JOURNAL

OF THE

ASIATIC SOCIETY.

Report on the Island of Chedooba.-BY EDWARD P. HALSTEAD, ESQ. Commander of her Majesty's Sloop' Childers.'

DIVISION. 1. General Appearance, History, and Division,...... Page
2. Population, Revenue, Police,.

3. Soil and Productions, cultivated and natural ; Waste
Lands,.

4. Climate,.

99

[For much of the information under the head of History, Police, Revenue, Manners and Customs, I have been indebted to the kindness, and long residence in the country of Captain D. Williams, Senior Assistant Commissioner at Ramree.]

DIVISION I.

General Appearance, History and Division.

The Island of Chedooba measures 15 miles in length, viz. from 18° 40′ to 18° 55′ 30′′ N. Latitude, and 17 miles in width, viz. from 93° 30′ to 93° 47′ E. Longitude, and shews on the map as a square the S. W. angle of which has been reduced. With its dependency of Flat Island on the South Coast, it covers an area of about 200 square miles. Its general appearance and character is that of a fertile well wooded Island of moderate height, and irregular outline. A band of level plain, but little raised above the sea, extends around its coasts, of far greater width on the East than on the West; within this lies, irregular, low, undulating No. 113. New Series, No. 26.

hills, varying in height from 50 to 500 feet, enclosing several higher detached mounds of steep well wooded sides, the loftiest of which, near the south part of the Island, rises nearly 1,400 feet.

The view from the top of these higher summits, presents, immediately below a scattered irregular mass of hills, confined principally to the western part of the Island, covered with jungle, interspersed with grass plains of more or less extent. To the Eastward a broad flat plain intersected with patches of jungle; and surrounding all, lie the cultivated rice fields with the different villages on their verge nearest the sea, the coast of which to the Westward is every where strewed with broken and detached masses of rock jutting far out.

The History of this Island is involved in all the obscurity which at present surrounds that of the neighbouring Continent. Under the name of Inaon it constituted in the time of the Mug Rajahs, one of four divisions of a province known collectively with the other three, Arracan, Ramree, and Sandoway by the name of Preegree.'

The head authority in each division was then called Jah,' and was nominated every three years, to prevent any attempt at independence of the supreme power by the Rajah of the Province, a matter not difficult in time of oppression, confusion, and general disorder.

On the conquest of the Province by the Burmese in 1784. its divisions were still retained, but their names, as well as that of the collective Province were all changed. The latter took the name of Lemroo,' instead of 'Preegree,' while the name of Chedooba itself was changed from Juaon to Mekawuddee,' and its revenue assigned to the support of the King's eldest sister, condemned to perpetual celibacy, as being unable to obtain a helpmate for her.

The alteration in the names of the Province and its divisions was acompanied by a change in those of the authorities. The provincial Governor was called Lemroowrain' or Governor of four countries, a title still given to our Commissioner, while Juoroowan' took the place of 'Jah,' as designating the head of each division, and is now applied by the inhabitants to the assistant commissioners.

The division of the Districts into Pergunnahs was also left undisturbed by the Burmese, and the head man of each, under the Mug Raj continued to be called Soogree.'

Of these Pergunnahs or circles with their Soogerees, Chedooba is divided into seven, viz: Kamman, Krae-rone, Inrooma, Ineubreng, Kyouktan, Tang-roa, and Ree-yueng, the latter its dependency of Flat Island, on its southern coast.

Of these circles, Kammaa and Tang-roa, which divide the whole western, southern, and part of the northern portions of the Islands, are the most extensive, but least populous, Kyouktan the smallest in extent. The other three the most productive and populous, and Ree-qyueng the best cultivated.

DIVISION II.

Population-Revenue- Police.

The population of Chedooba may perhaps, comparatively with the neighbouring countries, be looked on as large, by the census of 1839-40 amounting to 8,534, and when it is considered that this population is confined to the strip of cultivated land surrounding the Island, at least that portion of the Island will be esteemed to have a fair share of inhabitants. No great increase from census to census is at present observed, but as I was informed that formerly the Island possessed a far denser population, evidence of which was afforded in the amount of land now waste, which had formerly been cultivated. I have no doubt that the effect of its present state of comfort and peace must soon develope itself in a large increase of inhabitants, who I was informed by one party were so numerous before the Burmese invasion that famine was sometimes the consequence of the inability of the Islands to support them, a statement I think not to be entirely depended on. As there is but little influx or efflux of strangers, the census from year to year, if correctly taken, presents the changes occurring among the actual Islanders. But from what I saw, and from a portion of the revenue being derived from a poll tax, I incline to think it is greater than the returns shew.

