—
—
BASSEIN DISTRICT.
198
small embankments were formerly raised by the inhabitants, but these were too slight and too much localized to be of any permanent benefit. Since 1865, large embankments have been, and still are being, made by the State along the banks of the Irawadi, and one along the left bank of the Bassein from its northern mouth is complete beyond Ngathaing-
Chaung. Manufactures.,
etc.
— The
principal manufactures of the District are
—
and pottery the first two mainly on the seacoast in the Ngaputaw and Myaung-mya townships, and the last in the Several saline plains Bassein, Myaung-mya, and Yegyi townships. occur within a distance of 8 or 10 miles from the sea-coast, and in the alluvial delta; and wherever these are in the vicinity of creeks, The pots salt is prepared by means of solar evaporation and boiling. in which it is boiled contain about 4J gallons of brine each, and at salt,
ngap'i or salt-fish,
every evaporation yield about carried
on
for
during the season preparation of
is
^250
made,
1350
lbs.
and
salt fish
for a boiling place of salt
7
lbs.
of
salt.
The
salt
manufacture
is
about four months, and the average produce of one pot
200 pots
—net
The salt is sold on the spot for the The expenditure during a season is about ^188, and the value of the
ngapi.
Several
profit,
manufactured, of which daj?ieng
is
kinds of
the most important.
the sea-coast, and consists of a mixture of
all
kinds of
tigapi
It is
fish
are
made on
and prawns,
which, as they are caught in the traps, are thrown en masse on to a raised platform
made
for the water to drain
of bamboo, and off.
By
left
there for about eight hours
time decomposition has generally
this
the whole mass is then thickly sprinkled with salt, and crushed About and mixed together by hand, when it is ready for market. 4700 lbs. of salt are required for 100 baskets of ngapi. Large pots and other kinds of heavy glazed pottery are made at Thit-nyogun, near Bassein town. In a single season i.e. from January to April two men can turn out 1000 pots of sizes, generally sold to traders on the
set in
—
spot at prices varying from
Commerce
.
since
more
the
^12
to
^t3.
—The trade of Bassein
British
District has
occupation, as the
detail in the article
following
enormously increased figures (repeated in
—Total —
on Bassein Town) show
value of
exports from Bassein harbour in 1855-56, ^^52,54$ ; imports, ;^24,3oo tonnage of vessels cleared, 2847 tons. In 1865-66 value of exports, imports, ^32,876; tonnage, 42,163. In 1876-77 value In of exports, ^^503,468 ; imports, ;^44,764 ; tonnage, 81,297 tons. 1880-81, the exports amounted to ^1,010,574, and the imports to
^289,965;
1,635,
value, exclusive of treasure.
Communication
is
carried
on
almost entirely by water, and the country requires few roads. In the dry season cart tracks lead from village to village, and during the rains a boat can pass almost everywhere.
Total length of inland water com-
