of its neighbourhood to the Burmese fortress at Martaban,
and the power it gave the British garrison of defending
the left bank of the Salwin from aggression. But
military reasons have long: since ceased to have any
weight in the councils
of Moulmein;
the British frontier
has advanced seven
hundred miles since
it was founded, from
Martaban to the
gates of China, and
the last soldier has
been w i t hdr awn
from its garrison.
The town is built
at the foot of a ridge
of hills, in an arm
of the Salwin river.
The large island of
Bilu-Gyun faces it
on the west. At its
WORSHIPPERS AT TH E PAGODA northern d i d th e
Gyaing and the"
Attaran meet the Salwin, and by their presence add to
the great beauty of its environment. The actual town of
houses strung along its main switchback street, and for
several miles along the shore, is scarcely delectable. It
is an amalgam of foreign races, many of whom are devoid
of the charm of the natural people of the soil. Not till
