will, perhaps, give an activity to that port which it has hitherto wanted.

The archipelago of Chusan is situated within sight and at a small distance from the coast of Che-kiang of which it is a dependency. It is composed of a group of islands very numerous. Chusan, the largest of these islands, has given its name to the whole of the archipelago.

When the English made Hongkong be conceded to them, they knew not the value of Chusan. They had only found it an insalubrious land, where they had lost many lives by fever and cholera, and where they supposed it was impossible to establish a durable settlement. In their haste to take possession, they chose Hongkong, because of its fine harbour. They would now willingly exchange their barren rock for the position they have just abandoned. Chusan is fifty miles in circumference, and twenty-one in its greatest length. The island is covered with mountains, in the midst of which extend fertile valleys. Rice, cotton, tea, the tallow-tree, some varieties of pulse and fruits are its principal productions. The climate cannot be called salubrious, but by the sanatory precautions that have been taken since its occupation, the mortality in the English garrison has considerably diminished.

Tinghai is the capital of the island. The barracks, the hospital, and the different English establishments, are situated on the space between the walls and the shore. As all these buildings, according to the terms of the treaty, are to be delivered to the Chinese, in the same state they are at the time of evacuation, they are only sheds. Some Chinese shops are established around the camp.

Tinghai owes a peculiarity in its appearance to the presence of the English. It is a city in some sort anomalous. It has not become English, but it is no longer Chinese. A part of the ancient inhabitants have withdrawn to Ningpo. One is quite astonished to see the houses and the streets peopled by red dresses and by policemen; the pagodas transformed into guard-houses, and the idols dressed with sword-belts, the sabres, and muskets of our soldiers. Nevertheless, the English administration ought to benefit the Chinese population of Chusan, no exactions, no imposts; besides a garrison of 800 men, a station of shipsof-war, a continual movement of trading-vessels which come to victual, the residence of several European merchants, and consequently, a considerable expenditure of money, a good part of which remains in the hands of the Chinese.

Finally, there are sold in Tinghai, European merchandize, and large cargoes of opium, which the native boats land secretly along the whole

coast.

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This focus for smuggling would be of the highest importance to the English. Established on an island, far from the superintendence of the Chinese mandarins, within reach of the Yang-tsze-keang, and of the Yellow River, which by their different branches, and a multitude of canals, communicate with the most remote regions of the Empire, it might concentrate, under a firm administration, the operations of foreign commerce, and inundate the Celestial Empire with the contents of its magazines.

Let any difficulty arise; let China studying the treaties, attempt some day to shackle the European commerce, and to reconquer her solitude; two steamers leaving the port of Tinghai, would be sufficient to blockade the two rivers and to convert her home into a prison. In every relation, commercial, political, and military, there exists not in the whole Empire a position which presents the advantages of Chusan.

Towards the end of 1845, the garrison of this island was preparing for the evacuation which ought to have taken place in February, 1846. The last mail from China informs us, that the English troops had withdrawn on the 25th of August, and that the forts had been restored to the Chinese. The Chinese debt having been paid off in full, restitution of the pledge became due. The English may have hesitated to relinquish Chusan, but they felt it necessary to honour the signature of their sovereign.

REMARKS ON THE TENASSERIM PROVINCES.

By Commander J. E. Bingham.

THE Tenasserim Provinces extend from about 17° 40′ to 124° N., they possess a healthy climate, agreeing well with the European constitution, as shewn by the returns of deaths in the Royal regiments formerly stationed on the coast.

The thermometer ranges in the shade, during the hot months, from 75° to 98° in December, January, and part of February; however, it will, at dawn be down to 54°, rising to 75° and upwards by 2 P.M., but never exceeding 85°, while in the south-west monsoon it will average 76°.

For days, at this season, the sun remains obscured and the rains are very heavy, commencing with moderate showers in May, and terminating in the early part of October with heavy squalls of thunder and lightning during these months inclusive.

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At Maulmain the maximum fall of rain has been 224 inches, the minimum 113% inches, the average of six years gives 180 inches per

year.

