Page:The Imperial Gazetteer of India - Volume 2 (2nd edition).pdf/212

 — BASSEIN TOWN.

202

stands on the right bank. To the east of Myothit stretches a plain covered with pagodas, monasteries, and colossal images in every stage of decay, where the feasts and religious assemblies of the inhabitants are held.

The Trade of the port has rapidly progressed under British rule. During the years immediately preceding the annexation of Pegu, a few small vessels visited Eassein, taking away cutch, stick lac, lead, and timber, to foreign and Indian ports. The export of rice was prohibited by the native Government but the Burmese Collector of Customs, who

owned a few

vessels, contrived to export small quantities to the Straits,

receiving in return

and other produce.

de

In 1853-54, the

value of the imports into Bassein was returned at ;^2o,892, and the

^6922; total, ^^27,814. Five years later, in 1858-59, the imports amounted to ^36,378, and the exports to ^152,783 ; total, ^189,161. Up till i860, the imports consisted mainly of betel-nuts, exports at

gunny-bags, and tobacco from inter-provincial ports cotton piece-goods, and tobacco, almost

bags,

The

ports.

when a

first



and

also gunny-

entirely

from Indian

made

in April 1854,

cargo of rice for foreign ports was

ship-load was despatched to the United States.

rapidly increased,

and the port

steadily

advanced

This trade

in prosperity.

Be-

1881-82 the imports increased from tween 1862-63 6,480 to 102, 108 tO;^958,56o. The total value of the trade increased from 18,588 in 1862-63 to ^1,037,697 in 1881-82, or by nine-fold. In the earlier years of British administration, the imports consisted chiefly of betel-nuts, gunny-bags,
 * ^79,i37 in value; and the exports from

To

raw tobacco, and cotton piece-goods. salt,

coal,

these have since been added

machinery, hardware, provisions, wines,

The

etc.

inter-

owing to of communication afforded by numerous creeks between

provincial sea-borne trade has almost entirely disappeared, greater facilities

Rangoon and

Bassein.

In 1861-62, the value of the inter-provincial

sea-borne trade was _;^24,i78;

The

in

character of the export trade

1881-82 is

entirely confined to the export of rice

it

had

also changed,

and a

little

fallen to _;^4o62.

and

timber.

is

now almost In 1881-82,

out of a total export trade valued at ^^958,560, no less than ;^9S6,348 In 1880-81, the total value represented the value of the rice exports.

of exports was


 * ,^i, 010,574,

of which rice represented ;^i,oo7,826



exclusive of treasure, ;^7 1,635; tonnage of The following description of the busy scene vessels cleared, 100,056.

total value

in the

of imports,

harbour

is

taken from the Blue

Book on

the Trade of British

India, 1872-73 to 1876-77 (published in 1878): ‘

The

rice season here

—

resembles in

its

aspects the rice season else-

where in Burma creeks crowded with boats laden with paddy, mills at work from morning to night, the surface of the river and creeks covered inches thick with paddy husks, and shipping busily faking in