Mss Eur F594/10/6

Content warning: The papers of Arthur Moore Bennett (1877-1950) contain his personal views and opinions, with explicit language and terminology which today are deemed unacceptable and offensive and may cause upset.

Typescript volume covers the period 1906-1911, and was written in Mar-Sep 1927. It is inscribed 'To Helen my wife...New Year's Eve 47'. Describes Moore Bennett's journey from Australia to London via Colombo, including his meeting with R.S. Dickie and Dickie's plans to finance exploration in Burma on the China-Tibet border. Refers to meeting his future wife Dorothy Moore in Dulwich, 1906. Describes visit to Le Tréport, Normandy, and to Couldery family in Rye. Appointment to undertake engineering and surveying work in Burma, voyage to Rangoon via Madras, and subsequent journey to Lashio via Mandalay. Includes comments on the Burmese people and customs, including the Shan and Ca-Chin [Kachin] tribal peoples. Refers to task of reporting on the Namma Gold Mining Company, and of surveying railway line to copper deposits near the Yunnan frontier at Manipa. Describes gold mining at Namma, as well as conditions at the camp including tigers, leeches, mosquitoes and fever. Describes meeting the Sawbaw or King. Includes details of surveying for copper and antimony. Describes undertaking medical procedures, including assisting in childbirth, treating venereal diseases, prescribing enemas, treating eye disease and treating infected wounds. Visit to England in late 1907 regarding financing and return to Burma via Calcutta. Describes journey to the Wa States in search of wild rubber trees, including descriptions of the Wa people in villages, their habits, customs and beliefs. Includes description of doctoring to the Wa people. Describes his split with R.S. Dickie and journey to Namhkam via Bhamo. Describes living in the borderlands and his trading activities including digging up and trading ancient human skulls. Refers to punishments carried out by the Sawbaw of Mong Mao. Describes skirmishes in the borderlands, including an attack on a robbers' camp. Moore Bennett's assistance in the marriage of a Shan girl and Burmese man in Mwse. Describes visit by traveller from Afghanistan. Includes details of various travels and description of theft and papers, money and gold, and his trip to Yunnanfu for assistance to get back his papers. Subsequent return to London to raise capital for trade with Yunnan, and marriage to Dolly.

The volume is divided into sections entitled 'Movements of the Year Tabulated 1906'; 'Voyage to Sydney, Melbourne. The Australian'; 'Adelaide, Perth, Colombo, Port Said, Naples, London'; 'All Old Haunts. The Moores. Dolly'; 'Paris, Naples, Pompeii, Colombo, Madras, Calcutta'; 'Rangoon, Mandalay, Mamyo & Lashio'; 'Dickie. Girls, Shans. Ca-Chins. Customs, People'; 'Movements for the year Tabulated 1907'; 'Namma, Salween Borderlands. Fever. Malipa'; 'Hsipaw. The Southern Shans. Travels. People etc'; 'The Namma Valley and its Inhabitants'; 'Hsipaw, Lashio country, People and Politicals'; 'Voyage Mandalay through India to London'; 'Movements for the year tabulated 1908'; 'St Winifreds. Dickie. Scotland. London Winter 1907/8'; 'Voyage London through India to Rangoon'; 'Lashio. Dickie's girl. Preparations for journey'; 'Wa States. Suspicions. Certainties. Escape'; 'Split. Mogaung Ca-Chin Journey. Bhamo Namhkam'; ' Movements for the year Tabulated 1909'; ' Namhkam, Mwse, Shans, Cachins, People, Customs'; 'Skull Hunting. Border fights, Life Customs'; ' Movements for the year Tabulated 1910'; 'Telepathy. Coming of Afghan, Marriage. Lashio'; ' Himalayas. Higher Mekong. Travels. Trips'; 'The Fall. Repentance. The Long Trail. Yuannfu'; 'Movements for the year Tabulated 1911'; 'Indochine. S'pore [Singapore]. London. Switzerland'; 'Marriage and Departure for Hong Kong'.

Images include: black & white photograph of named female dancer at Port Said, entitled 'Arab Scorpion'; black & white photograph showing the garden at St Winifreds, [Dulwich] with Rotenburg, Cyril [Bostock], Dolly [Dorothy Henson Moore], Miss Lanridge and Elsie [Moore], Jul 1906; black & white photograph of Lordship Lane [Dulwich], Aug 1906; black & white photograph of house St Winifreds, Lordship Lane, 1906; black & white portrait of Moore Bennett, 1906; two coloured postcards showing Le Tréport and an additional postcard showing street in Eu [Normandy, France]; black & white photograph of Moore family on holiday in Tréport, 1906; black & white portrait of Dorothy Henson Moore, 1904; coloured pen & ink sketch map of the Shan States and Yunnan borderland, Burma; pen & ink sketch of thatched bamboo bungalow, with plan; coloured drawing of clothing worn by men and women of the Northern Shan States; black & white photograph 'The expedition crossing the Salween River at Kunlung Ferry en route to Malipa'; black & white photograph of Moore Bennett, R.S. Dickie and Sawchay, sitting outside hut on return from Malipa, 1907; black & white photograph of the 'Pwoy' at Hsipaw in 1907; black & white photograph of the Mahadavi of Hsipaw and adopted daughter; black & white photograph of bungalow at Lashio with Bannia tree; black & white postcard of Hsipaw Temple; pen & ink sketch of foot rice husker and water operated rice husker used in the Shan States; black & white photograph showing the Salween Lower Ferry; black & white photograph of the Kuntung Bazaar, Southern Shan States, 1910; black & white photograph of Wa people, 1908; black & white photograph of the Goteik Viaduct, Lashio, 1906; black & white photograph of Moore Bennett's wooden stilt house built at Namhkam; black & white photograph showing two Shan women entitled 'Ai sitting on chair with her cousin'; black & white photograph showing Shan Bazaar in rainy season, with people wearing hats; black & white photograph of Namkham Bazaar in the rainy season; two black & white photographs of orchids; black & white photograph 'Ai taken ay Namhkam', 1909; black & white photograph of Shan honey bear cub on leash with handler; black & white photograph of four young southern Kungmoon girls, aged 11-13; black & white photograph showing 'the seven wives of a Shan petty Chief', ages 14-24; coloured drawing of 'Robber's Camp. Taken and destroyed by Musar of Tack Lung assisted by self & Atta Singh...'; black & white photograph of poppy cutters making opium in Mong Mao State; black & white photograph of Ca-Chin [Kachin] spirit sellers at Mwse; black & white photograph entitled 'My milk supply. Namhkan 1908-11. Married ladies friends of Ai and her mother'; black & white photograph of an from Afghanistan in his travelling clothes; black & white photograph of a Shan Bazaar amongst bamboo, with men in straw hats; black & white photograph of the priest at Namhkam reading to boys, 1909; coloured pen & ink sketch map of Namhkam Valley, showing the border between Burma, China, and the Shan States; coloured pen & ink sketch map of the Higher Mekong & Salween rivers.