MERGUI, a district of British Burmah, between 9° 58' and 13° 24' N. lat. It forms the southernmost district of the Tenasserim division, and is bounded on the N. by Tavoy, E. and S. by Siam, and W. by the Bay of Bengal, with an area of 7810 square miles. Two principal ranges cross Mergui from north to south, running almost parallel to each other for a considerable distance, with the Tenasserim river winding between them till it turns south and flows through a narrow rocky gorge in the westernmost range to the sea. Amongst these mountain ranges and their subsidiary spurs are several fertile plains, densely clothed with luxuriant vegetation. Indeed, the whole district, from the water’s edge to the loftiest mountain on the eastern boundary, may be regarded as almost unbroken forest, only 73 square miles being under cultivation. The timber trees found towards the interior, and on the higher elevations, are of great size and beauty, the most valuable being teak, then-gan (Hσpea odorata), ka-gnyeng (Dipterocarpus tuberculatus), &c. The coast-line of the district, studded with an archipelago of two hundred and seven islands, is much broken, and for several miles inland is very little raised above sea-level, and is drained by numerous muddy tidal creeks. Southwards of Mergui town it consists chiefly of low mangrove swamps alternating with small fertile rice plains. After passing the mangrove limits, the ground to the east gradually rises till it becomes mountainous, even to the banks of the rivers, and finally culminates in the grand natural barrier dividing British Burmah from Assam. The four principal rivers are the Tenasserim, Le-gnya, Pakchan, and Palouk, the first three being navigable for a considerable distance of their course. Coal is found in the district on the ...banks of the Tenasserim and its tributaries. Gold, copper, iron, and manganese are also found in various parts of the district.
From the notices of early travellers it appears that Mergui, when under Siamese rule, before it passed to the Burmese, was a rich and densely peopled country. On its occupation by the British in 1824-25 it was found to be almost depopulated—the result of border warfare and of the cruelties exercised by the Burmese conquerors. At that time the entire inhabitants only numbered 10,000; in 1876 they had increased to 51,846 (26,767 males and 25,079 females). Classified according to religion, there were—Buddhists, 48,750; Mohammedans, 2533; Hindus, 353; Christians and others, 210. The district contains only one town (Mergui) with more than 5000 inhabitants. Only 73 square miles of the district area were under cultivation in 1876, but this area is steadily though slowly increasing. The principal manufactures are sugar-boiling and tin-smelting. Mergui carries on a flourishing trade with Rangoon, Bassein, and the Straits Settlements. The chief exports consist of rice, rattans, torches, dried fish, areca-nuts, sesamum seeds, molasses, sea-slugs, edible birds’ nests, and tin. The staple imports are piece goods, tobacco, cotton, earthenware, tea, and sugar. The imperial revenue in 1876 amounted to £18,208. The climate is remarkably healthy, the heat due to its tropical situation being moderated by land and sea breezes. The rainfall in 1876 amounted to 1651 inches. The prevalent diseases are simple and remittent fevers, bronchitis, rheumatism, and small-pox.
Mergui, chief town of the above district, is situated on an island at the mouth of the Tenasserim river. The population (10,731 in 1876-77) consists of many races— Talaings, Burmese, Malays, Bengalis, Madrasis, Siamese, and Chinese. Considerable trade is carried on with other Burmese ports and the Straits Settlements. The harbour admits vessels drawing 18 feet of water.
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