Page:1902 Encyclopædia Britannica - Volume 27 - CHI-ELD.pdf/71

 CHINDWIN— CHINKIANG word for river), as long as it retains that name, is a swift, clear river, from 50 to 300 yards wide and from 3 to 15 feet deep. In the Hukawng valley it has steep banks, fringed to a depth of a mile or more inland with wild plantain-trees. The river is navigated by native boats in the Hukawng valley, but launches cannot come up from the Chindwin proper because of the reefs below Taro. The earlier tributaries are on the right bank; they are the Tabye, the Tawan, and the Turong or Tar6n. The Tawan, at its junction with the Tanai, close to the Mashi ferry, measures about 400 yards from bank to bank, and the breadth of the actual stream in the dry weather is 150 yards. It probably flows from the range which forms the south-west boundary of Hkamti Long, whose peaks are snow-covered during the dry season. The Taron, Tur6ng, or Towang river seems to be the real main source of the Chindwin. It flows into the Hukawng valley from the north, and has a swift current with a succession of rapids. At Ningpyen it is 300 to 400 yards wide, and has welldefined banks. Its sources are in the hills to the south of Sadiya, rising from 10,000 to 11,000 feet above sea-level. For the first portion of its course the river flows through a deep valley, with a general east and west direction, as far as its junction with the Loglai. It then turns south, and after draining an intricate system of hills, breaks into the Hukawng valley a few miles to the north of Saraw, and joins or receives the Tanai about 10 miles above Kintaw village. Except the Tanai, the chief branches of the Upper Chindwin rise in mountains that are covered at least with winter snows. Below the Hukawng valley the Chindwin is interrupted at several places by falls or transverse reefs. At the village of Haksa there is a fall, which necessitates transhipment from the large boats which ply below to canoes. Hot far below this the Uyu river comes in on the left bank at Homalin, and from this point downwards the steamers of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company ply for the greater part of the year. The Uyu flows through a fertile and well-cultivated valley, and during the rainy season it is navigable for a distance of 150 miles from its mouth by steamers of light draught. Ordinarily regular steam communication with Homalin ceases in the dry weather, but from Kindat, nearly 150 miles below it, there are regular weekly steamers all the year round. Below Kindat the only considerable affluent of the Chindwin is the Myit-tha, which receives the Chin hills drainage. As far as Mingin the general course of the Chindwin is south-westerly; below that town it curves eastwards towards the Irrawaddy. The Chindwin rises very considerably during the rains, but in March and April it is here and there so shallow as to make navigation difficult even for small steam launches. Whirlpools and narrows and shifting sandbanks also give some trouble, but much has been done to improve navigation since the British annexation. (j. g. sc.) Chindwin, Upper and Lower, two districts in the Sagaing division of Upper Burma. Upper Chindwin has an area of 19,062 square miles, and a population, according to the census of 1891, of 111,533, living in 980 villages, and paying in 1898-99 a revenue of Rs.3,22,057. Lower Chindwin has an area of 3481 square miles, and a population of 233,316 living in 893 villages, and paying in 1898-99 a revenue of Rs.5,53,982. Upper Chindwin lies to the north of the lower district, and is bounded on the H. by the Chin Uaga and Kachin hills; on the E. they are bounded by the Myit Kyina, Katha, and Shwebo districts; Lower Chindwin is bounded on the S. by the Pakokku and Sagaing districts; and both districts are bounded on the W. by the Chin hills, and by Pakokku on the southern stretch. The chief flat country is along the banks of the Chindwin river, which runs through the

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centre of both districts, and the plain to the east of the river in Lower Chindwin is very extensive and fertile. The western portion of both districts is hilly, and the greater part of Upper Chindwin is of the same character. In Upper Chindwin, out of 12,199,680 acres, only 112,388 were cultivated in 1899 ; in Lower Chindwin 296,326 acres out of a total of 2,227,584. In Upper Chindwin 1,640,823 acres more were available, and 541,085 acres in the lower district. Both have valuable teak forests. The area of forest land in Lower Chindwin is 301,440 acres, and in the upper district 1,085,120 acres. The area of reserved forest is yearly being extended. In 1898 there were 471 square miles of reserved tracts in Lower Chindwin. The total rainfall in 1898-99 was in Lower Chindwin 27*96 inches, and in Upper Chindwin 60*94. Both registered a highest temperature in May of 106° F., and the lowest reading in December was 54° at Monywa, and 52° at Kinday in Upper Chindwin. In Lower Chindwin the population was made up of 232,158 Buddhists and Jains, 426 Mahommedans, 374 Hindus, 320 Chins and other hill races, and 38 Christians. In Upper Chindwin there were 108,816 Buddhists and Jains, 1112 Hindus, 1048 Chins and other hill races, 481 Mahommedans, and 76 Christians. Coal exists in extensive fields, but these are not very accessible. Rice forms the great crop, but a certain amount of til-seed and of indigo is also cultivated. Kinday, with a population of 2423, is the headquarters of the upper district, and Monywa, with a population of 6316, of the lower. Both are on the Chindwin river, and are served by the steamers of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company. Alon, close to M6nywa, and formerly the headquarters, is the terminus of the railway from Sagaing westwards, which was opened in 1900. (j. g. sc.) Chingleput, or Chengalpat, a town and district of British India, in the Madras Presidency. The town, situated 36 miles by rail from Madras, had a population in 1881 of 5617; in 1891 of 9763. It has two high schools. The district of Chingleput surrounds the city of Madras, stretching along the coast for about 115 miles. The administrative headquarters are at Saidapet. It contains an area of 2842 square miles and a population in 1891 of 1,136,928, being 400 persons per square mile. In 1901 the population was 1,312,722, showing an increase of 9 per cent. The land revenue and rates were Rs.20,07,908, the incidence of assessment being Rs.2:2:6 per acre; the number of police was 735. In 1897-98, out of a total cultivated area of 659,898 acres, 419,298 were irrigated. Salt is extensively manufactured all along the coast. Cotton-weaving is also largely carried on. There are 574 indigo vats, with an out-turn valued at Rs.2,00,000; 83 tanneries, with an out-turn valued at Rs.29,00,000; and an English cigar factory. In 1896-97 the number of schools was 1047, attended by 29,291 pupils. Chinkiang, or Chin-Keang-fu, a treaty port in China, situated on the river Yangtse above Shanghai, from which it is distant 160 miles. It is a place of considerable importance as a distributing centre, but has no direct trade with foreign countries. It lies at the point where the Grand Canal running north and south intersects the, Yangtse, which runs east and west, and thus is peculiarly well situated to be a commercial entrepot. Its trade, however, lies mainly with the north bank, where the Grand Canal is navigable for vessels drawing 8 to 10 feet of water. On the south bank the canal has been allowed to silt up so as to be impassable during the winter months. Railway communication with Shanghai on the one hand and with Hanking on the other will no doubt improve its prospects. Chinkiang is also the proposed terminus of the