1 ¦;< ,.' m ¦¦I ¦¦XiK'" ¦If 111 m a iwiil YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY PICTURESQUE BURMA PAST PRESENT PICTURESQUE BURMA PAST PRESENT BY MRS. ERNEST HART 'i i AUTHOR OF v "DIET IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH" LONDON J. M. DENT AT CO. 69 GREAT EASTERN STREET, E.C. 1897 2998 Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson &• Co. At the Ballantyne Press V7'81 PREFACE WHEN accompanying my husband on a tour through Burma in the spring of 1895, I had no intention whatever of writing a book on the people and country. We paid our visit solely in the pursuit of health and enjoyment. I embodied my impressions in some articles published in the Cornhill Magazine, the Queen, the Saturday Review, the Album, and the Hospital, fragments of which papers are intercalated in the text. It was not until some time after my return that, finding how httle was known at home of the beautiful country and interesting people of Burma, I undertook the task of writing a book on the subject. In carrying out this agreeable but rather onerous work, I must acknowledge my indebtedness to the authors included in the " list of books consulted," but more especially to Shway Yoe (Mr. Scott), for his encyclopaedic work, " The Burman ; " to Yule's " Mission to Ava ; " to Bishop Bigandet's " Life of Gautauma," and to Phayre's " History of Burma." " Picturesque Burma " is illustrated chiefly from photo graphs, which were taken by Signor Beato and Mr. Johannis of Mandalay, and by Messrs. Bourne & Shepherd of Calcutta. Mr. Philip Miller has kindly made some drawings. To Messrs. Smith, Elder & Co. I am indebted for permission to use the illustrations of the temples of Pagahn; and to Miss Hart I have to express my obligations for reading the proof- sheets. CONTENTS BOOK I THE COUNTRY OF BURMA PAGE INTRODUCTION 3 CHAP. I. THE BURMESE GOLDEN PAGODA AND THE BEITISH CITY OP COMMEECE 7 n. A THOUSAND MILES UP THE IERAWADDY .... 20 ELI. THE EOYAL CITY OP MANDALAY 28 IV. THE EUINED CITY OP AMAURAPOORA 43 V. THE PANES OP PAGAHN 54 VI. TAGOUNG, AVA, AND SAGAING, CITIES OP AVA ... 63 VII. THAEEKHETTAEA, PEOME, PEGU, AND MAULMAIN, CITIES OP PEGU 73 VUI. THE GREAT P0EESTS AND THEIE WONDEES .... 88 BOOK II THE PEOPLE OF BURMA AND THEIR CUSTOMS IX. THE BUSMAN AT HOME 105 X. THE BURMAN AT PLAY' 117 XI. THE BURMAN AT WOEK 129 XII. THE FREE AND HAPPY WOMAN OP BURMA . . -135 XIII. THE CEREMONIES OP BORING THE EAES AND TATTOOING THE LEGS— OP MAEEIAGE AND BURIAL I44 XIV. MUSIC, DANCING, AND ACTING 1 52 XV. THE CELESTIAL WHITE ELEPHANT AND OTHER ELEPHANTS 165 viii CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE XVI. SOME NATIONAL SUPERSTITIONS 172 XVII. DOCTORS AND DOCTORING, BURMESE AND BRITISH . . l8o XVIII. THE CRIME OP PISHING AND THE CEEEMONY OP PBOPI- TIATION 187 XIX. THE WATER-FEAST, THE CARNIVAL AT THE END OF LENT, AND OTHER FESTIVALS 192 XX. THE ARTS AND INDUSTRIES OF THE BUEMANS . . . 202 XXI. M0NARCHS AND MINISTERS 213 XXII. BURMA SOBER AND BURMA DRUNK . . 224 XXIII. THE CHRISTIAN KARENS 234 XXIV. THE SHANS, KACHINS, CHINS, AND OTHER EACES . . 241 BOOK III THE RELIGION OF THE BURMANS XXV. GAUTAUMA BUDDHA, THE TEACHER OP THE PERPECT LAW 261 XXVI. BUDDHISM AS A FAITH AND LIFE 271 XXVII. THE PHONGYEES AND THEIR INFLUENCE . . . 278 XXVIII. LIFE AND EDUCATION IN THE MONASTERY. . . . 28S BOOK IV THE STORY OF BURMA FOR TWENTY-FIVE CENTURIES XXIX. BURMA COLONISED FEOM INDIA — TAG0UNG, PR0ME, PEGU, AND ARAKAN POUNDED — THE SUVARMA BHUMI, OR GOLDEN LAND OF THE SOUTH . .... 299 XXX. THE RISE AND FALL OF PAGAHN .... 303 XXXI. THE STRUGGLE FOE SUPEEMACY BETWEEN PEGU AND BUEMA . 307 XXXII. THE FALL OF MARTABAN, DESCRIBED BY AN EYE-WITNESS, IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY 3H XXXIII. THE GREAT KING BUEENG NAUNG AND THE HALCYON DAYS OF PEGU . . .... . 316 CONTENTS ix CHAP. PAGE XXXIV. ALOMPRA AND HIS DYNASTY — THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE BUEMESE EMPIEE 320 XXXV. THE FIRST BUEMESE WAR AND THE TREATY OF YANDABO 326 XXXVI. THE SECOND BURMESE WAR AND THE ANNEXATION OF PEGU 335 XXXVII. THE THIED BUEMESE WAE AND THE PALL OF MANDALAY 344 XXXVIII. AFTER THE FALL OF THE BUEMESE EMPIEE — THE DACOITS 356 XXXIX. A ROYAL RACE OP HOMICIDAL MANIACS .... 362 BOOK V THE RESOURCES AND FUTURE OF BURMA XL. PRODUCTS — CLIMATE — POPULATION 37 J XLI. EDUCATION OF THE BURMAN AND THE BARBARIAN . . 378 XLII. THE GREAT CHANGE— THE OUTLOOK 384 APPENDIX 3^7 WORKS CONSULTED 391 INDEX 393 LIST OF PHOTOGRAVURES A Phongyee-Byan or Obsequies of a Monk {see p. 294) Frontispiece PAGE The Second Defile of the Irrawaddy 20 Part of the Queen's Golden Kioung . 28 The River Bank at Mandalay . . 40 A Burmese Belle . . .... . 105 Burmese Women 135 The Dragon Pagoda ... . . 271 A Phongyee School in a Kioung . 290 Shins going out to Beg their Food . . 292 Dacoits in Mandalay Prison ... ¦ 356 MAPS Map of Burma .... A Series of Four Historical Maps 4 342 The design for the cover is by Mr. W. B. Macdougu/l from Burmese Embroidery LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS On the Platform of the Shway Dagohn, Rangoon . . 8 A Burmese Girl ... 9 Praying at the Pagoda 11 A Shrine on the Platform of the Shway Dagohn ... 12 Carved Wood Screen in a Shrine of the Shway Dagohn . 13 Washing Elephants .... ... 18 The Great Royal Lake at Rangoon 19 Irrawaddy Paddy Boat with Carved Steering Chair ... 22 A Raft on the Irrawaddy . . . . . 24 The Entrance to the Second Defile . . .26 From a Pastel Sketch by the Author. Lacquered and Glass-mosaicked Columns in the Palace at Mandalay 30 King Theebaw's Throne ... ... 30 The Queen's Golden Kioung . . • ¦ • 35 The Four Hundred and Fifty Pagodas of the Law . 37 A Shan Trader .... . 39 Pagodas and Sphinxes 47 Kneeling Figure from a Temple at Amaurapoora . . 48 The Ruins of the Kuji Temple 48 From a Pastel Sketch by the Author. A Girl Weaving Silk Damask . . . . 50 A Sitting Buddha ... 52 A Yahandat, or Servitor of Bu'ddha . . 53 Plan of the Ananda ... . .56 The Gaudapalen Temple ... 58 Ruins of the Sembyo-koo Temple . . 60 Design from Burmese Embroidery 62 Xll LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Bricks from Tagoung Amidst the Ruins of Amaurapoora . A Richly Carved Pagoda . Colossal Dying Buddha . On the Salwen .... Charcoal Drawing by the Author. A Dead Tiger Design from Burmese Embroidery . Burmese Bamboo Houses A Riverside Village . A Burmese Nun A Country Cart A Village Maiden . A Burmese Gentleman Fisher Boats Sailing before the Wind Charcoal Drawing by the Author. In the Carved Steering Chair . On Pleasure Bent . A Burmese Girl The Steering Chair of the Big Paddy Boat Embroidered Powder-bag Burmese Woman Smoking Drawing by Philip Miller. Tattooed Legs A Court Prima Donna A Troupe of Women Dancing at a Pwe A Dancer A Harp ... . A Crocodile Guitar .... Musicians Playing a Harmonicon and a Taming a Wild Elephant Carved Figures of Nats . Carved Nats on the Platform of the Shw Net Fishing in the River Gifts borne in Procession to the Pasoda Harp ay Dagohn 6467 688385 95 102 105 106109m112114 117118 122 127131134137146 ¦53'54155162162 16316S 172 182190 195 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xiii PAGE Crowned with Flowers for the Pagoda Festival . . . .197 A Temple Gong 198 Bound for the Pagoda 198 Carving Buddhas 204 Gong 206 Burmese Silver Teapot 206 Burmese Silver Sugar Basin . . . . . . . . 207 Milk Jug 208 Gilded Box inlaid with Glass Mosaics 208 Silk Damask 211 The " Centre of the Universe " 215 A Minister of State 220 A Village on the Salwen 237 A Shan Tsaubwa in Court Dress 245 A Shan Warrior 246 A Shan Beauty 247 A Kachin Woman 249 A Kachin .... 250 An Embroidered Kachin Bag 252 Outside Bhamo 254 Colossal Statue of Dying Buddha surrounded with votive offerings 269 The Pagoda of Royal Merit, and the 450 Pagodas of the Law at Mandalay 272 Phongyees Reading the Scriptures 274 A Kammawahsah, or Buddhist Bible 281 A Sayah with an Attendant Scholar 289 The Upper Reaches of the Irrawaddy 300 Carved Wood Decorations of a Kioung . . . -319 Alompra Represented as a Buddha . 323 The Great Bell and the Monster Pagoda at Mengohn . . .325 The Cheroot Box of a Princess 343 The King, Mindohn Min 344 Drawn by Philip Miller. King Theebaw and Queen Supayah Lat 347 The Apartments of Queen Supayah Lat 349 A Minister of King Theebaw 351 XIV LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS A Member of the Hlwot-daw ...... The. King's War-boat bringing the Flag of Truce to Ava By Mr. Melton Prior, reproduced by kind permission of "The Illustrated London News." Bullock Gharry .... . . A Little Burmese Princess ... . . A Maid of Honour of Queen Supayah Lat Wood Carvers in the Courtyard of the Palace . The Rev. Dr. Marks PAGE 353 354 355358 358 380383 BOOK I THE COUNTRY OF "BURMA PICTURESQUE BURMA PAST AND PRESENT INTRODUCTION BURMA is to the traveller a land of delight, a country where gaiety is natural to the people, insouciance is con genial to the soil, and colour is born of the sunshine. To every taste Burma affords subjects of unfailing interest; to the historian it offers attractive researches on the origin of ancient nations and the stone records of buried cities founded by Aryan and Mongolian emigrants in the remote past ; to the ethnologist it suggests inquiries into the characteristics of races differing so widely as the Shans from the Takings, and the Chins from the Karens ; and to the philosopher it shows the spectacle of an atheistic people deeply imbued with the spirit of a lofty ethical religion. To the antiqua rian, the investigation of its ruined pagodas, temples, and palaces promises the charm of discovery, and will perhaps throw light on the influence of Babylon in the far East ; to the botanist its forests yield the pleasures of inexhaustible study, and to the sportsman the opportunity of hunting such big game as the tiger, the elephant, and the rhinoceros ; while to the artist the harmonious " composition " of the scenery of river, forest, and mountain, the picturesqueness of the flower-clad people, and the splendour of the colouring 4 PICTURESQUE BURMA book i of sky and land, afford that sense of satisfaction known to him whose eyes are the windows of a soul that rejoices in beauty. Burma is so little known to tourists that, after my hus band and I had travelled from Rangoon to Bhamo, and up and down the reaches of the noble Irrawaddy river, after we had revelled in the natural beauties of the country, gloried in the sunshine, wondered at the pagodas, and studied the history and the people of Burma, I came to believe that a fresh account and a pictorial representation of this interesting land would not be unacceptable to the English public. In the following pages I have attempted to present to my readers concisely, and yet as fully as the largeness of the subject will admit within the prescribed limits, a sketch of the cities, the people and their customs, the religion, the history, the resources and the future of Burma, while also relating personal incidents of travel and giving the impressions of the moment. If I succeed in arousing interest in a little known land and people, now subject to British rule, and in inducing others to visit this beautiful and unique country, my object will have been gained. In order to have a clear understanding of Burma, and of the past struggles and present condition of the races who inhabit the valley of the Irrawaddy, it is necessary to have a definite conception of the geographical features of the country. A glance at the accompanying map will show that on the extreme north of Burma there is a continuation of the snowy Himalayas, extending from the northern borders of Assam towards the great continent of China. These mountains send southwards three principal spurs ; the Arakan mountains, which divide Arakan from Burma proper, and a,re inhabited by the wild Chins ; the range which extends between the valleys of the Irrawaddy and the Sitang, and another range between the Sitang and the Sal-wen rivers. Running for over a thousand miles throughout the whole MAP OF BURMA VPanaka B M u t> a xl S audi An daman •ijij ¦» KohJ6a[ The Idmbur^i Geo^rnfiucol WtiUrtc J.j,i i TCHU-l_Lialrm3mv S- tj introduction GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION 5. length of Burma is the great waterway of the Irrawaddy, which takes its rise in the snow mountains of the Lang- tang branch of the Himalayas. About midway in its course it is joined by the Chindwin, which passes through Manipur. In the delta of the Irrawaddy the river opens by a number of mouths into the Bay of Bengal. These estuaries form natural harbours of great commercial value. The Sitang flows through the Tounga country, between ranges of moun tains occupied from the earliest times by the tribes of the Karens. The Salwen, which is almost as long as the Irra waddy, is not navigable, owing to rapids and waterfalls. At its mouth was situated the old port of Martaban. To the north-east of Burma, China, approaches her borders by the province of Yunnan. Across the mountains which separate Yunnan from Bhamo are the trade routes by which gold and silk enter Burma. On the north are the moun tainous districts Avhich owned the sway of the Shan chiefs, and to the north-west are Assam, Kachar, and Manipur, whose kings were tributary from time to time to Burma by the fortunes of war. The coast-line of Arakan and the port of Bassein were known at an early date to emigrants from India and Portugal, but the long range of the Arakanese mountains, pierced by passes of great difficulty, protected Burma from incursions from that side. On the east, Burma was bounded by Shan states, those on the north being tributary to Ava, and those on the south tributary " to Siam. Tenasserim, the western half of the peninsula stretching towards the Malacca Straits, was subject to the Burmese Empire. It is separated from Siam by a long chain of mountains, dividing the peninsula into two. We thus see a country, 800 miles from north to south and 400 miles broad, watered throughout its whole length by magnificent rivers, provided by nature with splendid 6 PICTURESQUE BURMA book i natural ports, hedged in on the north, east, and west by mountain ranges difficult to cross ; a country which produces everything required both for the natural and the civilised man, rice in abundance for food, magnificent timber for build ing houses and ships, iron for manufactures, precious stones for adornment ; where the climate is endurable all the year round, and where life can be passed in ease and without excessive toil ; a country which required but a Government engaged in developing the rich resources of the kingdom, and a people willing to work in peace, to have become one of the most splendid and powerful Oriental empires the world has ever seen. But, as the story of Burma told in these pages will reveal, the land was torn by incessant strife ; the kings of Burma, not content with a magnificent empire, wastefully squandered the lives of the people and the treasure of the country in foreign wars of mere aggression, and after 2500 years of misgovernment — the dark picture of which is only illumined from time to time by a few figures of true greatness and beneficence — they succeeded in so im poverishing and depopulating their country that it fell an easy victim to the arms of the British Government, whom they had provoked by senseless arrogance, and wilfully insulted beyond what was considered pardonable. In spite, however, of desolating wars, in spite of ferocious kings and tyrannous governors, the people preserved their characteristics, their customs, ideas, and religion, and it is these, combined with its great natural beauty, which make Burma a country of such surpassing interest. CHAPTER I THE BURMESE GOLDEN PAGODA AND THE BRITISH CITY OF COMMERCE THE city of Rangoon was founded by Alompra in 1755, this astute monarch recognising the fact that a port on one of the most navigable mouths of the Irrawaddy, where trade with foreign nations could be encouraged, was one of the best ways of consolidating the newly formed empire of Burma. But for untold centuries before Rangoon was founded the adjoining Thehngoottara Hill had been holy ground, and the Shway Dagohn Pagoda had been a goal for pilgrims for nigh upon 2000 years. It is still the magnet which draws travellers to Rangoon, and the holy fane, " shot upwards like a pyramid of fire," is eagerly watched for as the vessel steams slowly against the strong stream up the muddy river. To see the great Pagoda and to worship at its numerous shrines is the object of thousands of pilgrims, not only from Upper and Lower Burma, but from the distant Shan Hills, from Siam, from Ceylon, and even from China ; for here are said to be enshrined not only eight hairs from the holy head of the god-like Gautauma, but also the staff of Kaukkathan, the water-filter of Gawnagohng, and a portion of the robe of Kathapa, the three Buddhas who preceded Gautauma Buddha. These relics, together with costly offerings of gold and jewels, are not, however, exposed to the gaze of the devout, nor to the sacrilegious hand of the unbeliever ; to preserve them for ever, they were, centuries ago, deposited in an underground chamber, which was walled up, and over it has risen the solid and 8 PICTURESQUE BURMA book i glittering golden cupola, the work of successive generations of seekers after merit. The famous Pagoda stands on a mound of earth surrounded by a moat. The lower part of the hill is a fort, the upper has been levelled into a vast paved platform, 900 feet long by 685 feet wide, on which rests the Shway Dagohn and the shrines. The ascent is by four flights of stone stairways looking north, south, east, and west. That on the south is the most frequented, and the entrance to it is guarded by colossal mythical beasts in white plaster. The irregular stone steps are flanked on each side by colonnades of stone and teak pillars, which support many-gabled roofs, handsomely carved and painted. From a broad base, measuring 1350 square feet, rises the pointed gold cupola of the Pagoda, one solid mass 370 feet, into the sunny air. The tapering point is crowned by a gold htee or umbrella, elaborately wrought and hung with multitudes of gold bells set with jewels. This htee cost £50,000, the money being subscribed by the King, Mindohn Min, and pious Burmans, and was constructed entirely by voluntary labour. The whole Pagoda, from broad base to tapering point, is gilded with pure gold leaf. In the last century Sinbyoo Shin (or Tsheu-byo-yen), king of Burma, gave his weight in gold (12 stone), £9000 in value, to regild the whole Shway Dagohn, a work which was repeated by Mindohn Min in 1 87 1. Humbler offerings are, however, accepted, and it is considered a work of merit to attach gold-leaf to some patch left bare by the rains. At the four cardinal points are temples or shrines. The splendidly carved roofs are supported by pillars covered with rough but effective glass mosaics, and in the cool shadow there are numerous sitting statues of Gautauma, the passionless and pitying Saviour and Saint of the Buddhists, whose calm and passive face overawes the passion-tossed worshippers at his shrine. On the platform there are also crowds of smaller ooaa < ->) &a a; Ha CHAP. I THE SHWAY DAGOHN shrines, the gifts of the pious ; bronze bells, big and small, the sonorous sound of which when struck, gives notice to the Nats, who are the watchful angels of the Burmese, that an act of merit or devotion has been performed ; tall wooden poles, silvered or glass mosaicked, surmounted by the Brahminy goose, and bearing streamers on which prayers and praises are written; statues of elephants kneeling in recognition of Gautauma's pity ing love for animals, and monster beasts with human faces in memory of the tender love of a lioness who suckled a king's son abandoned in the forest, and whose heart burst with grief when her foster-child forsook her. Around the base of the Pagoda is a forest of models of the cupola, all of which are gilded. The covered stairway leading to the Pagoda gives a foretaste of the varied and picturesque life of Burma. On the lower flags lepers crouch in their misery, and hold up their mutilated limbs and hideous faces to the passers- by and beg for alms ; higher up are booths where gaily dressed women offer flowers, rice, toys, and photographs for sale. A crowd of worshippers, brilliant even in the gloomy shade of the carved roofs, are all day long wending their way up to the holy shrine. Here passes a group of Burmese girls, who in their rainbow- tinted tameins (straight skirts) pinned closely round their shapely hips, clean white jackets, and gay kerchiefs, look like A BURMESE OIKL. 10 PICTURESQUE BURMA hook i walking tulips on a sunny day in spring. In their smooth and heavily-coiled black tresses sweet-scented flowers are jauntily stuck: their eyes are laughing, but their mouths are engaged in smoking big green cheroots. A contrast to this happy party is a dying man, who with many moans and groans painfully tries to mount the steep steps ; but his legs at last refuse to carry him farther, and he is borne to the shrine in the arms of his friends. Here are Kachins from the north, strong in faith but shy in manner, Avho have come a long and costly journey from the mountains to make their offerings, and secure a balance of merit in their favour in the long account which is kept by the Nats through countless ages. Troops of shaven monks, " the noble order of the yellow robe," in their toga-like saffron-coloured draperies, are ascending the steps, Avhere Bur- mans, Shans, Kachins, Chinese, Madrassees, Siamese, and Euro peans jostle one another on their way to the wide platform above. While we were on the platform, and were being shown the sights and having their meanings explained by two learned Bur- mans, a party of Kachins arrived with a yellow-robed phongyee or monk to make an offering. Having purchased several packets of gold-leaf, to the value of about £2, from one of the treasurers of the Pagoda, three Kachins mounted to the highest ledge of the cupola to stick it on, while their friends watched the process from below ; soon, however, anxiety and curiosity got the better of them, and presently the whole party, women included, were seen climbing the fluted ridges of the cupola to make sure that every atom of their offering was used to beautify the great golden Pagoda. All day long the devout may be seen in the attitude of prayer before one of the statues of Gautauma, repeating in Burmese or in sonorous Pali the great precepts of the law and the five commandments, the keeping of which leads to self- renunciation and holiness of life. Offerings of rice, sweetmeats, CHAP. PRAYING AT THE PAGODA u and flowers, daintily arranged on lacquer dishes, are laid before the shrines and left for the birds and dogs to eat. There are here no religious services, no priestly ceremonies ; the Shway Dagohn is simply a holy place for prayer and meditation, a shrine where the heart is lifted up by contemplating the three precious things, the Lord, the Law, and the Assembly. To call the statues of Gautauma idols and the Burmans idolaters is to ¦ :..¦ ¦ .>:.... PRAYING AT THE PAGODA. show a profound ignorance of the essential beliefs of Buddhism. There is no God in Buddhism, and Gautauma Buddha is not deified by his followers. His memory is revered and loved, and his great example followed, more or less, but even here in his holiest shrine he is not worshipped in the religious sense. The prayers we hear uttered with so much earnestness are not being said for benefit or for aid, but the praises of Buddha are being sung and his commandments repeated, till the wor shipper brings his mind into sympathy with the great Ideal. 12 PICTURESQUE BURMA book i To be bewitched by the Shway Dagohn, one must see it by the light of the full moon. It is late, and the moon is high in the heavens as we grope our way in the darkness of the colonnades and stumble up the uneven steps. The wide platform is deserted, not a worshipper disturbs the solitude, not a muttered prayer breaks the silence of the night; the brazen solemn faces of the Gautaumas gleam in the shadows, and the Nats on the carved roofs seem to be mutely dancing to the music of the stars. "High striving to the upper air" the tapering cupola rises towards the heavens, from which the soughing of the midnight wind wafts down the tinkling of the jewelled bells swinging on the golden htee above. As we descend the hill again to where the monster beasts are staring with blank white faces at the moon, we muse on the mighty power of Buddhism, the faith of hundreds of millions of the human race, and the lines embodying a current belief in Burma rise to our minds : — " When white men reign, Thy glories wane, Yet blaze again While yet they reign." Buddhist festivals are celebrated at the new moon and the full moon, and on these days the wide platform is crowded from morn to eve with worshippers, and the stairway is thronged with as brilliant a crowd as can be seen anywhere in the East.At the foot of the hill of the Pagoda are numerous monas teries standing in shady woods. The roofs and balconies of these kioungs or monasteries are handsomely carved. Extending along the roads- leading to the Pagoda there are long lines of rest-houses, intended for the use of pilgrims who come from a distance to lodge for the night. To show how tenacious the Burmans are of preserving their A SHRINE ON THE PLATFORM OF THE SHWAY DAGOHN. chap, i GASP. BALBI ON SHWAY DAGOHN 13 ancient customs, and also the antiquity of their holy places, the descriptions of Pegu by the European travellers of the sixteenth century are interesting reading. Gasparo Balbi, a CARVED WOOD SCREEN IN A SHRINE OF THE SHWAY DAGOHN. Venetian traveller, who visited Dagohn in 1593, gives the following description of the Pagoda. He writes : — " After we were landed, we began to goe on the right hand in a large 14 PICTURESQUE BURMA book i street about fifty paces broad, in which were some wooden houses gilded, and adorned with delicate gardens after their customs, wherein their Talapois, which are then Friers, dwelt, and looke to the Pagoda or Varella of Dagon. The left side is furnished with portals and shops, very like the new Pro- curatia at Venice ; and by this street they goe towards the Varella, for the space of a good mile straight forwards, either under paint houses or in the open street, which is free to walke in. . When we came to the Varella, we found a paire of staires of ninety steps, as long in my judgement as the channel of the Rialta of Venice. At the foot of the first staire are two tigres, one at the right hand and the other at the left ; these are of stone. The staires are divided into three, the first is forty steps, the second thirty, and the third twenty, and at the top of each of them is a plaine spacious place. On the last step are Angels of stone, each with three croAvns one upon the other. They have the right hand lifted up, ready to give the benediction, Avith tAvo fingers stretched out. The other hand of one is laid upon the head of a childe, and of the other upon the head of an Ape. These statues are all of stone. At the right hand is a Varella (Pagoda) gilded in a round form, made of stone, and as much in compasse as the streete before the Venetian Palace, if it Avas round, and the height may equal Saint Markes Bell-ToAver, not the top of it, but the little pinnaces. At the left hand is a fane Hall carved and gilded Avithin and Avithout. And this is the place of devotion, Avhither the people goe to hear the Talapois preach ; the streete is greater than Saint Markes, at least larger. And this is a place of great devotion amongst them, and yearly multitudes of people come by sea and by land. And Avhen they celebrate a solemn Feast, the King in person goeth before them all, and Avith him the Queene, the Prince and his other sonnes, Avith a great traine of nobles and others, Avho goe to get a pardon. And on this day there is a great Mart, Avhere are all sorts chap, i THE PAGODA MADE A FORTRESS 15 of merchandises Avhich are current in those countries, Avhich they frequent in great multitudes, and which come thither not so much for devotion as traffique, and Ave may freely goe thither if Avee will." * Truly, the Shway Dagohn has altered but little in three hundred years. The stone stairways are still thronged by multitudes Avho come thither by land and by sea, and Rangoon is still frequented not so much for devotion as for traffic. It Avas indeed the Avonderful opportunities Avhich the port of Rangoon offered for trafficking in the Avealthy produce of Burma that made it so desired by the British. From Chitta- gong to Ceylon there is no port its equal, and the fabled wealth of the Indies is not so Avell worth possessing as the vast forests and the abundant produce of the fertile land of " the Lord of the White Elephants." When Avandering one day among the shrines on the plat form of the Shway Dagohn, and thinking only of Gautauma and his faith, Ave Avere startled by suddenly coming across, under the shade of trees on the north side, a group of plain tomb stones Avith inscriptions in English commending the dead lying there to God. These are the graves of our soldiers who fell on this spot in the second Burmese war, and Ave are thus rudely reminded of the fact that this holy place has twice been turned into a fortress by an invading enemy. In the first Burmese Avar, in 1824, the hill and platform of the Pagoda were taken by the British troops Avithout resistance, the town of Rangoon having been deserted by its inhabitants .and protectors. Here, however, our troops found themselves, though masters of a deserted city, yet besieged by want and disease in their oavu fortress, and Avere slain by famine, cholera, and dysentery, instead of by the dahs of the Burmese. In the second Burmese war, in 1852, the Pagoda was defended by a very strong stockade on the south side, and 1 'Purchas' Pilgrims," vol. ii. p. 1726. 16 PICTURESQUE BURMA book i by a quantity of ordnance, as the Burmese had made up their minds that the British would attack from this side, Avhile the steps on the east side Avere left unprotected. A gallant party led by Captain Latter swarmed up this stairAvay and took the fortress while the Burmese soldiers Avere blindly trusting to the protection of their stockades, and it was held as the key of the position till the province of Pegu Avas annexed and Rangoon became British. Since that day Rangoon has made rapid progress. Its groAvth has been quite marvellous. A strong Government has taken the place of one ferocious, and justice has stepped into the seat of tyranny. A custom-house, handsome stone buildings, hotels, Government offices and streets of shops iioav greet the traveller's eye on dropping anchor at Rangoon. Beyond the town, and beside broad, Avell-made roads, are the bungalows of the English, set in the midst of park-like gardens of tamarind, peepul, and palm trees. The beautiful lakes form part of a great public park Avhere gymkhanas delight the gay English residents. Schools and missions are abundant in Rangoon, and here Dr. Marks has carried on his splendid educational Avork and has educated no less than 15,000 Burman boys. A large hospital has been estab lished under the care of Dr. Johnstone and others, and at Lady Dufferin's Fund Hospital the gentle Burmese and Karen Avomen are taught to be nurses of the sick. To possess the teak groAving in such abundance in the forests of Tenasserim and Upper Burma Avas the desire of British traders long before Burma was annexed, and it Avas the quarrels of the Bombay -Burma Company with King Theebaw Avhich, among other things, led to the third Burmese war and the conquest of Upper Burma. The Forest Depart ment is noAv an important one in the government. The ports of Rangoon and Maulmain are the chief centres of the teak trade. An immense raft of teak logs slowly drifting doAvn chap, i ELEPHANTS STACKING TIMBER 17 the river, Avith a bamboo cottage built on its Avide expanse, and a man Avith a "long pole standing fore and aft to guide the cumbrous thing over shalloAvs and eddies, is one of the familiar spectacles on the IrraAvaddy, as to see elephants stack ing logs in the timber-yards is one of the sights of Rangoon. The sun had not yet had time to provoke the genial heat of a Burmese Avinter day Avhen we found ourselves early one morning in January in the timber-yards of Messrs. Macgregor at Rangoon, Avith the object of seeing elephants act as coolies in hauling, piling, and stacking teak logs. The gentle giants were already at Avork in different parts of the great yard and in the sheds. Tavo powerful male tuskers, nearly as large as the favourite and ill-fated Jumbo, and said to be Avorth £1000 the pair, were busy stacking squared logs of teak, each of Avhich weighed about tAvo tons. Kneeling doAvn, one at each end of a log, the elephants, on signs given by their drivers by means of voice, foot, and a hooked stick, insert their long tusks underneath, and grasping it above with their powerful and muscular trunks, lift it high in air and place it on the top of the stack. One elephant then backs to the end of the stack, and neatly pushes the log forward with his trunk, till it lies perfectly level Avith its fellows. These elephants have been more than a quarter of a century at this work, and are said to display quite extraordinary intelligence in the Avay they place and carefully adjust their heavy burdens ; they are even credited by some admirers Avith a conscien tious desire to do their work well. Indeed, the story is told of an elephant which had the habit of shutting one eye while he adjusted the other to the log to see that it lay properly square ! I do not, however, vouch for the truth of this story. At other parts of the yard elephants Avere to be seen dragging along heavy logs by means of a chain fastened round the wood and with the other end firmly gripped between their ivory teeth, or they were engaged in pushing beams by 18 PICTURESQUE BURMA book i their trunks and feet toAvards the tables of the circular saws, or lifting them high in the air on their tusks : the titanic beasts easily carried logs weighing a ton or more, from one part of the yard to the other. Oftentimes the animals are heard to grumble over their tasks,- and Avhen called upon to lift a specially heavy log, pro testations are made in elephant language; but their docility and quick obedience are Avhat most surprise visitors. One immense female was called to make a curtsey to me, which she did Avith all the grace an elephant could command. The beasts are trained to their Avork when young in the forests Avhere the teak is felled and brought do-wn to the river ; or else in the timber-yard itself, chained to an old elephant Avhich knoAvs its Avork well. These coolie elephants are said to give their attendants no trouble ; they are fed on immense bundles of twigs and on rice, and "are given a- dose of medicine every Sabbath-day to keep them good-tempered ; " thus busy and happy they are stated to live 150 years. In the heat of the day they rest, as elephants may suffer from sunstroke, to. protect them from which they wear in the hot Aveather huge solah topes made of straAV. The trade of Rangoon has made immense strides in the last forty years. In the first . decade of the century not more than from eighteen to twenty-five vessels cleared out of the port annually ; betAveen the first and second Burmese Avars the average annual number of vessels engaged both in export and import trade Avas not more than 1 2 5 annually, and of these not more than 25 were European ships. After the annexation of Pegu in 1853 trade increased rapidly, and in 1 884 we find Mr. Bernard, the Chief Commissioner of LoAver Burma, reporting to the Government that " the volume of British trade across our frontier Avith Ava equals 62 per cent. of the total trade across the Avhole land frontier of India from Kurrachee to Chittagong," and amounted even in the W ASHING ELEPHANTS. chap, i THE DEVELOPMENT OF RANGOON 19 time of King TheebaAv to £3,225,000 per annum. In the report of the administration of Burma for 1894—95 it is stated that the total number of vessels engaged in the sea-borne trade was 6335, and the total tonnage 3,975,148. The total value of the sea-borne trade is estimated at Rs.222,242,542. Most of this trade passes through Rangoon, but large ship ments of rice are made also from Akyab and Bassein, and of rice and teak timber from Maulmain. The figures speak for themselves. But though Rangoon has become a prosperous British port, it has not ceased to be Burmese. The Shway Dagohn still dominates the city, and as long as the Burmese youths continue to pass through the portals of the kioungs into manhood, the conquered people will be Buddhist and Burmese to their hearts' core ; and for my part I do not Avish it othenvise. THE GREAT ROYAL LAKE AT RANGOON, AVITH THE SHWAY DAGOHN IN THE DISTANCE. CHAPTER II A THOUSAND MILES UP THE IRRAAA'ADDY THE broad and winding river of the IrraAvaddy is the great Avater-way of Burma, from the lofty Shan hills ¦on the frontier of China to the Bay of Bengal. A country Avith such a Avater-Avay is assured for ever of one element of prosperity ; but to maintain the river as a high road for steamers is a Avork of conservancy of no small -difficulty. The Irrawaddy is said to be the largest body of melted snoAv in the Avorld, not even excepting the Ganges. When SAvollen by the rains and the melted snoAvs, it comes doAvn as .a mighty torrent through the narroAv and rocky banks of the upper and second defiles, rising, it is stated, in the former •often ninety feet above its normal level. Bursting in Avhirl- pools and hurrying eddies from its narrow limits, it spreads ¦over the low-lying country as a vast expanse of water, and leaves behind, Avhen it retires to its bed, malaria and fever, which have Avon for Upper Burma the reputation of being a " pestilential swamp." Far otherAvise Avas the great river Avhen Ave Avent up and down its long reaches in the sunny days of a Burmese Avinter. ShalloAvs and long spits of yelloAV sand alternated Avith deep Avater, and all day long the sing-song call of the Chittagonians at the boAvs, Avho never ceased taking soundings with long poles, rang in our ears as the great boat zig-zagged from bank to bank of the broad river, and the idle day passed idly along. Never can I forget the sense of peace, contentment, and chap, n STEAMERS ON THE IRRAWADDY 2r enjoyment which possessed me during the ten days Ave Avere on the IrraAvaddy. Travelling is easy ; " the IrraAvaddy Flotilla Company " daily runs steamers which are specially constructed to meet the requhements of the country and the people. DraAving but four and a half feet of Avater, they can pass over the shalloAvs of the river in the dry season, and can escape the Avhirlpools Avhen it is in flood. Usually built as three-deckers, these Irrawaddy boats accommodate in the rear a motley crowd of Burmans, Chinese, Kachins, and Shans, Avhile the bows of the second deck are reserved for European travellers. Here four or eight comfortable and roomy cabins will accommo date a small party. The dining-table is set under an awning- in the bows, Avhere reclining in a long chair one can pass the time in comfort Avatching the scenes on bank and river. The artist Avill find the day full to overflowing Avith delightful impressions ; the vacant-minded will be bored. The steamers are of two kinds, mail-boats and trading boats. The first carry only passengers and mails, steam as fast as possible as long as daylight lasts, and anchor at nightfall in mid-stream. The cargo or trading boats are much the most amusing in Avhich to travel. The first-class accommodation in the bows is quite as good as in the mail-boats, but the decks in the rear are covered with stalls where a brisk trade is carried on with the inhabitants of every village at which the boat calls. The ship is, in fact, a travelling bazaar, and carries peripatetic shops and the necessaries of civilised life to the dwellers on the banks of the great river. To the steamer is generally attached one or tAVo floats on either side. On these immense barges farm produce is carried and sold, Avhile in the main steamer native silks, pottery, and lacquer, Manchester and Birmingham goods are exposed for sale. The decks of the steamer afford constant amusement, endless material for the sketcher, and interesting studies for 22 PICTURESQUE BURMA book i the ethnologist. The races on board are various. Here is a family of Kachins with brown good-natured faces, small eyes, flat noses, and immense turbans, and who are returning from making an offering of gold-leaf at the Shway Dagohn. There are Shan merchants, Avho, dressed in uncleanly garments and immense flapping sun-hats, are guarding their merchandise Avith jealous care ; and there, apart from the noisy throng, is a group of phongyees telling their beads on rosaries. The prosperous, pigtailed Chinaman smokes his long pipe and looks on good-humouredly. The Burmese woman, in scanty silk tamein and white jacket, is filled with the cares of trade, and drives a bargain with eager eyes and voluble speech, while her taciturn husband sits idly by, smoking and wondering why nature made women so keen and active. The cargo-boats call three times during the day at mrer-side villages, and at about five o'clock in the evening they tie up for the night beside one of them.1 The river was in perfect condition when, in the beautiful weather of a Burmese winter, we ascended its winding reaches as far as Bhamo. This trip, so little known to seekers after new impressions, is one of the most enjoyable and interesting which can be taken on any river in any part of the world. Let me try and realise to my readers a day afloat on the IrraAvaddy in the Avinter. We have been tied up for the night, and at dawn of day the mist lies low on the Avater, and the air is as chilly as on an October morning in Scotland, so that Avhile sipping seven-o'clock tea in the open parlour in the bows, Ave instinctively button our pilot-jackets closely up to our throats. Presently the mist lifts, and the tropical sun shines out clear and strong. From the bamboo houses, built on piles in the village on the 1 We would advise travellers who care to see something of the people and villages, to travel by the cargo rather than by the mail boats. IRRAWADDY PADDY BOAT WITH CARVED STEERING CHAIR. chap, n SCENES ON THE IRRAWADDY 23 hill, stream out in tAvos and twos the village maidens, clad in clinging rainbow-tinted garments, and with red clay Avater-jars on their heads. They come down to the river-side, Avalk unconcernedly into the Avater, fill their jars, or take their morning dip, still modestly clothed, and each girl is a picture, classic in form, oriental in colour. Gaily laughing and chatting, they balance the jars on their heads, and pass up the hill and out of sight to the houses built of bamboo and plaited matting, which are the only sombre spots in the landscape. On a low mound gleams the white cupola of a pagoda, and from the grove of palms and plantains rise the carved seven-storied spires of the Phongyee Kioung. From these issue a silent procession of yellow-robed monks, who pace solemnly along the road with bent heads and with black alms-bowls in their hands. As we wait, a fisherman brings in his canoe laden Avith silvery fish, and he stands in the sunshine, clad in crimson and orange and green, chaffering Avith women whose pink and mauve tameins are reflected in the still water. Kachin women in embroidered gaiters, short skirts, high blue turbans, and immense sun-hats, are cooking their breakfasts on the shore : Burmese coolies with bare tattooed legs are running up and down the river-bank : the tall white-turbaned Sikh looks on solemnly, and the pig-tailed Chinaman is busy with his mer chandise. The banks are a mass of moving colour, and the brilliantly dressed figures are at once the delight and the despair of the sketcher. Since daylight the villagers have been crowding doAvn