Major Sladen Saw A Small Quantity Of Nuggets In The Possession Of A
Kakhyen Who Had Brought Them From A Hill Two Days North Of Bhamo.
(MS.
Notes by Major Sladen.)
NOTE 2. - I confess that the indications in this and the beginning of the
following chapter are, to me, full of difficulty. According to the general
style of Polo's itinerary, the 2-1/2 days should be reckoned from
Yung-ch'ang; the distance therefore to the capital city of Mien would be
17-1/2 days. The real capital of Mien or Burma at this time was, however,
Pagan, in lat. 21 deg. 13', and that city could hardly have been reached by
a land traveller in any such time. We shall see that something may be said
in behalf of the supposition that the point reached was Tagaung or Old
Pagan, on the upper Irawadi, in lat. 23 deg. 28'; and there was perhaps
some confusion in the traveller's mind between this and the great city.
The descent might then be from Yung-ch'ang to the valley of the Shweli,
and that valley then followed to the Irawadi. Taking as a scale Polo's 5
marches from Tali to Yung-ch'ang, I find we should by this route make just
about 17 marches from Yung-ch'ang to Tagaung. We have no detailed knowledge
of the route, but there is a road that way, and by no other does the plain
country approach so near to Yung-ch'ang. (See Anderson's Report on
Expedition to Western Yunnan, p. 160.)
Dr. Anderson's remarks on the present question do not in my opinion remove
the difficulties.
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