WHEN the late Burmese war was a year old, we are told that it was not known even in the India House who was the prince with whom we were contending. This is surely a sufficient proof of our scanty acquaintance with Burmah. We now propose to give some information about this country and its people, who are all probably destined ere long to come under our rule. The recent annexation of Pegu to the British empire will find employment for the energies of many an Englishman, and, what is of indefinitely more importance, it will be, we trust, a great step towards the Christianization of Burmah.

The limits of the Burman empire cannot be exactly defined, for they depend upon varying circumstances. At a liberal computation it may be said to be eight hundred miles long, by about three hundred broad. Assam and an unexplored territory bound it on the north, the Gulf of Martaban on the south, Cachar, Tipperah,

Chittagong, and Aracan on the west, and China and the river Saluen on the east. The country is flat and low for about eighty or ninety miles from the sea, and then rises gradually so as to become mountainous towards the north. It has four great rivers and a vast number of lakes, there being above a hundred in one single province. The population is said not to exceed three millions-a paltry number for such a country as Burmah.

The inhabitants are composed of many tribes, who differ in language, and often in manners and religion. The Burmese are said. to be divided into seven, and there are nine others, some of which live in a savage state in the mountains. Although these tribes are scattered over the country, they do not intermingle or associate with the rest of the people. The Burmese, though not tall, are active and muscular. The women, especially in the northern parts, are fairer than the Hindoos, but are less delicately formed. To heighten their beauty, they rub the face, hands, and neck with sandal-wood powder, and tinge the nails with red. They are nearly as great smokers as their husbands, and are seldom met on the road without cheroots in their mouths. To turn out the inside of their elbows, as if they were out of joint, is the apex of elegance, and this absurd fashion is a subject of maternal care at the earliest age. The dress of the Burmese varies according to rank, and a glance at an engraving would probably give the reader a better idea. of it than a lengthened description, so we shall pass it by.

A husband will not allow his wife to eat with him, and when walking she must keep at a respectful distance behind him. The poorer classes appear to be very fond of a rude music and of a slow-measured dance. They have also nocturnal out-door dramatic entertainments, and boxing and wrestling matches. Gambling is a prominent vice amongst the Burmese, who are also greedily fond of spirituous liquors. They have a curious game, which is played with a hollow wicker-work ball. This is struck by the foot or with any part of the leg below the knee, and is thus kept up by expert players for a long time.

Alchemy is, in Burmese estimation, the noblest of the sciences. All who can afford time and money, eagerly attempt to transmute the baser metals into gold and silver. Their physicians seem rather to deserve the name of charm-sellers. If a young woman is dangerously ill, the physician sometimes enters into a strange agreement to take her as his property if she recovers, and to pay her value to the parents if she dies. Burmese literature is nearly all metrical, and is composed of songs, romances, and histories.

The construction of the language is remarkably simple, and when written, it has very much the appearance of a collection of circles and parts of circles. Dated inscriptions on marble or stone are found in all parts where Europeans have been.

The temples of the country are, in general, small and mean, consisting of masses of brick and mortar, of inelegant exterior. The best idols are made of the fine white marble of Burmah. The talapoins, or priests, are said to be addicted to opium, and to ardent spirits. They are not allowed to work, but are diligent in begging, for they are supported by alms. There is an order of nuns who shave their heads and wear a particular costume, but they are permitted to marry when they please. These women may be seen begging in the market-place.

At the time of every new moon there is a great procession in Ava, the capital, and criers read or repeat a proclamation, enjoining the observation of certain moral precepts. The procession is

him, each carrying a rod and a rope. In spite of their Buddhism, the people all eat animal food, and human blood is shed with great indifference.

After the Burmese war of 1824, negotiations were entered into with the king, when our mission witnessed some of the curiosities of the court. The king took offence at his ministers, called them liars, cheats, thieves, and traitors, and pursued them sword in hand. On another occasion they were almost all imprisoned. The king had gone on a party of pleasure down the Irrawaddi, and unexpectedly returned by land. His grandees, who were waiting at the river's bank, were, of course, unable to receive his majesty, and for this unavoidable neglect they were thrown into prison, and loaded with three pairs of irons each. The favourite amusement of this monarch was to ride upon a man's shoulders, a mode of equitation which had often been practised by Burmese princes before him. A broad and fleshy-shouldered man of great strength was the favourite horse. An assignment of land and a sonorous title were his reward, and he was one of the greatest men at court. But he had a brother living down the Irrawaddi, who submitted to the British on the approach of our troops. For this fraternal crime the favourite was degraded and put into irons.