to the water-edge and on to our boat, and for an hour or more the most lively chaffering and bargain ing go on over silk tameins and pasohs, Manchester goods, Birmingham hardware and jewellery, and Burmese lacquer- work. The steam- whistle sounds, the crowd is merrily jostled off the boat, the anchor is weighed, and Ave are off. The day grows in beauty, and the foggy -October morning 24 PICTURESQUE BURMA book i develops into the brilliant hot July day of an Enghsh summer. On, on Ave go, zig-zagging to avoid the shallows, through scenery Avhich is always beautiful, though rarely of command ing grandeur. It recalls at one time the lochs of Scotland, at another Killarney or the English lakes : never perhaps quite so beautiful as any of these, but Avith the colour of Venice and the light of the tropics. The hills are clothed with dense forests, through which tigers and elephants roam at Avill : Ave do A RAFT ON THE IRRAWADDY. not, hoAvever, see or hear anything of them, but green monkeys are observed gambolling on the banks, and cormorants, paddy- birds, and cranes enliven the scene. Villages of bamboo houses nestle among groves of palms, tamarinds, and bananas, and every hill and promontory is crowned with a cluster of Avhite pagodas. Broad rafts of teak and bamboo idly glide down-stream, or gondola-like boats pass by, Avith high, carved, steering chairs, manned Avith crews dressed in pink and crimson and yelloAv ; Burmese dug-outs are leisurely paddled up-stream Avith the chap, n VILLAGES ON THE RIVER-BANK 25 canoeist standing, making a brilliant spot of colour in boAv or stern. In the sand by the river-bank Avomen are searching for rubies, Avashed doAvn from the mountains which contain the famous ruby mines. The colour of the whole scene is fine and subtle : the feathery undergrowth of bamboo gives a yelloAV basis to the forest trees Avhich pass from greens and russets to positive scarlet ; and the brilliant costumes of the people, and the colours of sky and Avater, are all blended and mellowed in the intense sunlight. As the day draAvs in to afternoon, sheeny tints of mauve and pink shoot across the Avater. The sun sets gloriously ; quickly the land is dark, but for a Avondrous half-hour, sky and Avater are molten in the gold and purple and crimson of the after-gloAv. At a signal from the captain four or five bare-backed sailors plunge into the river and swim ashore carrying a rope, and Ave are soon tied up for the night. We hasten to visit the monastery and the pagodas on the hill before it is dark, and we Avonder aneAv at the piety which permeates the nation. We go into the village and see Aveird groups of happy families squatting in the roomy, open cottages round Avood-fires blazing in the middle of the floors, and Ave note hoAv patiently the children watch the simple preparations being made by the busy housewife for the evening meal. There is no grinding poverty in Burma ; a bounteous soil, a hot sun, a religion with a fine moral code, and the absence of intemperance have com bined to make the Burmese a happy and contented race. There is also no caste with its cruel divisions of class ; the women are free, children are adored, and marriage is respected. The gay easy manners, the jovial and amiable temperament of the Burmans, are remarked by every foreigner. Twilight is short and the night falls quickly. The small party of travellers gather round the dinner-table set in the bows, and until a late hour the captain entertains them Avith yarns about the stirring times of the recent past : tales of 26 PICTURESQUE BURMA book i dacoity, of King Theebaw and his ruthless queen, of deeds of blood, violence, and heroism enacted in these very river side villages. Thus day after day passes pleasantly along, and the count of time is lost in the sense of ahvays passing on and on, borne by the shining river through groves and- vales, past the silent monuments of a stately religion, and among .a people clad dike the flowers in spring. To the artist the Irrawaddy is a dream of fine concords of colour and form ; to the archaeologist its treasures are inexhaustible. From the 999 pagodas at Shwebo to the 9999 at Pagahn, these monuments to Buddhism can be studied in every form and of every date, from the earliest to the present time. At Prome the hill is croAvned by the great golden Shway San-DaAv, hung with a myriad bells : the lofty temples, echoing galleries, and colossal Gautaumas at Pagahn, relics of the Buddhism of a thousand years ago, are alone worth a journey to Burma to see ; while the stately bell-shaped pagodas standing among the ruins of the royal city of Amourapoora recalled to my mind the graceful domes of the tombs of the Caliphs near Cairo. The white pinnacles and golden spires on the hills above the river at Sagaing, Avith thousands of stone steps leading pilgrims Avearily up the steep ascents, attract visitors from Mandalay. Higher up the river is the monster pagoda of Mengohn, which Avas rent from one end to another by an earthquake. Close by is the largest bell but one in the Avorld, weighing ninety tons. It Avas cast in bronze by the cire-perdu method amid the rejoicings of the people, Avho threw their bangles of gold and silver into the melting-pots. Under the hill of Mandalay are 450 pagodas containing the tables of the laAv. To mention even the names and to arive the numbers of the sacred buildino-s is as impossible as it is to visit them, for every Avood has its fane, every cliff its crowning cupola, and every village, -however poor, THE ENTRANCE TO THE SECOND DEFILE. EARLY MORNING. From a Pastel Sketch by the Author. chap, n THE DEFILES OF THE RIVER 27 has also its phongyee kioung or monk's house, to which the members of the order of the yellow robe retire to live a life of celibacy, austerity, and contemplation. Beyond the second defile, where the river runs forty fathoms deep between high Avooded cliffs, is Bhamo, the frontier toAvn, within thirty miles of the Chinese boundary. Here is a large cantonment for British and Indian troops, and a considerable Chinese settlement. The raihvay will soon be carried to Bhamo, and then not only will the wild Kachins of the hills be kept better under control, but the wide country of Upper Burma Avill be opened up to the enterprising British colonist. Before the natural beauties and the architectural glories of Upper Burma lose their charm from the introduction of civilisation and the commonplace, those who love beauty and colour, and who enjoy studying native races and customs, should spend some time idling on the Irrawaddy. CHAPTER III THE ROYAL CITY OF MANDALAY THE royal city of Mandalay is not attractive at first sight. The broad, straight, dusty roads stretch out for miles at right angles to one another, the streets being laid out on a rect angular plan and numbered as in Chicago. On either side of the long streets are grey bamboo houses, built on piles, which are so slight in construction that they look as if a strong wind would bloAV them aAvay : interspersed among them are brick and plaster buildings, Avhich are either unfinished and untidy, or wear a jaded look of disrepair. This is the first impression on coming off the shining river ; but day by day, as one comes to know Mandalay better, its attractions become apparent, and it presently seems difficult to exhaust its interests. The city constantly reminded me of Tokio, and is, I think, almost as interesting. Mandalay stands on a plain Avhich is bounded by the amphitheatre of the Ruby-mine mountains. It is a mile and a half from the river, and the site is consequently not Avell chosen for commerce. It is easily reached by rail from Rangoon, from Avhich it is distant about 500 miles. In the centre of the present toAvn is the city of King TheebaAv, Avhich is surrounded by a high Avail and by a moat 150 feet broad. This moat is in the summer overgroAvn Avith the lotus floAver. At all times it gives great picturesqueness to Mandalay, especially at sundoAvn, Avhen the puce-coloured mountains and the pinnacles of the city are reflected in its placid Avaters. In the King's time the gorgeous royal barge chap, in ROYAL PALACES AT MANDALAY 29 lay in the moat, and boat-races were held here. Each wall of the city is a mile and an eighth long, and is pierced by three gates, surmounted by characteristic seven-tiered roofs. The old city is now the site of the cantonment of the British troops, the native inhabitants having been turned out beyond the gates after the occupation, their houses burned and the space cleared and cleansed. In the centre of the great square the golden palaces of the King and his four principal Queens are still standing, together with the Halls of Audience and the Water-clock ToAver. The palaces are, even noAv, splendid types of barbaric magnificence, sumptuously carved, covered with gold-leaf within and Avithout, and decorated with coarse but effective mosaics, composed of pieces of mirror,, coloured glass, and cut-glass jewels. Though three, five, or seven roofed, accord ing to the rank of the persons occupying the different palaces of the royal compound, there is but one floor in each build ing, as the Burmans have a strong objection to anybody's feet being over their heads. Hence all the buildings in Burma are one-storied. Tall and perfectly straight teak columns, which are lacquered bright red, gilded wdth gold leaf, and decorated Avith mirror-mosaics, support the lofty roofs. At the end of the Halls of Audience, carved and gilded thrones are built into the walls, and are raised on a dais about ten feet from the floor. In the accounts of the " Missions to Ava," Avritten by Mr. CraAvfurd and Colonel Yule, graphic descriptions are given of the ceremony Avhen the King Avas dramatically revealed to his suppliant subjects, seated on his throne in the Audience Hall of Ava or of Amaurapoora, which buildings were in every way similar to that of Mandalay. On the sudden AvithdraAval of the golden lattice which screened the throne, the King Avas seen either seated, or in the act of mounting the steps, heavily 30 PICTURESQUE BURMA bedecked Avith golden garments and jeAvels. A long sAvord in a scabbard of pure gold Avas in his hand, and his golden betel- box and spittoon Avere placed beside him. At the sight of the KING THEEBAW'S THRONE. King all present prostrated themselves, knees, elbows, and fore heads on to. the ground..' His Majesty addressed a feAv formal questions to those to Avhom he Avished to speak, and then withdrew. The procession to the palace on reception days of the grandees, brilliantly apparelled, mounted on elephants Avith h3ap ftHMHP ' V' <~ _i. -C '^ 1 k-_,. 1 f\ ..? > ^ '< '-''- ^ , / ~ -'—£ V\v -— - s\ V / .- i- . ''^ u .^ chap, m BRITISH TAXATION NOT LIKED 41 drainage system, and police patrol the streets and protect property from dacoits. For all these improvements the people are taxed ; taxed, they say, for lighting streets to enable the English to go to their evening parties Avhen the natives go to sleep ; to make roads for the carriages of the English, Avhile the old cart tracks Avere good enough for their OAvn bullock gharries: they complain that they are not allowed by the police to set up a temporary booth in the' street, and have a pAve Avhenever they please, and they remember regretfully the bounteous liberality, the gorgeous ceremonials, and the gilded palaces of their kings. Upper Burma has not yet got used to European Avays and methods of government. True, the villagers are protected from the laAvless depredations and atrocious cruelties of the dacoits ; life and property are safe ; governors or " province eaters," as they Avere euphoniously called, can no longer squeeze those Avho have money or goods ; rice fetches a much better price ; more land is being brought under cultivation ; railways are opening up the country; the vast fires Avhich used to devour Avhole cities are prevented ; — all these results of English rule the people admit, but they still persistently aver that they are poorer, and that they grow poorer and poorer. The rupee no longer buys Avhat it used to buy ; money noAv leaves the country and goes to England and India : whereas in the King's time the revenue remained in the country, and even the very poor are now taxed, instead of being fed as heretofore by royal bounty. The English trader's object is to make money to send it home, and to get away as soon as he has made his " pile " : the aim of the Indian Government is to make Burma, its richest province, contribute largely towards an empty exchequer. It is not Avithout reason the Burmans say, " We are getting poorer : " the Englishman, the Chinaman, and the Madrassee are gradually coming to possess the land, and unless the happy-go-lucky Burman learns 42 PICTURESQUE BURMA book i to toil, to struggle, and to fight, he will inevitably be crowded out. His views, that the bounteous earth supplies food enough for all her sons, and that to get through life with as little labour and as much laughter as possible is the true philosophy, that to strive after Avealth and possessions is pure folly engendermg care, are out of date, and will not hold their ground side by side with those of the Britisher, Avhose object is to get, to gain, and to hold. Poor Burma ! As one careless-minded x nation after another disappears from this Avorld, as the Japanese and the Burmese cease to laugh, learn to toil, and pluck at the tree of knoAvledge of nineteenth- century civilisation, our regrets unavailingly folloAv them. J There is no word in the English language to express the state of mind attained by the Burmese and Japanese ; that absence of the sense of care which results from the absence of unnecessary possessions and the desire to " get on " ; that uncomplaining acceptance of misfortune which is the consequence of the unbelief in accumulated " karma " ; that conviction that it is better to laugh than to weep, better to share than to possess, better to have nothing and to be free of care than to have wealth and to bend under its burdens. AA'e English do not know the condition, and therefore have no word to express a. life and mind free of care. The French sans souci is nearer the mark than our careless. CHAPTER IV THE RUINED CITY OF AMAURAPOORA AS the traveller is carried by railway from Mandalay to L Rangoon, he is Avhen a feAv miles beyond Mandalay hurried SAviftly through the very midst of a croAvd of stately pagodas. Monster yelloAv griffins, with goggle eyes and red tongues, start from amongst the over-groAvn jungle close beside the iron road, and graceful bell-shaped pinnacles, crowned by golden htees, rise one beyond the other as far as the eye can reach. These are the ruins of the royal city of Amaura poora, Avhich Avas founded by the fourth son of the conqueror Alompra in 1783. Here the Burmese kings held royal state for three-quarters of a century, and here Symes and Phayre sojourned when on their respective missions to the Court of Ava in 1795 and 1856. Abounding in wealth, in magnificent temples, and golden palaces, Amaurapoora was tAvice forsaken OAving to a royal caprice. Just before the second Burmese Avar the King moved his court to Ava, but fifteen years later Amaurapoora again became the royal city. It Avas finally abandoned Avhen the King, Mindohn Min, resolved to build a neAV royal city at Mandalay. It is said that this last exodus Avas brought about by a tiger having got loose from his cage and escaped into the streets. This Avas considered a portent foretelling the desolation of the city ; so, to propitiate the poAvers of evil, the King hastened to quit a city of ill-omen, and gave instructions that Man dalay, six miles to the north, should be built forthwith. The people had orders to remove their houses to the new site, 44 PICTURESQUE BURMA book i and Amaurapoora Avas left to the ruin which most surely and quickly overtakes everything in a country Avhere a heavy rain fall and a scorching sun induce the rapid groAvth of jungle. The Availed city of Amaurapoora differed little in form and construction from the type Avhich has served as a model for royal cities in Burma from time immemorial. A perfectly square city Avas surrounded by battlemented Avails about tAvelve feet in height and a mile in length. In each Avail Avere eleven bastions and three gates, and on the outer side was a Avide moat filled Avith Avater. The streets Avere laid parallel to the walls and cut the city into rectangular blocks. The royal palace, the arsenal, the treasury, the council chamber, the palace of the Lord White Elephant, Avere in the centre, surrounded by a stockade and tAvo Avails. A large square pagoda stood at each angle of the city Avails, and temples, kioungs, granaries, the courts of justice, and the palaces of the princes Avere the only buildings Avhich rose above the dead level of the one-storied bamboo houses built on piles. Colonel Yule describes the streets as very Avide, and in dry Aveather tolerably clean, though dogs Avere the only scavengers. Only one angle of the Avails Avas Avashed by a branch of the IrraAvaddy, but at flood-time a chain of shalloAv but ex tensive lakes, situated on the north, south, and east of the city, Avere filled by the rising of the river. The suburbs of Amaurapoora, Avhich Avere more conveniently placed for trade and for pleasure than the Availed city, extended for long dis tances along the shores of these lakes. At certain times of the year the scene is described as very gay, the banks Avere covered Avith splendid religious buildings, and the waters Avere crowded with craft of various kinds. On one of the lakes Avas the Water-palace of the King, from Avhich he used to Avatch the races of the finely carved and splendidly inarmed war-boats. These lakes Avere dammed by broad and solidly chap, iv SPLENDOUR OF AMAURAPOORA 45 constructed bunds, and Avere connected Avith the city by causeT Avays and bridges, often of extraordinary length. Beside the roads leading to the suburbs Avere built kioungs of great beauty and extreme richness of decoration. Snakes and dragons, scaled Avith green mirror-mosaic, glittered in the sunshine on the golden parapets, and Nats, dancing in jewelled garments, embellished the balustrades, Avhile every carved pin nacle Avas croAvned Avith its golden htee and bells. After describing these buildings as he saAV them in their glory in 1856, Colonel Yule says, "It is impossible to look at these kioungs without a feeling of wonder how a people so deficient in all domestic appliances could be capable of designing and executing such exquisite workmanship. And one despairs of being able to exhibit to visitors from such a people, in any of our Anglo-Indian cities at least, works Avhich they are likely to appreciate as indicative of our superior wealth and resources." l When one reads of the archaic art, the splendid architec tural conception, and the Oriental magnificence of Burma, and still more of the efforts made by the King, Mindohn Min, to reform the government of the country and to rule justly, one cannot help Avishing that Burma had been enabled to become a Burmese nineteenth-century power, in the same way as Japan, and had indeed been willing to learn of Europe as much as Avas necessary for external defence and internal development, but had still remained essentially Burmese and Buddhist in ideas, customs, and government. A harsh discordant note is struck by the railroad running through the very gardens of the temples of Amaurapoora, by the presence of British can tonments in the walled cities, and by the click of the billiard ball in the Audience Hall of kings. Even the English Govern- 1 In reference to the latter remark, it is interesting to recall that last year, -when the Burmese troop of artisans, from the Empire of India Exhibition, were conducted to Windsor to see the Queen, they expressed great surprise that Windsor Castle, the palace of the Empress of India, was not gilded I 46 PICTURESQUE BURMA book i ment schools, which turn out native clerks in thousands, are not so harmonious to the Zeitgeist of the country, as the leisurely teaching by shaven monks of the great moral pre cepts of the law in the sonorous Pali language. Amaurapoora exercised a strange charm over me, and I Avent again and again to explore and to sketch its ruined temples, to sit beside its great lake, and to reconstruct in imagination its gorgeous past. The scene even now from the shore of the lake is fascinating. Massive ruined temples standing among groves of tamarind, palm, and peepul trees are reflected in the placid Avater, and in the far distance are seen the graceful lines of the Ruby-mine mountains. The city stood on a Avide plain. The outer walls and moat are easily made out. After crossing these, the road leads over open ground covered Avith jungle growth, from which rise the ruins of great buildings on either side. Some are square and of red brick, others bell- shaped ; there are great gateAvays lead ing to ruins which recall the baths of Caracalla at Rome, tall silvered poles are still surmounted by the Brahminy goose, and monster griffins guard shapeless masses. Among the pagodas rises one taller and statelier than the rest ; this is the great white Pato'-dau-gyi, the St. Paul's of Amaurapoora. The jungle throAvs its pall of green over the site of busy streets and golden palaces, and is uoav the haunt of deadly snakes. On my going, the first day I Avas at Amaurapoora, into the vestibule of a ruined temple to see three statues of Buddha which stand under a canopy in solemn draperies of black and gold, I was Avarned to be careful Avhere I trod, as the place Avas full of cobras. The idea Avas not pleasant, but being anxious to make some more sketches, I returned alone to Amaurapoora the next day. I had mounted my easel, and Avas steadily at work sketching in pastels a group of pagodas and griffins, surrounded only, as I thought, by naked children, Avhen I was startled by hearing a voice behind me say, " What CHAP. IV AFRAID OF THE COBRAS 47 for you photograph Burmese pagodas ? '" I turned round, and saAv a young Burman, dressed in a pink silk pasoh and turban. " You speak English ? " I said, glad to find some one who could answer questions about the ruins. " Yes, I am one of Dr. Mark's boys." PAGODAS AND SPHINXES. After watching me draw for some time with great mterest, he exclaimed, *' Hoav easy ! " and then, " Would you like to go into the pagodas ? " " Yes," I replied, " I should like to very much, but I am told the temples are full of cobras, and I am afraid to go in." '• Ah ! all English afraid of cobras ; Burmans not afraid ; 48 PICTURESQUE BURMA BOOK I Burmans charmed. I am charmed ; I not afraid ; you safe with me." " How you charmed ? " I asked, falling into the pigeon English. " So," he said, showing me some tattoo marks on his wrist. " I hold up my hand ; cobra go away ; cobra can't bite me. All snakes gone in the earth at daytime, come out at night." " What is there to see in the temples ? " I asked. " Oh ! fine ; you go Avith me ? " " Very well," I said ; "I go directly I done my sketch." After packing up my sketch ing utensils, I prepared to explore the ruins of what I Avas told was the temple of Kuji. I passed with my barefooted Burmese guide under the tumbledoAvn roofs of a long passage, Avhich conducted us into a spacious vaulted hall, at the end of Avhich, on a raised platform, sat a colossal statue of Buddha, Avith two kneeling figures in the attitude of adoration on either side. At a loAver level was a beautiful statue, about nine feet high, of Buddha standing, Avith the right hand raised in benediction. The gold-leaf had been Avashed off by the rains, and the black lacquer underneath was exposed ; the edge of the draperies Avas set Avith glass mosaics. We wandered through the halls and vestibules of the temple. In every nook Avere figures in alabaster and Avood, but the standing statue of Buddha beneath the altar in the great hall was still the finest. I returned to it. jjjgBHpEfiB* KNEELING FIGURE FROM A TEMPLE AT AMAURAPOORA. a M Ha Eh chap, iv SILK-WEAVERS AT AMAURAPOORA 49 " Can buy ? " at last I asked my guide. " Yes, can buy," he replied. On leaving the temple, I Avent and sat by the lake, Avhere Moung Tso, my guide, introduced me to Moung Dho, Avho, he said, Avould arrange to remove and. pack the statue of Buddha, Avhich I had contracted to buy out of the roofless and ruined temple. I returned to Mandalay delighted Avith my day's work. I had made three sketches and had contracted to buy a genuine Buddha out of a ruined pagoda. The temples still dreAv me with a strange fascination, and I Avent alone again the next day to Amaurapoora, determined to try and find Moung Tso and to further explore the ruins. I shrank from entering them Avithout the protection from cobras vouchsafed by my charmed guide. I took a gharry and drove over the common, past the great ruins on the main road, and turning into a shady lane, I got out of the carriage and Avent doAvn the lane on my quest. I kneAv but one word of Burmese and that was " Mahla " (hoAv do you do ?), and the name of my guide ; so to everybody I met I said, " Mahla, Moung Tso." I was looked at Avith Avondering curiosity, but presently a young Burman in pink silk, Avhom I addressed in the same Avay, nodded in a friendly fashion and gesticulated as if he understood ; he then mounted on the box of the gharry and drove aAvay. In the lane were a number of cottages beautifully made of plaited bamboo. They Avere built on the ground, and not on piles, which showed that the inhabitants were Manipurians, and not Burmans. These people are the descendants of the Manipurians who Avere carried away captive by King Bodoahpra. They have ever since followed the occupation of Aveavers, and it is the Manipurian weavers of Amaurapoora who make the most beautiful of the silk damasks which are Avorn by the Burmese women. Under the green shadoAv of papaya and 5o PICTURESQUE BURMA BOOK I palm trees, Avomen Avere Avinding and spinning bright-coloured silks on spindley bamboo wheels, chattering and singing as they worked. Beneath thatched shelters, placed against the A GIRL WEAVING SILK DAMASK. toylike houses, girls were busy Avith numerous tiny shuttles, weaving damasks of crimson and pink, or blue and green, AA'ith silver. I never saAv cottage industries carried on under more ideal conditions. I sat doAvn outside one of the largest of the cottages, to the delight of its occupants, and carried on a lively chap, iv EXPLORING THE TEMPLES 51 conversation with them by means of signs. They cheerfully showed me all the implements of their Avork — the winders and the spinning-wheels surmounted by little figures of Nats to bring good luck, the twisting frames worked by two men and the primitive looms, and I Avas taken all over the roomy cottage, and shoAvn Avith pride the pictures from the Illustrated London News and the Graphic, Avith Avhich the Avails Avere decorated. My clothes and trinkets Avere then all carefully examined by the merry-eyed, good-natured, and Avell-mannered women, and by the time the gharry re turned Avith my unknoAvn friend in pink silk, Avho brought Moung Tso, Avhom I Avas seeking, my hosts and I had become good friends. I told Moung Tso that I Avished to explore the Kuji temple still more, and had therefore sent for him to be my guide. He was politely Avilling, so again Ave passed up the ruined passage into the hall under the dome, Avhere the great Buddha sat on the raised altar, waiting for Avorshippers that never came. Aided by my guide, I explored every nook of the great mass of ruins, and for an hour or more we Avandered from one spacious hall to another, down long corridors and into open courtyards. Again and again we pulled open creaking carved doorways, to be startled by the gleaming Avhite face and up lifted hand of a Gautauma standing in the sacred recess. Indeed, in every hall, in every niche, sat or stood the solemn Buddhas, carved in marble, in alabaster, in Avood, with gilt and glass be-jewelled garments, tAventy, thirty feet high, mono liths defying Time's decaying hand ; or they lay prone, dying Buddhas, fifty feet long. The carved gables of the temples Avere falling doAvn, the roofs were generally gone ; the monster lion temple guardians started up suddenly Avith staring eyes and fierce faces from among the abundant green undergrowth ; all was ruin except the silent steadfast Gautaumas, that seemed to bear passive witness to the desolation of the sacred places 5: PICTURESQUE BURMA BOOK I induced by the alien race which now possesses the ancient land of Buddha. In King TheebaAv's time the temples of Amaurapoora were kept in repair, and where ten years ago prayers Avere fervently uttered and praises Avere con stantly sung, the silence is noAv only broken by the hiss of A SITTING BUDDHA. the cobra, the cooing of the turtle-dove, and the call of the tucktoo. In the Avoods I came across a kioung with splendidly carved eaves and balconies falling into ruin. Outside an old monk Avas standing, fondling Avith evident delight and affection a little one-year-old baby — a foundling, I Avas told, CHAP. IV RUINED TEMPLES 53 Avho Avould be brought up in the monastery. As I walked along to reach the gharry, I mused hoAV kingdoms may rise and fall, hoAV governing races may succeed one another, and stately religions Avith sumptuous temples may rise into poAver and fall into oblivion, but that human nature remains the same, and that the old monk fondling the httle child among the ruins of royal Amaurapoora represents Avhat is most real and lasting in life.1 1 I should add that I never received the Buddha from the Kuji Temple. A YAHANDAT, OR SERVITOR OF BUDDHA. CHAPTER V THE FANES OF PAGAHN AS numerous as the pagodas of Pagahn " is a favourite L phrase in Burma to express a number which cannot be counted. BetAveen Prome and Sagaing, and on the same side of the river as the latter, there are the ruins of a vast city, extending for no less than nine miles along the river- bank, and for two or three miles inland. These ruins testify that Pagahn was a city of great magnificence, and though in the chronicles of Burma its poAver Avas doubtless magnified, there are sufficient evidences to prove that in the tenth, eleventh, and tAvelfth centuries Pagahn was the centre of a strong monarchy, and exercised a profound religious influence. It is much to be regretted that at the present time oppor tunities are not given travellers to visit Pagahn. For the Avant of such opportunities the temples, Avhich are as wonderful, in their Avay, as the Pyramids of Egypt or the Cathedrals of the Middle Ages, are scarcely ever visited by European travellers. As no trade is to be done in a ruined city, the steamers of the IrraAvaddy Flotilla Company do not stop there ; and as tourists and "globe-trotters" have not yet discovered the unique beauties of Upper Burma, there are at present no hotels or dak bungaloAvs at Pagahn at Avhich the traveller can stay. I earnestly hope, uoav that the marvellous ruins of Pagahn have come under the care of the British Government, steps Avill be taken, not only to preserve them from decay, but that competent persons will be sent to Burma to picture and describe them in detail. I can give my readers but a chap, v THE TEMPLES AT PAGAHN 55 slight idea of the splendid conception, the originality of design, and the massive architecture of these relics of a bygone time of greatness. A few of the pagodas have been restored and gilded by the munificence of some of the Burmese kings, and are still used as temples for religious services. In many cases, however, restoration has been de structive of the delicate work of the mural decorations, of Avhich the beauty of the details astonishes all who have had the opportunity of examining them. The finest temples,. Avhich, from the correctness of the principles of their archi tecture and the massiveness of their construction, have best Avithstood the ravages of time and of the climate, are those built between the years 1057 and 1227 a.d. The Ananda is the oldest of the temples. It Avas erected about the middle of the eleventh century by Kyansittha, King of Pagahn. It suggests, as Yule 1 remarks, " strange 1 Colonel Yule is the chief English authority on the temples of Pagahn, which he visited in 1856 and described and pictured in his " Mission to Ava" in 1858. I have therefore quoted him freely in this account of the temples, which, to my great regret, I had not the opportunity of visiting myself when in Burma, owing- to the fact that the steamers do not call at Pagahn, and that I could not prevail upon the manager of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Co. to make a special exception in my favour, and give me the opportunity I so earnestly desired of exploring the- ruins. Yule says: " Pagahn surprised us all. None of the preceding travellers to Ava had prepared us for remains of such importance and interest." The early travellers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries do not mention Pagahn -r Symes, Cox, and Crawfurd paid short visits to the temples and give cursory accounts of what they saw; Fergusson in his " Indian and Eastern Architecture" (1878) quotes Yule's "Mission to Ava" and borrows his illustrations, saying, "As- almost all the particulars here mentioned are taken from this work as the latest and best, it will not be necessary to repeat references at every page." Nothing- of any importance has been published on the Pagahn temples since Yule gave his classic account, now nearly forty years ago, and I thoroughly endorse what Fergusson says as to the need of further investigation into the antiquities of Burma. After giving due credit to the labours of Symes, Crawfurd, and Yule, he writes, "But what they did was done in the intervals they were able to snatch from pressing public duties. What is really wanted is that some qualified person should take up the subject specially, and travel through the country with no other object than to investigate its antiquities. With the knowledge we now have, six months spent on such a mission ought to tell us all we now want to- know." This was written in 1878; since then Upper Burma has been annexed, 56 PICTURESQUE BURMA BOOK I memories of the temples of Southern Catholic Europe." It is built in the form of a Greek cross. On the outer side are corridors 200 feet long, in the centre of Avhich are immense gabled porticoes (see annexed plan). Above are six terraced, diminishing, and convex roofs, ending at the PLAN OF THE ANANDA. ¦centre Avith a mitre-like spire crowned by a golden htee. Within the outer corridor is a second ; these intercommuni cate and are lit by passages at right angles, at the outer end and the ruins of Pagahn, Sagaing, and Tagoung are now under British protection. If the Government would send out such an expert as Fergusson suggests to examine, photograph, and describe the great architectural remains that still exist in Burma, a work of much value to the students of architecture, archasology, and history would be accomplished. I sincerely hope it will be done. If this is not feasible, the formation of a Burma Exploration Fund may perhaps be hoped for. If such were formed, and powers obtained from the Government to dig and explore the ancient cities of Tagoung, Thahtun, Tharekhettara, and Pagahn, very valuable finds would probably be the result. Great care would, of course, be taken not to wound the religious sensibilities of the people ; but all the cities mentioned are, except Pagahn, given over to the dominion of the jungle, and their temples are no longer used as places for religious worship. chap, v THE AN AN DA 57 of every one of which is a AvindoAv. In the solid centre of the building, and at the end of each of the Avide transverse corridors Avhich lead up from the porticoes, stands a colossal figure of Buddha, thirty or forty feet high. These statues are four in number, and represent Kauk-kathan, GaAvnagohng, Kathapa, and Gautauma, the four incarnations of absolute holiness venerated by the Buddhists. The statues vary slightly in size and gesture, but they are all in the attitude either of prayer or benediction. Each figure stands facing the porch and entrance, on a great carved lotus pedestal, Avithin rails, like the chancel rails of an Enghsh church. There are gates to each of these chambers, noble frames of timber rising to a height of four-and-tAventy feet ; the frame bars are nearly a foot in thickness, and are richly carved on the surface in undercut foliage ; the panels are of latticeAvork, each intersec tion of the lattice being decorated Avith a gilt rosette.1 The lighting of these image-chambers is perhaps the most singular feature of the Avhole building. The lofty vault, nearly fifty feet high, under Avhich the statue stands, canopied by a valance of gilt metal curiously Avrought, reaches up into the second terrace of the upper structure, and a AvindoAv pierced in this sends a light from far above the spectator's head, and from an unseen source, upon the head and the shoulders of the great gilded image. The effect is said to be startling and impressive in the highest degree. "The devotee passes through long dim corridors, Avhere his foot falls soft on the mouldy pavement, and the smell is of a charnel-house, and there is silence throughout the Avhole vast temple, broken only by the eerie chant of a felloAV-worshipper far aAvay through the passages, and suddenly he comes on the chapel, and sees before him the sad, tranquil face, Avith a glory shed over it, and the hand stretched out as if in Avarning or benediction." 2 1 Yule's "Mission to Ava." 2 Shway Yoe, "The Burman." 53 PICTURESQUE BURMA BOOK I In the galleries are numerous figures of Gautauma, and groups of figures illustrating events in his life, altogether about 1 500 in number. The approach to the temple is through a street of Phongyee-Kioungs, Avhich are splendidly decorated Avith elaborate carvings. In one of them, a brick building, there are some interesting, though crude, Avail-paintings. The Thapinyu is the second great temple at Pagahn. It 4 J(iMM THE GAUDAPALEN TEMPLE, nfter Yule. Avas built about the year 1100 a.d. It is 180 feet square, Avith a massive portico. Tavo stories of corridors occupy the great basement, from Avhich springs a A'aulted hall, croAvned by a spire rising to a height of 200 feet. Under the arched roof sits a single colossal statue of Buddha. The third great temple is called the Gaudapalen, and Avas erected about the year 1 1 60 a.d. It is a quadrangular building, Avith heavy porches and terraced roofs, culminating chap, v THE GAUDAPALEN 59 in a spire 180 feet high. This temple is more symmetrical than the other tAvo, and as it stands on a platform near the river, it is that first seen on approaching Pagahn ; from a distance, its glistening white pinnacles and central spire recall Milan Cathedral. In these temples, Colonel Yule says in his classic descrip tion, " there is an actual sublimity of architectural effect Avhich excites wonder, almost awe, and takes hold of the imagination in a manner that renders apology for them as Burmese absurdly out of place." It is to be remarked that in later and modern Burmese buildings the arch is not found, and it seems as if the Burmese Avere not acquainted Avith the principle of its construction. If so, it is only a forgotten art, for in the Pagahn temples of the eleventh and tAvelfth centuries the pointed arch is found in all of them. The buildings are made of brick, cemented with mud, covered externally with plaster, decorated and en riched with coloured encaustic and incised tiles. The tiles represent rudely modelled groups of figures and animals. In a temple called the Sudha Munee much of the brilliant tile decoration and elaborate plaster-Avork still exist. The battle- mented crown of the parapet is set Avith large tiles embossed and enamelled in colours, the panels of the basement Avith smaller tiles in the form of diamonds, rosettes, and other ornamental patterns, and in the flamboyant rays and spires of the pediments, even up to the highest remaining terraces, the tips are composed of pointed glazed Avhite tiles, Avhich must once have given extraordinary lustre and sparkling effect to the elevation. The plaster-work is generally flamboyant and rich in detail, but the effect in foliage and ornamentation is often produced by very slight indications and incisions in the plastered surface. These incisions have been made Avith such instinctive art and suggestive skill, that, viewed at a little 6o PICTURESQUE BURMA BOOK I distance, the most elaborate modelling could scarcely have produced the desired effect more completely. This old work, slight as it is sometimes, is the rough bold sketch of the accomplished artist. On the ruined Avails and doonvays of the Sembyo-Koo are seen beautiful examples of flamboyant enrichments of the plaster. In some of the earlier buildings the mouldings and decorations are truly classical in character. • RUINS OF THE SEMBYO-KOO TEMPLE, after Yule. The Dhamayangyee temple was built about 1 1 5 3 a.d., and is a splendid pile. As the plaster has fallen aAvay, the details of construction are here more apparent, and architects have expressed unfeigned admiration at the perfection of the brick arches. The Thein-ma-het contains a number of paintings of large pictures on the Avails. There are also to be seen in Pagahn solid, bell-shaped (hap. v MARCO POLO ON PAGAHN 61 pagodas of the Shway Dagohn type, immense recumbent figures of the dying Buddha sheltered under dimly-lit brick sheds, and also Phongyee- Kioungs splendidly carved in bold relief ; in fact, the ground for miles is thickly streAvn with the ruins of pagodas and shrines of every shape and size. To exhaust the treasures of wonderful Pagahn is impossible. The imagination tries to reconstruct the city in its greatness from the immense ruins, and in fancy we see the gilded * pin nacles rising, numerous as masts in a crowded port, towards the deep blue sky ; the temples, enriched Avith enamelled tiles and gloAving with colour, as they stand bathed in the light of the tropical sun ; the richly carved and gilded roofs of palace and monastery lifted above the dead level of the low thatched houses of the vast city, Avhich stretched for miles along the banks of the noble river ; and musing thus at this apparition of greatness in a semi-barbarous land, Ave ask, Whence did the Burmese get their art and architecture ? From India ? It is to be borne in mind that the pointed arch is found in all the temples at Pagahn, and is used not only to span the doonvays and porticoes, but to roof the 1 Marco Polo's account of Mien or Pagahn in the thirteenth century, when Kublai Khan sent his army to conquer the country, must be read with great interest by all students of Burma. It runs : — "And in this city there is a thing so rich and rare that I must tell you about it. You see there was in former days a rich and puissant king in this city, and when he was about to die, he com manded that by his tomb they should erect two towers, one at either end, one of gold and the other of silver, in such fashion as I shall tell you. The towers are built of fine stone, and then one of them has been covered with gold a good finger in thickness, so that the tower looks as if it were all of solid gold ; and the other is covered with silver in like manner, so that it seems to be all of solid silver. Each tower is a good ten paces in height and of breadth in proportion. The upper part of these towers is round, and girt all about with bells, the top of the gold tower with gilded bells and the silver tower with silvered bells, inso much that whenever the wind blows among these bells they tinkle. The tomb likewise was plated partly with gold and partly with silver. The king caused these towers to be erected to commemorate his magnificence and for the good of his soul ; and really they do form one of the finest sights in the world, so exqui sitely finished are they, so splendid and costly. And when they are lighted by the sun, they shine most brilliantly and are visible from a vast distance." 