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With Yünnan the trade routes follow four rivers: the Irrawady, the Upper Yang-tse, the West River and its affluents, and the Song-koi.*
The trade by the Irrawady only affects the extreme west of Yunnan, and is partly 443 carried by the Nan-ta-ping River, General Mesny considers that the present trade would justify the making of good roads between Bhamo and Momein (Têng-yüeh), but that it would not pay to carry these roads on to Ta-li Fu, as between Ta-li Fu and Momein there are six difficult ranges of mountains to cross.
The trade by the Upper Yang-tse affects the north of Yünnan, including the Prefecture of Chautung, which General Mesny states is the most populous and richest part of Yunnan, but a few of our goods find their way by that route, even as far south as Yünnan Fu.
It is worthy of remark that goods should take this long route involving tran- shipment at Shanghae, Hankow, and Ichang, and then go through the formidable rapids below and above Ch'ung King. It is still more worthy of remark, that the greater portion of the trade between Yünnan and the Upper Yang-tse goes by the route followed by M. Rocher in 1871. That is, the commodities are again transhipped at Na-chi Hsien, go up the Yung-ning River to Yung-ning Hsien, whence they are conveyed by mule back through a corner of Kwei-chow to the various markets in Yunnan.
The cost of conveyance from Yung-ning Hsien to Yunnan Fu is 7 taels per customary picul of 120 catties. The lesser portion of the trade only finds its way by the easier route of Hsü-chow. (The route followed by Messrs. Lagrée and Garnier in 1867-68.) General Mesny informs me that the preference for the Yung-ning route is due to the heavy imports levied at Ta Kwan.
The trade by the West River would, if things depended entirely on geographical o ? considerations, affect only the last of Yunnan.
There are two branches of the West River flowing together at Ling-an Hsien by which communication can be had with Yünnan. The northern branch is the Hung-shui River, the southern is the Ngo-yu. General Mesny, who has travelled on both, informs me that though the Hung-shui River has the disadvantage of some formidable rapids, there was formerly a great local traffic on it; that this traffic has at present nearly ceased, he considers due rather to the depopulations caused by disorders than to the difficulties of navigation, and he believes that now order has been restored the traffic will revive.
On the Ngo-yü River there is a very large traffic. It is navigable by large boats to Pai-hsieh Ting, and thence by small boats or canoes carrying 1 ton or so to Si-lin. General Mesny tells me he was informed by the Chinese merchants at Pai-hsieh Ting that the import trade to that mart last year amounted in value to 2,000,000 taels, one- half of which was forwarded to various markets in Yünnan, the other half was consumed locally and in Kwei-chou. Pai-hsich Ting is only two or three days' journey from the town of Kwang-nau and is still nearer the town of Kwei-chou in Yünnan. According to M. Dupuis, Pai-hsieh Ting is nineteen; according to General Mesny, twenty-two days from Yunnan Fu. The cost of transporting merchandize from Pai-hsieh Ting to Yünnan Fu is about 6 taels the customary picul of 120 catties.
The main branch of the Song-koi River would be the natural outlet of the trade of south and central Yünnan. On the other hand, I do not think its eastern affluents, the Chin-ho and Nan-si Ho, can be thus utilized. The Ching-ho, or Blue River, has its source in the hills above Kai-hwa, and flows into the Song-koi River just above Sontay. General Mesny informs me that only a very small portion of the Ching-ho is navigable, but Kai-hwa itself is a very poor place, and the little trade it does is done entirely with Pai-hsien Ting on the West River by way of Kwang-nau,
The Song-
The Nan-si Ho flows into the Song-koi by Lao-kai, and is not navigable. koi River, on the other hand, in spite of a few not formidable rapids above Lao-kai, is navigable except in very dry seasons in December and January by large boats as far as Mong-hwa (or Man-hao, Mong-ko, Man-hai, &c., as it is variously spelt).
Mong-hwa is the point of juncture of the Ho-ti and Li-seen Rivers. The Ho-ti River is, by landing cargo at rapids, navigable by skiff or canoes to Pakang, where there is a custom-house. This custom-house is about 30 miles south-west of Liu-ngan, and about 40 miles south-east of Yüan-chiang Chou. The Li-seen River passes through Pu-urh, the most southerly district of Yunnan, which produces the celebrated Pu-urh tea mentioned in my Ichang trade Report for 1883. The Li-seen River is only navigable by skiffs and canoes, and I have not ascertained how far it is navigable by them.
* I do not mention the Yuan river flowing into the Tung-ting Lake, though it was the route taken by
Mr. Margary, because the long land journey across Kwei-chou bars carriage of commodities.
The very valuable Map of M. Garnier attached to "Voyage d'Exploration en Indo-Chine" (Paris 1873) does not give the course of these two streams quite accurately. They are given accurately in M. Dupuis' “ La Conquête de Tonquin, par Vingt-sept Français, 1890.”
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