Alexander Fraser and J. G. Forlong

“ Between Maulmein and Kraw, where the coast is profusely wooded, wood fuel might be used to increase profits, or decrease expenses, should it take any time to develop the trade carried on between Maulmein and Singapore. The cost of burning wood on this coast, as compared with that of coal, is as one to ten, taking the wood at ten rupees per 1,000 billets, and coal at twenty-five rupees four annas per ton, and assuming that 250 billets, four feet long by four inches diameter, equal one hour's steam or one ton of coal. ”

“ All the islands of the gulf that we could see seemed of the same formation, worn into smooth rounded tops, but with perpendicular sides, some of the layers were as fine as thread, although generally half an inch thick, all abounded in pebbles, and what Captain Forlong believes to be minute fossils. ”

“ The Kraw river runs hence west to join the Pakchan at Kraw; and a quarter of a mile further on, a river, called the Bankren, joining the Tsoompeon at Tasan (one and a half miles) flows to the Gulf of Siam on the east. ”

“ We had some difficulty in procuring means of locomotion in consequence of there being no one to give orders upon our wishes, but just as we were starting the next morning (2nd April,) with some four or five coolies we had managed to procure, an elephant made its appearance, and we were enabled to proceed a little more comfortably than we had anticipated.
7.—We commenced, on the 2nd April, a route survey across a country which we believe is quite unknown to, and has never been traversed by, Europeans. ”

“ All that would be required from England would be plant, permanent way, and rolling stock, the labour for the work being procurable from China, to any amount.
8th.—We will double what, in our own somewhat experienced minds, would be the cost of such a railroad across the Isthmus, and put down the amount at £5,000 per mile, including stations, wharfs, hotels, coal sheds, &c., &c., and rolling stock, for fifty miles of rail, £250,000. ”

“ We made the distance from Tsoompeon to the sea shore twenty-one miles, making the total distance from Kraw to the shore of the gulf about fifty miles.
14.—At 7.30 a.m., 4th April, we returned to Tsoompeon, surveying the river roughly. We passed Tayoung, about four miles from the mouth, a short distance up a creek, which here falls into the Tsoompeon; we were told that two vessels of some son tons were loading there. Tayoung is large, said to consist of some 200 houses; we had not time to land, as we wished to get back to Apay this night. ”

“ His steamers were said to come in two days from Bangkok, and fuel (billets of wood) in quantities (about 20,000 pieces) was collected. There was a schooner of about 150 tons lying off the shore, about fifty yards distance, in five fathoms of water, but there is a bar, above where the schooner lay, across the mouth of the river Tsoompeon, with only one and a half fathoms over it at low water. There would be no difficulty in making roads from Tsoompeon to this place. ”