A report on the expedition to western Yunan viâ Bhamô / by John Anderson.

  • John Anderson
Date:
1871
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A report on the expedition to western Yunan viâ Bhamô / by John Anderson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    51/502 (page 25)
    « traders were ill-used at Bliamd, and that the otlicials had falsely accused him ^vith the object of appropriating* his merchandize. He then pro- ceeded to Yunan city^ and made a similar complaint to the Tsauntu^ who declined to interfere^ until his statement was further substantiated. He had not, however, to wait long* for additional proof, for another trader, who had arrived at Kaungtoung-myo, ^ a short way to the south of ]5ham6, at the head of a Shan and Chinese caravan of 2,QUO ponies, and sold some g*oods on credit to the Burmese, was refused payment. A feud ensued in which a Chinaman was killed, and the surrender of the mur- derer to the Chinese chief being* declined, the latter returned to the Tsauntu accompanied by some of the principal traders, and laid a formal complaint before him. A number of Burmese refugees were at this time resident in Yunan, among whom were the ex-Tsawbwas of Bhamo, Theinnee, and Kaungtoung, who used their influence with the Tsauntu, and urged him to report the ill-treatment of the Chinese traders to the emperor. This had the desired effect, and an army advanced upon Burmah, and besieged Kaungtoung, the Tsawbwa of which rebelled, and joined the Chinese.* The king of Ava sent an army against the inva- ders, and dislodged them from before Kaungtoung. The Chinese retired to some earth-works which they had thrown u}) on the banks of the Taho, - but they were again forced to retreat before the Burmese, wdio are reported to have followed them up as far as the Mekhaung* or Cambodia. Another Chinese army advanced in 1767, and took up its position on the Shuay-mue-loun ^ mountain at the head of the Hotha valley, and opposite to the Mawphoo hill, at the eastern extremity of the valley of Sanda. From this point it advanced on the Burmese territories in three divisions. One proceeded by the Nuayliet and Muangwan route against Bhamo, and another by Nantin and Sanda, and from the latter town it marched in a north-westerly direction to the Lizo mountain, to the east of Kakhyo and Wainmo, on the left bank of the Irawady; the third ^ Kaungtoung appears to liave been of quite as niucb importance as Bhamo, ^ At Momien the Tapeng is known as the Taho, or Talo. ^ The Burmese chronicle describes this hill as lying to the westward ot the Cambodia, which it is, but in the same way that the town of Nantin is to the west ol that river, from which it is separated by the Salween and Shuaylee. It is now the head-quarters of the Chinese chief, Leesetai, who, we su])pose, instigated the attack made on our party between Nantin and Momien. In Colonel Burney’s translation, he says the Burmese general crossed the Kakhyo-A'Vainmo, but what he meant was that he crossed the Irawady at Kakhyo and AVainmo, two Shan towns on its left bank. i>