material to- the navigs&ft®£of India.' Top-gallant masts' and- yards made
e f teak are thought tO; tet-P'o hett^y. European andkAtaeriican' spars are
often bought-for-these purposes'at a very ~exorbkant'pri;ce,- an modules
nience: which the fir-ofAya,” if-conveyed to the market,*i”tlouMBipkjh'aBly
obviate.-
The kingdom of Ava abounds in minerals; six days journey from
Bamoo, near the frontiers of China-, there are mines of gold and silver,
called Badouem: there are also mines of gold, silver, rabies, and sapphires
at present open on a mountain near the Keenduem, called Wooboloo-taun;
but the most valuable,-and those which produce the finest jewels, are in
the vicinity of the- capital, nearly opposite to Keoum-meoum. Precious
stones are found in several other parts of the empire. The inferior minerals,
such as contain iron, tin1, lead, antimony, arsenic, sulphur, See. areirret
with in great abundance ; amber, of a consistence unusually pure and. pellucid,
is dug up in large quantities near the river; gold, likewise, is discovered
in the sandy beds of streams which descend from the mountains.
Between the Keenduem and the Irrawaddy, to the northward, there is a
small river called Shoe-Lien Kioup, or the Stream of Golden Sand.
Diamonds and emeralds are not produced in any part-of the Ava empire,
but it affords amethysts, garnets, very beautiful chrysolites, jasper,
loadstone, and marble ;-the quarries of the latter are only a few miles from
Ummerapoora ; it is equal in quality to the finest marble of Italy, and
admits of a polish that renders it almost transparent. Blocks of any size
that it is possible to transport might be procured, but the sale is prohibited;
nor is it-allowed to be carried away without a special license. • Images of
Gaudma being chiefly composed of this material, it is on that account held
sacred. Birmans may not purchase the marble in'mass, but are suffered and
indeed l^|pumk'e#o^b}i%tft^urqs of tfie deity "ready made. Exportation of
the«>,gb4^|i$i?’' of .theifeingdom is strictly forbidden. The city of Chagain
iS&M'pfihcipah ma n n [aSfdrfi of .these- mar-fft&ivinities.
- An extensivd&d^s.earfi'fed'on'bet ween the capital of-theBirman dominions
and Yaridki^in'Gh'i'na. ThepfpHSpal article of export-front A va is-
Igqrton,'’"of which I was ihfoianed there are Iw^fkdhdslr-one of a brown
IpSlbnr, of which nankeen» are made, the^dS^iwhite^ilikei the ■ cotton of
ify iia; P dfd|iqbt^de! any’c ^ th e formCrf .TBiieeommodity.is transported
•kp'Sfet Irrawaddy iri laig^sb'jnit.# as.fan as Basnoo-;- where it is bartered at
the common jee, or mart, with Chinese mere hants, and conveyed by the
'firtcbi,",? pai tliM* liM LSrttl», and partly»A'^!|#aferf^tq{athfe\C«hinese dominions.
Am ben, iyory^pre©iou^%tones,-.beetle- riut^ and" the edible? nests brought
the-eastern Archipelago, are also articles of figjpispbcdi’? in return,, the
Birmans,.pro cure raw and wrought silks, velvets, gold leaf, preserves,
paper, and some utensils- of hardware;
The commerce betwee®-the?ehpital and the southern parts of the empire
is facilitated by the noble river that waters the country; its principal objects
are the necessaries of life: several thousand boats are annually employed in
transporting rice from the lower provinces to supply Ummerapoora, and
tire northern districts ; salt and.gnapee may likewise be re'ekoned under
the same head. Articles of foreign importation are mostly conveyed up
the Irrawaddy ; a few are introduced by way of Arracan, and carried over
the mountains on the heads of coolies, or labourers; European broadcloth,
a small quantity of hardware, coarse Bengal muslins, Cossembuzar
silk handkerchiefs, China ware, which will not admit of land carriage, and
glass,, are the principal: commodities. Cocoa nuts also, brought from the
Nicobar" Islands, where they are of uncommon excellence, are looked