62 PICTURESQUE BURMA BOOK I passages and halls. On this point Fergusson, the great authority on Indian architecture, says that " no Buddhist arch is knoAvn to exist in India, except in the reign of Akbar, and hardly a Hindu one in any temple down to the present day." This fact seems to sufficiently dispose of the suggestion that the Burmese of the eleventh and tAvelfth centuries derived their architecture from India. It is more probable that the square form of pagoda Avith pointed archAvays existed in Burma long before the foundation of Pagahn, and an examination of the ruins of Thatun — Avhich Avas a flourishing city in the fifth century — shows a square pagoda Avith three diminishing stories, crowned by a circular dome. Mr. Fergusson is inclined to think that this form of temple Avas derived from Babylonia, and probably reached Burma via Thibet by some route now unknoAvn. CHAPTER VI tagoung, ava, and sagaing, cities of ava Tagoung. TAGOUNG, built by Indian emigrant princes on the Avest bank of the IrraAvaddy, 847 B.C., is the most ancient of the cities of Burma. Here was founded a royal dynasty, which was overthroAvn by an mvasion from Yunnan. A second band of emigrant Kshatriyas, led by Daza Raja, came from Gangetic India and founded the city of Old Pagahn close beside Tagoung. The ruins of these ancient cities remain to this day. As far as the eye can reach, the ground is here covered Avith the remains of brick buildings, and of several large temples, the whole of which is buried under a thick pall of jungle. The exploration of the ruins of Tagoung and Old Pagahn Avould doubtless yield rich treasures to the archaeologist and the historian. We were unable to visit the ruins, but when we stopped at the village nearest to them on the banks of the Irrawaddy, my husband sent a Burman to dig in the ruins, and on our way back down the river, the man brought us his find, Avhich consisted of a number of hard-baked clay bricks. Each of them bears a stamped image of a sitting Buddha under a trefoil arch ; sometimes with attendant figures standing on either side. An inscription in Pali in ancient devanagari character is below the figure. Colonel Phayre says the letters are of the form ascribed to the time of the Guptas, used during the first two centuries of the Christian era, and that there appears no good reason for 63 64 PICTURESQUE BURMA BOOK I concluding that these bricks Avere made at a later period than Avhen similar letters were in use in India. It has been suggested, he says, that the bricks Avere made at Gaya and brought thence. If so, this fact Avould show an early com munication betAveen Upper Burma and Gangetic India. It is, hoAveArer, more probable that Avorkmen from India Avere BRICKS FROM TAGOUNG. brought to make the bricks, or to carve the forms used to stamp them. Tavo of these interesting bricks are represented here. The Pali inscription has been kindly read for me at the British Museum, and is translated as folloAvs : — " The Tathagata declared to be the cause of the qualities that arise from a cause, and the cessation of them. He Avho thus confesses is a great devotee." chap, vi THE STORY OF AVA 65 Ava. Ava is the city which has played the most conspicuous part in the modern history of Burma, and which gave its name to the kingdom in the treaties obtained by foreign embassies. It Avas founded by King Thadomengbya in 1364, on the left bank of the IrraAvaddy. Its classical name was Ratanapurar which means the City of Gems. Ava Avas laid out on the same plan as the great cities which preceded it — rectangular, walled, Avith wide, straight, parallel streets, and with the palace,. fortress, and treasury in the centre. For two hundred years it was the capital of Upper Burma, but in 1 5 54 it was taken by the great King Bareng Naung and made tributary to Pegu. In the next reign the possession of Ava was contended for by the tributary King and the supreme King in a duel, each monarch being mounted on an elephant, in Avhich singular contest the King of Pegu Avas victorious. When the empire of Bareng Naung was reconstituted under Thado Dhamma Raja, he quitted the ruined city of Pegu, made Ava his capital, and built in celebration of the event a great pagoda called the Khoung-moo-daAv. In the last efforts made by the Takings to recover their lost empire, Ava Avas besieged and burnt to the ground in 1752. When Hsengbynsheng (or Myedu Meng) became King of united Burma, he decided to change his capital from Muthsobo to Ava. The palace was rebuilt, and in April 1766 the King and his court moved into the new city. A htee of pure gold was made at Ava, and placed on the summit of the Shway Dagohn. In the midst of the consequent rejoicings the captive King of Pegu was beheaded. It was noticed that when the old man was led out to execution, he kept in his hand and Avas constantly turning what seemed to be a piece of clay. It Avas taken from him, when the clay was found to contain a large ruby of purest Avater ; this stone Avas afterwards ^6 PICTURESQUE BURMA book i looked upon as the choicest gem in the possession of the King of Ava. The terrible King Bodoahpra came to the throne in 1 7 8 i , but only after many palace intrigues and wholesale murders of his relatives. Sangermano, Avho Avas in Ava at the time, states that all the Avives and concubines of Zingusa, Bodo- ahpra's nepheAv, the former King, Avere burnt alive Avith their babes in their arms. An insurrection against the throne headed by a native of a village called Paonga Avas put doAvn in the most ruthless manner. All the inhabitants of the village were dragged from their homes and burnt alive on an immense pile of Avood. After these sanguinary deeds it Avas declared that Ava had been defiled as a royal residence by the shedding of blood. Consultations Avere held with the astrologers, and it Avas decided to build a neAV city on a site selected by them about eight miles north of Ava. The new royal city Avas called Amaurapoora, Avhich means the City of Security and Peace. On the I oth of May 1783 Ava Avas vacated by the King and his court, and the neAv palace taken possession of in solemn state. On the people shoAving some reluctance to remove from their pleasant quarters at Ava to the malarial SAvamps of Amaurapoora, the King returned a Aveek later to Ava, and personally urged and directed the removal of its inhabitants. Thus Avrites Sangermano, an eye witness of this act of tyranny : " Vain Avould it be to describe the sufferings and fatigues, the oppressions and exactions, which this transmigration caused, to those Avho have not witnessed the extreme rigour Avith which the royal orders are here executed. No sooner Avas Amaurapoora inhabited, than Ava, famed not only as the residence of so many kings, but also for its pleasant and convenient situation and the magni ficence of its public buildings, Avas instantly abandoned. Indeed, Badonsachen (Bodoahpra) caused its total destruction, by giving general permission to overthroAv at Avill the superb Bao, a fierce and courageous fighter ; not only will he charge a man, but it is said that a herd will surround and kill a tiger. In the open spaces of the forest immense herds of deer may be encountered, particularly the large-horned Cervus frontalis, peculiar to Burma and Manipur. The natives kill deer, not by shooting or chasing them in the ordinary Avay, but a party 96 PICTURESQUE BURMA book i of ten or tAvelve men go into the Avoods at night in a buffalo cart ; in front tAvo or three lighted torches are carried, and tAvo persons Avalk beside the cart bearing great Avooden bells Avhich are constantly beaten. The deer seem dazzled by the light and dazed by the noise, so that they remain motionless, and are then easily killed with SAVords, spears, and knives. Wild boar and porcupines are common in the Avoods, but the lion, the king of beasts, is not a native of Burma. The bear is found in the mountains of Martaban ; the orang-outang is said to be met with in the forests of Pegu. Apes are very numerous, and I have seen them gambolling in croAvds on the banks of the IrraAvaddy. Sangermano describes hoAV " they leap from tree to tree with such agihty as to seem birds rather than quadrupeds ; they fight Avith each other and mock the lookers-on, and chase the fish and crabs that have been throAvn on dry ground in the most ludicrous manner." But perhaps the Burmese forests are more remarkable for their Avondrous snakes, vipers, and venomous creatures than for other specimens of natural history. The stories told of the hamadryad {Naja Maps) are numerous. This deadly snake is from tAvelve to fifteen feet long, and if attacked, or if its nest is interfered with, it vvill pursue a human being with great rapidity of movement and persistency of intention. When it raises its head, it is taller than a man, and it is said to strike at once at the head of its victim. When I was in Burma, I was told that a well-known London dealer in rare and costly animals, had offered a prize of £1000 for a live full-grown hamadryad. The offer was a safe one to make. At one time the Government gave a reward for every hamadryad killed. The result was that the nests were carefully searched for, and Avhen found Avere Avatched by natives. As soon as the eggs were hatched a circle of fire Avas made round the nest, the mother Avas caught and killed or alloAved to escape, and chap, vm HAMADRYADS AND PYTHONS 97 the young snakes were then slaughtered and the reward of the Government claimed for each of them. It was soon discovered that the offered reAvard led to the breeding of hamadryads instead of to their extermination. An old story is told of a hamadryad which established itself near a village and became the terror of the inhabitants. A reAvard Avas offered to anybody who would kill it, but no one cared to make the attempt. At last an old Avoman declared herself ready to undertake the daring deed. She placed a pitcher of melted pitch on her head and started alone to meet the hamadryad. It raised its body and struck as usual at the top of the head of its intended victim, but unawares it plunged its head into the melted pitch, Avhere it stuck fast and was suffocated. Mr. Theobald tells, however, that he has seized with his own hands one of these large and deadly snakes on tAvo occasions. The cobra capello is very common in the forests, but it is outdone in venom by the cobra ceras, the deaf viper, which no noise can rouse, but which, "if confined so that it cannot fasten on its captor, will in its rage bury its long fangs deep in its own body." The python makes its huge meal undisturbed in the forests, and all travellers tell stories of its power to swallow whole deer, and even great boars. It is said to strip off the skin and flesh from the head of its prey, cover the Avhole body with a glutinous saliva, and swalloAv the animal entire, head foremost. It kills by constricting the animal in the coils of its immensely strong body before sAvallowing it. Notwithstanding its dangerous tendencies, the python is believed to be the embodiment of a Nat. The Burmans have a tradition that the boa was in the far-aAvay past the -most venomous of snakes, but that on being once teased by an impertinent croAv, he became so angry that he spat up all his poison. Other snakes ate the poison, and thus became venomous, but the python Avas henceforth harm- 98 PICTURESQUE BURMA book i less. In Tavoy the huge reptile is made a domestic pet, and is kept amiable by being fed on rice and eggs. He becomes, in fact, an inmate of the household, " so that the cat, the dog, and the baby may be seen curled up together in a corner Avith the boa, making one another mutually cosy." x The strange favourite has, hoAvever, its uses, and the Tavoy fisher men look upon the python as the most Aveather-Avise of beings. He is ahvays carried Avith them Avhen they go fishing, and remains coiled in the boAvs so long as the Aveather is fair ; but if a storm is coming on, the python quietly drops into the sea and makes for land, and the fishermen look upon this as a signal that they also had better make for port. Tigers are fond of making a meal of a python, and Fytche describes how he shot a tiger Avhich was in the act of devouring one. A spider called by the Burmans the pangu is believed to be more venomous than any viper. It is described as being about three inches broad, its belly is covered with red hairs, and it has ten legs furnished Avith hooked claAvs. In its mouth are two black hooked fangs, and its back is covered Avith a hard scaly case like a tortoise. It is incessantly hunting for serpents, and Avhen it finds one, it is stated to nimbly climb up its back, strike its black fangs into the creature's head, and suck out its brains (Sangermano). Scorpions are numerous, and are said to grow to an immense size. Centipedes get under the clothes, and their bite causes a torturing inflammation. The Avild Karens tell of a centipede in the forests of Pegu groAvn as large as an ox, and Avhich clatters its hundred legs with a noise that may be heard from afar ; and the Chins romance of Avinged beasts in the mountains of Arakan, which fly through the air Avith a rush and roar terrifying to the beholder ! We wait for men of science to investigate all these Avonders, and to tell us what the forests of Pegu and Burma really contain. 1 Shway Xou\ "Burman." chap, vm THE TUCTOO 99 Birds of every kind, peacocks, pigeons, turtle-doves, falcons, eagles, and vultures are abundant ; the parrots are so numerous that they are the scourge of the farmer, and from the boughs of almost every tree hangs the cleverly-Avoven nest of the weaver- bird. Edible birds' nests are also found in large quantities, and are collected and sent to China, Avhere they are greatly appre ciated. On the IrraAvaddy, flocks of wild ducks and geese are seen, the graceful paddy-bird stands pensively on the sandbanks, while cormorants and big fisher-birds are busily looking for prey. Butterflies, ants, gnats, and horseflies sAvarm during the rainy season, and mosquitoes are so tormenting and so large that it has been humorously stated that they have been shot at in mistake for snipe ! This hallucination Avas probably the result of many " pegs," doubtless taken to soothe a body and mind irritated beyond endurance. The tuctoo, or trout-spotted lizard, is thought to bring good luck to a house, and no Burman Avould think of disturbing one Avhich had taken up its abode in the verandah, Avhere it feeds on moths and insects. It is about eight or nine inches long, of a pale broAvn colour spotted with pink, and has a flat head with goggle eyes. It utters a loud and long-draAvn cry — " tuc-too, tuc-too-o-o." I shall not easily forget the first time I heard the tuc-too call. 1 Avas one evening exploring some ruined pagodas near a tumble-doAvn kioung in the outskirts of a jungle village on the Irrawaddy, Avhen the silence Avas suddenly disturbed by a loud strange cry — " tuctoo, tuctoo-o-o," and Avhich seemed quite near. " What's that ? " I cried, almost in alarm, to my companion. " Why, that's a lizard, the tuctoo," he replied. " Tuctoo, tuctoo-o-o," echoed the lizard from the balcony of the lonely kioung, to which it did not seem to have brought good luck. The chameleon is a native of Burma, as Avell as a great many lizards, some of Avhich are said to be excellent to eat, their flesh being as delicate as foAvl. ioo PICTURESQUE BURMA book i In the delta, crocodiles are very numerous in the estuaries of the IrraAvaddy and Salwen rivers, Avhere the Avater is brackish. They often become most formidable as animals of prey, and a single alligator will, after having made several victims, become so emboldened that he will usurp dominion over a certain portion of a river, Avhere he is the terror of every boat's crew that passes. In a Burmese dug-out the steersman sits very Ioav, often only a few inches above the water's edge. The crocodile's mode of attack is to glide up silently to the boAV or stern of the boat, and then with one stroke of his poAverful barbed tail close to the top of the Ioav boat, he SAveeps into the Avater Avhoever may be within reach, Avhen he is seized and devoured.1 Burmans wear nodules of iron pyrites as a charm against crocodiles, but they do not prevent the monster from swalloAving man and charm together. Dr. Price, the American missionary, was present Avhen one of his creAv was seized by an alligator on the IrraAvaddy.2 The man had gone overboard to do something to the boat, when he Avas seized by a croco dile of extraordinary size, and quietly dragged under Avater in sight of his helpless and horrified companions. Presently the monster reappeared close to the boat's side, holding the still living man by the Avaist in his terrible jaAvs, just as a dog holds a stick. Bising Avith his prey several feet out of the Avater, he brought it down Avith great force and a loud crack on the surface, Avith the object probably of breaking up the body ; the red stain on the placid Avater giving a silent sign that the murderous intention had been carried out. It is pleasant to turn to the consideration of the kinder relations often estabhshed betAveen man and the denizens of the rivers. At a holy island on the IrraAvaddy above Tsengoo, a colony of large fish live a tranquil life in a pool under the shadoAv of a phongyee-kioung, and are fed 1 Mason's "Natural Productions of Burmah.'' " The Prisoner in Burmah," by Gouger. chap, vm FLOATING ISLANDS 101 by the solitary monks. On the boatmen calling " tet-tet," a number of large fish, three or four feet long, crowd round the boat's edge to be fed Avith pellets of rice, and seem to be delighted to have their backs stroked. These fish are con sidered sacred, and to do them royal honour, they are some times caught by the people on festival days, and brought into the boat to have gold leaf attached to their backs, and are then returned to the river. I must conclude this short account of some of the natural Avonders of Burma by telling of the floating islands on Lake Nyoung-ywe, beyond the Taungu country. The surface of the Avater is covered by a great number of floating islands. They are produced by the interlacing roots of a coarse grass or reed, which in dry weather shoot doAvnwards to the bottom of the lake. When the floods come, they are separated from the soil, are floated up and become free. The inhabitants on the borders of the lake build fishing cottages on these islands, Avhich they anchor to the bottom by long bamboos. They undulate in an alarming manner with every step, and in a squall a man's house may face every point of the compass. Burma, with its marvellous forests, rivers, and mountains, would prove such a mine of fruitful research to the naturalist and man of science, that it is most earnestly to be hoped that the Government Avill, at no distant date, send fully qualified men to investigate the flora, fauna, geology, and the natural history of this Avonderful land, so that Ave may have accurate knowledge Avithin our reach, and not depend, as noAv, on the observations of missionaries, military men, and travellers for our scientific knowledge of the country. It is a subject of constant regret by those Avho have told us all we know of Burma, that investigations of a truly scientific character have not yet been made, and it is averred that if the land had been conquered by the French, an army of archaeologists, botanists, geologists, zoologists, &c, would have followed the 102 PICTURESQUE BURMA BOOK I army of occupation, and that the temples would have been described and pictured, the natural products examined, and the plants and animals classified, in a number of admirable monographs long ere this. We trust that, as the revenue of Burma uoav shows a liberal increase over expenditure, the Government may see its Avay to expend some of its funds in grants for scientific research on the fauna, flora, and geology of the country. BOOK II THE TEOPLE OF 'BURMA AND THEIR CUSTOMS e merci erg ravure BURMESE BAMBOO HOUSES. CHAPTER IX THE BURMAN AT HOME A BURMESE house can, it is said, be built Avithout a nail ; but though so exceedingly simple in construction, it is admirably suited to a warm climate, Avhere the needs of the people are few, and Avhere the plains are every year flooded by the overflowing of the rivers, and are occasionally rocked by earthquake shocks. All dwelling-houses in Burma, from the King's palace to the meanest peasant's hut, are one-storied, owing to the uni versal feeling that it is an indignity to have anybody's feet over one's head. In the days of Burmese rule, the build ing of domestic houses Avas strictly regulated by law : brick buildings Avere not alloAved, lest they might be converted into fortresses ; gilding was forbidden, as being fit only for the io6 PICTURESQUE BURMA book ii palaces of kings and the kioungs (monasteries) of phongyees (monks), and archways over the doorways Avere not permitted. The size, and even the building materials of the houses of every class, Avere the subject of legal enactment, disobedience to which incurred the penalty of death. Though these laws are no longer in force, habit induces the Burmans to build in the same way as they have done for centuries. The houses are ahvays raised on posts seven or eight feet from the ground, these posts being of teak, or of less costly Avood, or of bamboo. Planking for the floor is then tied Avith rattan to the uprights, or, in the case of very poor people, undressed bamboo poles are used. The Avails are made of split bamboo beautifully plaited into fanciful patterns, and the roof is composed of the leaves of the toddy-palm, which have been soaked in salt Avater to make them insect-proof. This thatch is no longer alloAved for roofing neAv houses in tOAvns, as it is very inflammable ; tiles or shingles are now used. In aU tOAvns where thatched houses are still numerous, and, in fact, as an adjunct to every thatched house, there will be seen leaning against the Avail and ready for use a long hooked bamboo stick, with Avhich to pull off the roof directly it ignites, and also a wooden flapper Avith which to beat out any spark that may settle on the thatch. Chatties or pitchers full of Avater are also kept on the roof. These precautions are very necessary, as a fire once started spreads rapidly, and a whole town or village may be burnt. down in an incredibly short space of time. The old Avater- clock towers are noAV used as Avatch-tOAvers, from which a signal is given Avhen a fire breaks out. The Burmese house generally consists of one good-sizedapart- ment, but one. or more rooms may lead off from the common room, whence they are separated by partitions of Avoven matting. The floor of these inner rooms is generally raised one or tAvo feet above the principal room. On the front of the house there is ahvays a broad verandah, furnished Avith a balustrade, and A EIVEESIDE VILLAGE. chap, ix A BURMESE HOUSE 107 built on a slightly loAver level. Large flaps cut in the matting walls take the place of doors and AvindoAvs ; in the daytime the latter are raised, so that the passers-by can look in and see all that goes on ; at night they are closed. The cottages of the Manipurians are not built on piles, and the Chinese settlers have ahvays been distinguished by their brick houses. I have been into numbers of the homes of the poor in Upper Burma, and though hfe is extremely simple, it did not strike me as barbarous, and the housing of the people was, except at Mandalay, better than it often is in Ireland and in Italy. The Avell- to-do Burmans in towns in LoAver Burma often live much as the Europeans do, and I have called on a Burmese lady in Rangoon who spoke English fluently and had all the sur roundings of an English Avoman of position. The Burmese house is simple enough in its construction, but it is simpler still in its internal arrangements, and the Burman excels evon the Japanese in having mastered the art of living happily Avith few belongings. Chairs, tables, and bedsteads are all dispensed Avith. A bamboo or rush mat laid on the floor Avithin mosquito nets suspended from the roof, and a block of bamboo for a pillow, make a cool and excellent bed in a hot climate ; a few rugs and blankets are used in the winter, when the nights are damp and chilly. The entire service de table consists of a large circular dish and a few plates and lacquer bowls. The rice for the meal is either cooked in the open air, or on a fire-box placed in the middle of the room and filled with earth, ashes, and fuel. I have seen many a picturesque scene in the cottages of the riverside jungle villages, when the mother was preparing the evening meal, Avhile the children squatted round the leaping flames issuing from the fuel-box in the centre of the room. Once I remember Avatching a Avoman baking, or rather roasting, thin flat circular cakes over the blue flames of a Avood-fire, in the dark road under the stars, by the simple process of 108 PICTURESQUE BURMA book ii tossing the cakes from one two-pronged fork to another. A group of naked children sat around on the ground, and watched the proceedings with the greatest interest. The Avoman presented me Avith some of the results of her baking, and I must say they Avere excellent, very much like Jewish Passover cakes. The good terms existing betAveen children and their parents is obvious on such familiar family occasions, of Avhich the open houses and the outdoor life enable one to be a Avitness. Indeed, the Burmans give an example to many of us English Christians in the gentle and kindly treatment of their children. The Rev. Benjamin Waugh would find no work to do in heathen Burma, and Avould not have to make enormous efforts to raise funds to protect little children from the cruelty of their parents. I must not omit to mention one of the chief and largest articles of furniture in a Burmese cottage, and that is the basket- cradle, slung from the cross-beam, in Avhich the baby, snugly Avrapped up, lies in safety, and is rocked to sleep by a devoted mother to the music of many a pretty lullaby. In fact, a mat, a mosquito net, two or three rugs, a round circular dish, a feAv plates and lacquer boAvls, a cocoa-nut cup, a betel-box, and a cradle, constitute nearly the full comple ment of furniture required by a married couple in Burma. Outside the country cottages are set the rice-mill, Avhere the rice is husked by the merry girls of the household, and the loom, on Avhich is Avoven Avith bright coloured silk yarns and silver thread, bought from the Chinamen in the bazaar, the pretty tameins and pasohs which are Avorn on duty days or at the races. I have been surprised at the beautiful and dainty silk fabrics Avhich I have seen being Avoven on primitive hand-looms standing in the open or under a thatched shelter in some jungle village, where my visit Avas treated as an event of considerable interest. I remember in a village not CHAP. IX A VISIT TO NUNS 109 far from ShAvebo, going into a cottage occupied by tAvo nuns, Avhere, with the assistance of my companion, who spoke Burmese fluently, I tried to carry on a conversation. The simple nuns had never seen, they said, a Avhite woman, and Avere so im pressed that, after humbly shekoeing l me, they began to rattle off Pali doxo- logies on then knees. While sitting on the floor, and feeling someAvhat em barrassed at these unwonted attentions, a small croAvd gathered at the open house front, Avhen one woman more curious than the rest shouted out, " Ask her how old she is." This is, hoiv- ever, not considered an impertinent question, as in Europe, but one showing a sympathetic and kindly interest in you. In royal receptions it was always the first question asked, and to omit it Avas a sign of discourtesy. So much Avas this the case, that once in the official recep tion of a British envoy, the minister forgot to ask him his age, A BUEMESE NUN. 1 To sheJcoe is to fold the hands together, put them up to the forehead, and to bow the head low while kneeling and sitting back on the soles of the feet. no PICTURESQUE BURMA book ii Avhich omission Avas subsequently apologised for. With me it Avas generally folloAved by other questions, " Is your husband kind to you ? " " What makes you come to this country?" and then, curiosity overcoming politeness, "What makes you so big ? " the Burmese woman Avith her lithe spare figure not being troubled with embonpoint. To return to the cottage-homes of Burma, outside almost every one there is to be found a broad bench or small platform raised about tAvo feet from the ground, on Avhich the men sleep or smoke in the daytime, and the Avomen sit and gossip, or Avind bright coloured silks. A plot of ground, surrounded by a high bamboo fence, is attached to each house, Avhere a feAV papayas, palms, and cannas are cultivated, and Avhere probably the country cart is kept. These country carts are picturesque objects ; the boat- shaped variety, with solid Avheels of padouk wood, the grease- less axles of Avhich creak and shriek as they roll along the rutty roads in the avoocIs, is drawn by a pair of active and delightful little buffaloes, decorated with bells and the gaily ornamented harness peculiar to Burma. On this cart a hood, resembling a great sunbonnet, may be fitted ; but the pretty light cart Avith spoked Avheels is Avhat is used by the family to go to the pagoda on fete days, or to take the Avomen to market. Domestic life is happy and peaceful in Burma : ambition does not ruffle its calm, and the feverish desire to be doing something does not break in upon its monotony. The Burman has no desire to be rich ; to have money enough to make gifts to the pagoda and to the phongyees, and to be able noAV and then to give himself and his neighbours the pleasure of seeing a pwii (or play), is all that he demands in the Avay of Avealth. No misfortune can quench his natural gaiety of heart, and to live peacefully Avith his neighbours, and to achieve some act of merit, Avhich will make things safe for him in the next world, are his chief desires. To quarrel with anybody Avould CHAP. IX DOMESTIC LIFE IN BURMA 1 1 1 not be Avorth Avhile, and to quarrel Avith his Avife, Avho is in every sense his better half, Avould be the height of folly. So married couples jog on happily and comfortably together. A Burmese Avife does not romantically expect her husband to be a hero, but the man expects his Avife to be a capable partner, A COUNTRY CAET. able and Avilling to take her full share in the affairs of life, in return for which she is honoured and loved. In nearly every house there is a stall Avhere the Avomen sell some kind of merchandise. Except Avhen the rice crop is being soAvn or gathered, the men are not very busy, but by means of smoking, cheAving betel, and gossiping with neighbours, they manage to while aAvay the day, and in the evening, pwes, 112 PICTURESQUE BURMA BOOK II marionettes, improvisations by peripatetic poets, and country dances serve to pass the time joyously and happily. A VILLAGE MAIDEN. Only two meals a day are taken, the first at about nine o'clock in the morning and the other at sunset, and they con- (hap. ix WHAT THE BURMAN EATS 113 sist of (as Dr. Marks told me Avhen I asked him Avhat Avas the diet of his boys), " rice and curry in the morning and curry and rice in the evening." The rice is heaped on the great red dish in the middle of the floor, and the curry is served in little boAvls. The leaves of tamarind and mango trees, young bamboo shoots, Avild asparagus, and fleshy Avater-plants are used,. together with oil, onions, garlic, hot peppers, cayennes, chillies, &c, all of Avhich are stewed together in a thin vegetable stock. Delicacies are added in the Avay of ngapee, or a species of red ant {Formica smaraydina) fried in oil, and a certain fat maggot, resembling a silkworm, used to be a special dainty at the royal table. An animal that has died from any cause Avill not be despised for food, and will provide the richest curry, and, as already told, snakes and serpents, deprived of their heads, are thought fit for food. Venison is also supplied from the forests. A strict Buddhist Avill not kill any animal soever for food. The Karens are stated to emulate the tiger in their fondness for the flesh of pythons, and pickled crocodile is not unknoAvn. Turtle eggs, which are found in great abundance on the sandbanks of the Irrawaddy and on certain islands, are much appreciated. No knives or forks, nor even chop-sticks, are used in eating, the fingers serving all purposes. Water is the national drink. A Burman does not, however, drink Avhile eating, but after eating rinses out his mouth Avith water. Tea is a necessary article of diet to every Burman ; it is not, hoAvever, infused and drunk, but is pickled and eaten with a little salt, oil, garlic, or asafcetida at the conclusion of a meal, in the same way as we eat cheese. Presentations of small packets of pickled tea form part of every ceremony and festival, and invitations to a wedding or a pwe are sent verbally, accompanied with a packet of pickled tea. The Burmese are cleanly in their personal habits, and a bath in the river or at the well, by pouring water over the h 114 PICTURESQUE BURMA BOOK II Avhole body, is taken once or tAvice a day. The hair of both men and Avomen is worn very long, and they are extremely vain of it should it reach to the knees or ankles. Where nature has not been so generous, tails of false hair are not despised. The men gather then long black tresses into a knot at the top of the head, and it is kept up by Avinding a bright coloured handker chief jauntily round the head, as a turban. The women have their hair neatly dressed in rolls and bows, and the smooth black coils are often croAvned by SAveet-smelling flowers. The men's dress consists of a silk " pasoh " Avoven in bright coloured checks and stripes ; this garment is merely a long piece of silk about one and a quarter yards deep, and about six yards long ; it is wound round the hips, one end being tucked in in front, and A BURMESE GENTLEMAN. the remainder into loose graceful folds, gathered or is thrown, scarf-fashion, over one shoulder. A short Avhite jacket is Avorn, and in the Avinter, or on occasions chap, ix COSTUME OF WOMEN 115 of ceremony, this garment is covered by a long white or fur- lined coat. The Avomen's dress is similar, but the tamein or skirt is very narroAV, not more than fifty or sixty inches broad, and longer than it is broad. The upper part is made of a dark cotton material, the middle third consists of a beauti fully woven silk damask in brilliant colours and conventional design, and the lower third, which SAveeps the ground, is of a plainer pattern, generally in stripes and Avoven in lighter tones to harmonise Avith the rich damask of the centre. The effect is very pleasing, and the tameins of ladies, Avho take great care to have them woven in tones and blends to suit their correct taste, are charming examples of the art and skill of the weaver. The tamein is Avound tightly round the hips and is attached by tucking in one end. The opening is in front, and to prevent the immodest display of naked limbs in walking, a Burmese girl cultivates, much like the Japanese beauty, a peculiar method of locomotion by throAving out the heels and hips, Avhich would be exceedingly ugly in an English Avoman, but somehow seems to be proper and graceful in the closely robed women of Burma and Japan. Under the tamein is generally worn a kind of petticoat and shift in one, like a narrow sack open at both ends, and fastened above the bosom. A white jacket covers the body, and a bright coloured silk scarf is Avorn across the shoulders, and is folded round the throat when the chilly morning mists lie low. In the case of native Christians, it is worn over the head instead of a bonnet, Avhen the wearer is at church or chapel. The feet are shod with sandals, attached by a strap passing between the big and second toes. The sandals worn by ladies are often prettily embroidered. The Burmese man is rather below the medium height of an European, but he has a strong, Avell-knit frame, and by the habit of living, it may be said, ahvays in the open air — for the 116 PICTURESQUE BURMA book ii walls of a bamboo matting house are not Aveather-proof — and of going unclothed till nearly the age of puberty, he is able to endure exposure and fatigue under conditions which break down an English soldier. The Avomen are small, with slender figures and narrow hips, and are active and energetic in their movements. The children gave me the impression of perfect health and robustness ; whether this condition is due to the survival of the fittest, or to the natural open-air life they lead, I do not knoAv, but probably both causes are at work. The climate of Burma is less inimical to Europeans than that of India proper. In Rangoon, after the monsoon breaks, the weather becomes cooler. English ladies stay there five or seven years without finding it necessary for their health to go home. In Mandalay the summer heats are very trying, and in the valley of the Upper IrraAvaddy the swampy condi tion of the soil, when the river retires to its banks after the floods, induces malaria. At Maulmain the rainfall is exces sive, reaching sometimes the high figure of OATer 180 inches in the year ; 1 2 inches have been knoAvn to fall in one day. The winter weather, such as Ave experienced in Burma throughout the length of the country, from Rangoon to Bhamo, Avas de lightful. The nights Avere cool above Mandalay, even chilly, and the days brilliant and not too Avarm, — except in Rangoon, — to prevent one going out in the middle of the day. When the country is more fully opened up by railways, good health resorts will doubtless be found on the Chin hills, Avhere the English may reside during the summer heats, and Avhich may enable them to make Burma their home, instead of, as noAV, merely a place in which to make money and to leave directly they have done so. The establishment of a genuine colony in the far East would be an achievement Avorthy of the English genius of colonisation, and is probably possible of attainment in Burma. FISHER BOATS SAILING BEFORE THE "WIND. A Charcoal Drawing by the Author, from a Photograph. CHAPTER X THE BURMAN AT PLAY IT is in his carved river-boat that the Burman is seen to the greatest advantage, and there is no object more picturesque on the Irrawaddy than the graceful paddy-boat Avith its high carved steering-chair, raised twelve or fifteen feet from the water, in which the steersman, dressed in gay-coloured pasoh, sits up aloft, grasping the tiller of the immense rudder-paddle in his hand, and looking out Avith intent gaze over the broad shining river for shalloAvs and sandbanks. Lovely also is it to see these and smaller craft speeding before the wind, each with a single immense sail hanging from a bamboo yard 1 20 or 130 feet long. As a fleet of these boats pass up the river, Avith the sun shining on their vast bellying sheets, they look like colossal Avhite seagulls skimming the blue waters. The management of the simple dug-out by a Burmese fisher- 118 PICTURESQUE BURMA book ii man, amidst the dangerous eddies and currents of the river, is a subject of frequent astonishment to those who have tested its difficulties by experience. The old war-boats of the Burmese, which played so large a part in the first and second Burmese wars, were magnificent objects. Of elegant canoe build, they Avere made by scooping out the trunk of a single gigantic teak tree, partly by fire and partly by cutting. They varied in length from sixty to a hundred feet, and Avere roAved by creAvs of from sixty to seventy men, who as they dipped their oars kept time Avith their voices to the melodious chant of the war-song. The boats were often splendidly gilded, and were decorated with flags and banners. On the proAV, Avhich Avas raised and flat, a piece of ordnance Avas mounted. Each oars man had a sword and lance beside him as he rowed. In addition to the boatmen there were usually thirty soldiers on board armed Avith muskets. " Thus prepared," says Colonel Michael Symes,1 " they go in fleets to meet the foe, and when in sight, draw up in a line, presenting their prows to the enemy. Their attack is extremely impetuous ; they advance with great rapidity, and sing a Avar-song, at once to encourage their people, daunt their adversaries, and regulate the strokes of their oars. They generally endeavour to grapple, and Avhen that is effected, the action becomes very severe, as these people are endued Avith great courage, strength, and activity. . . . The vessels being Ioav in the water, their greatest danger is that of being run doAvn by a larger boat striking their broad side, a misfortune Avhich the steersman is taught to dread and to avoid above all others. It is surprising to see the facility with Avhich they steer and elude each other in their mock combats. The roAvers are also practised to roAv backwards and impel the vessel Avith the stern foremost ; this is the mode of retreat, by means of Avhich the artillery still bears upon their opponents." It Avas a triumphant day in Ava Avhen, on January i, 1824, 1 Symes' "Embassy to Ava," 1795. IN THE CAEVED STEERING CHAIR. chap, x WAR-BOATS AT AVA 119. the war-boats Avere draAvn up in order on the Irrawaddy, in the presence of the king and the court, to take on board Maha Banduk, the Burmese Wellington, and 6000 picked troops, to proceed to Arakan Avith the bold object of fighting the English on their Indian frontier, and if successful, of pushing on to Bengal. " A fleet of magnificent Avar-boats," says an eye- Avitness, " many of them richly gilded, Avere in readiness to receive the troops at mid-day, Avho embarked in perfect order. Each man Avas attired in a comfortable campaigning jacket of black cloth, thickly Avadded and quilted with cotton, and was armed Avith a musket or spear and shield, as suited the corps to Avhich he belonged. A profusion of flags Avith gay devices were unfurled to the breeze, martial music resounded, the chiefs took their seats at the proAvs of their boats (the post ol honour, as the stern is Avith us), and in the middle of each boat a soldier, selected for his skill, danced a kind of hornpipe. When all Avas ready, the Avhole fleet, lining the shore for a considerable distance, dashed all at once across the river, nearly a mile Avide ; the loud song burst from 6000 lusty throats, Avhile the strokes from thousands of oars and paddles kept time to their music." x The same gorgeous paraphernalia Avas seen, and the same tuneful and exultant Avar-songs Avere heard, Avhen the Burmese met the English troops on the IrraAvaddy. Banduk Avas encamped in his fortress at Donubyu, Avhen one evening a sortie Avas made in the war-boats Avhich departed so gaily from Ava. " Seventeen gilt Avar-boats," says the chronicler of the cam paign,2 " each Avith a chief and gilt chattah, and carrying from fifty to eighty men, all uniformly dressed in black jackets and red head-dresses, and mounting a piece of heavy ordnance,. pulled from under the Avails of the fort, the creAvs singing their boat-song in chorus as they simultaneously dipped their oars in the water. When they arrived within three hundred 1 Gouger's "Prisoner in Burmah." 