At Tavoy, the fall in the same months reach the maximum of 240,00 inches, and the minimum 175 inches, the six yearly average being 216 inches. With such an immense fall of water, it is not surprising that the climate of these provinces, more especially during this season, possess an extreme humidity; a fact of which we soon became aware, from the destruction by damp and mildew of clothes, books, &c., indeed every thing that was perishable, and that was not either soldered down or constantly aired by fires. These provinces, if fully developed, contain vast resources. A very small population with but little capital, are the principal sources of this want of development.

The present Commissioner, J. R. Colvin, Esq., is turning his attention to draw out some of these vast riches, and, as a primary step has proposed to the Bengal Government, to allow the permanent purchase of land, instead of the present loose tenure under which it is at present held by its occupiers; by these means he hopes to induce capitalists to settle here, as they now do at Penang and Province Wellesley.

These provinces are intersected by rivers and streams in every direction, which with the construction of a few roads, would give an easy means of transporting the produce to the coast.

The Amherst province produces the teak, vast forests of which abound in certain localities; but the teak is not indigenous to the southward of 16° N., and this tree also shuns the immediate neighbourhood of the coast. At Maulmain the timber trade has swallowed up all others, and the indiscriminate cutting in the forest, has caused much wanton destruction, but which, by the regulations now introduced, is partially stopped. The teak brought to the Maulmain market is probably equal to any for ship-building in India, like the teak of other parts it is subject to holes and flaws, which cannot be discerned until the logs are cut into. Its good qualities are many, its specific gravity being as 43 to 45, and its flexibility as 900 to 850, as compared with Malabar teak, while the small quantity of perilignous acid it contains, renders it valuable for iron fastnings.

There are but two species of teak brought to the market in any quantity, though there are several other kinds occasionally brought down, and many which the Burmese name, pretending to be able to distinguish them and the forest in which they grow; but, which they totally failed in doing upon trial, these two kinds are the Kyoon Paroom and Kyoon Kyouk, Rock Teak; the first is a light coloured wood, open in its grain and rather spongy, abounds in all the forests, and floats very shortly after being cut down, it attains a great height and girth, and comes to maturity in about eighty years.

The second, on the contrary, is hard, close grained, and floated with difficulty, after having been killed three years. It is of slow growth and seldom attains the height and girth of the "Paroom," which may be accounted for by its being found in a cold, poor, clayey soil; this, with some other description, grows to the age of 150 and 200 years.

The other kinds may be enumerated, as the Kyoon Nway, Noo, Proo, Boh, and Black Teak.

The first is scarce; the second, from its knotty appearance and wavy grain, is designated Noo (Leprous), it is used for furniture; the third, from its bark, leaf, and wood being white, takes the cognomen of Proo (White); while the fourth, only used in house-building, rejoices in that of Boo (Bastard).

The Black Teak I should much doubt being a separate kind, it is rarely found; I have seen but one log of it during the four months I was at Maulmain; the peculiarity of colour is probably produced by the tree growing where iron ore strongly predominates in the soil

At Maulmain the teak is distinguished by the name of the forest it

comes from, the rivers on the banks of which it grows, or the foreign states from which it is imported, viz., the Attaran Shaingbooe, Houndro, Thougyean, while the imported are the Shan, Mywonghee, and Karanee; but as timber, they may all be classed under the previous names, as the different kinds will be found in all the forest.

The system followed of seasoning the teak, must tend to the deterioration of the wood; the tree is ringed about six feet from the ground and thus left to die, being felled at the expiration of the third year. The reason given for this is, that the wood will not float when green, and if felled and left in the forest to season, would be destroyed by the periodical fires, or buried by the rank vegetation of the jungle; this might be easily remedied by conveying the fallen trees to one spot for the purpose of seasoning.

Another great evil that exists in regard of these forests, is allowing them to be worked indiscriminately, that is, by any one that applies for permission, without knowing if he has the means of doing it properly, whereby a great quantity of splendid timber is destroyed.

The forester, probably not possessing more than one elephant, is obliged to cut his large timber into "Logars," lengths of and under twenty feet, to be able to draw them to the river. Trees of eighty and ninety feet in length, and ten feet and upwards in girth, are thus sacrificed.

