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT. The District Cess Fund. Public Works. History of the Fund. The Syriam Municipality. Notified Areas 160-167 CHAPTER XII. EDUCATION. Early days. Controlling agencies. Anglo-Vernacular Schools. Vernacular Schools--Burmese, Karen, Tamil and Telugu-Technical Schools. Rs. 500 Schools. Female Education 68-170 CHAPTER XIII PUBLIC HEALTH. Early days. Diseases. Sanitation. Vaccination. Fevers. Dengue fever. Plague. Food. Infantile Mortalicy Injuries 170-176 CHAPTER XIV. MINOR ARTICLES. Akayein. Angyi Bawni. Dala. Dawbon. Hlaing. Hmawbi In-de. Ingabu. Kawleyah. Ma-u CONTENTS. v PAGE Mingaladon. Paunglin. Pyapôn. Pegu. Thôngwa. Zainganaing, Zwebon. Syriare. Cocos Islands. Preparis Islands. Twante Subdivision. Twante Township. Kabin. Kanaungto. Kanbe. Kungyan. Payagyi. Pyawbwè. Taloktaw. Twante. Zibyagon. Kungyangôn Township. Kungyangôn. Kawhmu, Kyaiktaw. Letkokkon. Natsingon. Tanmanaing. Thameatet. Wabalaukthauk. Kyauktan Subdivision. Kyauktan Township. Bogyok. Kamakalok. Kon- thilawa. Kyauktan. Mingalun. Tada. Thôngwa Township. Kadonbaw. Okkan. Okkanwa. Pyinma- gan. Thôngwa. Kayan Township. Baw Thabyegan. Kayan. Nyanngbinkwin. Nyaungni. Pagandaung. Pagu. Syriam. Thabyegan 176-193 Appendix I.--Map of Rangoon District iii Appendix II.--The thirty-two Provinces of Hanthawaddy iv Appendix III.--Townships of Rangoon District as originally constituted and subsequent distribution v Appendix IV.--List of books and papers consulted v--ix Index i-xv Map. BURMA, GAZETTEER. THE SYRIAM DISTRICT. CHAPTER I. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION. Constitution of the district. The Syriam district came into existence under the authority of General Department Notification No. 63 of the 17th February 1912, and consists of the southern portion of the old Hanthawaddy district which formed the central portion of the former Rangoon district, one of the four divisions of Pegu laid down in 1852, when first the Honourable East India Company assumed charge of the administration of the province. It is not clear whether the Toungoo district, west of the Sittang, was ever included in Rangoon; this however would appear to be the case from the notification cited by Laurie in his book on Burma, and correspondence between the Assistant Commissioner, Toungoo, and the Deputy Commissioner, Rangoon, strengthens the probability. The date of partition is unknown, but it must have taken place very early. Excluding Toungoo the area of the Rangoon district covered approximately 10,300 square miles, and it was soon found necessary to divide off outlying portions. In 1864 the Bawni circle was allotted to Toungoo, in 1872 the Kawliah circle to Shwegyin, and ,in 1873 the Thônze circle to Henzada. Piecemeal operations however proved ineffective, and in 1875 the district of Thôngwa was formed including three of the district townships of Rangoon; the western boundary thus formed is still today the western boundary of Syriam district. In the same year the town of Rangoon was constituted a separate administrative unit, and the surrounding district received the name of Hanthawaddy. In 1883 Pegu district was formed, and the eastern boundary assumed its present position. Kyauktan subdivision was at first assigned to Pegu, but was re-transferred in 1895. In the same year Rangoon town was slightly enlarged at the expense of Hanthawaddy district and finally in 1912 by the notification mentioned above the townships of Taikkyi, 2 Syriam District. Tantabin and Insein (which formed the old Insein sub division) were taken from Hanthawaddy and made into, Insein district by the addition of the Hlegu township of the Pegu district. Boundaries. The