2 "Two Years in Ava." 120 PICTURESQUE BURMA book ii yards of our camp, each boat in succession fired its gun, and then dropped a little Avay doAvn to reload." The speed attained by skilful rowers Avas so great that Avar-boats could go doAvn-stream faster than a steamer. In fact, the attainment of speed and the dexterous management of these long boats Avas the subject of constant practice, and boat- races and regattas Avere among the greatest pastimes of the Burmese. In the old royal days of Ava these Avere gorgeous affairs. The Avide river Avould be covered Avith hundreds of splen didly carved and decorated boats, the skilful roAvers of Avhich performed difficult and graceful evolutions Avith extraordinary rapidity of movement before the King and Queen, who Avere seated in their royal boat called the " Water Palace." This Avas a mag nificent barge surmounted by a seven-storied and handsomely carved spire or pyat. Every inch of the barge Avas richly gilt, even to the paddles. In the boAvs Avere the figures of the carrying bird of Vishnu and of a griffin in mirror mosaic ; r just behind these Avas the seat of honour, and here the King and Queen sat under a green canopy, shaded by Avhite umbrellas, and Avatched the races and the feats of the rowers. All down the river-bank Avere ranged the gilded boats of the nobles, bedecked Avith banners, and on Avhich dancers and musicians gave added gaiety to the scene. The boats that Avere entered for the races belonged to the King or the nobles, or Avere sent from different districts and tOAvns, the chiefs of Avhich vied with one another in furnishing the most beautiful and Avell- manned craft. The Avinning-post Avas a canoe moored mid stream with its boAvs pointing against the current. Across the bows Avas stretched a long bamboo rod, through the holloAv centre of which Avas passed a rattan, projecting a feAV inches at either end. Each racing boat kept to its oavu side of the river, 1 These figures stand now in the garden of the house of the manager of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company at Mandalay. chap, x ROYAL PAGEANTS ON THE RIVER 121 and on passing the Avinning-post the boAv-paddler stood up and drew the rattan out of the bamboo, — no easy task at the terrific speed at Avhich the boats Avere being driven by the rapid current and the powerful strokes of the numerous roAvers. The race was rowed down-stream for a distance of about two miles, and the goal Avas opposite the King's " Water Palace." Feats of skilful water-craft Avere also performed on these occasions, one of the most popular of which Avas to propel a boat against stream by simply beating the air Avith the paddles, and also when racing at full speed to let the paddles fall suddenly and play on the Avater so as to raise a shower of spray like the mist of a waterfall. The day ended with a royal pageant. The King and Queen left the " Water Palace," and stepping on to their splendid state boat, they seated themselves on thrones in the centre. On the signal of three discharges of cannon, the King and Queen proceeded up and down the course, surrounded by a number of gilt Avar-boats and followed by a large retinue of nobihty in gorgeous vessels ; the people making the most profound obeisances as they passed. " The setting sun shone brilliantly upon a profusion of barbaric gold, and the pageant was altogether the most splendid and imposing which I have ever seen, and not unworthy of Eastern romance," says Mr. Crawfurd, after describing the royal boat-races at Ava. At Amaurapoora the races Avere held on one of the immense lakes in the suburbs of the city. But in cities which were not royal, and Avhere the King's " Water Palace " had never been seen, boat-races used to form the occasion of an immense amount of popular excitement and enthusiasm ; for the credit of the town or village was at stake, and the winner who wrested the rattan from the bamboo at the Avinning-post had gained an honour for his native place which had no equal in Burmese opinion. Where the populace were not overawed by the august presence of royalty, they could crowd the banks of the river and direct their whole 122 PICTURESQUE BURMA book ii attention to the races ; enjoyment Avas then unmarred and enthusiasm unrestrained. Everybody on these occasions was out on the river-banks dressed in their best ; girls in dainty tameins Avith croAvns of floAvers on their heads, and Avith all their most costly and shoAvy jewellery on their necks and arms ; young men rushed about in the greatest excitement, and bags of rupees in the hands of the older men Avere evidence of the fact that racing and betting are as closely connected in Burma as they are in England. Before the boats start, votive offerings of rice, floAvers, and betel are made to propitiate the guardian spirit of the river. As the rival boats come SAvinging doAvn the course at an amazing pace, the excitement on the banks becomes intense. " The noise is simply deafening. Incoherent shouts of despair and encouragement and delight burst from eATery throat ; old Avomen tear doAvn their scanty hair and Avork Avith their arms as if they Avere themselves in the race; girls rush to the Avater's edge heedless of the mud and splashing that Avill ruin their silken skirts for ever ; young men and boys rush up to their necks in the Avater and yell with frenzied eagerness. Wild cries go up as the tAvo boats near the winning post, 'Roav for your lives!' 'Roav for your un vanquished names!' The two boAvs fling their paddles from them and rise for the struggle. The flash of an eye too soon, and he Avill miss his grasp ; the flick of a finger too late, and there Avill be nothing to seize. A great hush falls on the croAvd as if they Avere all struck dead, and then both men disappear in the water, clutch ing simultaneously at the rattan. An agonising five seconds, and then Oung Zahn comes to the surface brandishing on high the pan. The scene that folloAvs beggars description. The victorious crew spring up to dance, but the relief is inadequate. They can only escape frenzy by plunging into the river. Ohn tucks up his Avaistcoat and dances round in mad delight, till his stiff old legs will bear him no longer. Pompous old poo- gyces caper and plunge and shout ; younger men can only ON PLEASURE BENT. chap, x BOAT-RACES AT RANGOON 123 relieve their feelings by flinging themselves into the pools on the bank and rolling wildly in the mud ; girls, Avho at ordinary times would hardly dare to raise their eyes to look about them, dance and shout in ecstasy, and their married guardians join in the rout. A general adjournment is then made back to the tOAvn. The country people have all come up in their bullock Avaggons, and these are drawn up in comfortable spots under the trees. The victorious creAv go in procession up and down the main street, preceded by bands and by everybody in the place Avho can dance. Feasting is general, and afterAvards all move off to the plays, of which there are three or four going on. The revelry goes on till daAvn of day, but there is nothing like drunkenness. For two days the excitement lasts, and then the strangers Avend their way homeAvards, and the town comes down to its usual quiet. But for years the great event will be talked at the local feasts, and the Yehn choruses of three or four generations will tell of the gallant struggle Avhen the Doung-sat-pyan beat the Thohn-pan-hk and broke the long supremacy of the Thohn-kwa rowers." x But these joyous, enthusiastic, and brilliant Avater contests Avere in the picturesque days of the past. Twenty years ago the then Chief Commissioner of British Burma, Mr. Rivers Thompson, actuated by the belief that the boat-races led to excessive gambling, issued an order forbidding Government officials to have anything to do Avith them ; boat-races and ancient sports, in which so much national pride Avas felt, Avere severely discountenanced, but gambling nevertheless flourished as much as ever. When Mr. (now Sir T.) Bernard became Chief Commissioner, his sympathies with the Burmese and with manly sports induced him to revive the ancient boat-racing contests, and these Avere held again on the Great Royal Lake at Rangoon. To preserve the national amusements is surely a Avise thing. 1 Shway Yoe, "The Burman." 124 PICTURESQUE BURMA hook n The Burmans particularly delight in fireworks, and exactly in the same Avay as Ave invite royal Oriental guests to Avitness a display of these at the Crystal Palace, so our various ambas sadors to the court of Ava have ahvays been entertained by a pyrotechnic shoAv in Burma. We cannot, hoAvever, vie Avith the Burmese in the' enormous size of their rockets. These are made by boring the sohd trunks of trees ; the tubes are from ten to twenty feet long, with a bore of nine or ten inches in diameter. They are filled with a composition of charcoal and saltpetre, rammed in very hard. Long bamboos are attached to form the tail of the rockets. The largest are sent off from platforms specially constructed ; but owing to the extreme danger consequent on the fall of such immense rockets, fire work displays take place during daylight. Fixed fireAvorks are sIioavu at night, and the Burmese delight in displaying fountains throAving out hissing serpents, trees hung Avith floAvers of purple flame, and inscriptions Avritten against the sky in letters of fire. The Burmese probably got their knoAvledge and love of fireAvorks from the Chinese, as Ave did. Football is a favourite game amongst the Burmese, but it is played in an entirely different Avay than is the custom in England. The ball is holloAv, made of open Avicker-Avork, and very light. The object of the player is to keep up the ball as long as possible Avithout touching it Avith the hand. When playing, the feet are bare and the pasoh is tucked up high round the loins. The aim of the skilful player is to hit the ball ahvays straight up into the air, for if sent diagonally it is captured by another player. The knees, the soles of the feet, and the heel are used, but the toes and any part of the arm are debarred. The game may be played alone or by a group of young men, and the exercise it gives all the muscles of the body is excellent. Boxing and wrestling are much practised by the Burmese, and at festivals a ring is made, seats are raised around it, and chap, x THE LOVE OF GAMBLING 125 the proceedings are watched with great interest by the crowd. A band of music is of course in attendance. The combatants are stripped with the exception of the loin-cloth, and each man is attended by a second. " As the combatants advance, each carefully watches his opponent's eye, with one arm in reserve and the other put out and withdraAvn, as if feeling the distance, the music playing as they draw near each other ; gradually the measure quickens, the muscular movements of the com batants seem to keep time to it — a feint, a Hoav dodged, a right and a left home — the music faster and faster — a cross- buttock cleverly escaped, and another Hoav home. The kettle drums dance madly in their circular frames ; the combatants close, hug, and trip, and as they come to the ground the seconds rush in and separate them ; the music dies away, the musicians perhaps more exhausted than the combatants them selves. Then prizes of gay silks or muslin turbans are dis tributed to the gladiators, the Avinner's share being more costly than the loser's. The combatants shoAV admirable temper on these occasions throughout.1 The contest is perfectly friendly and kindly, and the first drop of blood drawn from a cut lip or elseAvhere decides the fight." The Burman is a born gambler, and games of chance, in which betting plays an important part, are his favourites, but the British Government, tenderly solicitous for the morals and the pockets of the people, discountenance them. The chief and most popular of these games is that played with the seeds of the monstrous pods of the Entada Pursmtha. It is known in Burmese by the name of "gohn-nyin toh pwe," from gohn, to jump, and nyin, to deny or bluster. The name, like most Burmese names, is very significant and descriptive, for the game is noisy and contentious in the extreme, and leads to so much gam bling, betting, and quarrelling, that the police do their best to put it down. The beans used are about the size and shape of 1 Fytche's "Burmah." 126 PICTURESQUE BURMA book ii a sheep's kidney. They are placed in a line on the ground, and the object is, as in ninepins, to knock down as many as possible at a single shot made Avith another bean, which is poised on the bent fore-finger of the left hand, and projected by a flick of the finger and thumb of the right hand. There are a great variety of ways of playing " gohn-nyin," and the skill required to make the seeds fall as desired is greater than is at first apparent. The game is played in " alleys," Avhere the ground is kept soft and smooth ; the keeper supplies the beans, and charges tAvo annas apiece for them, and as the playing and gambling lead to endless and often noisy disputes, he is frequently called in to act as umpire. Burmans are devoted to " gohn-nyin," and boys love to play it out of school-hours, as boys in England play Avith marbles. Chess is Avith the Burmans, as Avith us, a more serious affair ; but the game is different to ours. The pieces consist of a king, a lieutenant-general, tAvo war- chariots, two elephants, two horsemen, and eight paAvns or foot- soldiers. The king moves as in the English game, but cannot castle ; the general can advance diagonally or retreat one square at a time ; the war-chariots move like our castles ; the elephants can moAre one square directly forward or diagonally backAvards or forAvards ; the tAvo horsemen are like the English knights, and the foot-soldiers move in the same Avay as our pawns, except that they can advance only one square in the initial move. The principal pieces can be arranged as desired by the player ; the game is complicated and is fought on the lines of military tactics. Distinguished players are Avatched Avith intense interest, and the betting on the game is often heavy. Cock-fighting is noAV forbidden by the police, but the Burmese have been so long devoted to this pastime that, in spite of the authorities, gamecocks are still pitted against one another in villages, and in out-of-the-Avay places. In the olden days every house had its gamecock, and village com munities prided themselves on the victories of their champions. CHAP. X A HARVEST FESTIVAL 127 Sangermano says that the cocks Avere trained to fight Avith Imives on their spurs. Cock-fighting was, moreover, a royal pastime, and Pagan Men was, like our King Charles II., so fond of it that he Avas called " the cock-fighting king." NeAV year's festivals, religious feasts, weddings, ear-boring ceremonies, and pwes all give the Burmans plenty of oppor tunities for jollity and fun; but, as in the merry days of old England, the harvest festival is the most innocent and idyllic of them all, and illustrates in a striking way how everything in Burma, even busi ness, is inextricably mixed up Avith re hgious duty, almsgiving, and fun ; a triad which finds its counterpart in the English charity bazaar, but with this difference, that in Burma the alliance is spontaneous, and does not require the great exertions of a committee and a subscription list. When the rice harvest has been safely gathered in, the farmer decides, out of the fulness of his heart, to make a present of rice to the monks at the village kioung and to his poorer neighbours. On these occasions the grain is not given away in a raw state, but is made into a mess composed of onions, ginger, pepper, sesa- mum seeds, and sliced cocoa-nut, which are well boiled with the rice and then go by the name of" tamaneV' But before this, the rice has to be husked. This is, as a rule, done by the women of the house hold, but a harvest festival is an occasion for gallantry and flirta tion, and the young men of the village are called upon to husk the rice for the girls. A lucky evening having been selected by A BUEMESE GIEL. 128 PICTURESQUE BURMA book ii the aid of the astrologer, the guests are invited by sending them small packets of pickled tea, with a request that they would come that evening to the house of the farmer to help him husk his rice for presentation to the pagoda. At nightfall quite a large party is collected, all dressed in their best, in the gayest of tempers, and determined to have a night of fun and frolic. The process of husking is simple. Attached to a long beam is a heavy wooden pestle which falls by its weight into a mortar ; the pestle is raised and depressed by a person stepping on and off the free end. A little paddy is thrown into the mortar, the pestle falls and rises, and the rice is every now and then winnowed by taking it up and letting it fall back into the mortar while blowing off the husk. For the nonce the young men step on and off the long beam while the maidens wait on them, chat, laugh, and flirt. Work is not the order of the night, but enjoyment, and the task of pre paring the tamane' is diversified by pAves, the recitations of the local poet and singer, and the jokes and travesties of the cloAvn. Day is dawning when the party breaks up, and the farmer and his family then carry to the monastery the dish of savoury rice, Avhich is presented in a special spire-shaped box ; in return the abbot gives no thanks or blessings, but solemnly exhorts the donors to keep the Ten Precepts and to live virtuously. Thus ends the harvest festival : the monks have been fed, the farmer has gained " merit," the young men and maidens have had " a good time," and " nobody in the Avhole place has been drunk, and if there is an opium-eater in the village, he has not been asked to the feast and has had none of the tamane." l 1 See a delightful account of a harvest festival in Shway Yoe's " Burman." CHAPTER XI THE BURMAN AT WORK THE cynical British trader, Avhose ideal of existence is to spend all the best years of his short life in unremitting toil, so that he may either hoard in old age or spend when the power of enjoyment is lost, will exclaim on reading the heading of this chapter, " The Burman does not work ; he does not know hoAV to Avork." True, the Burman has a totally different view of the need for and the pleasure of Avork than the civilised Euro pean. Work for work's sake is to him an unintelligible principle of action, and Mrs. Browning's dictum, " Get work ; 'tis better far than what you work to get," is to him utter folly. The doctrine of the book of Genesis, that work is the curse of man, is, on the other hand, accepted by him to the fullest extent, and he has long ago made up his mind that he will have as httle of this curse as is contrivable. That " all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," we believe sufficiently to make into an adage. The Burman is determined, above all things that he will not be dull, but will get as much fun, laughter, and careless leisure out of life as possible ; and who shall say he is wrong ? Have the strenuous exertions of the busy denizens of the restless West resulted in producing that Avill-o'-the-Avisp, happiness ? Who Avill answer yes ? The millionaire, eating his heart out with anxiety over the fluctuations of the markets ? or the millions toiling in the factories and slums of our dismal cities, and Avho never know, as the poorest Burman does, Avhat it is to dance in the street from pure gladness of heart, and to rejoice that for him the sun shines and the floAvers bloom ? It is Avell 130 PICTURESQUE BURMA book ii to learn the lesson that there are other vieAvs of life than those of the West, and to remember that, while Ave label the Burman lazy because he does not appreciate the pleasure of. sustained effort, and has not tasted the fierce joy of attacking the apparently impossible and conquering it, yet he has probably extracted more undiluted pleasure and gaiety out of life than one in ten thousand of the inhabitants of Europe, who are as poor and simple as himself. As to live is our portion and to die is our fate, there maybe as much Avisdom in enjoyment and laughter as in unceasing toil and restless energy, — at least so the Burman thinks. He will work, hoAvever, to obtain the means of livelihood, and thus it comes about that the cultiva tion of rice, the staple article of diet, is the principal occupation in Burma. In the lowlands of the delta rice cultivation is a very easy task. The south-Avest monsoon floods the land and turns it into a morass. The soil is then churned up with a primitive rake-like kind of plough, and is smoothed by rolling. This process takes place in the month of June. At the beginning of August the young plants of paddy, Avhich have been groAvn meantime in nurseries on higher ground, are ready to be planted out. Holes are dibbled at the distance of a feAv inches apart in the soft puddled earth, and in each hole two young plants are inserted. This is hard Avork in the hot August Aveather, and the Avomen and children take a large share of it. In two months the crop is ready for harvesting. The ears of grain are cut off Avith sickles, and are carried on sledges or carts to the threshing-floor. The soft earth has been baked hard by the summer sun, so that there is no need to build a barn. Into the smooth bare ground, Avhich has been SAvept clean, a stake is driven : the paddy (unhusked rice) is placed in a circle round the stake, and the bullocks or buffaloes sloAvly tread out the grain. It is then Avinnowed by the simple process of a man pouring baskets of grain from an elevated position on to THE STEERING CHAIR OP THE BIG PADDY BOAT. chap, xi PADDY FARMS 131 a sloping bamboo mat. The paddy is then conveyed to the great rice-boat, Avith its high carved steering-chair, which is waiting in the creek for the cargo. Before the rice is shipped, hoyvever, an offering is given to the kioung, and the completion and sale of the paddy harvest, which is indeed often sold before it is planted, is made the cause of a village festival and of care less fun, laughter, and enjoyment. The paddy is then conveyed to the great rice-cleansing mills at Rangoon or Bassein. The work is very slight, and the profits of rice cultivation are high ; but the Burmese farmers, through reckless gambling and extravagant spending on pw^s and pagodas, are unfortu nately almost to a man in the hands of the sleek and grasping Madrassee money-lender. In Upper Burma, the paddy farms have to be irrigated in order to bear heavy crops ; but this is not a matter of difficulty, for the Irrawaddy and the Chindwind rivers overflow their banks after the melting of the snows in the mountains and the breaking of the south-west monsoon. An immense area of country is then laid under water, and irrigation is carried out either by building dams, or by raising water by means of jars attached to a wheel, in the same way as is done in the valley of the Nile. On the hillsides rice is also cultivated by the wild hill tribes, but solely for their OAvn support, and not for trade or barter. The method adopted is very extravagant. A large clearing is made by felling the forest trees, which are after wards burnt, in order to provide the soil with the phosphates it requires. The ground is then hoed up and the paddy planted. A very meagre crop is produced, notwithstanding the cost at which it is obtained. The Forest Department now do their utmost to prevent this extravagant destruction of trees. Owing to the literary education which has been introduced Avith English rule, an immense number of young Burmans are now being educated to take posts as clerks. They do fairly Avell 1 32 PICTURESQUE BURMA book ii in these positions ; they do not show a Teutonic greed for work, but they evince a tender sensibility Avhich is very appreciative of kindness, and they are most sensitive to reproach and harsh ness. A Burman will not stand hard words, and a hectoring Englishman, accustomed to Indian Avays, and to give vent to his spleen on his servants, will find to his surprise that his amiable lughli l will not reply to his rude outbursts, but Avhen pay-day comes he will receive a note saying that his Burmese clerk or servant prefers to seek another place. In this respect, as in many others, the Burman resembles the Japanese, to Avhom kind Avords are more than coronets. The Burman is not fond of domestic service, but, if kindly and gently treated, he will serve his master faithfully. The discipline of the hfe of the soldier or policeman is inimical to him, and steady labour exacted daily is quite distasteful. His courage is also of the evanescent order. Many attempts have been made to use the Burmese as troops and police, but they have been given up, and the country is now garrisoned and policed by brave and hardy Goorkha and Sikh regiments. Officials have told me that a Burman Avould desert from his regiment, taking care to leave his regimentals behind him, and Avould on being arrested express the greatest surprise. " Why, he had taken nothing ; he had left his clothes behind ; he Avas tired of a soldier's hfe, and had simply gone into the country for a little rest and change." In the old days of Burmese government soldiering Avas no child's play. Every Burman, with the exception of merchants, foreigners, or sons of foreigners, might be called upon to become a soldier at the king's pleasure ; but there is abundant evidence to prove that the Burman never Avas a soldier at heart, and that he hated to be dragged from home and family and sent to the King's Avars in Siam, Arakan, or Manipur. When a Avar- liko expedition Avas resolved upon, the King decided the number 1 Equivalent to the Indian "boy." chap, xi BURMESE SOLDIERS 133 of men that should be called out. The Supreme Council in the capital and the heads of the villages then stated the number of men each department and village should provide. The Avealthy could buy themselves off', and thus the funds would be raised to defray the expenses of the war. Married men were preferred as soldiers, as their Avives and children Avere then retained as hostages and sureties for the fidelity and good behaviour of their relatives. Desertion or cowardice in the presence of the enemy might be paid for, and indeed Avere paid for, by the lives of those nearest and dearest to the culprits. As soon as the order for marching came, the soldiers left their farms and their crops ungathered, and assembled in different corps. Their weapons Avere given out to them, and throwing their rifles over their shoulders, they hung from one end a mat on Avhich to sleep, a blanket to cover them at night, a store of poAvder, and a small cooking vessel, and from the other end a provision of rice, salt, and ngapee. Thus accoutred, they travelled in their ordinary dress, without waggons and without tents. Their food consisted of rice and curry, with herbs and leaves gathered in the forest ; at night they bivouacked on the bare ground, without any protection from the night air, the deAv, or even the rain.1 The extremely rapid movement of large bodies of troops in the Burmese Avars was the subject of constant remark, and this is easily understood when the lightness of their equipment is considered. The lightning marches and flights of the dacoits were due to the same cause, and gave them great advantage over the heavily-accoutred and baggage-laden British soldiers. Though Avar and soldiering were for centuries the chief occupa tion of the Burmese, the army was an undisciplined mass of men. They hardly ever fought in the open, but behind stockades and mounds of earth, which were very rapidly thrown up. Dis cipline Avas maintained by the most rigorous punishments ; 1 Sangermano. 134 PICTURESQUE BURMA book ii officers had poAver of life and death over all beneath them ; the SAVord was always hanging over the soldier, and the slightest disposition to flight or reluctance to advance infallibly brought it down upon him. Ever present with him was the dreadful fate which aAvaited those dearest to him if he failed in his duty as a soldier, for the Avives and children of the men who deserted were taken and burnt alive. The courage of the Burmese soldiers Avas, therefore, stimulated by fear ; but when restraint was AvithdraAvn and the Burmese were invaders in a foreign country, they Avere most cruel in victory. The work done by the Burmese as wood-carvers, bell- founders, and kcists is described in the chapter on Arts and Industries. EMBROIDERED POAVDEE-BAG USED BY THE SOLDIERS OF KING THEEBAAV. CHAPTER XII THE FREE AND HAPPY AVOMAN OF BURMA WOMEN in Burma are probably freer and happier than they are anywhere else in the world. Though Burma is bordered on one side by China, where Avomen are held in contempt, and on the other by India, where they are kept in the strictest seclusion, Burmese women have achieved for themselves and have been permitted by their men to attain, a freedom of life and action that has no parallel among Oriental peoples. The secret hes, perhaps, in the fact that the Burmese woman is active and industrious while the Burmese man is indolent and often a recluse. Becoming, therefore, both by taste and by habit the money-earner, the bargainer and the financier of the household, she has asserted and obtained for herself the right to hold what she wins and the respect due to one who can and does direct and control. Things are strangely reversed in Burma, for here Ave see man as the religious soul of the nation and Avoman its brain. Burmese women are born traders, and it is more often the Avife than the husband who drives the bargain with the English buyer for the paddy harvest, or, at any rate, she is present on the occasion and helps her easy going husband to stand firm. So highly is trading esteemed, that a daughter of well-to-do parents, and even a young married woman, will set up a booth in the bazaar, and, dressed in a bright silk tamein (skirt) and white jacket, Avith a floAver jauntily stuck into her coiled black tresses, she will start every morning Avith a tray of SAveetmeats, fruit, or toys on her head, and, with a gaiety and grace born of the sunshine and the 136 PICTURESQUE BURMA book ii bounteousness of the land, will push a brisk trade all through the short and sunny day. The earnings thus made are the Avoinan's own, and cannot be touched by her husband. English officials told me that contracts for army forage and for timber were often made with Avomen-traders, and that they Avell understood the art of " holding up the market." The education of women was in times gone by nil, and all that is thought necessary to teach them at present is to read and write. To be pretty, to be religious, to be amiable and gay-hearted, and to have a good business instinct, are all that is demanded of a woman in Burma; presently, Avhen she comes to learn the advantages which education confers in dealing Avith the ubiquitous foreigner, she will doubtless demand it as her right. At present she fulfils all expectations. To charm is her openly avowed aim, and feAv things human are more charming than a group of Burmese Avomen going up to the pagoda to worship at a festival. With her rainbow- tinted silk tamein fastened tightly round her slender figure, her spotlessly clean short jacket modestly covering the bosom, and with her abundant black tresses smoothly coiled on the top of her head, in the braids of Avhich nestles a bouquet of SAveet-smelling floAvers, the Burmese young Avoman knows full well she is an object to be admired. Perfectly well pleased with herself and contented Avith her world as it is, she gaily laughs and chats Avith her companions Avhile puffing from time to time at an immense green cheroot. Amiable she is, as a matter of course, for are not the laws of Manu and Burma very particular in their denunciation of all who speak harshly and who use abusive Avords ( Besides, what is there to vex her soul ? She has not the thousand and one cares Avhich harass the poor European houseAvife. Her home, built of bamboo and plaited mats, costs but a few rupees to erect, and can easily be restored if burnt doAvn in a tire or shaken down in an earthquake. Her household goods CHAP. XII WOMEN FREE OF CARE 137 can be numbered on her five fingers, and could be carried on her back. Her boys are taught free at the monastery, and till her girls are old enough to have their ears bored, clothing A BUEMESE AVOMAN SMOKING. From a Drawing by Mr. Philti) Miller. for them is an item of the smallest expenditure, for little children are generally seen Avearing nothing but a " necklace and a smile." Her stall at the bazaar will give her earnings enough to buy the brightest silk tamein to Avear at the next 138 PICTURESQUE BURMA book ii pagoda festival or boat race, and perhaps the money to win " merit " by purchasing packets of gold leaf to plaster on the stately statue of the holy Gautauma at the next full moon. Her husband treats her Avell ; if not, if he neglects her, fails to provide for her, is unkind or abusive, she has but to go before the nearest magistrate and state her case, and he will grant a divorce, and she can depart with all her possessions and earnings. She has every reason to be happy, and to laugh gaily from pure light-heartedness as she carries her tray of goods to the bazaar, or her offering of fruit and flowers and gold-leaf to the pagoda. Marriage in Burma is an affair of the heart. More often than not a Burmese girl chooses her oavu husband, but she is frequently aided in the selection by her parents, or by a go- between called an oung hue'. There are plenty of opportunities given for the meeting of young people of both sexes at the pagoda festivals, at the pw<3S or public plays, and at friends' houses on the occasions of marriages and funerals. Courting takes place in the evening, and a suitor for a girl's hand visits her at her father's house generally after eight o'clock. He does not come alone, but with his friends and supporters. The girl receives her lover alone or accompanied by a friend, and dressed in her best. The parents retire to another room, but, though not present at the intervieAv, a bamboo house does not admit of secrecy, and the mother probably sees and hears all that goes on. Presents are exchanged, but not kisses and caresses, as these Avould be thought highly improper. When the young people have made up their minds to marry, the parents' consent is asked, and is almost invariably given, even though the intended husband may be very young, and not yet in a position to support a Avife. But the happy-go-lucky Burman has great sympathy Avith love's young dream, and arrangements are made to take the young couple into the house of the parents, either of the bride or the bridegroom, for chap, xn HAPPY MARRIAGES 139 the first few years, till the husband can afford to start a sepa rate establishment. The marriage ceremony is not religious, the celibate Buddhist monks taking no part in such mundane affairs ; but a great feast is given by the bride's parents, and the public pledging of troth is virtually the marriage cere mony. It is said that these marriages of boy and girl in the heyday of life and love are generally happy ; Avarm family affection is one of the national traits of character, and kindness to one another is a religion and a habit. The following funeral dirge, Avritten by a Rangoon man on the death of his wife, breathes the spirit of the purest devotion, as we Westerns understand it. The translation is by the Burmese scholar, Shway Yoe : — " Gone, gone art thou, sweet wife, gone far away, Fair still and charmful, stretched on thy cold bier, As erst thou wert upon that joyous day When first I wed thee, gladsome brought thee here, And joyed to think that thou wert mine. Ah, me ! The butterfly's silk wings are shred no more, Ne'er more to rest upon thy head, Mah Mee — Sweet name for wife affectionate ! Deplore Her death, ye Nats that forests rule and streams, The hills and vales, the greater ye who guard The sacred law, the holy shrines, the beams Of silent moon, and sunlight baking hard The hot scorched earth, nor scorched more and seared Than is the parchment of my tortured heart, Ay, thou wert mine when last I trod the earth, Ere yet, all sinful, I was horn a man ; And yet again, in yet another birth, 111 claim thee, when maybe a happier Kan, A fairer sum of merit, hardly Avon, Will lead us on, linked-armed to linked death, That, so progressing, joyful may we run Through all life's changes, and with single breath, Through heavens and Zahn and Rupa we may bound To Neh'ban, blissful home of rest. Bow me low, grant me the holy calm.'' 140 PICTURESQUE BURMA book ii Marriage in Burma is easily contracted. A girl cannot marry before she is tAventy Avithout the consent of her parents or guardians. Should she not, however, obtain this consent, the marriage is considered valid after three elopements. Marriage is viewed by the Burmans in the light of a partnership in which the Avife has equal rights Avith the husband ; theoretically the husband is lord of his wife, and has the control of the household, the children, and the family property, but this power cannot be exercised arbitrarily without consultation with the wife, and as she is often the bread-winner, her wishes are naturally deferred to. The equality of women in marriage is particularly shown in the disposition of property. Property is divided into personal and joint. There has been no need in Burma for a Married Woman's Property Act, for all property belonging to a Avoman before marriage remains hers absolutely when she becomes a Avife. The joint property consists of bequests by the parents or husband at the time of marriage for joint purposes, all profits arising since marriage from the employment or investment of the separate property of either husband or wife, and all property acquired by their mutual skill and industry. The husband can not sell or alienate the joint property of himself and his Avife without her consent or against her will, except Avhen he manages the business or acts as her agent ; also during the continuance of marriage neither the husband nor Avife has the right to the exclusive possession of the joint property. The fact, that in Burma all the male population pass through the phongyee kioungs or monasteries, and must for a certain time don the yelloAv robe and become monks, and also that an immense number of men remain monks and lead celibate lives, has led to Avomen taking a very active part in business, and hence has arisen the idea of an equal partnership in marriage. If, how ever, the Avife is not engaged in business, it is acknoAvledged that she fulfils her part in the partnership by bearing the chap, xn THE LAW OF DIVORCE 141 children and attending to the domestic comfort, and she still retains her control over the joint property. Divorce is obtained Avith facility. Buddhist laAV recognises the fallibility of man, and the fact that in marriage, as in every thing else, he may act in error, and should therefore have the opportunity given of retrieving his mistake. To obtain divorce in Burma, it is simply necessary for the parties to agree together that then marriage or partnership should be dissolved. The marriage is thereupon annulled ; each takes their sepa rate property ; they divide the joint property equally ; the husband takes the male children and the Avife the female. There is no scandal, and no opprobrium is incurred. Should only one party insist on separation, and there is no fault on the other side, the party Avho does not Avish to separate retains the joint property. Marriage cannot, hoAvever, be put an end to simply at the caprice of one of the parties. Polygamy is allowed by the Buddhist laAV, though the practice is regarded with disfavour by the Burmese people. The taking of a lesser wife is not of itself considered a sufficient cause of divorce by the first Avife. Desertion is a valid reason ; if a husband leaves his wife for three years and does not maintain her, or a Avife her husband for one year because she has no affection for him, then "they shall not claim each other as husband and Avife ; let them have the right to separate and marry again." Exceptions are made in the case Avhere the husband absents himself to trade, to fight, or to study, in Avhich cases the wife has to wait eight, seven, or six years respectively before she can marry again. If a married man enters a monastery, the marriage is dissolved. Constant ill-treatment on the part of a husband is sufficient cause for divorce, but not petty quarrels. A husband may put aAvay his wife or take another if she has no children or has only female children ; if she has leprosy or disease, if her conduct is bad, and if she has no love for her 142 PICTURESQUE BURMA book 11 husband. If a husband is a drunkard, gambler, or better, or is immoral, and has three times in the presence of good men made a written engagement to reform and yet continues these evil practices, his Avife may put him aAvay. If the divorce is due to the fault of one party, he or she is not entitled to any share in the joint property. The partition of the property is the actual test of divorce, for according to the Dhamma, " If a husband and Avife have separated and no division of property has taken place, neither shall be free to live with another man or Avoman. But if the property has been divided they may do so. Thus Manu has decided." In every case the husband takes the male children and the Avoman the female. Marriages so easily made and so easily broken must in evitably lead to a certain looseness as regards the marriage tie ; but there are several points of view in the Buddhist law Avhich may be commended to Western peoples, namely, the equal status of Avomen in marriage, the equal control and par tition of the joint property, the division of the children of the marriage among the parents, and also the possibility of ob taining divorce Avithout public scandal. As a matter of fact, marriages are happy in Burma, as a rule, and, Avhatever may be said to the contrary, illegitimate children are rare, except as the Eurasian offspring of Christian fathers, Avhose example is bitterly deplored by those who desire to see the Burmans take a higher standard. Babies are Avell taken care of, and many are the pretty lullabies composed to lull them to sleep — a feAv verses from one of which, translated by SliAvay Yoe, I am tempted to give : — " Sweet, my babe, your father's coming, Rest and hear the songs I'm humming ; He will come and gently tend you, Hock your cot and safe defend j*ft ; chap, xn A LULLABY 143 Mother's setting out his dinner — Oh, you naughty little sinner ! What a yell from such a wee thing, Couldn't be worse if you were teething ! My sweet round mass of gold, Now pray do Avhat you're told. Be quiet and good, As nice boys should. Oh, now please, Do not tease, Do be good, As babies should, Just one tiny little while ; Try to sleep, or try to smile. My prince, my sweet gold blood, my son, Ordained a regal race to run, Listen to your mother's coaxing, Listen to the song good folks sing. When little boys Make such a noise, Comes the broAvnie On wings downie, Comes the wood-sprite In the night dark, Witch and Avarlock, Mere and tor-folk, Kelpie, nikker, Quick and quicker Gobble all bad babies up." From this lullaby Ave see that mothers talk to their babies in much the same way all the Avorld over. In spite of the fact that Burma is uoav British, that railways are beginning to pierce the land in every direction, that education will create new Avants, and contact with the West, restlessness and a love of enterprise, long may the Burmese Avoman remain as happy and as contented as she noAv is. CHAPTER XIII THE CEREMONIES OF BORING THE EARS AND TATTOOING THE LEGS OF MARRIAGE AND BURIAL UP to the age of ten the costume of a Burmese child con sists at most of a piece of silk or cotton bound round the hips and falling to the knees, but the vast majority of the children of the people are absolutely naked and not ashamed ; for not even the infantile costume of a string and a rupee, which passes muster in Bengal, is thought necessary in Burma. When a girl reaches, hoAvever, the age of twelve or thirteen, she passes from childhood to young womanhood, and the crossing of the Rubicon is marked by a ceremony of vital importance, and Avhich is in no case ever omitted — namely, that of the boring of the ears. On a certain day, selected by the astrologers as peculiarly lucky, all the friends and relatives of the family are invited, and musicians are engaged. The little maid, dressed in her best, aAvaits the great event Avith trepidation and anticipation, for Avill not the stab of the boring needle free her from the thraldom of childhood, and open to her the gay pleasures of maidenhood, and the privileges of flirtation, leading in the end to the consummation of marriage ? At a given moment the professional ear-borer plunges sharp needles of gold through the lobes of her cars, and the loud music of the band drowns the cries of the