The Imperial Gazetteer of India
Meyer, William Stevenson, Sir, 1860-1922.
Burn, Richard, Sir, 1871-1947.
Cotton, James Sutherland, 1847-1918.
Risley, Sir Herbert Hope, 1851-1911.
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New edition, published under the authority of His Majesty's secretary of state for India in council.
Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1908-1931 [v. 1, 1909]

264 SOUTHRN SHAN STATES
subsidized by Government. The other ferries are kept up by the chiefs, and small tolls are levied.
A daily postal service plies between Thazi, Hsamonghkam, Fort Stedman, and Taunggyi, mule transport being used. Weekly services are maintained between Fort Stedman and Loikaw in Karenni, and between Taunggyi and Loilem, Mongnai, and Kengtung. Letter-boxes are placed at several of the chief places throughout the States and their contents are collected periodically, this subsidiary postal service being maintained by the chiefs.
The rainfall of the States is, on the whole, ample and reliable, the population is sparse, and the soil is not infertile. Thus, except for a scarcity of food-grains in Laihka, in 1889, caused by the ravages of the troops of the Linbin confederacy, when several people died of
want of food, there has been no famine in the country within recent years.
The Southern Shan States are administered by a Superintendent and Political officer (a member of the Burma Commission) at Taunggyi, Assistant Superintendents at Kengtung, in charge of the Kengtung State; at Thamakan or Hsammoghkam, in charge of the Myelat division and Yawnghwe (16 States) ; at Taunggyi, in charge of the central division (9 States) ; at Loilem, in charge of the eastern division (12 States); and at Taunggyi as headquarters Assistant and treasury officer. A sub-treasury officer and head-quarters magistrate resides at Kengtung. A certain amount of control is exercised by the Superintendent and Political officer over the KARENNI States, which do not form part of British India and are not dealt with in the present article.
Under the supervision of the Superintendent and Political officer and his Assistants, the chiefs-known as Sawbwas, Myozas, and Ngwegunhmus-control their own States, exercising revenue, civil, and criminal jurisdiction therein. There are in all 9 Sawbwas, 18 Myozas, and
11 Ngwegunhmus.
The system of criminal and civil justice administration in force throughout the greater part of the Southern Shan States is the same as that obtaining in the NORTHERN SHAN STATES. In the Myelat States the administration of criminal justice more resembles that of Burma
proper. The chiefs have all been appointed first or second class magistrates under the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the law in force is practically that of Upper Burma. The administration of civil justice in Taunggyi, and in the stations of Kengtung and Fort Stedman, is vested exclusively in the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendents. The Gambling, Excise, Cattle Trespass, and certain other Acts have been specially extended to the civil station of Taunggyi.
Considering the vast area of the Southern Shan States there is
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ေဝႃးႁၢၼ်ၵႂၢမ်းတႆးဢၼ်လီလႆႈမႆၢတွင်း
Loilem = လွႆလႅမ်
Wanpong = ဝၢၼ်ႈပူင်း