e miles off.

The inhabitants are mostly Shans, there are some Assamese, the chief of
whom is a relation of Chundra Kant, the ex-Rajah of Assam. The best
street in the town, though one of small extent, is that occupied by the
resident Chinese, none of whom however are natives of China proper. Of
this people I should say there are barely 60 in Mogoung, and, judging
from their houses, none of which are of brick, I should say they are very
inferior to their fellow-countrymen residing in Bamo.

During our stay in Mogoung, which was protracted owing to the disturbed
state of the country, the population was much increased by Shan-Chinese
returning from the Serpentine mines; and as there was a considerable
number of boats engaged by them for the transportation of the Serpentine,
the town looked busier than it otherwise would have done.

The Mogoung, river is here about 100 yards broad, but it is much
subdivided by sand banks: it is navigable for moderate sized boats a
considerable distance above the town. In the upper part of the course
this river abounds with fish to an unprecedented degree; of these the
most numerous is the Bokhar of Assam, and of this I have seen shoals of
immense extent.

The Namyeen is a small and shallow stream. Although from the extent of
the stockade Mogoung has evidently in former periods (during the Shan
dynasty) been of extent and consequence, it is at present a mean and
paltry town. It derives any little consequence it possesses from being
the rendezvous of the Shan-Chinese, who flock here annually for procuring
Serpentine.

The most valuable product of the Mogoung district is the Serpentine; the
mines producing which, we visited from Kamein. The marches are as
follows,

1. _From Kamein to Endawkhioung_.--Direction SSW. Distance 10
miles, course over low hills covered with jungle, with intervening grassy
valleys of small extent; crossed the Isee Een nullah.

2. _Halted on a plain_, on a patch of ground lately under
cultivation. Direction SSW. Distance 14 miles. Course over a similar
tract of country; continued for some time close to the Endawkhioung;
crossed several nullahs.

3. _Halted in the jungle_.--Direction WNW. Distance 17 miles.
Country the same: we changed our course on reaching the path which leads
to Kionkseik, a Singpho village, diverging to the N.; halted within a
short distance of Kuwa Bhoom.

4. _Reached the mines_.--Direction WNW. Distance 10 miles, course