little girl. The process of enlarging the aperture is then begun, and has to be continued every day till the hole is large enough to admit an ear-tube half or even three-quarters of an inch chap, xtii TATTOOING THE LEGS 145 in diameter. Bundles of delicate stems of elephant-grass are passed into the opening, the number of which is increased every day, till a large and unsightly hole is produced in the dilated lobes of the ears. This is then filled either by tubes of glass of different colours, or by short circular pieces of silver Avith filigree ornamentation, or even by long rods of silver of considerable Aveight. I "bought out of the ears of a Kachin Avoman, Avithin sight of King TheebaAv's throne, a pair of massive silver ear-tubes curiously Avorked. Royal ladies and ladies of the court used to have the sole right of Avearing ear-tubes of gold set Avith jewels. Amber plugs are so highly valued that I Avould not pay the price asked for them in the bazaar at Mandalay. Ear-tubes of every conceivable colour and pattern, made of German glass, are exposed for sale in every bazaar, and the choice of a dainty ear-tube is a matter on which much care is expended by the Burmese coquette. The hole in the ear is sometimes so big that a large green cheroot can be easily carried in it, and I have been amused Avhen travelling by rail to see a woman deposit her railway ticket for safety in the gaping space. In the same Avay as boring the ears marks the age of puberty in a girl, so tattooing the legs is the sign in a boy that he is growing into manhood. When Avatching the coolies engaged in lading and unlading the boats on the IrraAvaddy, one cannot fail to observe that every man seems to Avear dark blue tights from the Avaist to the knee. These breeches are not, however, external, but are in the skin itself, and are the result of careful and skilful tattooing. On close inspection, it is found that all kinds of animals, but chiefly tigers, monkeys, and elephants, as Avell as beloos or devils, are cleverly tattooed on the skin in red and blue, each figure being encircled by a border of letters and words. A Burman would think it unmanly not to have his thighs tattooed, and the custom is universal. The operation is a painful one, so that only a 146 PICTURESQUE BURMA BOOK II little is done at a time, and during the process the boy is usually kept under the influence of an opiate. The Shans are the best tattooers, but none of the Burmese are equal to the Japanese in the realisation of the artistic possibilities of the art. In Burma the reds usually fade out, Avhile the dark blue dyes remain ; but in Japan the figure of a dragon, or of a woman dressed in a flowery kimono, will be tattooed on the skin in delicate shades of blue and red, and Avill remain indelible and unchanged throughout the whole of the person's life. The Burmese tattooers are now learning to decorate the limbs of English sailors Avith pictures from the Graphic and the illustrated papers. Marriage, though highly estimated among the Bur mese, is not consecrated by a religious ceremony. The phongyees, or monks, accept celibacy Avith such earnestness of conviction, as being the highest state of mankind, that they cannot be expected to give their blessing on an occasion Avhen happiness is sought by taking a step diametrically opposed to their vieAVS of life and its obligations. As there TATTOOED LEGS. chap, xm WEDDING CEREMONIES 147 are no priests in Burma, the Avedding ceremony is consequently purely secular. A marriage having been arranged between a girl and her lover, the friends of the engaged couple are, on an auspicious day, bidden by the bride's parents to a great feast. The house is thronged with guests, all dressed in their gayest tameins and pasohs. Musicians and dancers are engaged, and a booth is erected Avhere a pwd, or play, is given repre senting some love-story of a king's son. In the presence of the assembled guests, the bride and bridegroom eat out of the same dish; the bridegroom then presents his bride with a packet of pickled tea, Avhich gift is returned. This con stitutes the ceremony of marriage. The publicity of the avowed intention of the young people to marry, and the public giving of the girl to the man by her parents, are considered sufficient to tie the connubial knot as firmly as the Burmans think in all reason it should be tied. The bride is, as a rule, about seventeen or eighteen years of age, and the bridegroom the same age, or a little older. The young husband is generally taken to live with his wife's parents, where he has to contribute his share to the household Avork and expenses. It is he also Avho is expected to provide the marriage dower, not the bride or the bride's father. In fact, Burma is perhaps the only country where it is recognised that a woman honours a man by marrying him, for the laws of Manu (said to have been composed 1280 B.C.) are still the laws of Burma, and there it is especially stated that "women are to be esteemed and honoured by their fathers, brothers, husbands, and fathers-in-law, if the latter wish to be happy themselves. The gods rejoice Avhen Avomen are honoured; where it is not done, sacrifices avail nothing. When the women are ill-treated the family goes to ruin ; when the contrary happens, it flourishes for ever." A Burmese bride enters the married state certain of kind consideration 148 PICTURESQUE BURMA book n and good treatment ; if her experience is otherwise, the laAv gives her quick and sure redress. There is an ancient tradition in Burma that when the earth Avas originally peopled from the heavens, nine of the spiritual beings gradually became human OAving to their having partaken of gross food. Four became Avomen and five men. Four of the men then took the four women to wife, but one man was left out in this pairing of couples, and Avas perforce a lonely bachelor. Enraged at the happiness of the married couples, he pelted them Avith stones on their marriage night. In sympathy Avith this primeval bachelor, and following im memorial custom, the young men of the neighbourhood collect after a Avedding, and all through the night throAv stones and pieces of Avood on the roof of the house which shelters the happy couple ; a custom Avhich is so disagreeable and annoy ing, that in LoAver Burma the bridegroom is fain to bribe his troublesome neighbours to forego a ceremony " more to be honoured in the breach than in the observance." The Burman thoroughly enjoys a funeral. It would seem indeed to be sometimes a matter of regret that he cannot be there to participate in his OAvn obsequies, for a poor man Avhen dead Avill receive more gifts than he ever had Avhen alive, and money, Avhich would have kept him for a long time living in comfort, is squandered on his corpse. Burmans both bury and cremate their dead, and in each case the ceremonies are long, and are most punctiliously observed. As soon as the person is dead, the body is Avashed, Avrapped in a neAV Avhite cloth, and dressed in the richest clothing the deceased possessed. The face is left uncovered, and betAveen the teeth is put the coin of gold or silver Avhich is supposed to pay for the passage across the river of death. Messages- are then sent to the monastery and the musicians are summoned. The music selected on these occasions is mourn ful, and dirges are played outside the house Avithout ceasing. chap, xm A FUNERAL PROCESSION 149 The body is then placed in a Avooden coffin of very flimsy construction; in the case of nobles, the coffins are gilded. Relatives and friends arrive at the house in great numbers as soon as it is knoAvn that a death has occurred, and they bring with them gifts or money. At the end of two, or at the most three days, the body is borne to the grave Avith great pomp and ceremonial. The coffin, Avhich is painted red, is carried by eight persons, friends of the deceased, under a large canopy, gaily decorated Avith tinsel and paintings. Over the coffin is throAvn the richest clothes which had been worn by the dead person. In the procession the alms in tended for the monks are carried first, followed by nuns bear ing baskets of betel and pickled tea. The monks come next, walking tAvo and tAvo, and carrying broad-leafed fans in their hands ; after them walks the band of singers. The bier folloAvs, and then a great crowd of relatives and friends, all dressed in Avhite, making loud lamentations, and calling upon the dead to answer numerous questions.1 At the cemetery the coffin is placed on the ground, and the senior monk delivers a sermon, Avhich is simply a recitation of the great commandments and precepts of Buddha, after which the monks retire. The chief mourner then pours water slowly out of a cocoa-nut shell, saying, " May the deceased and all present share the merit of the offering made and the ceremonies noAV proceeding." The coffin is SAVung three times backAvards and forwards over the open grave and lowered. Every visitor throAvs in a handful of earth and the grave-diggers fill up the grave. The alms and gifts are then distributed to the monks and the poor. No headstone marks the grave. When the body is burnt, the pyre is kindled by the nearest relatives. Three days later the relations, dressed in white, return to search for and collect the bones that remain. These 1 I have seen a similar Chinese funeral procession in the streets of Hong-Kong. ISO PICTURESQUE BURMA book ii are carefully washed in cocoa-nut milk and placed in an earthenware pot, which is either kept in the house or buried. Sometimes a solid pagoda is raised over the bones of a great person as a monument ; at others they are ground to poAvder, mixed Avith wood oil, and moulded into a little figure of Buddha, which is taken home and treasured in a sacred spot in the house. For a Aveek after the funeral a kind of Irish wake goes on. A great concourse of friends are incessantly coming to the house of mourning day and night, and are engaged in talking, eating, and drinking. Friends contribute towards the heavy expense of a funeral, but it often results, neverthe less, that the Avhole fortune left by the deceased is squandered on his obsequies. When carrying a dead body, the procession must not move to the north or to the east ; hence Burmese cemeteries are placed to the Avest of a city outside the gates. AU bodies are carried out of the west gate, Avhich is therefore called the gate of mourning. In proof of the antiquity of the ceremonies of the Burmese and the conservatism of the people, we find that funerals are described by the travellers of the sixteenth century as taking place then exactly as they do now. Ralph Fitch, Avriting of Pegu in 1583, says: "And if any die, hee is carried upon a great frame made like a Tower, Avith a covering all gilded Avith gold, made of canes, carried Avith fourteene or sixteene men, Avith Drums and Pipes and other instruments playing before him to a place out of the Towne, and there is burned. He is accompanied Avith all his friends and neighbours, all men ; and they give to the Talkpois or Priests many mats and cloth ; and then they return to the house, and there make a Feast for tAvo days ; and then the Avife, Avith all the neighbours' Avives and her friends, goe to the place where he Avas burned, and there they sit a certaine time and cry, and gather the pieces chap, xm MOURNING THE DEAD 151 of bone which bee left unburned and burie, and then return to their houses and make an end of all mourning. And the men and Avomen which bee neare of kin doe shave their heads, which they do not use except it be for the death of a friend; for they much esteeme of their haire." 1 1 " Purchas' Pilgrims," vol. ii. p. 174. CHAPTER XIV MUSIC, DANCING, AND ACTING THE Burmese are passionately devoted to plays, and so keen is their love of dramatic representation of romantic incidents in the lives of kings, queens, and fairies, that their enjoyment is not spoilt by the lack of a theatre, nor their realisation of the story hindered by the total absence of stage scenery. A people, to Avhom evil and good spirits, fairies and hobgoblins, are tangible personages in then daily lives, have sufficiently vivid imaginations to enjoy stage-plays Avithout the scenic accessories Avhich aid the sluggish fancy of the more phlegmatic European. Consequently the giving of a play or pwe is the easiest thing in the Avorld in Burma. If a man has had a stroke of good luck, has sold his paddy harvest Avell, if a son has been born to him, or his daughter is married, he determines, as a matter of course, to summon his friends and neighbours to rejoice with him, and he gives a pwe. On some open space (permission having been got from the police) a large booth is rapidly run up with bamboo poles supporting a lightly thatched roof. Bright-coloured hangings take the place of Avails, and the footlights are improvised from earthenAvare boAvls filled Avith petroleum. A branch or a tree in the centre of the stage is the only attempt at scenery, a box or chest does duty as a throne, the masks of the beloos or ogres, and the wings of the dragons are hung on a bamboo stand beside the stage, and are openly donned by the actors as circumstances require, Avithout any attempt at illusion. CHAP. XIV A PWE iS3 The bare ground forms the pit of the theatre, and a few raised bamboo stands supply the boxes for distinguished guests. The members of the orchestra sit in front of the stage. No A COURT PRIMA DONNA. entrance fee is charged, as the play is freely given by some person who Avishes to share his happiness or good fortune with his neighbours. Early in the afternoon the people bring their mats, so as 154 PICTURESQUE BURMA book ii to secure good places, and by nightfall the open space is densely croAvded with an audience who stay squatting on their heels all through the night, intensely interested in the plot, and hugely amused by the " quips and cranks " of the clown or stage "fool." If anybody in the audience should grow weary, he simply curls himself up on his mat, takes a refreshing nap, and awakes to pick up the thread of the long-drawn-out romance with unabated interest. There is great similarity in the plots. They generally present the adventures of a gallant prince, Avho, wandering from home, falls in love Avith a fairy or a damsel in distress. Heroic sentiments are greatly appreciated, and jokes still more so. In the train of the prince is ahvays a follower Avhose raillery of the maids-of-honour, improvised sallies, and satirical remarks on persons and events of local interest, provoke shouts of laughter. Court processions, receptions, and dances form a great part of the play, and the dialogue is generally chanted. The dancing is highly characteristic. The short skirts, scanty clothing, and the flinging about of the legs considered correct and elegant in our ballets, are looked upon in Burma as indecent and improper beyond measure ; in fact, to prevent the narrow tamein from falling open while a girl is dancing and thus showing her bare legs, the edges of the garment are carefully seAvn together, so that the dancer has her lower limbs enclosed in a kind of narrow sack, Avhich scarcely alloAvs of walking. Burmese dramatic dancing is not specially concerned with the movements of the legs ; it consists of rhythmic sway ing motions of every part of the flexible body in harmony with the music, the Avhole group of dancers moving in perfect unison. Thus a Burmese girl dances to her very finger-tips while standing on the same spot. The extraordinary flexibility of the limbs and joints Avhich will enable a dancer to turn her forearm outwards at the elbow, and bend her head backwards till she can pick up coins from sa EH!s- 7 2 ^^Ss^^^^ffo^^^^s^^^^y' CHAPTER XXVIII LIFE AND EDUCATION IN THE MONASTERY EVERY monastery in Burma is under the direction of a prior or Sayah, who is always a phongyee, that is to say, a Religious of not less than ten years' standing ; the monasteries in a district are under the jurisdiction of a superior or geing- obe, and the religious matters of the whole country are con trolled by one or more Sadows, Avho are honoured with the title of Tha-thana-peing, Avhich means " supreme in matters appertaining to religion." If the Sayah of a kioung is a man of character as Avell as of piety he may exercise a Avidespread influence for good, for the monasteries are the nurseries of thought, morality, and religion of the youth of Burma, Before describing the internal hfe of a monastery, it may be Avell to explain in more detail than has hitherto been done the structure and plan of a kioung. These buildings are placed Avithin an enclosure or paraAvoon, Avhich is planted with palmyra, peepul, tamarind, and plantain trees. They are ahvays raised on strong teak columns, eight or ten feet from the ground. As with all other buildings in Burma, the kioung consists of only one story, over which rises a seven-tiered roof decorated with elaborate carvings. It is often also gilded from the ground to the highest pinnacle. At the ends of the gables carved little pinnacles are observed surmounted Avith a Avooden flag, and each is crowned with a miniature metal htee, gilt and hung with bells. A broad open verandah runs right round A SAYAH WITH AN ATTENDANT SCHOLAE. chap, xxvm WITHIN THE KIOUNG 289 the building, to Avhich access is given by a flight of steps, flanked on either side with plaster or wood balustrades, decorated with figures of beloos, Nats, dragons, &c. Under the tall carved spire-like roof is a large hall opening on to the verandah ; the lofty roof is supported by straight teak pillars, which are often lacquered, gilded, and decorated with glass 'mosaics. On the eastern side of the hall is a raised dais, on which the phongyees sit and receive their guests. Against the wall is placed the great image of Buddha, sur rounded by votive offerings of flowers, candles, praying flags, white paper umbrellas, &c. Here are kept the chests which contain the manuscripts and books of the kioung, and also the shrines and models of pagodas and monasteries which have been presented by the pious. If. the monastery is large, there are several rooms leading off from the central hall, which are used for teaching or sleeping purposes, or for the habitation of the Sayah or the Sadow. All are equally bare of furniture ; a mat spread on the hard boards- serves' for a bed, and the well-swept floor, here as elseAvhere in Burma, takes the place of chairs and table. Besides the shins, yahans, phongyees, and the sayah living in the monastery, there are generally a number of students who are boarders. Indeed, for all its external air of dreamy repose, the kioung is often a busy centre, and the noise of the scholars, who are shouting their lessons at the top of their voices, echoes across the great hall, and is not subdued by the presence of the solemn statue of Buddha. Boys are sent to the monastery, to be taught reading, Avriting, and arithmetic, when they are about eight or nine years of age. All Burman boys go to these monastic schools, Avhether they be poor fishermen's sons or the scions of a royal house ; in democratic Burma none pay for education, and all are treated alike. When they first come the little lads are given slates, and T 290 PICTURESQUE BURMA book hi are set to work to learn the alphabet, a few letters at a time. These they shout incessantly as loud as possible, the yellow- robed monk sitting gravely cross-legged on the dai's in front of his pupils, Avho sprawl knees and elbows on the ground. Gradually they learn in the same Avay to spell, and then to repeat by heart the five great commandments, and the Pali doxologies which are chanted at the pagodas. The art of writing the round Burmese characters by means of a pencil on strips of palm leaf is also slowly learnt, as well as the. simple rules of arithmetic. All the books used are rehgious ; thus with the arts of reading and writing, the great principles of Buddhism are instilled into the youthful minds till they become the inseparable furniture of the mind, so that thoughts can hardly be formulated without their aid. The education given is extremely simple, but it makes a Burman contented with his lot ; it gives him rules of guidance for conduct, food for great thoughts, and motives for a boundless charity and rigid self-control. The following is somewhat the life of the occupants of a large and active monastery. At daybreak, that is, about half- past five, all are aroused by the sound of a great bell. The yahans and phongyees rise from their mats, wash their faces and hands, rinse out their mouths and arrange their yellow robes, in which they have slept, and recite a few pious precepts. All the inmates of the monastery then gather before the great statue of Buddha in the central hall, with the abbot at their head, and the phongyees, yahans, novices, boarders, and scholars arranged in order, and they intone the morning service. They then separate to perform their various duties ; the scholars and novices SAveep the floor of the Moung, fetch the daily supply of Avater from the well, filter it and place it ready for use ; some tend the trees in the compound, and others gather flowers to place on the altar, Avhile the elders retire to meditate on the miseries of life. A light meal is chap, xxviii MENDICANTS AND ALMSGIVING 291 then taken, preceded by a short homily. Lessons are now given for an hour, and the voices of the pupils shouting their tasks breaks on the still morning air. At eight o'clock all who Avear the yellow robe pass in single file out of the sacred paraAvoon (enclosure) headed by the abbot, each bearing a black alms-bowl in his arms, and Avith shaven head bent low, Avith eyes cast doAvn, with uncovered head, and in solemn silence they proceed to beg for their food. In about an hour, or an hour and a half, the mendicants return.. An offering is then made on the shrine of Buddha, and all the inmates proceed to take breakfast. In monasteries where the rule is very ascetic, the meal is made solely of the gifts received in the alms-bowls ; but where discipline is more lax, the cold unsavoury mess contained in the bowls is given to the scholars or any sojourners in the kioung, to eat as much as they like, and give the rest to the pariah dogs and crows ; Avhile a hot breakfast is prepared for the abbot and monks by the layman, Avho hves in the monastery, and Avhose duty it is to look after the corporeal affairs of the institution and its inmates. HoAvever this may be, breakfast is the only substantial meal in the twenty- four hours; at half-past eleven a light refection of fruits is taken, and after midday no monk is allowed to taste food, it being believed that solid food taken after the sun begins to decline toAvards the west exposes a man to the temptations of impurity. Drinks may however be taken, and as betel-cheAV- ing is not expressly forbidden, it becomes an inveterate habit of the fasting monks. After breakfast the alms-boAvls are washed, again a few verses are chanted before the statue of Buddha, and the pious are bidden to meditate on the duties of kindness and affection. The scholars are then allowed to play in a quiet and decorous manner in the parawoon, and the abbot and phongyees receive visits from those who come to consult them on religious matters or simply to pay their respects. These visits are very cere- 292 PICTURESQUE BURMA book hi monious. The phongyee is seated cross-legged on the raised dai's, the visitor approaches, and, lifting his hands to his fore head, he prostrates himself three times and says, " In order that all the sins I have committed, in thought, in word, or in deed, may be pardoned to me, I prostrate myself three times, once in honour of the Buddha, again in honour of the Law, and thirdly in honour of the Assembly, the three precious things. By so doing I hope to be preserved from the three calamities, from the four states of punishment, and from the five enemies, fire, Avater, thieves, plunderers, and malevolent people." The Sayah replies, " As a reward for his merit and his obeisances, may the supporter of the monastery be freed from the three calamities, the four states of punishment, the five enemies, and from harm of what kind soever — may all his aims be good and end well ; may he advance firmly in the noble path, perfect himself in wisdom, and finally obtain rest in Nirvana." All intercourse between visitors and the monks is regulated by ceremonious etiquette, the object being to maintain calmness, dignity, and self-restraint. After the midday meal the scholars return to their lessons till four o'clock, when they go home and dine ; but the novices are obliged to fast like their elders. The phongyees pass the time in various ways ; some study the ancient scriptures, others superintend the copying of manuscripts on palm leaves, some walk out, and others talk Avith visitors, and some are idle and doze aAvay the afternoon. Meditation is, however, considered the most holy and profitable occupation, and the monks sit for hours telling the beads of their rosaries, and striving to obtain by abstraction absolute power over the will and over the mind. At sunset, Avhich occurs at about six o'clock all the year round in Burma, the great bell sounds again, and all are summoned Avithin the confines of the kioung. The scholars are called upon to repeat to the abbot, or some of the elders, chap, xxvm THE POWER OF BUDDHISM 293 all they have learnt, and perhaps a sermon is given, or a point of doctrine is explained by the Sayah. "At half-past eight or nine, the evening is closed Avith devotions in the presence of the image of Buddha. All assemble according to then rank as in the morning, and together intone the vesper lauds. When the last sounds of the mournful chant have died away in the dimly-lighted chamber, one of the novices, or a clever scholar, stands up and with a loud voice proclaims the hour, the day of the week, the day of the month, and the number of the year. Then all shekhoe before the Buddha thrice, and thrice before the abbot, and retire to rest. Those Avho have experienced the impressiveness of this ceremonial, called the Thah-thanah- hylouk, will not readily forget the powerful effect it has on the feelings. It is the fit ending of a day full of possibilities. for all. If the same routine gone through day after day becomes monotonous, and loses some of its power for good, yet the effect of such a school, presided over by an abbot of intelhgence and earnestness, must infallibly Avork for the good of all connected Avith it, and especially so in the case of an impulsive, impressionable people like the Burmese. As long as all the men of the country pass through the kioung, the teaching of Western missionaries can have but little power to shake the poAver of Buddhism over the people. The moral truths of both religions, Christianity and Buddhism, are practically the same, and who can prove aught else Avithout calling in the aid of faith ? The Burman is convinced that no other creed will suit him so well, and the number of monasteries in all parts of the country renders it easy for every one to obtain entrance for his children. The king sent his sons to the kioung, and the poorest and most sinful wretch need not fear that his child will be turned away from the gates. Teaching is really all the phongyee can do for the people ; but it is precisely this moderate amount of teaching, 294 PICTURESQUE BURMA book hi revealing as it does to all the stem simphcity of the monastic hfe, that keeps the faith active in the country." 1 Venerated during his hfetime, a phongyee is honoured bejond all men at his death. The meaning of the word phongyee is " great glory," and his funeral is called a phongyee- byan, Avhich signifies " the return of the great glory." The words represent the behef that a monk does not die, to begin again the Aveary round of existences, but that he returns to the heaven from whence he came. If the phongyee has been famous for his learning and piety, and has been steadfast to his voavs of chastity and austerity for many Wahs (Lents), then his obsequies are celebrated Avith a pomp and publicity which has no equal in Burma. The corpse is first embalmed and is then swathed in linen, which is varnished and covered with gold leaf. The arms are folded over the chest, and the body is placed in a coffin made of the trunk of a tree hollowed out. This coffin is gilded and placed Avithin a sarcophagus which is resplendent with paintings and mosaics of coloured glass. A mortuary chapel is then erected with a tapering spire or pya-that, and here the body lies in state in the richly decorated sarcophagus, shaded by a Avhite umbrella. It may remain for several months till sufficient money is collected to defray the expenses of the funeral rites, and all the while there is a neA-er-ending stream of pilgrims, Avho come from far and wide to make then offer ings of flowers and money at the shrine, and to recite verses of prayer and praise ; but what seems so strange to the European, who associates always the saddest ideas Avith death, the " return of the great glory " is celebrated by bands of music and by pAves and all the signs of great rejoicing. The cremation of the body finally takes place in an open space outside the toAvn. An immense funeral pyre is erected of bamboo matting and pasteboard, gilded and decorated; it rises to a height of fifteen 1 Shwav Yoe, ¦' The Burman." chap, xxvui CREMATION OF A PHONGYEE 295 to tAventy feet, and is surmounted by a lofty canopy. ' The great event has been announced by the sound of a gong all over the country-side, and from every village processions stream out bearing offerings of pya-thats (spires), Avhich are placed round the pyre.At the kioung a strange scene and still stranger contest takes place. To draAV a phongyee's body to the pyre is considered a great honour, and before the coffin is placed on the car strong rattan cords are attached to it, and a tug-of- war takes place betAveen contending aspirants for the privilege. This -unseemly struggle may last for some hours. It being at last decided, the coffin is deposited on the car, and it is drawn by men to the pyre and is hoisted on to the high platform. The lighting of the pyre of a phongyee is done in a special way ; it must be ignited by a rocket fired from a distance of forty or fifty yards. Immense rockets, made of the trunks of trees holloAved out and crammed full of explosives and com bustibles, are manufactured in the villages for weeks beforehand, each village contending for the honour of firing the pile. The sending off of these gigantic rockets is attended Avith much danger, and often Avith loss of life. At last one strikes the pyre, and soon the great spire, the gilded coffin, and the . offerings are all consumed amid the cheers of the people. One more brother has passed aAvay from this world of shadoAvs, and only his good deeds and the memory of his holy life remain, to encourage others to Avalk in the four paths that lead to Nirvana. BOOK IV THE STORY OF 'BURMA FOR TWENTY-FIVE CENTURIES CHAPTER XXIX BURMA COLONISED FROM INDIA — TAGOUNG, PROME, PEGU, AND ARAKAN POUNDED — THE SUVARMA BHUMI, OR GOLDEN LAND OF THE SOUTH (FROM 800 B.C. TO 500 A.D.) WE learn from the ancient Burmese chronicle, the Maha Rajaweng, and from national traditions, that in the far dim past, before the time of Gautauma Buddha, Kshatriya princes crossed the mountains dividing Burma from Gangetic India and conquered the Mongoloid tribes then inhabiting the valley of the Irrawaddy. They built the city of Tagoung and kid the foundations of the kingdom of Burma. The aboriginal Mongolian people probably came from the land of Bhote, beyond the snoAvy Himalayas, and passing along the banks of the Bramaputra and Irrawaddy rivers, reached Assam and Burma. Tagoung on the Upper Irrawaddy was built, according to Burmese tradition, by Abhi Raja about 800 B.C. The ruins of this city b.c. 800. remain to this day. Of the tAvo sons of Abhi Raja, one migrated to the Kubo valley and founded the kingdom of Arakan, and the other reigned at Tagoung, and Avas the founder of a dynasty Avhich lasted about two hundred years. A second dynasty Avas founded by Daza Raja, who led a band of Kshatriyas from Gangetic India and built the city of old Pagahn close to Tagoung. There Avere sixteen kings of this dynasty. The story runs that the Ainshemeng or heir-apparent, the brother of the Queen of the last of these kings, lost his Avay in 300 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv the forest Avhile pursuing a Avild boar. As he Avandered on, he came to the conclusion that the cares of kingship would be toil some, and that it was preferable to become a hermit. He went down the IrraAvaddy, and finally came to a hill Avhere there was a cave, in which he took up his abode. The twin sons of the King of Tagoung were both born blind, and were hence pre cluded from reigning, and doomed to death. The Queen pro tected them till they were groAvn up, and then put them in a boat and set them afloat on the Irrawaddy. On their Avay doAvn the stream -they miraculously recovered their sight, and they finally arrived at the hill where their uncle, the Ainshe- meng, lived as a hermit. Here they saw a maiden drawing water from the river, and they learnt that she Avas the daughter of the lost heir to the throne. The elder of the two brothers, Maha Thambawa, married his cousin and founded b.c 483. the city of Prome on the hill where the hermit lived, 483 B.C. The Kings of Burma claimed descent from Maha ThambaAva, and through him from the earlier Kings of Tagoung. It is probable that about this time there Avas a migration into the upper part of the Irrawaddy valley, of the tribes of the Tai or Shan race from the west, and that the true reason for the change of the royal city from Tagoung to Prome was the occupation of the upper country, Avhich was first settled from India, by invading barbarians. What is apparent in Burma is that, in the early eras of its history, civilisation spread from the. north doAvn the valley of the Irrawaddy, and did not, till much later, creep up from the Delta. According to the Burmese chronicle, the Kings of the dynasty of Maha ThambaAva reigned for five hundred years. The royal city Tharekhettara was built on the plain five miles east of Prome, the ruins of Avhich still exist. It is probable that this ancient capital was destroyed in an invasion of the Takings from the south. The Burmese, driven nortliAvards by the victorious race, finally settled midAvay betAveen the old royal THE UPPER REACHES OP THE IRRAWADDY. chap, xxix ORIGIN OF THE TALAINGS 301 cities of Prome and Tagoung, and founded the city and dynasty of neAv Pagahn. In the meantime a nation had arisen in the delta of the IrraAvaddy. The Suvarna Bhumi, or golden land of Buddhist legends, and probably the golden Chersonese of Ptolemy, had from remote antiquity been colonised from India, and Avas the centre of a prosperous export trade in silk with China. " The city called Thina, not on the coast, but inland," Avas probably Thatun, the native name for the ancient capital of Pegu. At one of the mouths of the great river, near the present Rangoon, there had been from remotest antiquity a holy site or mound. It is related in the Buddhist records of Ceylon that Avhen Gautauma attained perfection in the forest of Kiripalu, two brothers called Tapusa and Palikat arrived from Suvarna Bhumi, the golden land, with five hundred carts of merchandise. After making an offering of honey to Buddha, they begged of him some memento, and he gave them eight hairs from his head. With this precious gift they returned to their native town, the port of Ukkakba, and enshrined the eight hairs of Buddha in a pagoda, Avhich has been since knoAvn as the Shway Dagohn. Two centuries later, about 241 B.C., the missionaries Sono b.c. 241 and Uttaro were deputed, at the third great Buddhist Synod at Pataliputra, to go to Suvarna Bhumi to convert the Takings to the true faith. At this time the delta-territory Avas occupied by aboriginal Mongoloid tribes, among Avhom Indian colonists and traders from Telingana had settled at certain commercial ports. Through these emigrants, religion, arts, and industries Avere introduced, and the tribes gradually consolidated into a nation. They were knoAvn to foreigners by the name of the Takings, though they called themselves Mun or Mon. The earliest port and city Avas Thatun, situated on a creek opening into the Gulf of Martaban. Extensive remains of this ancient city still exist. 302 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv a.d. 500. In the sixth century the city of Pegu or Hansawadi was founded by two brothers, Thamala and Wimala, of the royal race. Katha Kumma, the son of Thamala, was a powerful king, and established his rule over the whole delta, and east- Avard as far as the Salwen river. Tharekhettara had been overthrown before Pegu Avas founded. The early records of Pegu, or the kingdom of the Takings, are meagre in the extreme, but it is probable that for the first thousand years of the Christian era, the delta as far as Prome on the north, and the Salwen river on the east, was the home of a prosperous commercial people who traded with China and India. In tracing the outlines of the rise and history of the two Indo-Mongoloid peoples who inhabited the valley of the Irrawaddy, Ave note, as far back as in the beginning of the Christian era, the commencement of that racial contest be tAveen the Takings or Peguans and the Burmans Avhich has only now ceased, through the fusion of the two races under the strong government of a more dominant people. Thus in the first century of our era we see the valley of the Irrawaddy occupied by the Shan or Tai people in the north, by the Burmese in the centre, and by the Takings in the delta and as far north as Prome. Buddhism was the religious faith of all these peoples, but debased more or less by Nat-Avorship, and later by Naga or dragon-Avorship. CHAPTER XXX THE RISE AND FALL OF PAGAHN (iOIO TO I364) FOR a thousand years the records of the history of Burma a.d. ioio. are extremely scanty. In the year 10 10 a.d. Anoarhta Soa, one of the heroes of Burmese history, was crowned King of Pagahn, and Ave begin henceforward to have a more distinct view of the power and state of Pagahn. Under Anoarhta, the kingdom of Burma was consolidated, art and architecture flourished, and the Buddhist religion Avas reformed and became again paramount in the land. Anoarhta, who had the attri butes of a great king, held the debasing dragon-Avorship in horror, and he welcomed Arahan, a holy Taking missionary, from Thatun, to the royal city. Through his teaching, Bud dhism was established as the state rehgion in Pagahn. Desiring to possess the Tripika or Buddhist scriptures, which were in the possession of the King of Thatun, Anoarhta sent an ambassador to ask for a copy of the holy volumes. The request Avas haughtily refused. Angered at this affront, Anoarhta led a large army doAvn the IrraAvaddy and besieged Thatun. The city finally surrendered and was utterly de stroyed; its king was made captive, and all its relics, golden images, sacred books, and historic chronicles Avere carried to Pagahn. The land of Pegu became subject to Burma, and remained so for tAvo hundred years. Actuated either by religious zeal or ambition, King Anoarhta carried his arms into China and Bengal, and north- 304 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv Avards into the Shan States, the poAver of. Avhich he broke. He died in 1052 a.d., and was succeeded by his son Soalu, Avho Avas killed in battle soon afterwards, when his brother Kyansittha succeeded to the throne. It Avas in his reign that the magnificent temple Ananda was built, the ruins of Avhich are still one of the glories of Burma. His grandson Akungsitha, Avho succeeded him, built the Shweku Temple at Pagahn in 1085. This king reigned for seventy-five years, and his kingdom extended from the delta of the Irrawaddy to the mountain fastnesses of the Shans on the north. There Avas peace in the land, and the glorious ruins of Pagahn testify to the greatness of the city at this date. The administration of the law Avas improved by Akungsitha, and the country seems to have been well governed. In his old age he Avas troubled by the evil deeds of his sons, who rebelled against him ; and after a long and prosperous reign he Avas murdered by his second son in the temple he had caused to be built. It will be remembered that in the original settlement of Burma by the Kshatriya kings, one of the sons of Abhi Raja migrated at the head of a band of folloAvers to Arakan, and there founded a kingdom. The situation of Arakan between the Bay of Bengal and the high range of mountains which divides it from Burma proper, secured it a certain immunity from attack, and for centuries Arakan pursued its OAvn course of development uninfluenced, except by emigrants from Bengal. That, in pre-Christian and early Christian eras, it had attained to a certain level of civilisation and art, is evidenced by the remains of buildings still existing on the high plateau of Kyauk-pandaung, and by the famous brazen statue of Buddha, Avhich is said to have been cast in the year 1 80 a.d. The first invasion of Arakan from Burma Ave hear of in the year 1 103, Avhen the Prince of Arakan, Avho was a refugee at the court of Pagahn, induced the Burmese king to send an army chap, xxx THE FALL OF PAGAHN 305 into the country to replace him on the throne of his fathers ; Avhich expedition was entirely successful. At the death of Akungsitha in 1160, the parricide a.d. n6o. Narathu took possession of the throne, and retained it by the murder of his elder brother. He sleAV his stepmother, the daughter of an Indian prince, Avith his own hand. This act Avas revenged by eight soldiers, Avho, disguised as Brahmins, obtained admission to the King's presence, under the pretence of blessing him. They slew him, and then all committed suicide. In the reign of his successor, the temples called Gaudapalen and Tsukmani were built, and in the following reign the Boadi Temple was completed. The vast ruins of Pagahn at the present day and the splendid architecture of the temples bear witness to the high level of true art to which the Burmese had at this time attained. Communications Avere kept up Avith Ceylon and with Bengal, and it is doubtless the fact that Burma Avas influenced by the art and learning of these countries. But the days of Pagahn Avere numbered. The rumours of its magnificence and learning had spread into other countries, and the great Chinese emperor Kublai Khan determined to humble the haughty Burmans. He sent ambassadors to Pagahn to demand gold and silver vessels as tribute, declaring that as King Anoarahta had made such gifts to China, homage Avas due. The ambassadors who conveyed this insolent demand Avere seized by the Burmese king and put to death. Kublai Khan resolved to punish this outrage, and assembling a large army he marched into Burma. A stout resistance Avas made, but the Burmese were defeated and routed at Male. The army fled to the capital, which Avas not prepared for defence ; and the King, afterwards nicknamed Tarukpyemeng — the King who fled from the Taruk — abandoned the city and escaped to Bassein, Avhere he is stated to have lived in extravagant luxury, Avhile the Mongol army devastated the country and plundered 306 PICTURESQUE BURMA book n a.d. 1284. Pagahn. Unable to obtain supplies, Kublai Khan retired Avith his army, having inflicted a severe lesson on the Burmans. The King returned to Prome, Avhere he Avas compelled to take poison by one of his sons. The kingdom of Pagahn fell to pieces. Luxury and success had sapped the life of the nation, and the building of magnificent temples to Buddha had not sufficed to enforce the simplicity and austerity of life taught by his religion. As has happened again and again in the history of nations, the hardy and bold men of the mountain races came to the front, as the luxurious cities of the plains dechned ; and in the land of Burma the men of the Shan race noAV greAv all- powerful. Three Shan brothers