The account from which we quote says:

"Our envoy's presentation to this passionate sovereign was a very long affair, in the course of which every possible effort was made, and numerous little tricks played, by the ministers and courtiers, to induce the Englishmen to prostrate themselves in the native fashion. Passing over the procession and the disputes about carrying umbrellas, which are somewhat tedious, we will bring our mission within the palace enclosures. Here, under a shed in one of the court-yards, they were kept waiting for the space of two hours and a half, for the purpose of allowing the Burman princes and grandees to pass, and with the hope of dazzling them with a spectacle of so much splendour. All these personages were attended by very numerous retinues; they were seated in canopied litters, open at the sides, and their elephants and led-horses followed them. The retainers of the queen's brother amounted at least to 400 men, and those of the prince of Sarawaddi, the king's only full-brother, were still more numerous. This very great prince had ten gold umbrellas; and the queen's brother, ranking next to him, eight gold umbrellas. There was no end to umbrellas. The palace being then quite new, with its gilding untarnished, looked very gay and brilliant. The throne was at one end of a spacious and well-proportioned hall. The king made his appearance in about ten minutes after the entrance of the mission. His approach was announced by a crash of music. Then a sliding door behind the throne was suddenly opened with a quick and sharp noise. His majesty mounted a flight of steps which led to the throne from behind, apparently moving with much

difficulty, as if tottering under the weight of his dress and ornaments. His dress consisted of a tunic of gold tissue, thickly spread with jewels. The crown was a helmet with a high peak, in form resembling the spire of a Burman pagoda. It was said to be all of pure massive gold, and it had all the appearance of being richly studded with rubies and sapphires. In his right hand his majesty held a white tail of the Thibet cow, to serve as a flapper. Having frequently waved this cow-tail to and fro, brushed himself and the throne, and adjusted his cumbrous habiliments, he took his seat. At this solemn moment the Burman courtiers prostrated themselves, and went through the ko-too, and the English gentlemen took off their hats, and raised the right hand to their foreheads as an additional mark of respect. The queen presented herself very shortly after his majesty, and seated herself upon the throne, at his right hand. Her dress was of the same fabric and quite as rich as that of the king. Her crown of gold, like his, was studded with precious gems; but it differed in form, and much resembled a Roman helmet. A little princess, their only child, and about five years of age, followed her majesty, and seated herself between her parents. The queen was received by the courtiers with the same prostrations as her husband."

This scene, alloyed by many circumstances, did not much impress our countrymen. They saw the white elephant of the king, which, however, appeared to be rather an indispensable part of the regalia than an object of worship. To be without this animal would be deemed peculiarly unpropitious by the Burmese. A report was brought to Ava, whilst our mission was there, that another had been seen, but it was stated that its capture and transport would destroy ten thousand baskets of rice. "What signifies the destruction of ten thousand baskets of rice, in comparison with the possession of another white elephant !" his majesty is said to have exclaimed. Officers with long rods in their hands attended the mission from the palace to the river. These are atrocious criminals, pardoned on condition of becoming constables, gaolers, and executioners in one. They have the brand of a ring on each cheek, and such epithets as Man-killer, Robber, Thief, are tattooed upon their breasts.

The queen sprang from a family of fishermen and fishvendors, and the prince, her brother, had once sold fish. The freedom which females enjoy is remarkable, when contrasted with their secluded condition in Hindoostan and other Asiatic countries.

Ava, the capital, is girt by a brick wall fifteen and a half feet in height and ten feet in thickness-for the most part wretchedly built. The Irrawaddi defends the south and west faces of the town by a deep and rapid torrent. The houses are generally mere huts, thatched with reeds or grass, and in all there are, or were, not perhaps six constructed of brick and mortar. Large spaces are