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Dr. D. Brandis
Known as the father of Indian forestry.
He served for many years in Burma, travelled much over the country and was greatly trusted by
Sir Arthur Phayre. He re-visited the province repeatedly while he was Inspector-General of Forests in India.
The following is his letter dated Bonn, 7th January 1886 regarding the Upper Burma Forests.
He served for many years in Burma, travelled much over the country and was greatly trusted by
Sir Arthur Phayre. He re-visited the province repeatedly while he was Inspector-General of Forests in India.
The following is his letter dated Bonn, 7th January 1886 regarding the Upper Burma Forests.
“Permit me to offer my hearty congratulations upon the annexation of Upper Burma. The wording of the proclamation and Lord Dufferin’s speech remind me of the days of Lord Dalhousie. It is the commencement of a difficult task, but not more difficult, I should say, than was the pacification of Pegu. This took Phayre two years and if you are properly supported, which no doubt you will be, the 1st January 1888 ought to see Upper Burma quiet and orderly.
I have received from your Secretary at Rangoon two more books regarding the Salween and have written to him to thank him for them.
The great question which probably occupies you at the present time is what to do with the Shan Chiefs. There is real strength and nobility I believe among some of them and of those who are friendly you will perhaps make feudatories like the Indian princes. As far as I was able to learn during my Burma career, the teak forests in their States were claimed by the King in most cases, not however in Karenni, where the Chiefs had then in their hands entirely.
I would not, where the King had claimed them, rashly abandon the forests to them; it is better to keep something in your hands in order to reward good service at a later date.
The building of roads and later on of railways you will of course impose as an essential condition in all the agreements which you may conclude with those Chiefs, and you will probably stipulate that these roads shall be constructed by your engineers at their expense, they furnishing the materials and the labour. If this succeeds, you will probably have Residents with an escort each at Theinni Mone, and other places.
A large portion of the country, however, will become British territory, and I have no doubt that Sladen and others will advise your following the example set by Phayre and make a large number of small districts at the outset some of which can subsequently be amalgamated.
For the Irrawaddy valley the organisation is simplified by that river giving you the best base of operations possible. For the country at the head of the Sittang valley, Toungoo will remain the base of operations, until the railway is continued further north and a new station is established in Nyingyan or Yemethen. The extension of the Toungoo Railway you will probably take in hand at once. And I am inclined to think that you will place a Commissioner at Toungoo and give him the country to the north of it and the hills to the east across the Salween. The Commissioner of Moulmein has enough on his hands without Toungoo and he ought to have a Deputy Commissioner at Kyaikto, or Bilin I should say.
Now that you will be master in Karenni, you will doubtless construct a bridle-path from Toungoo to the Salween river. For more than half the way the Karens are friendly and possibly Christian Karens, who implored us in May 1859 to induce Government to take them under their protection, are still on the hills overhanging the Kemapyu Chaung near the Salween river.
A bridle-path with rest houses and a strong post near the last friendly Karen villages, with branch roads to Lumati and Kawludo, is a necessary base of operations on the north of Karenni.
A road from Bhamo via Mogaung to Makun in Assam by the headwaters of the Chindwin river will eventually be a necessity. For Assam you have now gained the enormous advantage that you are master in the valleys which surround the Naga hills on all sides and this fact will soon help you to reduce the Nagas to order.
Two years hence the forest question will engage your attention and I wish I could under your orders put forest business in Upper Burma upon a simple footing not irksome to the people. You will probably at once send out officers to examine the teak forests and those of the India-rubber tree and to select areas suitable to be reserved.
The present contractors like the Bombay Burma Company will of course be dealt with liberally; but you will not I presume grant them permanent rights over the forests.
On the 28th ultimo appeared in the Times a letter which I wrote on Phayre’s death. I hope you have seen it. He was a much greater man than people generally thought.”
I have received from your Secretary at Rangoon two more books regarding the Salween and have written to him to thank him for them.
The great question which probably occupies you at the present time is what to do with the Shan Chiefs. There is real strength and nobility I believe among some of them and of those who are friendly you will perhaps make feudatories like the Indian princes. As far as I was able to learn during my Burma career, the teak forests in their States were claimed by the King in most cases, not however in Karenni, where the Chiefs had then in their hands entirely.
I would not, where the King had claimed them, rashly abandon the forests to them; it is better to keep something in your hands in order to reward good service at a later date.
The building of roads and later on of railways you will of course impose as an essential condition in all the agreements which you may conclude with those Chiefs, and you will probably stipulate that these roads shall be constructed by your engineers at their expense, they furnishing the materials and the labour. If this succeeds, you will probably have Residents with an escort each at Theinni Mone, and other places.
A large portion of the country, however, will become British territory, and I have no doubt that Sladen and others will advise your following the example set by Phayre and make a large number of small districts at the outset some of which can subsequently be amalgamated.
For the Irrawaddy valley the organisation is simplified by that river giving you the best base of operations possible. For the country at the head of the Sittang valley, Toungoo will remain the base of operations, until the railway is continued further north and a new station is established in Nyingyan or Yemethen. The extension of the Toungoo Railway you will probably take in hand at once. And I am inclined to think that you will place a Commissioner at Toungoo and give him the country to the north of it and the hills to the east across the Salween. The Commissioner of Moulmein has enough on his hands without Toungoo and he ought to have a Deputy Commissioner at Kyaikto, or Bilin I should say.
Now that you will be master in Karenni, you will doubtless construct a bridle-path from Toungoo to the Salween river. For more than half the way the Karens are friendly and possibly Christian Karens, who implored us in May 1859 to induce Government to take them under their protection, are still on the hills overhanging the Kemapyu Chaung near the Salween river.
A bridle-path with rest houses and a strong post near the last friendly Karen villages, with branch roads to Lumati and Kawludo, is a necessary base of operations on the north of Karenni.
A road from Bhamo via Mogaung to Makun in Assam by the headwaters of the Chindwin river will eventually be a necessity. For Assam you have now gained the enormous advantage that you are master in the valleys which surround the Naga hills on all sides and this fact will soon help you to reduce the Nagas to order.
Two years hence the forest question will engage your attention and I wish I could under your orders put forest business in Upper Burma upon a simple footing not irksome to the people. You will probably at once send out officers to examine the teak forests and those of the India-rubber tree and to select areas suitable to be reserved.
The present contractors like the Bombay Burma Company will of course be dealt with liberally; but you will not I presume grant them permanent rights over the forests.
On the 28th ultimo appeared in the Times a letter which I wrote on Phayre’s death. I hope you have seen it. He was a much greater man than people generally thought.”