became strong governors of States ; by the treachery of Queen Soa they Avere also paramount in Pagahn, and they extended then SAvay from Manipur in the north to Prome in the south. Their descendants founded the a.d. 1312. cities and kingdoms of Panya and Sagaing. Internecine strife, hoAvever, arose, and within a century these kingdoms came to an end. In 1364 the city of Ava Avas founded by King Thadomengbya, Avho determined to reconstitute the Burmese kingdom. CHAPTER XXXI THE STRUGGLE FOR SUPREMACY BETAVEEN PEGU AND BURMA (1231 to 1541) IN the later days of the Pagahn monarchy the Takings of Pegu had become insubordinate. A Avealthy Shan merchant had in 128 1 usurped supreme poAver and became King of Martaban, under the name of Wareru. He succeeded in estab lishing a dynasty, and Pegu became once more entirely free of Burma. In the north the kingdom of Burma became in 1385 consohdated under Meng KyisAva-Soakai, King of Ava. The old racial struggle between the Takings and Burmans arose again in all its fierceness, and the fact that each country was uoav governed by kings of the Shan race did not prevent preparations for war. The King of Burma invaded Pegu two successive years, but was repulsed and obhged to retreat. The King of Pegu retahated by invading Burma, and carried his victorious arms to the walls of Ava, He made an unsuccessful attempt to take Prome, which it is said was protected by guns on a.d. i4o4. the ramparts. The garrison is also stated to have been armed with muskets, but Colonel Phayre suggests that these were probably firearms Avhich Avere held in the hand when discharged. Finding themselves equally matched, the Kings of Burma and Pegu finally determined to make peace. They SAvore friendship to one another in the pagoda at 308 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv Prome, and the boundary of the tAvo kingdoms was draAvn south of the city. War, hoAvever, soon broke out again and raged for several years. There Avere invasions and counter- invasions, until the tAvo countries were exhausted. Peace Avas at last proclaimed, and each of the Kings devoted their remain ing years to religion and works of merit. They died within a a.d. 1422. year of one another, about 1422. The Avar Avas, however, reneAved by their descendants, and for the next tAventy years the history of Burma and Pegu is that of a series of internecine quarrels and raids, and of contests Avith the Shans. From the midst of the con fusion and strife rise tAvo stately figures — those of Queen Sheng Soaba and her monkish son-in-law Dhammazedi. Sheng Soaba was sister of Binya Ran, Prince of Pegu, and was married for state reasons to the King of Burma, though she had a husband already. On his death she married a nobleman. Dissatisfied with her position at the Court of Ava, she returned to Pegu, Avhere she was Avarmly received by her brother the King. Her son by her first husband Avas put on the throne at the King's death, but reigned only a short time. All the male heirs to the throne being now dead, the nation unanimously requested Sheng Soaba to take the sovereign poAver, and she Avas accordingly croAvned Queen of Pegu. In her retinue from Ava was a monk, who became a layman and married the queen's daughter. At the death of Sheng Soaba he became King under the a.d. 1460. name of Dhammazedi in 1 460. Of this monarch Colonel Phayre says : " In Pegu Dhammazedi reigned in peace for the long period of thirty-one years. Though brought up from early youth in the seclusion of a Buddhist monastery until he Avas more than forty years old, he reigned Avith dignity and Avisdom ; his moderation reconciled to his rule the diverse interests of the grandees of the land. Embassies were sent to him from the neighbouring countries and from Ceylon. chap, xxxi THE RISE OF TAUNGU 309 Though he made no Avars, yet he extended the boundaries of the kingdom eastward, and after death he received the funeral honours of a Chakravarti or universal monarch. The strict observances of Buddhism Avere in his case disregarded, and a pagoda Avas built over his bones, which was croAvned and gilded as for an object of worship. He Avas succeeded by his son, Avho took the title of Binya Ran, and enjoyed among his subjects the respect and love which belonged to a grandson of Sheng Soaba." Binya Ran reigned for thirty-five years, and the land knew rest. He is accused of but one act of aggression, namely, an attack on the rising city of Taungu. European a.d. 1500. travellers speak of him as a prince " of great magnificence and generosity," and, " of such humanity and affability that a child might come to his presence and speak with him." While the kingdom of Pegu enjoyed this long period of peace and prosperity, matters were going from bad to worse in Burma. Rent by the wars and quarrels of kings and governors, constantly at war with the Shan chieftains, and engaged in repelling invasions from China, the kingdom declined and fell under the dominion of the Avarlike Shans. Burmese noblemen and men of rank fled to Taungu, Avhich presently became a powerful province. Taungu is situated between the rivers IrraAvaddy and Salwen, on a strip of country watered by the river Sitang, and bounded on the east by high hills, Avhich have been inhabited from time immemorial by the wild tribes of the Karens. The Burmans, Avho Avould not submit to the tyranny of the Shan kings at Ava, fled to Taungu. As the kingdom of Ava declined, Taungu increased in poAver, so much so that presently the governors or kinglets of this province defied alike the Kings of Ava and Pegu. Towards the end of the fifteenth century, the throne of Taungu Avas seized by Meng Kyinyo, a descendant of the last King of Pagahn. He 310 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv built the new city of Taungu, made an alliance with the King of Prome against Ava, and became the hope of the Burmese people. His son, Tabeng Shwehti, had the ambition to determine to restore the united empire of Burma. Pegu Avas first attacked, and after several repulses and a desperate defence, and battles fought on land and sea, the capital a.d. 1538. surrendered, and its King Avas driven beyond the frontier. The governor of the little province of Taungu then became King of Pegu, and he and his general Bureng Naung played great parts in the restoration of the ancient power of the empire of Burma. Light is iioav thrown on the condition and history of Pegu and Burma by European travellers and chroniclers. The Portuguese traders had penetrated into the golden land from Goa, and Portuguese commanders aided the Takings in their naval fights. In the fascinating pages of Balbi, Frederike, and Pinto, Ave have vivid pictures of the royal state, the mag nificence, and the barbarism of the Kings of Pegu, Taungu, and Ava. CHAPTER XXXII THE FALL OF MARTABAN, DESCRIBED BY AN EYE- AVITNESS, IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY (1540-1550) AFTER devoting himself for some time to the cares of the l~\ state, and in making earnest efforts to conciliate the Talang nobles, Tabeng ShAvehti determined to bring Martaban into submission. This port had become, since the opening of the trade route to Europe round the Cape of Good Hope, an export and trading centre of great importance. The city, which Avas of extreme magnificence and Avealth, was situated at the mouth of the river Salwen, opposite to the present port of Maulmain. It Avas the capital of a large extent of territory, and was governed by a viceroy from Pegu called the Soabinya or Chaubainhaa. Finding that Martaban was very strongly defended both by land and sea, and impossible to take by assault, Bureng Naung determined to invest it closely, and to let famine do its work. Portuguese captains and adventurers lent their aid both to the besiegers and the besieged. For seven months the city Avas closely surrounded, till the garrison was reduced by famine to the lowest pitch of Aveakness. The treasures of the Viceroy Avere said to be fabulous, but they failed to buy him the support of the Portuguese in the besieging force under Paulo de Seixas. When Cayeyro, the Portuguese captain, with his foUoAvers deserted to the enemy, and one of his OAvn commanders Avith 4000 men did the same, the Viceroy, in 312 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv despair, gave himself, his Avife, children, city, treasures, and kingdom, unreservedly into the hands of the King of Pegu, trusting to the mercy of the monarch, and receiving from him assurances of consideration and safe-conduct. Ferdinand Mendez Pinto,1 a Portuguese adventurer and traveller, gives a graphic account of the fall of Martaban, at Avhich he was present. He Avrites : "The news was pub lished throughout all the camp with a great deal of joy, and the next morning all the equipage and train that the King had in his quarter Avas set forth to view. First of all there Avere to be seen fourscore and six field-tents, wonderful rich, each of them being environed Avith thirty elephants, ranked in tAvo files, as if they had been ready to fight, with castles on their backs full of banners, and their panores fastened to their trunks ; the whole number of them amounted unto tAvo thousand five hundred and fourscore. Not far from them Avere tAvelve thousand and five hundred Bramaas? all mounted on horses, very richly accoutred. With the order which they kept, they enclosed all the King's quarter in four files, and Avere all armed in corslets, or coats of maze, with lances, cymitars, and gilded bucklers. After these horse followed four files of foot, all Bramaas, being in number above tAventy thousand. For all the other soldiers of the camp, there Avere so many as they could not be counted, and they inarched all in order after their captains. In this publique muster 1 With regard to the historical value of Pinto's account of what he saw in Pegu and Burma, Colonel Phayre, the historian of Burma, says that the reputa tion obtained by Pinto for untruthfulness is unjust, and that the events he narrates are found, after comparison with native and other accounts, to be correctly told. As to the wealth of the kings of Indo-China and the numbers of their armies, he could but repeat what he was told by natives, and the figures given in his narrative are doubtless exaggerated. His geography of the country is also somewhat confusing ; but otherwise his accounts of the siege of Martaban and of Prome, of the great state kept by the King of Pegu, and of the magnificence and wealth of Laos, are all substantially correct. 2 Burmans. chap, xxxii THE SACK OF MARTABAN 313 were to be seen a world of banners and rich colours, and such a number of instruments of Avar sounded, that the noise thereof, together Avith that which the soldiers made, Avas most dreadful, and so great that it Avas not possible to hear one another. Noav for that the King of Bramaa Avould this day make shew of his greatness in the reddition of the Chaubainhaa, he gave express command that all the captains which were strangers, with then men, should put on their best clothes and arms ; and so ranged in tAvo files, they should make as it were a kind of street, through Avhich the Chaubainhaa might pass. This accordingly was put into execution, and this street took beginning from the city gate, and reached as far as the King's tent, being in length about three-quarters of a league, or better. In this street there were six- and- thirty thousand strangers, of tAvo and forty different nations, namely, Portuguese, Grecians, Venetians, Tttrks, Janizaries, Jews, Arme nians, Tartars, Mogores, Abyssins, Raizbutos, Nobins, Coracones, Persians, Tuparaas, Gizares, Tanacos, Malabares, Jews, Achems, Moens, Siams, Lussons of the island Borneo, Chacomas, Arracons, Predins, Papuaais, Selebres, Mindancas, Pegus, Bramaas, and many others whose names I know not. All the nations were ranked according to the Xemimbrums order, Avhereby the Portugals were placed in the vantgard, Avhich Avas next to the gate of the city, where the Chaubainhaa Avas to come. After them followed the Armenians, then the Janizaries and Turks, and so the rest." In spite of the promises made to the Viceroy by the King, he and his family were, cruelly murdered, and the city of Martaban given over to pillage. To quote our author again : " Thereupon the ancient city of Martaban was delivered over to the mercy of the soldiers, who, at the shooting off of a cannon, Avhich was the signal thereof, entered presently into it pell-mell, and so thronging together, that at the entering into the gates, it is said above three hundred men Avere 314 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv stifled ; for as there Avas there an infinite company of men of Avar of different nations, the most of them without king, without law, Avithout the fear and knoAvledge of God, they went all to the spoil with closed eyes, and therein shoAved themselves so cruel minded that the thing they made least reckoning of Avas to kill a hundred men for a croAvn ; and truly the disorder was such in the city, as the King himself was fain to go thither six or seven times in person for to appease it. The sack of the city endured three days and a half, Avith so much avarice and cruelty of these barbarous enemies, as it Avas Avholly pillaged, without anything left that might give an eye cause to covet it. That done, the King, Avith a neAv ceremony of proclamation, caused the Chaubainhaa's palace, together with thirty or forty very fair houses of his principal lords, and all the pagodas and temples of the city, to be demolished, so that according to the opinion of many, it Avas thought, that the loss of those magnificent edifices amounted to above ten millions of gold ; AvhereAvith not yet contented he commanded all the buildings of the. city that were still afoot to be set on fire, which by the violence of the Avind kindled in such manner as in that one night there remained nothing unburnt, yea, the very Avails, toAvers, and bulwarks were consumed even to the foundations. The number of them that Avere killed in this sack Avas threescore thousand persons, but Avas that of the prisoners much less ? There Avas one hundred and forty thousand houses, and seven teen hundred temples burnt, Avherein Avere consumed three score thousand statues or idols of divers metals. There Avas found in this city six thousand pieces of artillery, Avhat of brass and iron ; an hundred thousand quintals of pepper, and as much of sanders, benjamin, kcre, lignum, aloes, cam- phine, silk, and many other kinds of rich merchandise, but above all an infinite number of commodities which were brought hither from the Indies, in above a hundred vessels chap, xxxii TA11ENG SHAVEHTI DIES 315 of Cambaya. Aehem, Melinda. Cerlam, and of all the Streight of Meekua, of the Leiniios, and of China. As for sold, silver, imd precious stones and jewels that were found there, one really knows not what they were, for those things are ordi narily concealed, wherefore it shall suffice me to say, that so much as the King of Bramaa had for certain of the Chaubaiuhaa's treasures amounted to a hundred millions of gold." Allowing for the exaggeration of travellers' tales, these extracts from the Avritings of an eye-Avitness of the siege and sack of Martaban enable us to realise in a lively manner the magnificence, opulence, and barbarism of the cities of the land of Burma in the middle of the sixteenth century. The King returned to Pegu, imd determining to take Prome, he collected an immense army, and conveyed it up the river in boats. The King of Ava, the Shan chieftains, and the Arakanese, all came to the help of besieged Prome, but Avere defeated imd repulsed by the aid of the Portuguese and of firearms. The city Avas then closely invested. Inspired by the courageous Queen, a determined defence was made, but Prome Avas finally betrayed by one of the captains ; the King and Queen and then ministers Avere massacred with great cruelty, and the city given up to pillage. Tabeng Shwehti then carried his arms against Ava, imd gained pos session of the ancient capital of Pagahn. Unsuccessful ex peditions against Arakan and Siam, in which there Avas great loss of life, so distrusted the Takings Avith their tATant that he was assassinated. His faithful General, Bureng Naung, was then made King, but only after he had fought with imd subdued all other pretenders to the throne of Pegu. B1 CHAPTER XXXIII THE GREAT KING BURENG NAUNG AND THE HALCYON DAYS OF PEGU (1554-1752) )URENG NAUNG carried out the splendid scheme of uniting the whole empire of Pegu and Burma under one rule. He besieged and took Ava, and extended his SAvay as far as Bhamo. He made Pegu the capital city, and beautified it Avith magnificent palaces, of Avhich the European travellers of that day speak with wonder and admiration. An ex pedition against Siam was successful, and the King was a.d. 1564. taken prisoner. Bureng Naung at last subdued all his enemies, and for three years the kingdom knew peace. Pegu became one of the most splendid cities of the East, and the centre of a prosperous trade with Europe, India, and Malacca. But Avar broke out again. The King of Siam, Avho had been allowed to return to his own country as a monk, revolted. An army of 200,000 men Avas collected and, led by the King in person, Siam was invaded. After a most exhaust ing struggle the country Avas subdued, and Bureng Naung returned to Pegu Avith but a small remnant of his great army. The " King of kings " noAV devoted himself to the encourage ment of commerce and the dispensation of justice. The Venetian traveller, Csesar Fredericke, thus describes the great monarch : 1 " The King sitteth every day in person to hear the suits of his subjects up aloft in a great hall on a tribunal seat with his barons around him, while on the ground, ' forty 1 Purchas' "Pilgrims." 316 chap, xxxiii THE HOLOCAUST AT PEGU 317 paces distant,' are the petitioners Avith their supplications in their hands, Avhich are made of long leaves of a tree, and a present or gift, according to the Aveightiness of these matters." He adds : " The King of Pegu hath not any army or power by sea ; but in the land, for people, dominions, gold, and silver, he far exceeds the Great Turk in treasures and strength." Later the glory and renoAvn of Bureng Naung was increased by his receipt, Avith great pomp, of the relic of a holy tooth from Ceylon. The whole of the country of Burma, from the Shan hills to Martaban, was subject to the " King of kings," with the ex ception of Arakan, hence Bureng Naung burned to add this kingdom to those aheady conquered. He gathered together a large fleet of 1 300 vessels, and landing on the Arakanese coast, the army was marched to SandoAvay. Ambassadors were sent thence to the Emperor Akbar, possibly to ascertain if the occupation of Arakan would be looked upon by him as an act of hostihty ; but while Avaiting in Arakan, the great Bureng Naung died in 1 58 1. His eldest son, the Yuva Raja, succeeded to the throne a.d. 1581. of the great empire. His cruelties soon disgusted his fol- loAvers. Suspecting that many of his officers Avere in con spiracy against him, he caused them, their wives, and children, to be burned alive. Gasparo Balbi, a Venetian merchant, Avas witness to this dreadful scene, and speaks of his com passion for the little children who Avere burnt. Ava first revolted and was subdued ; Siam then threw off the foreign yoke; Prome rebelled; the King of Taungu joined the King of Arakan and seized the port of Syriam. The capital was then invested, the King Avas taken prisoner, and the splendid city of Pegu, Avith the golden palace of Bureng Naung, was plundered and reduced to ruins. The empire Avas divided up, and " thus the great empire of united Pegu and Burma, which a generation before had excited the wonder of Euro- 318 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv a.d. 1599. pean travellers, Avas utterly broken up, and the Avide delta of the Irrawaddy, Avith a soil fertile as Egypt, and in a geographical position commanding the outlet of a great natural highway, was abandoned by those Avho might claim to represent the ancient rulers, and left to be parcelled out by petty local chiefs and European adventurers." 1 The shores of Arakan and Pegu hoav began to SAvarm with Portuguese adventurers, and among them one named Philip de Brito rose to great power. Appointed by the King of Arakan as his agent at the port of Syriam, he adopted the well-knoAvn tactics of his race. He built a brick custom house, and then a fort to protect the custom-house. He next became governor of the neAV settlement, and applied to the Governor of Goa for leave to hold the town for the Portuguese. After having defeated an Arakanese force that tried to retake the toAvn, he so conciliated the Taking chiefs that they in vited him to become King of Pegu, and he took possession of the kingdom in the name of the King of Portugal in 1604. De Brito soon, hoAvever, alienated his subjects by his rapacity and intolerance. In the meantime, the grandson of the great King Bureng Naung had been gaining poAver in ancient Burma. Ava, Prome, Taungu, and the Shan States had acknoAvledged his sovereignty, and he had voAved to capture De Brito and recover Pegu. He closely invested Syriam ; the garrison Avas reduced by famine, and the gates Avere opened by treachery. De Brito was taken prisoner and impaled alive, and his followers Avere sent as slaves to Ava, where their descendants were knoAvn tAvo hundred years later as natiATe Christians. The conqueror, Maha Dhamma Raja, now determined to recover the Avhole of the empire ruled over by his grand father, and he sent expeditions to Martaban and Zimme, Avhich submitted. Having consolidated once more the great empire 1 Phayre's "History of Burma." p. 123. SHfe?! CARVED "WOOD DECORATIONS OF A KIOUNG. chap, xxxm THE GYVE SHAN KING 319 of Pegu and Burma, the King turned his attention to internal administration, and he is said to have ruled his vast territory Avith justice and moderation. He made his brothers tributary kings at Ava and Prome. He received envoys from Persia and Bengal, and was respected and feared. He died, however, a violent death, by the hand of his son. He Avas succeeded by his brother Thado Dhamma Raja, Avho made Ava the capital. Here, in 1636, he built a great pagoda known as the Khoung-moo-daw, in which Avas' enshrined an image of Buddha in pure gold, the King giving his oavu weight in the precious metal for the purpose. From this time and for the next hundred years the poAver of the Burmese empire steadily declined: The northern country was devastated by invasions from China and Manipur, which penetrated as far as the capital. Zinime and Martaban Avere lost, and the Takings, encouraged, by the decrepitude of the imperial poAver, elected a GAve Shan, Avho had been a Buddhist monk, as their king. This ruler made himself a.d. i746. greatly beloved by a distracted people. The national spirit revived, expeditions . were organised against the traditional onemy Burma, and the cities of Prome and Taungu Avere wrested from Ava. . To the regret of all, the Gw^ Shan King suddenly decided to retire into private life. The Takings then elected Binya Dak, a man of obscure birth, as their King. He boldly proclaimed his intention of restoring the ancient power of the kingdom of Pegu, and he appointed Takban his commander-in-chief. Pegu was too much im poverished to furnish the necessary army to conquer Ava, and only desultory warfare was carried on for three years. At last an army of 60,000 men was collected, and, aided by Dutch and Portuguese adventurers, Takban led' his forces up the Irrawaddy. The city of Ava Avas invested. No real resistance Avas made, the King was made captive and sent to Pegu, and Ava was burnt to the ground. Talaban Avas left in command. CHAPTER XXXIV ALOMPRA AND HIS DYNASTY — THE RECONSTRUCTION OP THE BURMESE EMPIRE (1752-1790) A PROCLAMATION Avas issued calling upon the governors of the northern districts to submit and swear allegiance to the King of Pegu. Among the officers was one Avho refused to yield submission to a foreign power. He Avas the deputy of the lord of a district to the north of Ava, and a noted hunter in his native village. This recalcitrant officer was subsequently knoAvn as Alaunghpra or Alompra, the saviour of his country and the founder of a dynasty of kings. Intensely patriotic, he refused to appear when summoned by the Taking govern ment, and arming a feAv faithful followers, he slew the company of Takings deputed to parley with him. He then fortified his native village Muthsobo, and, joined by a number of folloAvers, boldly came forAvard as the patriot deliverer of his country from foreign rule. He defeated Takban, who attacked his fortified village, and proclaiming himself to be of the royal race, he took the title of Alaunghpra, (the Victorious). It Avas a name to conjure Avith. The Burmese chieftains and people rallied around him, and as soou as he felt strong enough he attacked Ava. The power of the rebel hunter-captain had been miscalculated ; the principal forces had been previously AvithdraAvn from Ava, and the Talaing commander, seeing there was no chance of holding the city, abandoned it in the night. Alompra entered Ava in royal state. Prome Avas then chap, xxxiv VICTORIES OF ALOMPRA 321 taken, lost, and taken again ; and, advancing his troops down the Irrawaddy, Alompra drove the Takings backward ; and, in spite of the reputation and generalship of Takban, he subdued both banks of the river as far as Dagohn. Here, on the plain beneath the great golden pagoda, he laid out the city of Rangoon, Avhich he intended should be the new port of Pegu. Alompra noAV turned his attention to Syriam, which, under European influence, had become an important port, Avhere both the French and English had established factories. The English favoured the Takings, as did also the French at first. Syriam was finally taken, and Monsieur Bomno, the head of the French factory, was put to death. Alompra then led his victorious troops to Pegu and laid siege to the city. The Takings fought Avith the bravery of desperation, but the city Avas reduced to the greatest straits by famine. The King sought to obtain terms from the conqueror, and sent him his maiden daughter as a peace-offering ; but Alompra was determined to give Pegu no quarter, and would accept no compromise. The city was finally taken by assault and given over to pillage. The King was taken prisoner, and the buildings razed to the ground. The English now appear for the first time prominently in the history of Burma. England had in Burma, as in other parts of the East, become possessed of the heritage of commerce created by the Portuguese, and she had extended her factories and trade from India to the southern shores of Pegu. A factory had been established at Syriam, the directors of which had shown much sympathy with the Takings in their struggle with the Burmese. On the return of Alompra from the conquest of the capital of Pegu, he Avas met at Donabyu by Ensign Lister, Avho came to ask for a treaty of commerce. He obtained for the East India Company the island of Negrais and land for a factory at Bassein. Two years later there was 322 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv an abortive insurrection of the Takings, and the English Avere suspected of aiding the rebels. The Arcot, an English ship, Avas seized, and Mr. Wintehill was taken prisoner and sent to Prome, but he Avas afterwards released on paying a heavy ransom. On being informed that the agents of the East India Company at Negrais had sold arms and ammunition to the Takings, Alompra ordered the settlement to be destroyed. The factory Avas suddenly attacked, and ten Europeans and one hundred native Indians were massacred. Thus began, through the intrigues of a commercial community, that contest Avhich ended in the conquest of Burma by the English. But not yet. The star of Alompra was still in the ascendant. Thousands of Takings had escaped across the frontier to Siam, and to this day the Mon or Taking language is more spoken in Siam than in the ancient kingdom of Pegu. Alompra now determined to bring the proud kingdom of Siam to sub mission. Against the advice alike of astrologers and officers he persisted in this enterprise. He concentrated his army at Martaban, and marched down the coast to Tavoy and Mergui, passed the port of Tenasserim, and turned northwards. After a battle Avith the Siamese in which he was victorious, he laid siege to the capital, Ayuthia. The city Avas weU prepared for defence. Before many days were past, Alompra was stricken with a mortal sickness. A retreat was at once ordered. The King was carried in a litter, but he died on nearing his own domains. His body was borne to Rangoon, and burned a.d. 1760. Avith the funeral rites of a Chakravarti or universal monarch. Alompra was but forty-six years of age Avhen he died. He was a man of a Napoleonic cast of character, of indomitable courage, and iron will. Though he Avas of obscure birth and his country had sunk to the loAvest ebb of decadence, he raised it once more to the position of a nation, and governed an united Burma which extended from Manipur to Martaban. CHAP. XXXIV SONS OF ALOMPRA 323 He left six sons, and a will stating that he Avished them all to ascend the throne in turn. His son Namigdoagyi succeeded him. In this reign the first mission was sent from the British Government in India to Burma; and Captain Alves, Avho commanded one of the ships Avhich was anchored off Negrais at the time of the massacre in the English factory, came to Sagaing Avith letters from the Governors of Bengal and Madras. He was treated with great insolence, and failed to obtain any redress ; but land was, however, granted for a factory at Bassein. Namigdoagyi died in 1763, and was succeeded by his brother Myedu Meng. Ava was rebuilt and again became the seat of government. The conquest of Siam was the dearest ambition of the king's heart. Two armies were marched into the country and joined forces before the capital city, Ayuthia, which was closely be sieged for over a year. The garrison, reduced by famine, was overcome; the king was killed, and the city entirely destroyed by fire. The army was recalled in all haste to resist an in vasion of the Chinese from Yunnan in 1765. The struggle between the Chinese and the Burmese was long and severe. Four times China sent vast armies into Burma, Avhich succeeded in penetrating almost to the Avails of Ava. The resistance made by the Burmese to the enormous forces arrayed against ALOMPRA REPRESENTED AS A BUDDHA. 324 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv them showed much military genius. After three years' con tinuous fighting the Chinese were defeated and sued for peace. The Chinese army Avas then so completely in the poAver of the Burmese that the officers clamoured that no quarter should be given. Maha Thihathura, the commander- in-chief, counselled measures of conciliation, and a treaty of peace and commerce Avas drawn up and agreed to on a.d. 1769. December 13, 1769. The Chinese Avere alloAved to retreat across the boundary, escorted by a Burmese corps. The King Avas so angered at the general having allowed the Chinese army to retire, that on his return to Ava the offender Avas banished from the capital for a month. Trade betAveen the two countries Avas, hoAvever, peacefully re-established and carried on. War Avas uoav made against Siam and Manipur, both of which countries were said to have revolted. The northern army, after ravaging Manipur, pushed into Kachar, and thence across the mountains to Jaintia, thus giving another proof of the Avarlike character of the Burmese. In order to be nearer the seat of Avar Avith Siam, the King hurried to Rangoon, where, Avith great ceremonial, a neAV gold htee or croAvn Avas placed on the Shway Dagohn pagoda. In the midst of the Siamese war the king died. After various insurrections, court intrigues, conspiracies, and kings who reigned but a short time, Bodoahpra, the third son of Alompra, Avas placed on the throne. He obtained his croAvn by the most ruthless acts of cruelty, and fearing that the palace at Ava might be tainted by an evil influence, he laid out and built a neAV royal city called Amaurapoora, about six miles north of Ava. The King Avith his court moved into the palace, Avhich was in the centre of the city, Avith great ceremony, on May 10, 1783. Bodoahpra inherited a great empire, extending from Mekong in the north to Tenasserim in the south. Arakan alone resisted his sAvay. This country Avas distracted by THE GREAT BELL AND THE MONSTER PAGODA AT MENGOHN, ERECTED BY KING BODOAHPRA. chap, xxxiv MENGOHN PAGODA FOUNDED 325 civil strife, and in despair the nobles had beseeched Bodoahpra to restore order. Tavo armies and a flotilla of ships Avere consequently despatched from Amaurapoora. The expedition Avas entirely successful, and the country Avas conquered and annexed. The King, ambitious of military glory, now determined to invade Siam under the pretence of exacting tribute. A force of 1 00,000 men Avas massed at Martaban. Bodoahpra pushed on operations Avith great impatience, with the result that he presently found himself in the midst of an enemy's country with insufficient supplies of food for his numerous force. Thousands of the invaders died . from starvation. The Siamese, led by their King, attacked Avith great spirit; tAvo columns of the Burmese army Avere almost annihilated, and a retreat was ordered. Bodoahpra escaped to Martaban, and thence back to Ava. Having failed ignominiously in this warlike enterprise, he noAV determined to obtain immortal fame by building the largest pagoda the world had ever seen. The site selected was at Mengohn, about fifteen miles north of the capital. Here he erected a temporary palace, and personally super intended the Avork. A gigantic brick building Avas com menced, Avhich, though only completed to a third of its intended size, is declared by Colonel Yule to be one of the largest masses of brick and mortar in the world. After the expenditure of great labour and much money in erecting this monster pagoda, it was abandoned. TAventy years later it was rent from end to end by a great earthquake. An immense bell, Aveighing ninety tons, Avas founded and sus pended near the pagoda. CHAPTER XXXV THE FIRST BURMESE WAR AND THE TREATY OF YANDABO (1794-1826) T VHE Arakanese had, as already told, sought the protection of Burma, but they soon discovered that they had not made an advantageous exchange of governors. The native chiefs rebelled against the tyrannical government of Burma, and fled into Chittagong. In pursuit of these rebels the Burmese general crossed the boundary, and intrenched his a.d. 1795. forces on British territory. Major-General Erskine Avas sent from Calcutta Avith troops to oppose this act of aggression. The Burmese General Avas persuaded by him to Avithdraw, on the promise being given that the fugitives should be given up to the government of Ava, Avhich Avas accordingly done. Captain Symes Avas then sent, by the British India Government to Amaurapoora, on a mission to the King of Burma, to settle the difficulties about the emigrants, and to obtain a treaty of commerce. In the obstinate misapprehen sion that he did not represent the British Government, but only a trading company in India, a system of etiquette and ceremony Avas adopted, calculated to degrade the British envoy in the eyes of the Burmese, and served as a precedent when subsequent missions Avere sent from the Indian Govern ment. The Governor-General's letter Avas left unansAvered, and the royal permit obtained to trade Avith Burma proved to be a document of little value. Captain Hiram Cox was sent the next year to Rangoon as Resident, but he Avas treated Avith so much discourtesy that he Avithdrew. 326 chap, xxxv THE TYRANT BODOAHPRA 327 Again there Avas in 1 802 a repetition of the trouble in Arakan. Thousands of emigrants fled into the district of Chittagong, and a Burmese force crossed the boundary and tried to compel the fugitives to return. The British Govern ment would only agree to promise that emigrants should not be allowed to raid into Arakan ; but King Bodoahpra threatened an invasion of British territory if the fugitives were not given up. Colonel Symes was again sent to Mengohn to obtain a re tractation of this threat, Avhich had been embodied in a letter to the Governor-General, but he Avas treated with marked neglect and great indignity. Captain Canning was then sent as Resident at Rangoon, but was so ill received that he was obliged to leave. Raids on the Arakan frontier by emigrants living on British soil became frequent, and the Burmese had just cause of complaint. With a vieAv to undermine British poAver in India, Bodoahpra sent secret missions to Delhi, Benares, and even to Kashmir, under the pretence of obtaining holy books, and he even nourished designs of conquering Bengal. The last military expedition Bodoahpra undertook Avas into Manipur, Avhen the Kubo valley Avas annexed. He died in the year 18 19, having reigned thirty-five years. Father Sangermano thus describes this king : " His very countenance is the index of a mind ferocious and inhuman in the highest degree, . . . and it Avould not be an exaggeration to assert that during his reign more victims have fallen by the hand of the executioner than by the SAvord of the common enemy." When it Avas pointed out to Bodoahpra that his Avars had greatly depopulated the country, he replied, " It Avould matter little if all the men Avere dead, for then we might enrol and arm the Avomen." Of such stuff were the kings Avho brought the kingdom of Burma to ruin. The grandson of Bodoahpra ascended the throne and took a.d. 1819 the name of Hpagyidoa. Following the policy of his grand- A.D. IO24, 328 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv father, he determined to keep control of Manipur ; and on the Raja shoAving some signs of revolt, an army under Maha Banduk Avas despatched to that country. The Raja fled to Kachar. Assam subsequently was conquered and declared a province of Burma. The operations of the Burmese army in Assam and Manipur in 1824 brought it into collision Avith the British Government on the frontier. The Burmese gained an advantage over a British force on the Barah river, and consequently became filled Avith the arrogance of victory. At the same time the old frontier quarrels in Arakan were revived, and raids from Chittagong recurred. The Burmese claimed an island at the mouth of the Naf river which had long been considered British territory. Its guard was attacked, and half of the men killed. Maha Banduk Avas sent to Arakan Avith 6000 men. He crossed the frontier line, attacked the British force at Ramu, and drove it from its position with great slaughter. War was noAV declared betAveen the tAvo countries, for the British Government felt that this restless and turbulent border neighbour must be taught a lesson ; it was decided, however, that Avhile the Avar should be continued on the borders of Assam and Arakan, it should also be carried at once by a bold stroke to the very Avails of the capital of Ava. This Burmese campaign Avas entered into with a light heart, and we read Avith what alacrity and high expectations preparations for war Avere made at Calcutta and Madras. Notvrithstanding the reports which had been made from time to time by envoys and traders, the East India Company kneAv little of Burma, and they set out to conquer the country in the belief that the Avar would be only a kind of military promenade. Men to the number of 11,500, under the com mand of General Sir Archibald Campbell, Avere rapidly de spatched in Avarships and transports, Avhich sailed up the river to Rangoon. The guns on the Avharf Avere soon dismounted ; chap, xxxv RANGOON DESERTED 329 but on landing the British troops on May 11, 1824, Rangoon was found to be entirely deserted. The pagoda, which stands on a mound of considerable height and extent, Avas made the central fortress, and became the key of the position. The rainy season came on, and the General found it difficult to get food for the troops, and impossible to obtain the means of transport in the deserted city. In making a reconnaissance, a stockade in the Avoods north of Rangoon was discovered, and was carried at the point of the bayonet. A stockade extending for a mile along the river at Kyimyindaing, or Kimmendine, was unsuccessfully attacked. The British re turned the next day to the attack Avith heavy guns, only to find the stockade deserted. Possession Avas then taken of Kimmendine, and later other extensive stockades at the junction of the Hlaing and Ranhking rivers Avere stormed and taken. Sickness noAV began to make great havoc among the invading force, the exposure of the troops to the wet causing fever and dysentery to break out Avith extreme virulence. As it was impossible to advance up the IrraAvaddy at flood-time, Syriam, Tavoy, and Mergui were conquered and occupied. The King of Burma and his ministers heard Avith no dismay of the arrival of the English fleet and army before Rangoon. Long accustomed to be successful in battles Avith then neighbours, the Chinese, Assamese, and Siamese, they believed that their army Avould soon drive the English into the sea. They were quite ignorant of the poAver and resources of the British nation, and chose to look upon the Indian Government as a trading body Avith designs upon the far East. The success of the British arms, and the evident determination of the invaders to stay, began to alarm the king. Maha Banduk and his army Avere recalled from Arakan, and great preparations Avere made to prevent the advance of the British force up the IrraAvaddy. The Burmese were full of confidence, which was increased by the repulse of an attack by Colonel 330 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv Smith, with a column of native troops, on a strong stockade at Kyaikkalo. Maha Banduk, with an army of 60,000 men, noAv moved down the river, and made a determined attack on the central position of the British, Avho Avere strongly intrenched on the mound of the pagoda at Rangoon. He Avas repulsed Avith much slaughter. He then retired up the river, and his army was dispersed. The British General, finding that an advance up the river Avas so difficult, determined to try and reach the capital by occupying Arakan, and penetrating to the heart of Burma, by crossing the mountains dividing the tAvo countries. An army of 1 1 ,000 men, under General Morrison, Avas sent into Arakan ; the city of Myanku Avas taken, and the pass of Taluk re connoitred, but it was declared to be too difficult for guns and transport animals. The troops Avent into cantonments along the coast, where sickness of such a virulent nature broke out that nearly the whole force was destroyed. The British force had now been eight months at Rangoon, and there had been no communication from the Burmese Government, and no signs of Aveakness on the part of the people. A movement up the river to Prome Avas then decided upon. The force Avas divided into a river party under General Cotton, and a land force was under General Campbell. Banduk Avas knoAvn to be strongly intrenched in a stockade near Donabyu on the river. General Cotton attacked the fortress and Avas repulsed Avith some loss. The position of affairs Avas critical. A message Avas despatched to Sir Archibald Campbell, Avho was a day's march up the river on the opposite bank. He returned at once, crossed the Irrawaddy by means of canoes, and joined General Cotton. Preparations were now deliberately made to storm Banduk's strong position. In three Aveeks earthworks Avere throAvn up on which guns were mounted, and all was ready for assault on the morning of April 2, 1825, when it Avas found that the chap, xxxv DEATH OF BANDULA 331 Burmese stockade Avas deserted. It seemed that Maha Banduk had been killed by a stray shell, and the garrison, dismayed by this disaster and bad omen, had fled. The Burmese strong hold was occupied by the invading army, and the bloodless victory at Donabyu Avas the decisive action in the war. The King and Court were thrown into the greatest conster nation by the death of Banduk, and by the steady advance of the British forces. The most opposite counsels prevailed at the palace. Finally Menthagyi, the Queen's brother, Avas appointed General, and made his headquarters at Mahven, above Prome. General Campbell did not, however, give the Burmese army time to mobilise, for he at once marched up the river and took possession of Prome, which was found deserted, on April 4. The rainy season having now com menced, the army Avent into cantonment. The Peguans soon recovered confidence in the English, and began to return to their homes, and in a short time Prome bore a busier, happier look than it had had for a long period. In September the Burmese asked for an armistice, and negotiations for peace Avere entered into. The British de manded the cession of Arakan, Tavoy, and Mergui, and the payment of two million pounds sterling. The terms were refused, and hostilities recommenced. The Burmese army concentrated round Prome. An unsuccessful sortie, Avhich was repulsed Avith heavy loss, gave the Burmese hope. The main body of the native army Avas very strongly placed on the heights about ten miles north of the city. This position was carried by assault, and the British army and flotilla moved up the river to Myede. Negotiations for peace were again entered into, but the Burmese made no reply to the terms offered, so Malwen, which Avas under the command of the Queen's brother, Avas stormed and taken, and the victorious British forces pressed steadily on. Dr. Price, an American missionary, who had been put in 332 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv chains and kept in close confinement Avith other European prisoners from the time the British landed, Avas released, and sent by the Burmese Government to ascertain the ultimatum of the British. Sir Archibald Campbell agreed to halt at Pagahn and await the signing of the treaty; but the Avar party at Ava still clamoured for Avar. An army of 30,000 men was hastily collected and sent down the river under an obscure commander. He took up his position in the ancient capital of Pagahn, and was routed by General Campbell, Avho had under him a force of only about 2,600 men. Assembling his forces, the British General then proceeded to Yandabo, four marches from Ava. Here the missionaries Price and Judson came to meet him, accompanied by the chief Wungyee and AtwenAVOon, who brought one-fourth of the million sterling Avar indemnity. a.d. 1826. Two days later, February 24, 1826, the treaty of Yandabo Avas signed, by which Assam, Arakan, and the coast of Tenasserim, including the portion of Martaban lying east of the Salwen river, were ceded to the British Government, and the King of Burma undertook not to interfere in Kachar, Jyntea, and Manipur. Sir Archibald Campbell then AvithdreAv his army to Rangoon, Avhere he Avaited till the second instal ment of the war indemnity Avas paid. Maulmain was founded by him near to the ancient city of Martaban, and has since become a prosperous port. Thus ended the first Burmese Avar, Avhich was the beginning of changes Avhich profoundly influenced the Burmese race and nation. Never in the long history of Burma had the Burmans been so thoroughly beaten. They had thought that their armies Avere invincible and their courage indisputable, but they had deserted their stockades before the British guns, and had alloAved the hated white man to march almost up to the walls of their capital. It must, however, be remembered in defence of the Burmese soldier, that he had no chance chap, xxxv THE PEGUANS CONCILIATED 333 against the superior firearms and discipline of the British troops. He was generally armed Avith some old and obsolete musket Avhich had been discarded from European arsenals ; his gimpoAvder Avas of the Avorst, and his knoAvledge of musketry practically nil. He Avas, in fact, usually a peasant forced into active service before he had been drilled or even properly armed. The national pride had been deeply Avounded; but if Burma, folloAving the Avise example of Japan, had determined, even after her severe defeat, to learn the art of military and naval self-defence from Europe, she Avould have probably remained an Oriental poAver to this day. But the Burmese kings would learn nothing from misfortune. Surrounding themselves with a haughty reserve, they thought by bombastic talk and an arrogant assumption of greatness to preserve their regal state. The Burmese people, hoAvever, adopted a different course. They had suffered severely from their rulers and the con stant exactions of the tax-collector. The enormous demands made upon the male population to provide labour for royal " works of merit," and soldiers for the army, had so im poverished a country abounding in natural wealth, that the fall of the dynasty of Alompra was not regarded as an un mixed evil. The Peguans had been especially conciliated by the invaders ; and the withdrawal of the British army, which was regarded by these people as a protection against the exactions of their Burmese governors, was felt as a calamity, and deplored in terms of clamorous regret, for, as they graphically put it, " the Inglee rajas pay for every thing, and do not cut off our heads." Mr. Crawfurd speaks constantly of the kindly and respectful reception given him by the Burmese people. " Joy at the return of peace, and a deprecation of all war, seemed," he says, " to be the universal feeling of the loAver classes throughout the country." 