Open main menu

historywiki β

Edward O'Riley


Edward O'Riley
File:O'Riley, Edward.jpg
Residence Burmah
Occupation administrative
Society Membership
membership ESL, AI Corresponding member
left 1888.06 last listed
elected_ESL 1860.06.07
elected_AI 1860
societies Royal Geographical Society


Contents

Notes

Office Notes

House Notes

Notes From Elsewhere

Edward O'Riley, Esq., was the first Deputy Commissioner of Toungoo.

mentioned in The Karen Bronze Drums of Burma: Types, Iconography, ... - Page 12

In 1856, the first English officer to Toungoo, Edward O'Riley, made a month's tour of the Red Karen country, Karenni, in order to cut a road through to the Shan states. In 1858, he published the daily journal of his tour, in which appears the first ...

In 1849, Deputy Commissioner of Pegu (in burma), Edward O’riley examined the Pakchan river and its surrounding. Then, he found the Kaman branch river, falling into Pakchan at a distance of 18 miles from its mouth. He believed the region possessed natural features that would facilitate the undertaking of a maritime canal. Unlike Tremenheere’s finding in 1843, O’riley believed, the south of the Kra, the centre of the isthmus was much lower in altitude, and with deep valleys the canal could be built without the need for deep excavation. He estimated the distance to be dug to be a maximum of 25 to 30 miles (Jumsai 2000). Not unlike Tremenheere’s findings, O’riley lack of observations with proper instruments detracted the british or siamese from pursuing his maritime canal suggestion (smith 1975).
O’riley estimated sailing vessels from India would save an average of 25 days and steamers, eight to nine days at the lowest. Interestingly, O’riley was also among the first Kra Canal proponents to discover the mineral riches of southern Thailand, including coal at the upper course of the Tenasserim river and at Lenya, its southern feeder, as well as gold mines of the Lenya, and the upper waters of the Pakchan river. Incidentally, O’riley was the earliest Kra Canal proponent who believed in other reasons besides strategic and military reasons of a canal excavation.

Publications

External Publications

‪Journal of a Tour to Karen-ni ...‬
‪Author‬ ‪Edward O'Riley
‪Publisher‬ ‪Royal Geographical Society, 1862‬

House Publications

notes on the Karens

Related Material Details

RAI Material

Other Material