From the Thougyean forest the timber is guided down to the rapids, and then left to find its way to a boom or rope across the river, where the owners congregate to select their logs, when they are formed into rafts of 120 each, aud brought down the Sallween.

In the Shan country the foresters make a present to the Chief Shan of the district, and receive permission to fell timber, paying three rupees for all trees taken away.

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Capt. Charles Rowlandson, of the Madras Army, Commissary Officer at Maulmain, and agent for the purchase of Government timber, is an officer of high talent, and well acquainted with all questions regarding the Teak trade; to him I am indebted for many of these remarks. 1847, he had twelve thousand tons of timber in store for the Crown, which was under conversion, and turning out about twenty per cent. better than the merchant houses concerned in the timber trade consider teak timber generally did.

Large forests of pine are found to the eastward of the Thougyean river. It is a heavy red wood, having much the appearance of Riga pine; it is highly saturated with resinous matter, I should think, from the specimens I have seen, that quantities of tar might be extracted from it. The natives make a kind of pitch, which, I apprehend, it becomes by the clumsy method used amongst them of allowing the volatile parts to fly off; to me it appeared of two great a specific gravity to be applicable to spars.

Specimens have been tried at Calcutta against Riga pine, when it evinced great strength, bearing one-third more weight before they broke, than Riga pine of the same dimensions did.

The Commissioner of these provinces has promised to procure some spars from the forest, should he do so, I shall try them in the Acorn.

Large pine forests also exist in the Shan country, but without watercarriage; terms, however, could be made with the Shans, to admit of the felling and making tar of the trees.

Among the vast variety of trees that abound in these forests and jungles, the most useful are the following, viz.:

Bastard Elm.-Free, of great tenacity, and of large and straight growth.

Pee-mah.-(Possessing pliability, strength, and durability)—is used by the natives, and through Ava, for paddles and oars.

Blackwood. Is heavy, but almost imperishable, admirably adapted for mechanical purposes where weight is not considered.

Bastard Rosewood.-Possesses all the above good qualities, with less specific gravity, when full grown and well seasoned, it is impervious to the sun, wind, and rain, well calculated to resist friction, and is, therefore, most useful in machinery. Capt. Marshall, of B. N. I., observes, "The posts of the old Palace of Pegu, built by one of the Talien race of kings, are of this timber. On examination, in 1826, I found them to be perfectly sound, a certain proof of durability."

Iron ore exists in many parts of these provinces, some specimens that were submitted to Dr. Ure, from Tavoy, were pronounced by him compact iron ore, yielding per oxide of iron 86, equivalent to 60 metal. Dr. Morton, late Civil Surgeon of Tavoy, in his report of these provinces, observes, "I have, however, in my possession, a specimen of a still more valuable ore, situated at the southern extremity of the province, which is a pure per oxide of the species denominated specular oxide of iron. Iron pyrites, red and yellow ochre, also occur in several parts of the province. The other mineral productions are manganese tin, and a little gold, found chiefly in the head water of the rivers."

At Mergui vast fields of good coal are found, though at present but little worked, it is well adapted to the use of steamers, giving a clear copious flame. It is true that it has been objected to as subject to spontaneous combustion, but is this borne out by facts? I think not. At Mergui stacks of it are exposed to the weather, but I am not aware of it having ever ignited, though the English coal stored at Maulmain for the steamers did so in 1847 from a want of protection from the rain.

It is bad for cokeing, from the great quantity of volatile matter it contains making it unprofitable; but, I apprehend, the same cause will make it available for gas, of which it contains a large quantity. It is thus spoken of by Doctor Helfer, "Its quality is one of the best known, following the division of Dr. Jameson belongs to the species 'Black coal,' subspecies of canal coal,' massive, resinous lustre, fracture conchoidal, brittle, specific gravity from 1.24, to 1.28, it burns freely with a reddish flame, it evolves a great quantity of gas, and is completely clear from sulphur and iron pyrites, it can be reckoned equal to the best English