334 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv The year after the war, Mr. John Crawfurd Avas sent to Ava as an envoy from the Governor-General of India, and obtained certain concessions in a treaty of commerce. He was treated, however, with much haughtiness by the King and his ministers, and a determination Avas shoAvn to intimate by vexatious court etiquette that the Burmese " King of the White Elephants " Avas . superior to the Governor-General of India. Though, after the loss of Tenasserim and Arakan, an immense territory Avas left under the rule of the King of Burma, he was so deeply discouraged by the defeat of his troops by British arms, that he lost the gaiety and bonhommie of which travellers have told, and became morose and melan cholic. He Avas deposed, in 1837, by his brother TharaAvaddy, who then ascended the throne. Seven years before, Colonel Burney had been appointed Resident, and had exercised a humanising and civilising influ ence over the King ; but with the accession of TharaAvaddy to power, Ava Avas given up to lawlessness and dissoluteness, and Burney, finding he only exposed his Government to insult, AvithdreAV to Rangoon. CHAPTER XXXVI SECOND BURMESE WAR AND THE ANNEXATION OF PEGU (1837 to 1856) KING THARAWADDY openly declared the nullity of the Treaty of Yandabo, and behaved with the outrageous cruelty and the insolent arrogance of a barbarous tyrant. Colonel Benson A\Tas sent to Amaurapoora as Resident in 1838, but Avas treated Avith such insolence and indignity that he was obliged to return to Bengal, firmly convinced in his mind that the King of Burma must receive another lesson from the cannon's mouth before being brought to reason. Captain Macleod Avas left as deputy ; but being housed, as a mark of contempt, in a house flooded by the river in the rainy season, he AvithdreAV to Rangoon, and finally left Burma in 1 840. From this time till 1852 there Avere no official relations between the British and the Burmese Governments. King TharaAvaddy reigned un molested by the humane efforts and Avise counsels of British Residents, and he pursued his course of savage cruelties and barbarous tyrannies unchecked. When Ave read of his delight in murder, his invention of tortures, and his skying of men with his OAvn hand, Ave are reminded of King Mtesa of Uganda. Finally, insanity developed itself, and King Tharawaddy was secured and put under restraint. He died in 1846, and his son, Pagan Men, ascended the throne. Pagan Men began his reign by making a holocaust, to the a.d. 1846. number of about a hundred persons, of his brother, with his family and all his household, and he devoted himself hence forth to gambling, cock-fighting, and debauchery. Nothing 336 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv can exceed the outrages and violence, the barbarities and heinous cruelties, the tortures and murders, the laAvlessness and insurrections, which disgraced the reign of Pagan Men. At last the people, sickened at the sight of murder and rapine, rose in revolt, and put the King's brother, Mindohn Min, on the throne in 1853. In the meanwhile the excesses of Pagan Men and his robber ministers, the disregard of all treaty obligations, and the arro gance and insolence of Burmese officials, had plunged the country once more into war with England. The British merchants at Rangoon had been subjected to most irritating exactions, and tAvo British captains of vessels had been placed in the stocks by the governor of Rangoon and fined Rs.900. Redress Avas demanded by the Governor-General of India, and Commodore Lambert was sent in command of Her Majesty's ships to Rangoon, Avhence a letter was despatched to the King of Burma, in which the removal of the truculent governor of Rangoon was demanded. A cautious reply Avas received from the King, but it Avas delivered to Commodore Lambert by the hand of a very humble official as a sign of disrespect. The Governor of Rangoon Avas, however, recalled, and a Viceroy of the King Avas sent doAvn the river from Ava with great state. A deputation of officers was at once despatched by the Commodore to the Viceroy Avith a communication on behalf of the British Government. The officers Avere refused admit tance, kept standing in the sun for hours, and treated with marked rudeness. An apology Avas demanded for this insult to the British flag and Avas refused. The Commodore consequently seized the King's ship as an act of reprisal. The British, American, and foreign residents, claiming the protection of the British flag, croAvded Avith all haste into the steamer Proserpine and sailed for Maulmain. The British Avarships dropped down the river. AU Avas confusion in Rangoon. Armed Burmese men chap, xxxm SECOND BURMESE WAR 337 paraded the streets, and Avar-talk Avas loud and bombastic. Efforts were, however, made by unaccredited persons to obtain peace, and the Governor of Dalla came in person and begged the Commodore to overlook the insult ; but this officer in sisted that the Viceroy should himself apologise. Instead of which, the Viceroy gave notice in writing that : " If the Commodore attempt to pass the two stockades which have been erected down the river, he would be fired upon." In reply, Commodore Lambert declared the rivers of Rangoon, the Bassein, and the Salwen above Maulmain to be in a state of blockade. Thus began the second Burmese Avar. The stockades were engaged on the 9th of January, and after some severe cannonading, Commodore Lambert sailed for Calcutta to obtain instructions. An ultimatum was given to the Burmese King by the Government of India, which demanded that a written apology should be sent for the insult to the British officers ; that Captains Shepherd and LeAvis (the original complainants), should have Rs.900 paid them as compensation, and that an agent should be received at Rangoon, as agreed to under the treaty of Yandabo. On a favourable reply being received the Government of India undertook to send an envoy for the adjustment of differences and to restore the King's ship. None of the terms offered being agreed to, and no apology being tendered, war was formally declared. In the minute which was published by Lord Dalhousie, he solemnly declared his conviction that war was inevitable, for he says, " Among all the nations of the East, none is more arrogant in its pretensions of superiority, and none more pertinacious in its assertion of them, than the people of Burma. With them forms are essential substance, and the method of communication and the style of address are not words but acts ; " hence " the ignominy inflicted on the British 338 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv officers, if it be not resented, will be, and must be, regarded as the humiliation of the power in every sense. The insult has been persisted in to the last ; " and he further argues, " The British power in India cannot safely afford to exhibit even a temporary appearance of inferiority." An expeditionary force of considerable strength Avas rapidly prepared at Calcutta and Madras, and despatched to Burma .a.d. 1852. in April 1852. Martaban Avas first stormed and taken, and the fleet then moved up the Rangoon river. The Burmese army was strongly entrenched behind stock ades on the hill and platform of the Pagoda. On April 1 ith, Rangoon, and also Dalla on the other side of the river, Avere cannonaded from the British warships, and the stockades and toAvn set on fire. The next day the fortifications of the Pagoda platform were taken by assault at the point of the bayonet. The Burmese had expected the English to attack from the south side, Avhich Avas very strongly fortified with stockades and guns, but a storming party led by Captain Latter made a rush up the long flight of steps on the east side, Avhich Avas left unprotected. The Burmese soldiers, Avho were said to number 20,000, startled at this unexpected rush, fled precipitately, and the Shway Dagohn, with all the guns and ammunition of the great stockade, fell into the hands of the British. The fall of the ShAvay Dagohn struck the knell of the Burmese nation. Speaking of the guns of the Burmese Avhich fell into the hands of the English, Colonel Lawrie says, " About their artillery there hovered a rude science, civilisation struggling Avith igno rance, crudities seeking shape and organisation." This descrip tion aptly represents the state of the Burmese nation at the time. Cholera and sunstroke noAv began to play havoc among the British troops. On the 1 9th of May Bassein Avas taken in a .spirited attack, after an obstinate defence behind fortifications chap, xxxai RANGOON HELD BY BRITISH 339 which are stated by General Godwin in his despatch to have been scientifically built. The taking of Bassein Avas looked upon as a very important step. From the care expended on the fortifications, it was believed that the king intended to make Bassein the port of commerce if Rangoon Avere permanently lost ; to be used also as a fort with which to overawe the Peguan population, who showed now, as in the first war, a decided inclination to be friends with the British, and a desire to place themselves under then protection. In revieAving the conquest of Burma this point must not be lost sight of, and it must be borne in mind that the Peguans were a conquered people, fretting ahvays under the exactions and tyrannies of their Burmese masters. With the fortress of the ShAvay Dagohn in the hands of an enemy, in Avhose justice and fair deahng the people began ¦graduaUy to have confidence, Rangoon soon became crowded Avith natives who returned to their homes with their families ¦and goods. By the end of June the city contained over 60,000 inhabitants ; a large market was established, at which Avomen held the stalls Avithout fear ; hospitals were organised, a theatre was opened, missionaries held religious services under the shadow of the Pagoda, and Captain Latter administered justice as Magistrate of the city. The support of the Peguans was a very important factor in the Avar, and was strikingly shown at the capture of Pegu, the ancient capital of the Takings. Soon after the fall of Rangoon the Peguans rose against the Burmese. A British expedition left Rangoon for Pegu on June 2nd. All the way up the river the villagers turned out en masse, cheered the invaders and waved their hands towards the city. On approaching Pegu, some slight resistance was made by a Burmese force, which was routed. The city was taken with the loss of one European soldier killed. Pegu was, however, not then occupied by the British, but Avas handed over to the Takings. 340 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv Prome next became the centre of interest. An expedition was sent up the river in steamers, with the result that Prome was occupied for one day, and the Burmese guns, state-barges, and standard fell into the hands of the enemy. As the policy of the Indian Government regarding annexation was not yet defined, the flotilla withdreAv from Prome and returned to Rangoon, awaiting instructions. The great natural, wealth of the delta of the Irrawaddy, its inexhaustible forests of teak, its fertile soil, its noble rivers, and the obvious friendliness of its population, Avere given as cogent reasons for annexation, and Pro vidence was boldly stated to have ordained that the East Indian Government should " go forth conquering and to conquer." Towards the end of July, Lord Dalhousie, the Governor- General, visited Rangoon, but no plan of action was decided upon. On the 5 th of September orders were given to reneAv active operations on the 18 th, and to advance on Prome. By the 25 th General GodAvin, his staff, and the troops had embarked. On the 9th of October Prome was reached. Under the protection of the guns from the ships the troops were landed the same evening. The next morning the citadel of the Pagoda Avas taken possession of, the Burmese having vacated it in the night, without making an attempt at defence. They seemed to think it useless to contend against the big ordnance of the warships ; the quiet assault of the white soldiers, bayonet in hand, Avas also too great a test for troops, who trusted to the protection of their stockades, and who had never, in the course of their long Avarlike history, been accus tomed to contend Avith the disciplined soldiers and the superior firearms of Europe. The Burmese did not, hoAvever, give up Prome Avithout making some effort, and on December 8th they made a daring night- attack on the city. The chiefs, distinguished by their gilt helmets, Avere seen riding boldly in the advance. They were repulsed by Sir John Cheape. chap, xxxvi SIEGE AND FALL OF PEGU 341 The Burmese made a much better display of bravery and military genius at the siege of Pegu. In June, Pegu had been taken, as already told, Avithout a struggle, and with the obvious sympathy of the Peguans, and had been handed over to them, General Godwin not being able at the time to afford troops to hold it. The Burmese had subsequently again obtained possession of the town, and it became necessary to Avrest it from them. Troops were despatched for this purpose in the middle of November, and after a sharp fight the platform of the Pagoda, situated on a height in the centre of the town, was seized. General GodAvin then Avithdrew, and left a small force under Major Hill to garrison the Pagoda. A fortnight later Pegu was surrounded by 11,000 Burmese soldiers. The attack was most persistent, but the defence made by the little garrison was equally gallant. The latter Avas greatly em barrassed by the presence of 2000 refugee Takings, chiefly women and children, who claimed the protection of the British. The men of the party took part in garrison duties, and were treated as allies. The Burmese took possession of heights and pagoda spires, and kept up a constant fire. A relieving column was despatched from Rangoon under General Godwin, and after some sharp brushes with the Burmese the British garrison at Pegu was relieved on December 17 th. With the fall of Pegu ended the last struggle made by a.d. 1853. the Burmese to retain possession of the ancient kingdom of the Takings. In January 1853, Captain Phayre arrived at Rangoon with the proclamation of the Governor- General of India annexing Pegu to the British dominions in the East. From the upper terrace of the Shway Dagohn a royal salute was fired, and the ancient country of Pegu was annexed to the British crown. No treaty was ever signed by the King ceding the province of Pegu to the British, the King, Mindohn Min, having a strong objeetion to go down to posterity in. the chronicles of Burma as 342 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv the King who had signed away part of his kingdom. Finding it impossible, therefore, to obtain a treaty, Lord Dalhousie dreAv a line across the map of Burma at longitude 19°, and all south of this line became British. Posts were put up to mark the boundary, and a garrison was kept at Thayetmyo, the frontier town. A glance at the historical maps of Burma will show that by the second Burmese war England obtained the Avhole of the coast-line of the ancient kingdom of Burma from Chittagong to Tavoy, and control of the estuaries of the Irrawaddy, Salwen, and Sitang rivers. Burma Avas shut up in the Avatershed of the Upper IrraAvaddy, and had no access to the sea except through British territory. The same series of maps graphicaUy illustrates the successive encroachments made by Great Britain on Burmese territory. The second Burmese war gave to the British crown one of the richest provinces in the East, and a coast of exceptional advantages for trade. The loss of the rich lands of the delta, and of the outlets to the sea by the great arterial rivers of Burma, gave the death-blow to the once powerful empire of Burma. With the proclamation of the annexation the Avar Avas not, however, quite over, for though the regular troops of the King of Burma had been defeated, there remained the irregular army of dacoits to be subdued before peace could be established. In a country ruled over by a monarch Avho had encour aged disorder, and who had gathered around the throne des peradoes of every kind, it is not surprising that bands of marauders or dacoits roamed the country unchecked, and Avere alike the foe of peaceful native villagers and of foreign soldiers. Among these dacoits, tAvo chiefs, Myat-htoon and Shway-Ban, had become notorious and powerful, and were said to control a force of 70,000 irregular troops. Myat-htoon had entrenched himself in a fortress at Donabyu on the Irrawaddy, from Avhich it Avas determined to dislodge him. Sir John Cheape left HISTORICAL MAPS OF BURMA FROM 1S80 TO 1896 C.' Cambodia He EinbnrA. Gtjoijt optical Inatitixtc English MUea 100 2oo boo «5 Hbu JuJiu Boi-tHolDjaow « C" chap, xxxvi DONABYU STORMED 343 Prome in January 1853 Avith a force of 1000 men, and after a most exhausting march through the jungle, in Avhich the troops were constantly exposed to the bullets of a hidden foe, and were decimated by cholera, the strongly defended fortress of the robber-chief Avas taken by assault. This was one of the most brilliant engagements in the Avar. Under the walls of Donabyu, Ensign, now Lord Wolseley, was wounded. Myat-htoon escaped, but his fastness was destroyed. In evi dence of the terror in which he had held the country, 900 boats, croAvded with people, came out of hiding in the creeks and put themselves under the protection of the English. British arms had conquered Pegu ; it now remained for British government to give peace, order, and prosperity to a country which had for centuries been distracted by misgovern ment and raA-aged by civil Avar. THE CHEROOT BOX OF A PRINCESS. THE KING MINDOHN MIN. CHAPTER XXXVII THE THIRD BURMESE AVAR AND THE FALL OF MANDALAY (1852-1885) THE rule of King Mindohn was mild and just and his reign peaceful. In 1855 a Burmese mission Avas sent to Calcutta to ask for the restoration of the province of Pegu ; to receive this reply from Lord Dalhousie, " So long as the sun shines in the heavens, so long Avill the British flag Avave over Pegu." Missions from the Indian Government Avere sent to Ava in 1862 and 1867, and Avere received Avith marked respect and all honour by the King, who expressed his earnest desire chap, xxxvii MINDOHN MIN 345 to be friends with the English. A treaty of commerce was obtamed in 1867, and a British Resident was received at the Burmese court. A considerable trade sprung up between Upper and Lower Burma, and there seemed every probability that, with a httle patience and tact, permanent and cordial relations Avould be established between the British and the Burmese Governments. In 1 865 the beautiful city of Amaurapoora was abandoned, and a new royal city was built at Mandalay. In British Burma much difficulty was experienced, after the conclusion of the war, in putting down dacoity. The beneficial results, however, of a strong government were soon seen in the growth of the cities of Rangoon, Maulmain, and Bassein, in the increase of population in the provinces of Arakan, Tenasserim, and Pegu, and in the prosperity and con tent of the people. King Mindohn appointed his brother as heir to the crown, and placed his numerous sons under their uncle's control. He succeeded in exciting their hatred and jealousy, and an insurrec tion Avas planned against him by his nepheAVS. He was seized while sitting in the Hlwot-daw and killed on the spot. His son fled, and put himself at the head of a band of adherents ; but finding that his cause was hopeless, he surrendered to the King, and was executed in Mandalay. After this Mindohn Min refused to appoint any one of his sons his heir, and he died in 1878 without having nominated his successor, though it was believed that he wished his son Nyoung-Yan to come to the throne. King Mindohn told General Fytche, Avhen he was envoy at his court, that at his death the claimants for the throne would create civil war, which would seriously affect British Burma. To prevent this catastrophe if possible, he sent for his sons when he was on his deathbed, bade them be friends and not quarrel, and depart at once for the districts which they governed. 346 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv The chief queen, a woman of the royal Alompra race and of great ambition, had no son, but was the mother of two daughters. Foreseeing that at the King's death she would be excluded from power, she devised and carried out a bold plot. She had the sons of the dying King arrested and detained in the palace, and on Mindohn Min's death she schemed to secure the crown for her daughter Supayah Lat, and to this end arranged that she should marry her half-brother, Prince Theebaw, one of the youngest of the King's sons, and Avho was at the time a novice in a monastery. TheebaAv was selected because he was not of royal birth on his mother's side ; indeed, his legiti macy was even suspected, and as he was therefore under a cloud, and moreover a recluse, it Avas believed that he would prove a pliant instrument in the hands of the tAvo ruthless queens. The conspiracy succeeded. Theebaw became King, Avith Supayah Lat as his queen. The other sons and relatives of King Mindohn Avere kept in confinement, and a month or tAvo after TheebaAv and Supayah Lat had placed the croAvn of Burma on their heads, the tAvo queens insisted that King Theebaw's throne was not safe, nor the lives of the three guilty conspirators secure, so long as the sons of the late King were kept alive. Urged by the imperious queens, the Hhvot-daw gave the order for the execution of the princes, and in three days the bloody command Avas carried out within the stockade of the palace. Forty 1 princes and princesses Avere butchered in cold blood, and the surviving princesses Avere thrown into prison. It is said that the eldest son of the King met his death heroic ally. Turning to his brother, Avho Avas begging for life, he said, " My brother, it is not becoming to beg for life ; Ave must die, for it is the custom. Had you been made King you Avould have given the same order. Let us die since it is fated 1 The number is put by some at seventy, and even eighty. Grattan Geary, who received his information direct from the princesses who survived, states it was forty. CHAP. XXXVII PALACE MASSACRES 347 we must die, and not make an appeal which will not be heard." The news of the massacre was received with horror in Rangoon and Calcutta, and the Indian Government sent a strong remonstrance to the King, to which the Burmese Minister of Foreign Affairs replied, " In regard to the clearing and keeping-by matter {i.e. killing and imprison ment), the minister would remark, that such action is taken in consideration of the past and the future only when there may exist a cause for disturb ance," and that "the King of Burma being an independent sovereign, had a right to take all necessary measures to prevent disturbance in his dominions, without being subject to the cen sure of others." King Theebaw ahvays declared that he kneAv nothing of the murder of his brothers, between whom a compact had been made that the lives of all should be spared, should any one of them come to the throne. It is said that he was so concerned when he heard of the massacre, that, to droAvn remorse, he took to drinking heavily. His friend Prince Yanoung advised him to free himself from Supayah Lat's influence and take more wives. The four queens usually allowed Burmese monarchs were consequently established in KING THEEBAW AND QUEEN SUPAYAH LAT. 348 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv the palace, with the result, however, that Queen Supayah Lat brought about the deaths of the queens and of Prince Yanoung as well. King Theebaw now began to show an attitude of arrogance towards the English, Avhom he hated, and Avhose censures he resented. Englishmen were insulted in the streets of Mandalay, and attacks were made on the captains and crews of the British mail-steamers in the Irrawaddy. The country became overrim Avith bands of marauders ; the Shan States rose in rebellion, and the disorganisation of Upper Burma began to affect injuriously the trade of British Burma. The " Great Shoe Question " Avas, however, that which led finally to rupture between the two Governments. King Theebaw insisted that all English officials and military men should put off their shoes on entering the palace, and that all the Oriental formulae of abject obeisance should be observed in audiences with him. The British Resident refused to conform to these demands, and relations became so strained, that in August 1879 he with his personnel were AvithdraAvn from Mandalay. At the same time an asylum was given at Cal cutta to the Princes Nyoung-Nan and Nyoung-Oke, who had escaped massacre. Theebaw then tried to obtain a fresh treaty Avhich Avould give him the right of importing arms and Avar material, but it was definitely refused. Matters being now at a deadlock Avith the Indian Government, the King found himself in a position of isolation ; shut up in the upper part of Burma, with his people dependent in a great measure for their food supplies on Lower Burma, surrounded on all sides by hos tile and raiding mountain tribes, and unable to import arms and Avar material for self-protection. Hence not unnaturally, in fact almost inevitably, Theebaw and his ministers turned to France to extricate them from an intolerable position. By the conquest of Tonquin the French had extended their territory to the borders of Upper Burma at the tributary APARTMENTS OF QUEEN SUPAYAH LAT, NOW THE ENGLISH CLUB AT MANDALAY. chap, xxxvii INTRIGUES WITH FRANCE 349 Shan state of Toung-kiang, and the hope was nourished that, by the assistance of the King of Burma, the rich trade of Yunnan could be controlled. While the British Resident left Mandalay, the French Consul, M. Haas, stayed, and he presently obtamed so much influence that he was commissioned to submit the following proposals to his Government : namely, the construction of a railway from the frontier to Man dalay, at the joint expense of the French Government and a company, the line to become the property of the Burmese Government at the -end of seventy years; the payment of the interest to be secured by the hypothecation of the river customs and the earth-oil of the kingdom. Also the establishment of a French bank, to be managed by a syndicate of French and Burmese officials, which should issue notes and have the control of the ruby mines and the. monopoly of pickled tea. If these proposals had, been carried out, they would have given the French Government full control over the principal sources of revenue in Upper Burma ; the trade by steamers or boats on the Irrawaddy ; the only railway hne in Upper Burma in direct communication with French territory, and the only route open for traffic between British ports and Western China. Mr. (now Sir T.) Bernard, who was then Chief Com missioner for British Burma, is a man of wide sympathy, but also of clear insight. His sympathy with the Burmese led him to respect their desire to maintain their country intact and their kingdom as Burmese ; at the same time he foresaAv that, if the proposed arrangements with France were carried out, they would make France and French influence dominant in Mandalay, and would in the end extrude British trade from the valley of the Irrawaddy, the consequences of. which would be disastrous to British interests in Lower Burma. >' If Upper Burma," he declared, "were practically under a French Pro tectorate, Avith its only or chief access to the sea across a 350 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv British raihvay or along a British river, there would be the probabihty of frequent differences betAveen English and French officials on both sides of the Ava border, and these differences might any day become serious. The French, if established in Ava, Avould attempt to get other European nations to join them in (as it Avere) neutralising Ava, and making the Irrawaddy river open to vessels of all the Avorld, on some such footing as the Danube now is." Theoretically Mr. Bernard was against the policy of annexa tion, but he was nevertheless of the opinion that unless the Burmese Government repudiated their alliance with France, the policy of non-intervention in the affairs of Upper Burma must be exchanged for one of active interference, resulting probably in annexation. Reference was made to the French Government to ascertain if they gave support to the acts and proposals of their agent, M. Haas. In the meantime events happened Avhich precipitated the catastrophe. The Meingoon Prince attempted to get up an insurrection against the King. The attempt failed, and his adherents were imprisoned in Mandalay. A revolt in the gaol Avas put down by the whole sale massacre of its inmates. This second resort to massacre increased apprehension and the sense of insecurity. Then came the notorious Bombay-Burma incident. King Mindohn had given a trading body, called the Bombay-Burma Company, the monopoly of the teak forests in Upper Burma, a royalty being paid the King on the logs passed doAvn the river. It was alleged that the Company had defrauded the King, and that large logs had been passed down as small, and the royalty had not been paid on them according to contract. The Hhvot- daw discussed the case, and gave judgment against the Company, inflicting a fine of double the royalty alleged to be due, amounting altogether to tAventy-three lakhs of rupees, nearly a quarter of a million sterling. The fine Avas fixed at such an impossible figure by the Kinwoon Mingyee, a friend A MINISTER OP KING THEEBAAV. chap, xxxvn BOMBAY-BURMA INCIDENT 35 r of the Company, with the truly Oriental object of not getting it paid. There is little doubt that the Bombay-Burma Company could have settled their commercial differences Avith King Theebaw and his ministers unaided, and it was no more in their interests for this quarrel to be made a matter of State, than it is usual for the Government to interfere in trade disputes. But an excuse was desired for action, and when it Avas reported in Rangoon that a French syndicate was ready to take over the business of the Bombay-Burma Company, indignation ran . high, and the war-fever broke out with intensity. The British forces Avere collected at the frontier ready for emergencies. At the same time the reply was received from M. De Freycinet that France did not desire political predominance in Burma, and declared that English influence in Burma would not be questioned by the Government of the Republic. An ultimatum was, therefore, immediately prepared and sent to King TheebaAv., and he was given only four days to consider it, and- agree to of. refuse the conditions im posed. These were to receive a . British Resident at Mandalay, to give protection to foreign traders, and to submit 'the King's foreign policy to the Government of India. A council, in which Queen Supayah Lat took part, was held at Mandalay to consider the ultimatum of the Chief Com missioner. The Kinwnon Mingyee, or Secretary for Foreign Affairs, who had been in Europe, and knew the danger of provoking the English, counselled moderation, and deprecated any attempt to fight them as folly. The Queen was incensed at this, derided the minister as an old woman only fit to wear the tamein, and turned to the Tyndah for advice. The War Minister, anxious to preserve his power and his head, was in favour of showing a firm front to the British and rejecting the ultimatum. A letter was accordingly drafted and sent to the commander at the frontier, giving a refusal to the demands of the Indian Government. 352 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv Meantime, Avithout Avaiting for the reply to the ultimatum, troops had been despatched from India to Rangoon, and were massed at Thayetmyo on the frontier, and General Prendergast found himself at the head of a Avell-organised force of 1 1,000 men, supplied with a flotilla of flat-bottomed boats, with elephant batteries, and all the paraphernalia for carrying war into an Oriental country. His orders were to cross the frontier and invade Upper Burma the day after the reply to the ulti matum Avas received, if a refusal to the British demands Avas given. This was accordingly done. The opposition made by the Burmese army was feeble in the extreme. No resistance Avas made till the British forces reached Minekh, below Pagahn, on November 17th. A hill on the east bank of the IrraAvaddy had been fortified by Italian engineers. The fort was strongly entrenched on the river side, but had been left undefended on the land side ; the forts both at Minekh and at GAve Goung Kamyo Avere taken by the Bengal and Madras regiments after about three hours' fighting. Minkkwa, " the Royal Hand," the governor and defender of Minekh, Avithdrew his men to Selin and prepared to fight, but he received a letter from the Hlwot-daw telling him the Tyndah Avas in power, and that he Avas to come to terms Avith the British. The expedition continued its advance up the Irrawaddy till it reached Pagahn, where some Burmese earthworks Avere stormed and taken on the 22 nd. Tavo days later the tOAvn of Myin-Gyan was captured, the Burmese forces being driven out by the cannonade from the gunboats. At Mandalay it Avas never believed that the English in tended to take Burma, and no attempt Avas made to protect the city, or even the person of the King. TheebaAv had himself greater distrust of the enemy than his ministers, and Avished to fly into the mountainous Shan country, Avhere he would have better hopes of holding out against the English chap, xxxvn THEEBAW SUES FOR PEACE 353 than at Mandalay. The Kimwoon and Tyndah, Avho played the difficult game of trying to keep in favour Avith tAvo opposing poAvers, persuaded the King that the English Avere not aiming at Avar and conquest, but simply desired concessions to trade, and that the military force Avas merely sent to escort Colonel Sladen to negotiate a peace. They contended that if the King fought, he would probably be beaten and would lose his throne ; on the other hand, if he did not fight, but gave the Enghsh all they demanded, he Avould be allowed to retain his throne Avith some limitations of his power. They urged therefore that the palace should be thrown open to the English general and envoy, that negotia tions be entered into Avith them at once for the con cession of a treaty, and promised that the invad ing army Avould then re tire to Rangoon and all would be Avell. Dismayed and per plexed, King Theebaw took the advice of his ministers, who carefully kept the real facts from him, and he sent an envoy to General Prendergast with a flag of truce, and a letter proposing an armistice in order to negotiate a peace. The general, Avho doubted the genuineness of the document, returned a reply demanding the surrender of the King's army, of the city of Mandalay, and of King Theebaw in person. The Burmese royal barge returned to Mandalay and A MEMBER OF THE HLWOT-DAW. 354 PICTURESQUE BURMA came back the next morning with envoys, who had orders to yield to these demands. The forts of Ava, Avith twenty-eight guns, Avere at once surrendered, and the Burmese troops there kid doAvn their arms. On the folio Aving day, November 28, 1885, Mandalay Avas occupied. As the invading army neared the royal capital, the King repaired Avith Queen Supayah Lat to the summer-house1 in the garden of the palace, and seated there in state, he awaited THE KINGS AVAR-BOAT BRINGING THE FLAG OF TRUCE TO AVA. the British commander. Whilst so Avaiting a pwe Avas per formed by the court dancing girls to distract the King's mind, and not far off the royal elephants stood, laden Avith treasure, and harnessed ready for flight, should such be decided upon at the last moment. General Prendergast and his troops marched unopposed into the palace stockade, and he presented — booted and spurred and Avithout making obeisance 2- — the 1 I have been carefully over the ground, and had every incident described to me by a person who was present. 2 As already stated, p. 31, the summer-house was selected as the place for this momentous interview, as by its construction the King could sit on a higher level while the English officers stood on the ground, and thus the court etiquette could be evaded of removing the boots in the presence of the King. BULLOCK GHARRY ; SIMILAR TO THAT IN WHICH KING THEEBAW WAS CONVEYED PRISONER TO THE STEAMER. chap, xxxvn KING THEEBAW DEPORTED 355 final ultimatum to the King. Tbis required that in twenty- four hours King Theebaw should give up his crown and his kingdom, and should place himself unreservedly in the hands of the British Government. The unexpected bloAv had fallen. If was now too late to think of flight and resistance; and King Theebaw Avas dethroned and Upper Burma, conquered almost without, the Burmese striking a bloAv. In the night tbat followed Mandalay was given up to terror and lawlessness ; soldiers looted, dacoits marauded, and prisoners escaped. In the gilded and : wall-less palace the Queen hastily gathered her jewels together and prepared for flight ; but General Prendergast was awakened by the Tyndah and Avarned that his royal prisoners' of war , would in the con fusion escape. Steps Avere therefore at once taken to make King Theebaw and ' his Queen prisoners : de facto in their own palace. The next morning early, King .Theebaw was hurried Avithout ceremony into a bullock . gharry,: and Queen Supayah Lat into another, and in the presence of .a great crowd' of subjects, who stood by awestruck and weeping, they were, conveyed to one. of the steamers of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company. Here. a guard of soldiers was drawn up, and when the- royal" prisoners came aboard they drew their SAVords and presented arms. As the naked sabres flashed in the sunlight the craven. King fell oh his knees and cried out in terror, " They will kill me; save my life ! " but Queen Supayah Lat strode on erect, with her little child clinging to her dress, dauntless and fierce , to the last. . The King and Queen were taken prisoners to Madras, where they have been kept in retirement ever since, and royal Mandalay and the great country of Upper Burma fell into the hands of the English. CHAPTER XXXVIII AFTER THE FALL OF THE BURMESE EMPIRE — THE DACOITS WITH the deportation of King Theebaw, the keystone of the arch of the Government of Burma was withdrawn, and the Avhole fabric suddenly fell to pieces. With the loss of authority from the throne the power of the Atwen-woons and provincial Woons was gone ; there was nobody to step into their places, and the Avhole country Avas deprived of Government, almost before the people had heard that their land Avas conquered, and their King a prisoner. The British army, large enough to take and hold Mandalay, was not suffi cient for the occupation of the country ; the result of which Avas that dacoity, which had been ill-suppressed in King TheebaAv's time, again raised its head and became rampant throughout Burma. Hunger, want, and insecurity of property have ahvays, in ill-governed countries, led to the formation of bands of marauders or freebooters ; and in Burma, the dis organisation of the country Avas so great after the fall of King Theebaw, that a village formed a band of dacoits to rob and plunder in self-defence, as otherwise it Avould be robbed and plundered in its turn. " The population is reduced to extremity by hunger and by fear, and the whole country is turning to dacoity " — " the only choice left the people is that of dacoiting or being dacoited," Avrote Mr. Grattan Geary, a vivacious and observant reporter of events of the moment. Colonel Sladen, the political officer Avho accompanied the military expedition, was appointed British Resident Commis sioner, a position equivalent to Governor of Upper Burma. 