PREFACE

I would wish it to be understood that the narrative of my journey was written on the ground^ — the plan adopted being to write up the narrative every three or four days from my diary. Whatever may be wanting in literary finish is, I hope, compensated for by the freshness and realism of the descriptions. I need hardly remind the reader of the extra labour which this involved, and of the difficulties under which it had to be accomplished.

In the narrative I have told a story of our second interpreter’s ignorance regarding the illustrious traveller Marco Polo. The interpreter was entertaining a levee of village society in the south of Yunnan, when, in reply to a yokel who said that a European had been seen by him in Lin-an some ten years or so .before, he replied with an air of great wisdom, “Ah, yes! That must have been Marco Polo.” I little dreamt that such a blunder as post-dating the Venetian’s travels six hundred years could ever have a parallel in Europe! I was mistaken. Since my return, dining at a club with several friends one evening, someone happened to mention the fascinating volumes of Ser Marco, when a gentleman at table remarked, 44 Yes, you mean the man who crossed Africa two years ago ! ”

A similarly ill-informed friend has asked me where Chryse is. I need hardly tell the reader that IndoChina is a very modern name, and that Chryse represented to the ancients their vague notions of Indo-China. I am fortunate enough to be able to give the following account of Chryse from the pen of Colonel Henry Yule, the greatest authority on the subject.

44 Chryse is a literal version of the Sanskrit Suvarna-bhumi, or Golden Land, applied in ancient India to the Indo-Chinese regions. Of course, where there is no accurate knowledge, the application of terms must be vague.

44 It would be difficult to define where Ptolemy’s Chryse (Chryse Chora aut Chryse Chersonnesus) terminated eastward, though he appears to give the names a special application to what we • call Burma and Pegu. But Ptolemy, from the nature of his work, which consisted in drawing such maps as he could, and then tabulating the positions from those maps, as if he possessed most accurate data for all, necessarily defined things far beyond what his real materials justified. If we look to the author of the 4 Periplus,’ who has no call to affect impossible precision, we find that Chryse is 4 the last continental region towards the East.’ North of it indeed, and farther off, is Thina, i.e. China.

44 Chryse then, in the vague apprehension of the ancients, — the only appropriate apprehension, where knowledge was so indefinite,—was the region coasted between India and China. It. is most correctly rendered by ‘ Indo China.’ ”

Our survey operations have been seldom alluded to in the narrative. I may mention, however, that they were continued throughout our journey from Wu-chau (near Canton) to Tali-fu (in W. Yunnan). The plotting of the Canton river was finished during our journey, but, owing to the want of leisure since my return home, I have as yet been unable to find time for laying down the remainder. When completed, the survey will be submitted to Government and to the Royal Geographical Society.

The question of trade extension with the north of Siam, the Shan country and south-west China, will be found fully discussed in Chapters XVII. and XVIII. of the second volume. The attention of the western world is being more and more earnestly directed to this region of Indo-China. Whatever the criticism may be upon the views on this subject now put forward in these pages, the problem is one that must receive our most careful attention and to which strenuous efforts must be directed, if we are to hold our place in the international commercial contest.

The main object of my journey was to ascertain the commercial and physical aspect of south-west China and of the Shan country. Foiled in my attempt to leave China at Ssu-mao, I determined to execute a reconnaissance from British Burmah through the Shan states to the Chinese frontier. On passing through Simla I found that great interest was taken in the subject, and that the importance of the proposed exploration and survey was fully recognized by the Government of India. Since my arrival at home the commercial body has not only acknowledged the importance of opening up Indo-China to British commerce, in the manner proposed by me, but steps are already being taken by the leading Chambers of Commerce to aid me with funds towards the execution of my project.

In 1879 I was attached to the Government of India Mission to Siam and the Shan State of Zimme. The information gained while there will be found in my book ‘ Amongst the Shans,’ now in course of publication.

If the narrative of this exploration, after leaving the Canton river, contains comparatively little mention of Charles Wahab, who died on his way home, it is because, early on the highland part of the journey, he was struck by the disease, to which he finally succumbed, and because he was so intimately associated with me in the work, that he became identified with myself. I would wish here to testify to the pluck and patient courage which he exhibited on the journey, when suffering from the most cruel sickness. Privations, trials and anxieties were all met by him in the same spirit which prompted him-to volunteer for the duty of assistant on the expe-. dition. In his case the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak. His power of endurance was strong indeed, but had to surrender to bodily disease. Whatever credit may be due to the successful execution of the journey, and whatever its results may be, I would wish his name to be identified with my own,—as he himself was identified in my labours,—and I trust that these pages may serve to preserve a trace of a kindly, genial, and most unselfish nature.

In conclusion, my thanks are due to Mr. J. D. Cooper, who has prepared the greater number of the drawings, and who has engraved all—and to Mr. C. E. Fripp, the artist, whose initials are found on many of the drawings, for the great interest which they have taken in the work. Finally, I am indebted to Mr. Robert Murray (of Messrs. Murray and Heath),— whose photographic apparatus I used so successfully— for the care with which he has developed the large collection of dry plates.

A. R. C.
London, 2nd April, 1883.

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