ASSAM, BURMA, AND CEYLON 183

sides of the river, and, for a part of its lower course, it
serves as the boundary between Lower Burma and Siam.
It is a broad rushing river, carrying more water than the
Irawadi at certain seasons, but it possesses a rockv bed
and many abrupt sinuosities.
The Shan states have been graphically described in
recent years by many travellers. The states under British
protection form the easternmost portion of our Burmese
possessions, presenting a broad base towards the Irawadi,
and narrowing considerably towards the east. To the
north and east of them is the Chinese province of Yunnan,
with Chinese Shan districts immediately on their borders.
To the south are the Karen Hills and Siam.
“ These states,” says General Woodthorpe, “ present a
remarkable variety of natural features. The country to
the west of the Salwin is a series of elevated plateaux—
great rolling grassy downs separated by deep valleys and
intersected by lofty parallel ranges, the general direction
of which is north and south. These ranges, in contrast
to the yellow downs, are beautifully wooded, and attain
to great heights, some of the peaks rising to nearly gooo
feet above sea-level, the general elevation of the plateau
being from 3000 to 5000 feet. Along the valleys flow
swift rivers, now through dark and narrow gorges, pent
between mighty cliffs, now through alluvial hollows, with
terraced rice fields, among which they wind with many a
curve. To the east of the Salwin the country is much
broken up ; no clearly defined range of mountains presents
 itself, but the eye wanders over a confused sea of
forest-clad hills and narrow valleys, relieved here and
there by small oases, till Keng Tung plain is reached,
beyond which the mountains rise again, range upon
range, in tangled masses to the Mekong. Across the
Mekong we have similar features, flat fertile valleys, or
terraced uplands, lying amid intricate mazes of hills, the
drainage system of which is the despair of the surveyor.”
In the northern Shan states the main drainage is into the
Irawadi, but in the south several fair-sized streams join
the Salwin.