With exception of a very small community of Burmahs lately estab lished on one of the eastern villages the whole population is Aug. Their account of themselves is that they are descendants of parties who originally used to cross to the Island from the mainland and Ramree to cut wood, and who eventually and slowly settled on it.

For sometime subsequent to the English possession of the country, considerable complication prevailed in the district, and partially in Chedooba owing to the mutual ignorance of the governors and governed.

The mistaken Revenue system introduced in 1827 and 1828, have been replaced by an equitable and judicions taxation: its present result is content, happiness,and peace, its future in all probability an increase in all these, in addition to opulence and prosperity. The revenue is raised from

There are no

the produce of the land, and from a light poll tax. difficulties found in its collection, nor oppression resorted to; about 25 per cent. is absorbed by the payment of the collectors, the ordinary native authorities. The Soogree of each circle receives 20 per cent. on his collection, the Ruagon or head villager, 4 per cent., and the Ruacharee or Village clerk, assistant to the Ruagon, 1 per cent. These are also exempted from all taxes.

Besides the above, there are two or more officers in each village called Leedo-gongs, or heads of men, whose negative payment consists in exemption from taxation.

There is a native Police taken from among the people. Their duty consists in maintaining peace and quiet among the villagers, for which purpose some shady tree or bamboo clump is selected in the centre of each village, supplied with a bench and sort of small hut, where day and night, the Leedo-gong sleeps his watch. In fact in Chedooba his office is a sinecure, theft or plunder are not known, the men are too good humoured to quarrel, and I was told that the only call ever made on him, was one only occasionally to settle the few little amiable differences sometimes occurring among the ladies of his jurisdiction.

At the Town of Chedooba there is a small Sepoy Police, their business is to keep up communication with Ramree the provincial capital, and act as letter-men in the conveyance of orders, from the assistant commissioner there, to the different Soogrees.

I subjoin the official Statistics of Chedooba, for 1839-40 or Mug era 1202.

DIVISION III.

Soil and Productions, cultivated and natural,-Waste Lands.

Soil and Produce of Cultivated Lands.—The general character of the soil of Cheedooba, is that of a light greyish coloured clay, mixed more or less with vegetable mould and on the low eastern parts of the Island, this admixture again modified with a large proportion of fine sand.

The cultivated lands do not generally extend quite to the present beach of the Island; between them and it there exists, throughout its circumference a slip of land varying from 3 or 4 miles on the eastern parts of the Island, to sometimes less than a furlong on the western, which about 90 years since was upraised from the sea during our earthquakes.

This new land is not yet in general cultivation. On the east-north, and north-west it is so in part; on the west it is so thickly strewn over with stones as to make it probable it never will be. Throughout the circumference of the Island, the old beach line which is distinctly trace. able, forms the interior limits of the upraised lands. On the eastern parts of the Island, where the soil is sandy, a difference between the older and newer is scarce traceable. But on the western and northern, the purer quality of the clay in the new lands distinctly marks off their soil from that of the older.

Throughout the soils of Chedooba is a large admixture of stones, with exception of those of the sandy plains eastward. They are generally small angular fragments of a soft greenish sand stone, and present no obstacle to cultivation, (except where large and numerous, as noticed above) the effects of exposure to climate evidently breaking them down into rapid composition with the soil

Large quantities of Coral and Juadreepore are distributed over all the upraised lands. The clayey nature of the soils makes them very tenacious of the rains, for which reason they are well adapted for the construction of tanks, either for irrigation or for the supply of the inhabitants. No water for the former purpose is at present required, for the latter, sufficient is found during the dry season, in the holes of the aullahs, and other natural reservoirs, and in the few springs which exist on the Island. The clay base of the Chedooba soils contributes much to endue them with a great permanence of productions.

They are not manured for cultivation though under yearly tillage, nor is a change of produce, as a relief to the soil, any part of the system of agri culture pursued, nor is the plan of exhausting the soil, and then allowing