356 Xemercieryr, chap, xxxvin SHOOTING DACOITS 357 He at once devoted himself to the immense task of bringing order out of anarchy, and of reassuring the people, with whom he had much sympathy. His first act was to re-establish the Hlwot-daAv as a council of Burmese ministers, Avith himself as president. The replacement of the Tyndah in poAver, Colonel Sladen considered necessary for the re constitution of the Government of the country. The result of taking this step was that the governors of provinces and heads of villages accepted their positions aneAv from the reconstituted central power, and there seemed a possibility of governing the country on the old Burmese lines under British superintendence. The Princesses who had been kept in confinement in the palace precincts since the massacre of then male relatives, had on the fall of King Theebaw fled to the house of Mrs. Andrea, who gave them a refuge. They Avere allowed very small pensions by the British Government, and were sent down to Rangoon, where they still live in seclusion. Mihtary measures of the greatest severity were taken for the suppression of dacoity. Burmans Avere called upon to give up then arms, and those found Avith guns in then hands were shot as dacoits. The Burmese viUager presently found himself in this difficult position : if he had arms he was shot as a dacoit, and if he had no arms he Avas shot by a dacoit. Clearly it was his interest to turn dacoit, and take to the jungle. The shooting of dacoits in batches was soon found to have the opposite effect to that intended. The death punishment will be accepted by a Buddhist as his fate with resignation ; but the Burmese argued, not Avith out some show of logic, that the British had invaded their country and deported then King out of horror of the " clearing away," according to national custom, of a few princes, and that they at once commenced killing a much greater number of men in cold blood on the unsupported charge of their being dacoits. A sullen spirit of national resistance arose, and the Burman 358 PICTURESQUE BURMA BOOK IV soldiers Avho had orders to lay doAvn their arms at Ava, and not to fight at Mandalay, joined organised bands of dacoits, A LITTLE BURMESE PRINCESS. and very soon after the bloodless fall of Mandalay Ave found we had a guerilla Avar on hand. A MAID OF HONOUR OF QUEEN SUPAYAH LAT. chap, xxxvm THE HLWOT-DAW SUPPRESSED 359 Meanwhile, Mr. T. Bernard, the Chief Commissioner, arrived m Mandalay, and organised relief works of road-SAveeping and road-making for the starving inhabitants. The distress among the very poor was acute, as large numbers had been accus tomed to live on the King's bounty. Having come to the conclusion that the Tyndah, Avho was re ported to have been one of the chief actors in the royal massacres, ought not to occupy a prominent position in an Anglo -Burman Government, Mr. Bernard gave orders for his arrest and exile to India. Accordingly, Avhile the Hlwot-daAv Avas sitting in congress on the afternoon of December 27 th, the Tyndah was arrested and taken at once on board a steamer and sent down to Rangoon. Colonel Sladen considered that the services rendered the British Government by the ex- War-Minister had been of so much value, that he strongly deprecated this step being taken. The Hhvot-daAV asked in vain for the reinstatement of the Tyndah, but the Khrwoon Meingyee was restored to power at its request. Colonel Skden's plans for the government of the country by and through the Hlwot-daw were, hoAvever, of short duration, for Avhen the Viceroy, Lord Dufferin, visited Mandalay in the spring, the Supreme Council was suppressed, and the building in which the sittings Avere held Avas sub sequently razed to the ground. Some incidents in the execution and flogging of dacoits, notably the photographing by an officer of prisoners condemned to be shot, at the supreme moment of death, and the con fession implicating Burmese ministers extracted from a prisoner on the threat of instant execution, excited so much public indignation, that on February 3rd General Prendergast issued a general order putting an end to free-handed executions. The dragon's teeth had, hoAvever, been sown, and it Avas long before the evil harvest was entirely reaped. Various military expeditions were made against dacoit bands, but with very little result ; the freebooters disappeared 360 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv into the jungle, from the close cover of which they could shoot and harass the British troops with impunity. They had certain advantages over our forces, inasmuch as they travelled Avithout baggage, slept in the open air, and lived on a little rice, or the fruits of the forest. The British soldiers became exhausted and discouraged, constantly pursuing through pathless and malarious jungles a foe who Avas never seen, but Avho, like the Avill-o'-the-Avisp, led them on one bootless and fatiguing march after another, to find, Avhen they came up, as they supposed, to their enemies, a smoking village and the re volting signs of ruthless cruelties. For the hands of the dacoits were against everybody, and while they were playing the part of patriots, defending their country as best they could against a foreign invader, they plundered and murdered the people of their oavu race ; a village was therefore often fain to buy the services of a dacoit band to protect it from the ravages of other marauders ; hence the extreme difficulty the Enghsh officers found in extracting reliable information from the Burmese country people as to the Avhereabouts of notorious dacoit leaders and their bands. As time Avent on the dacoits began to range themselves under the banner of tAvo princes, cousins of King Theebaw, and they Avere joined by the Shan TsaubAvas, so that before the year was out it was found necessary to have no less than 40,000 British troops in Burma under General Sir Frederick Roberts. The task of bringing the country into order ; of finally conquering and dispersing the bands of dacoits, who by their cruelties forfeited the sympathy of all ; of conciliating the Shan chieftains and making them our friends and allies ; of estab lishing an elaborate and efficient system of government and the means of dispensing justice in every part of the Avide extent, and often inaccessible districts, of Upper Burma ; of opening up the country by railways and roads, has been a diffi- chap, xxxvm UPPER BURMA ANNEXED 361 cult one ; but it has been successfully accomplished by means of that indomitable pluck when danger has to be faced, that undaunted perseverance when difficulties have to be overcome, and that unflinching sense of justice when oppressed peoples are to be governed, Avhich have made the British the greatest colonising nation of the world, and which have given Great Britain her vast Indian Empire. On January 1st, 1886, the folloAving proclamation an nounced the annexation of Upper Burma to the Queen's dominions : " By command of the Queen-Empress, it is hereby certi fied that the territories formerly governed by King Theebaw will no longer be under his rule, but have become part of Her Majesty's dominions, and will, during Her Majesty's pleasure, be administered by such officers as the Viceroy and Governor- General of India from time to time appoint." In the folloAving month the Viceroy, the Earl of Dufferin, accompanied by the Countess, made a state entry into Mandalay, and beneath the gilded throne of King Theebaw held a reception of officers and officials. It was then announced that the policy of annexation would be carried out in its entirety, and that the country would be at once placed under the supreme and direct administrative control of British officers- Upper Burma was thus united to Lower Burma, to be ruled as a province of the Indian Empire, and henceforth the entire country of Burma, nearly tAvice as large as Great Britain and Ireland, became British. CHAPTER XXXIX A ROYAL RACE OF HOMICIDAL MANIACS INVESTIGATION into the causes of the misfortunes which overtook the Burmese Empire during the present century leads one irresistibly to fix the blame on the rulers of Burma, who reduced a country described by Captain Michael Symes at the end of the last century as prosperous and full of promise to a condition of destructive anarchy and extreme Aveakness. Further investigation into the conduct of the Kings of Burma shows that these rulers exceeded in their acts the ordinary despotism of Oriental tyrants, so that by their inhuman cruelties and insensate commands they alarmed and disgusted even their subjects, Avho Avere long accustomed to the yoke of kings Avho OAvned them absolutely as slaves. In a civilised country such acts Avould be looked upon either as those of criminals or of madmen — most probably the latter ; and I think there is sufficient evidence to prove that the monarchs of the dynasty of Alompra degenerated into a race of homicidal maniacs, who, by occupying a position of irre sponsible power, brought disaster on their country. It Avould not be without interest from many points of vieAv, ethnological, political, moral, and social, to trace the gradual development of homicidal mania in the Burmese royal family, and to note its causes and consequences. The founder of the dynasty Avas Alompra, a man of obscure birth, Avho folloAved the despised profession of a hunter in the village of Muthsobo, in Upper Burma. By dint of un daunted courage, unbounded self-assertion, and great force of 362 chap, xxxix THE VANITY OF ALOMPRA 363 character, he raised himself to a position of supreme power, and not only lifted his country from a condition of dependence, but, by the conquest of Pegu, created a strong and united Burma. He died at the age of forty-six, after reigning only seven years. That Alompra Avas a great man there is no means of doubting. Symes says : '' Be the character of Alompra what it may, his heroic actions give him an indisputable claim to no mean rank among the most distinguished personages in the page of history. In his temper he is said to have been prone to anger, in revenge implacable, and in punishing faults remorseless and severe ; " but he adds, " Alompra, whether viewed in the hght of a politician or a soldier, is undoubtedly entitled to respect. The Avisdom of his councils secured what his valour had acquired ; he was not more eager for conquest than attentive to the improvement of his territories and the prosperity of his people." The founder of the dynasty must be acknowledged to have been a man of great intellectual ability, and yet Ave can dis cern in him the seeds of that insanity which developed into mania in his descendants, and which might have been shown in himself had he hved longer. His overweening vanity was the sign of an ill-balanced and unrestrained mind. To Captain Baker, who was sent as envoy to obtain a treaty, he spoke as a senseless braggart. " See these arms and this thigh," he said, exposing his limbs ; " amongst a thousand you will not see my match. I myself can crush a hundred such as the King of Pegu." He boasted that if all the powers of the world were to invade Burma, he could drive them out of the country ; that a nine-pound shot if fired at him could not enter his body, and more to the same effect. Just before his death, when besieging Ayuthia, the capital of Siam, he declared he came not as a conqueror, but as a Buddha, to conquer by kindness and to teach the law of hohness. His pretensions were ridiculed. He raised the siege and returned home to die. 364 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv Alompra had nine sons by one wife. He was succeeded by his son Namigdoagyi, Avho died after reigning six years, and when still quite young. He was a religious fanatic, and is remembered for the severity of his punishments awarded to those who transgressed the Buddhist law; thus the second conviction for drunkenness incurred the inevitable penalty of death. He left an idiot child. Myedu Meng, the second son of Alompra, came to the throne. During the twelve years he reigned, he Avas constantly engaged in ruthless wars with China, Siam, and Manipur. At a time of public rejoicing at Rangoon he caused the old captive King of Pegu to be beheaded. He has the character of having been an austere, intelligent prince. His son Zinguza, a boy of nineteen, succeeded him, and took to drinking and debauchery. In a sudden access of rage he accused his wife of infidelity, and without waiting to enable her to disprove the charge he sentenced her to immediate execution. She was hurried from the palace, thrust into a sack of scarlet embroidered cloth, and, in the presence of thousands of spectators, the sack was suspended between the narrow necks of two earthen jars which were perforated, and set afloat in the deepest part of the Irrawaddy. Not till the jars filled Avas the body immersed, and the drowning was therefore a long-draAvn agony. This cruel act so incensed the people that they rose against their tyrant, and after various insurrections Bodoahpra, third son of Alompra, came to the throne. Sangermano states that Bodoahpra on his accession to the throne gave orders that his nephew should be drowned, and condemned the Avives of King Zinguza to be burnt alive with their babes in their arms. He gives him the evil character of a man of cruel and inhuman disposition. In suppressing an insurrection he caused the guilty and the innocent to be slaughtered, and all the inhabitants of the village to be burnt alive on an immense pile of Avood. He executed his OAvn brother, and he threatened, Avhen he found chap, xxxix INSANITY OF HPAGYIDOA 365 his army in difficulties in Siam, to burn all his principal officers " in one fiery furnace." His thirst for blood Avas only equalled by his insane vanity, and the immense pagoda at Mengohn testifies to the extravagance of his ambition. Not- A\dthstanding the crimes Avith Avhich his life Avas stained, he aspired to be accepted as a god. To ensure the succession to the throne of heirs of the royal blood, Bodoahpra married his eldest son to one of his daughters. The CroAvn-Prince died before his father. The offspring of this incestuous marriage Avas Hpagyidoa, Avho came to the throne on the death of Bodoahpra. His first act, on coming to the throne, Avas to cruelly put his tAvo uncles to death. He Avas restless, full of childish vanity, and so violent that his ministers dared not bring a disagreeable subject before him. He would give Avay to sudden bursts of passion, when, for a httle Avhile, he Avas like a raging madman, and no one dared approach him. Gouger describes being present at a full-dress durbar, Avhen something was said to displease the King. He rose and left the hall. Presently he reappeared with a long spear in his hand, Avith which his Majesty made a furious rush at his ministers, who fled pell- mell; he chased them down the steps, when the King, for getting in his frenzy who was the delinquent, launched the spear at the flying crowd. On another occasion, a golden htee, which had been placed on the spire over the throne, was struck by lightning, at which his rage was so frantic that he insisted upon the unfortunate architect being hunted up and taken to instant execution. Yet this King was said to have been of a mild disposition and unwilling to shed blood. Before the first Burmese war, which occurred five years after his accession, his insanity was suspected ; but after the loss of the province of Pegu he became melancholic, and so pronouncedly insane that he was deposed, and his brother Tharawaddy was made King. 366 PICTURESQUE BURMA book iv Before his accession, Tharawaddy had been known as a rollicking, affable prince, fond of drinking and gay living ; but the possession of the poAver of life and death seems to have awakened in him the homicidal mania of his family. The only son of the late King was put to death, together with his whole household, and revolts were suppressed by inhuman massacres. The King used to delight in killing persons with his own hand, and one of his favourite amusements was to make anybody who happened to be present kneel down Avith his face to the ground, when, drawing his sword, he Avould facetiously carve a chessboard with gashes on the unfortunate man's bare back. He would often have two or three men taken out, and have them set up to be shot at Avith his double-barrelled gun. He used to procure the hvers of his victims, and offer them to the tutelary spirits of various trees. In the summer of 1845 ne nacl become so outrageous that scarcely any one dared to go near him ; one of his sons succeeded in removing his Aveapons and putting him under restraint ; the King affected recovery and returned to power ; he then attempted to put his son to death, and suspecting the Governor of Rangoon of having aided his son, he speared him Avith his own hand. A few months later the person of the King was seized, and he was placed in confinement, and kept there till he died. His son Pagan Men ascended the throne. The offspring of an incestuous marriage between members of a family in which homicidal mania Avas so marked, the new King did not belie his parentage. One of his first acts was to publicly put his half- brother Avith his five sons, his queen, and all her relatives to death ; he made a holocaust of another brother, with his family, and all his household, to the number of about eighty or a hundred persons. Some thousands of people Avere put to death for fanciful reasons and to extort money, but it does not chap, xxxix QUEEN SUPAYAH LAT 367 appear that the King was fond of skying people Avith his oavu hand like his father. Pagan Men Avas deposed, and King Mindohn, a son of TharaAvaddy by an inferior Avife, not of royal blood, was placed on the throne. King Mindohn had the advantage of having had as his mother a woman Avho Avas not his father's half- sister, and thus of having a strain of sane blood in his veins. He was certainly the mildest and most reasonable King of the house of Alompra; he prided himself, in fact, on never having ordered an execution ; but still he did not hesitate to have obnoxious persons removed. The King would simply say, " I do not wish to see that person any more," and at frequent intervals he Avould ask " Is he still there ? " Avhen at length he would be told that the offending person had died of chagrin at having had the sun of the royal favour with drawn from him. True to royal precedent, King Mindohn married his half- sisters, the daughters of the homicidal maniac TharaAvaddy, in order to have hens of pure royal blood, and in his daughter Supayah Lat the ferocious instincts of the race broke out afresh. The chief Queen had no sons, but tAvo daughters. On the death of Mindohn Min, the Queen-doAvager succeeded in marry ing her daughter to Theebaw, her half-brother, a j-ounger and insignificant son of King Mindohn, by a Avife not of royal, nor even of pine Burman blood. Theebaw became a tool in the hands of his Queen and the Queen-dowager. In order to ensure the secure possession of the throne, which had been usurped from the rightful heir, the tAvo Queens planned and carried out Avithin the palace the massacre of King TheebaAv's brothers, sisters, and uncles ; the orders being given by the Queens and carried out by the Hhvot-daAV at their insistence. It was this massacre which roused the indignation of the English, and Avhich sealed the doom of a race of kings who had ruled for a hundred and forty years, 368 PICTURESQUE BURMA BOOK IV and who had during that time given evidence of being more or less the victims of homicidal mania, which disease became markedly hereditary from the custom of marrying their half- sisters. No greater misfortime could affect a country; and Burma, owing to her murderous, vainglorious, and insane kings suffered the greatest calamities that can befall a people living under an absolute tyranny. Apart from other great benefits introduced with English rule, the entire suppression of this fatal dynasty of monarchs must not be counted the least. The following table graphically represents the homicidal tendencies of the members of the dynasty of the pure royal blood of Alompra : — ALOMPRA. 1 1 Namigdoagyi Myedu Meng 1 Bodoahpra (religious (austere (cruel, blood fanatic). 1 character). i thirsty, murderous). MOMEIN Zinguza 1 (idiot). cruel debauchee ; Crown-Pbince had his young (married to wife executed). his half-sister ; died before his father). 1 1 Hpagyidoa 1 Tharawaddy 1 Mindohn Min (subject to (delighted to murder (mother not of royal blood ; maniacal fits of and torture with his mild disposition). murderous rage ; own hand ; became a 1 became melan dangerous lunatic). | | cholic and insane). 1 Supayah Lat Theebaw Pagan Men (mother of (mother not (offspring of an royal blood ; of royal incestuous marriage ; murderous). blood; weak, murderous). vacillating). BOOK V THE "RESOURCES AND FUTURE OF "BURMA CHAPTER XL PRODUCTS — CLIMATE — POPULATION THE principal products of Burma are rice, rubies, and teak; but there can be no doubt that as the country is opened up by railways and developed by cultivation, the products of this land of Avealth will become more varied, and the exports of still greater value. In Lower Burma five and a half millions of acres of land are cropped, of which five millions are occupied by rice, and the other half million acres by other crops, such as food- grains, tobacco, cotton, spices, &c. Lower Burma annually exports about one and a half million tons of rice ; three- quarters of a million tons to Europe and America, and half a million to India, China, and the Straits. Till within the last tAvo or three years Upper Burma depended in a great measure for its rice on the rich paddy lands of the delta, and up to 1892 the annual supply of rice from Lower to Upper Burma was about a hundred thousand tons a year. Upper Burma is noAv groAving nearly enough rice for her oavu consumption ; and when I was in Burma plans were being discussed of build ing rice-cleaning mills near Mandalay, and tapping the rice- producing districts north of that city. Upper Burma needs a larger population and extensive clearances of the jungle before it can become a great rice-producing country, and it is doubtful if it could ever compete Avith LoAver Burma, where the maximum of production is obtained Avith the minimum of labour. The indication seems at present to point to the cul tivation of the crops of sub-tropical countries. Experiments 372 PICTURESQUE BURMA book v are also being made to grow apples, pears, peaches, plums, goose berries, currants, strawberries, raspberries, and various kinds of nuts and vegetables. Enghsh fruits require, however, a great deal of care. American maize has been tried in some districts. In the southern Shan States wheat and potatoes have been successfully cultivated, and in the Chin Hills English vege tables thrive. With the mountain tribes at peace with us and with one another, and under the control of a strong and just Government, the agricultural development of northern Burma may be very great. No one Avho has seen the southern slopes of the Himalayas covered up to the height of 8000 or 9000 feet Avith closely cultivated tea gardens, can doubt that the Chin Hills, Karennee, and the Shan States might not in a similar way, become by cultivation sources of great wealth to the country and the people, as well as to enterprising British settlers. We have, indeed, not yet begun to realise Avhat are the undeveloped riches and the unbounded possibilities of Upper Burma. The teak forests reserved by the Government cover an area of about 12,000 square miles. The value of the timber annually exported from Rangoon and Maulmain is from 140 to 1 60 lakhs of rupees. The forests also yield bamboos, cutch, and indiarubber in commercial quantities, and an attempt is being made to groAv mahogany. Most of the teak exported goes to Calcutta and Bombay. There are signs that the teak forests are beginning to be Avorked out. For centuries Burma has been known as the country of the ruby mines, and the Avealth of the King of Burma in rubies and sapphires has ahvays been notorious. The famous mines are situated on the very summit of the steep peaked range of mountains Avhich lie to the north-east of Mandalay. The rubies found are of the finest quality, and often of great size; the King of Burma Avas said to have owned one as chap, xl THE RUBY MINES 373 large as a " pigeon's egg," and of extraordinary quality. A perfect Burmese ruby of five carats Aveight is Avorth ten times the value of a diamond the same Aveight, and a ruby Avhich reaches the Aveight of ten carats is almost invaluable.1 In- the King's time no European Avas ever alloAved to visit the ruby mines. All stones found over a certain weight belonged by laAV to the King. The mines are noAv Avorked, I was told, in a curious way. Anybody Avho chooses can go and work at the ruby mines, the miner setting up at his own expense all the machinery required ; but if he succeeds in finding rubies, the difficulty then arises how to get them away. Around the ruby mine districts sentinels are placed by the Govern ment ; if the miner can escape their vigilance, or even if caught, if he can secrete the stones carefully enough for them not to be discovered, he can go free ; but if he is taken and the rubies are found on him, he is obliged to give them up to the Government officers. I cannot vouch for the truth of this story, but it was told me as the fact by a man who dealt largely in rubies. Ten lakhs of rupees' Avorth of stones are said to be annually obtained at the Burmese mines. Spinels or imperfect rubies are very abundant and cheap in Burma. Burmese sapphires are much valued. Jade is also found in the Myit Kyana district. AU travellers aa4io have for centuries past visited Burma have always spoken of the abundance of gold lavishly used in the decoration of pagodas and palaces, and it was be lieved that in the " golden land " gold Avas a natural product. Whether this is so is still a debated point. The exportation of gold or bullion out of the country Avas absolutely forbidden by the Burmese kings ; hence one of the extreme difficulties of trading with the country. Gouger, in his " Prisoner in Burma," tells hoAV in his commercial venture at Ava, before the first Burmese war, he succeeded in selling his merchandise 1 Streeter, "Precious Stones and Gems." 374 PICTURESQUE BURMA book v and in being paid in bullion, but then came the difficulty that owing to the laAvs of Burma he could not remove the gold received in payment out of the country. Various stories have been told of the finding of gold quartz of great value in the northern Shan States, and it is certainly the fact that the Burmese have from time imme morial obtained small quantities of gold by washing. Several prospecting licences and mining leases have been granted by the Government to persons seeking for gold in the Katha district, and commercial arrangements are noAV in progress to work what is known as the Panzit gold mine. The future Avill show if, as has been confidently stated, the gold fields of Upper Burma are equal to, if not better than those of Australia. Silver is said to be found in the Shan States east of the IrraAvaddy, and tin mines are being worked in Mergui. Petroleum wells situated at Nyoung-oo, not far from Pagahn, have been worked, it is stated, for over two thousand years ; but other parts of the country, notably the Akyab, Pakokku, and Kyaukpyu districts, produce petroleum. According to the official report there appears to be an unfaihng supply in many parts of the province, and Professor Engler reported that he had never found similar oils of the same consistency Avhich contained such a high percentage of illuminating oil. The annual output of petroleum in Burma amounts to about eleven million gallons, to the value of from ten to eleven lakhs of rupees. Coal is known to exist both in Burma and in Shan-land, but at present only one mine, the KabAvet in the SliAvebo district, is being Avorked, the output of Avhich Avas last year only tAvelve thousand tons. Mica, amber, nitre, and Avood-oil are also among the commercial products of Burma, and her quarries yield inexhaustible quantities of marble and alabaster. Burma cannot at present be said to be a great manu facturing country, and the habits and sentiments of the chap, xl TRADE OF BURMA 375 people are probably against it ever being so. Rice mills and saAv mills form the bulk of the factories of which the Govern ment takes cognisance ; of the former there are fifty-four in number, and of the latter forty-five, all situated at or near the ports of Rangoon, Bassein, Akyab, and Maulmain. Besides these there are in Lower Burma five iron foundries, three ice factories, two printing presses, tAvo oil Avorks, and one cotton press. The total number of operatives employed at factory work is about 15,000. Up to the year 1 892 the trade of Burma shoAved a remarkable and steady increase, and rose from 486 lakhs of rupees in 1866 to 2,354 lakhs in 1892. Since then there has been some decrease, particularly in the imports, which fell in 1894-95 from 1,097 to 832 lakhs; the exports, however, reached a higher figure than they had yet done. Of the import trade 80 per cent, passes through Rangoon, and 69 per cent, of the exports are also shipped from the same port. The bulk of the exports are sent to the United Kingdom, and to Egypt, which country takes large consignments of rice. The number of vessels engaged in the sea-borne trade is maintained at a high figure, though it has shown no tendency to increase in the last few years. BetAveen 6000 and 7000 vessels enter and clear the ports in the course of the year, of an aggregate tonnage of nearly four millions. A considerable trade is carried on with China by Avay of Bhamo. This consists of specie, bullion, raw silk, silk piece goods, cotton goods, and European piece goods. The only means of transport employed in the trade with China and the Shan States are ponies, mules, pack-bullocks and carts ; the routes into the Shan States are noAV practically safe and the country is quiet, and the Shans are turning themselves to trade with zeal. Lower and Upper Burma have an area of about 220,000 square miles, which is about four times the extent of England 2,76 PICTURESQUE BURMA book v but this extensive, well-watered, and fruitful country has a population of less than eight millions. The greatest need of Burma is people. The population is, hoAvever, steadily increas ing, both by immigration and from natural causes. In parts of Burma the climate is unhealthy to Europeans ; and in the forests and jungle, particularly after the rains, malaria is virulent. In the settled cities of Burma, Rangoon, Prome, and Mandalay, Europeans can with due care stand the climate better than they can in the plains of India, and it is hoped that as the country is opened up, excellent health resorts will be established in the Chin Hills and in Karennee. The rainfall varies, and in some places is excessive. At Akyab it may reach 200 inches in the year ; at Prome and Mandalay it averages about 45 inches, and at Pakokku and MagAve it is beloAV 30 inches. The mean average tempera ture is high, varying between 90° and 70° at Rangoon, and, with greater extremes, between 105" and 550 in Mandalay. Fever and dysentery are the most fatal diseases, and, OAving to contaminated sources of Avater supply, cholera fre quently becomes epidemic, more particularly in the Arakan division. Railways are already carried to Pegu, Prome, and Mandalay, and the line is being extended northAvards to Bhamo. When complete the Burma State raihvay Avill run for nearly one thousand miles throughout the whole extent of Burma. In March 1895, 745 miles of line Avere open for traffic, and great progress has been made since then. By the extension of the line to Bhamo considerable impetus Avill be given to the trade Avith China, and it is anticipated that there Avill be a ready demand for English manufactured goods. One can travel by rail in Burma Avith comfort and Avith perfect safety, so that intending tourists need have no anxiety on this head. In the matter of revenue Lower Burma has Ions: been a very profitable province, the receipts being far in excess chap, xl REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE 377 of expenditure. The following figures are eloquent of this fact : — 1893-94. j 1894-95- Receipts. Expenditure. Receipts. Expenditure. Rs. 4.56,81,636 | Rs. 2.86,63,243 1 Rs. 4.90,08,390 | Rs. 2.93,54,494 In Upper Burma the figures are reversed — 1893-94. 1894-95- Receipts. Expenditure. Receipts. | Expenditure. Rs. 1.27,76,137 I Rs. 1.89,49,732 Rs. 1.37,41,940 | Rs. 1.74,26,536 The difference is less in 1894-95 than in 1893-94. LoAver and Upper Burma are, however, now one country under one administration, and the large excess of receipts over expendi ture in the lower country can easily compensate for the deficiency of receipts in the upper country. With so large a balance in the hands of the Government, Burma can surely have everything she requires in the Avay of schools, technical schools, assistance to industries, roads, or railways. Hitherto the revenue from Burma has, after meeting expenditure, gone to fill the empty exchequer of India, but it is the intention of the Government to devote in future some of this surplus to Burma. A country so rich, and a people Avith such a genius for happiness, should be able to find delightful and original methods of using a large surplus ; but also a Government, Avho has the care of people so various as those that inhabit Burma, many of whom have still to be civilised and educated, has ample outlets for funds. CHAPTER XLI THE EDUCATION OF THE BURMAN AND THE BARBARIAN WHEN the English took possession, first of Lower and then of Upper Burma, they found monastic schools established all over the country, and every Burmese boy taught to read and Avrite and the first simple rules of arith metic. One of the results of the English occupation has been the establishment of an elaborate system of education, and the formation of schools of every kind in each district, so that there are now over 15,000 schools under Government inspec tion, with 250,000 pupils. The schools are classified as private, monastic, primary, middle, and high schools, and they are maintained by all kinds of organisations — by the Buddhist monks, by lay Bur mans, by Roman Catholic religious bodies, by the American Baptist missionaries, and by the S.P.G. At the Rangoon College and the Baptist College, about seventy students are prepared for the examinations for the F.A. and B.A. University degrees. A school is called a public school — and can obtain grants in aid in passing its students through the examination of the different standards — which has (1.) A working session of at least four months; (2.) An average attendance of twelve pupils; (3.) At least four pupils able to read and Avrite their vernacular by Standard II. ; (4.) Passed students, after regis tration as a public school, by the recognised standards. The standard Avas fixed Ioav to enable the monastic schools 378 chap, xli MONASTIC SCHOOLS 379 to obtain grants in aid, and to induce the phongyees to bring their pupils up to at least the loAver levels demanded by the Education Board; indeed the most earnest endeavours have been, and are still being made by the Government to induce the Buddhist monks, Avho have old-established schools in their kioungs in every toAvn and village, to take upon themselves the burden of the primary education of the people. Itinerant teachers were appointed to visit the villages and kioungs and to explain to the phongyees what Avas required in the way of secular education. They have met Avith a considerable amount of success, particularly in Upper Burma. In some places the standard of education has been raised to that demanded by Government, a large number of the monastic schools have submitted to inspection, and in 1894—95 they obtamed over 20,000 primary passes for their pupils. Some of the monastic managers have submitted themselves to examination, and in some instances an abbot has shown himself keen to avail himself of the aid of Government for his schools ; but in other cases, however willing the phon gyees may be, the supporters of the monastery refuse to allow them the services of a lay instructor or certificated teacher, or to have anything to do with the Government officers. Many of the phongyee schools which have applied for Government grants have failed to reach the low standard demanded, and have been consequently again relegated to the class of private schools. It is nevertheless encouraging to read, in the Report of the Director of Public Instruction of Burma for the year 1894-95, such statements as the following: — "In the Hmawbi and Hlaing townships lay schools are few and poorly attended ; the Avork consequently falls on the monastic schools, and they have responded very creditably to the demand." '' U. Keitti's monastic school at Leya is one of the best in the district." " Phongyee U. Eindathap rendered great help to the deputy-inspector by going round with him to the kioungs in 380 PICTURESQUE BURMA book v the tOAvnship, and explaining the object of Government in introducing secular education." " There are several promising- monastic schools at Gangow." " The phongyees of Nyaung-oo and Pagahn gladly accept the advice of the officers of. the Department and follow our system," and so on. It is very much to be hoped that all the phongyees will come in time to see the advantages to themselves, to their pupils, and to their country, race, and religion, in accepting the proffered aid of Government, and bringing their schools up to the required standard, thus being in the future under the new order of things, as they Avere in the past under the old, the- great educational backbone of the eountry. It Avill be their own fault if they allow the immense power they have wielded so long, as the educationists of the youth of Burma, to pass into the hands of an alien race ; but if on the other hand they add a more advanced secular education to the religious and moral teaching given in the kioungs, Burma will, remain Burmese and Buddhist tb the heart's core, Avhile adopting as much of Western civilisation as is possible or AvelLfor an Oriental people to assimilate. Burma is, however, not inhabited only by Burmans, and when the number of races living in Burma is borne in mind, it Avill be conceded that the task of the British Government in establishing a- system of national education here has been by no means an easy one, for there are Karens, Tamils, Takings, Kachins,. Shans, Chins, Hindus, Mohamedans, and Chinese, all speaking different languages and dialects, for whom education has to be provided. It is noAV the rule to examine all pupils in their vernacular. It is very much to be regretted that the education given in both aided and unaided schools should be purely literary, and not technical or manual. The desire of the Burmese schoolboy is to become a clerk, and to obtain a situation in some merchant's or Government office, and only the education WOOD-CAEVEES IN THE COUETYAED OP THE PALACE AT MANDALAV. chap, xli WANT OF TECHNICAL SCHOOLS 381 which fits him for this is appreciated. Thus Avhile the country is flooded Avith inferior native clerks, skilled mechanics are rare, and the native arts and industries languish. The technical schools in the country are very few ; there is an institute at Bassein, where bookbinding, printing, bkcksmith- ing, mechanical engineering, draAving, and modelling are taught with satisfactory results, and the school is very popular. At Mandalay there is a technical school with about forty-five students ; weaving is also taught at St. Joseph's Convent at Mandalay. The Director of Public Instruction deeply deplores the absence of technical teaching in the country, and says- — " Pupils rush to instruction almost wholly with a view to employment as clerks, and scorn any instruction directed towards the various handicrafts." The remedy must, hoAvever, lie in a great mea sure with the Education Department. If State aid be given to manual teaching, and if handicrafts be made part of the curriculum of the national education, and it be to the pecuniary advantage of the teachers to pass their pupils in technical as well as in literary subjects, craftsmen will be created as well as clerks, and the Oriental love of the beauty of colour and decoration will not be snuffed out by dreary poring over dusty folios, endless calculation of percentages, and the writing of voluminous letters on trivial matters. Music, strange to say, considering how music-loving the Burmese are, is scarcely taught at all except in the Karen schools. There is also no school of art, but drawing is taught in all the municipal schools. In higher education but little advance has been made. An Engineering College Avas opened in 1895, and at the railway workshops at Insein about seventy boys are taken as apprentices, half of whom are Europeans and Eurasians. The Director of Public Instruction contends that the moral effects of the school system established by the Government are 382 PICTURESQUE BURMA book v good, and says — " As to the general question of maintaining discipline and of forming the characters of pupils on healthy lines, Burma will compare favourably with India." The missionary schools are active and prosperous. I have already spoken of the Baptist Karen school at Bassein, but no account of the educational work of the country is complete Avithout some notice of the Avork done by the Rev. Dr. Marks, the S.P.G. missionary. He established a school for Burmese boys first in Mandalay in the reign of Mindohn Min, when Prince TheebaAv Avas among his pupils. The school was afterAvards transferred to Rangoon, Avhere it has had a very successful career. Dr. Marks has passed no less than i 5 ,000 Burmese boys through his school, Avhere numbers of them have been prepared for the Government examinations. Dr. Marks Avas utterly devoted to his work, and lived Avith Spartan simplicity among his boys. I regret to say that his health has during the last year broken doAvn, Avhich has obliged him to give up active Avork and to retire to Maulmain. The most remarkable educational progress made in Burma of recent years has been in the education of girls. In the olden days it Avas not thought necessary to educate Avomen, but even then small private schools Avere opened by nuns and others, and a few girls Avere taught reading and writing. When the secular education of boys became general in Burma, Avomen were much too intelligent and alert not to recognise and value the advantages such education Avould give them too, and to de mand it. There are now 27,000 girl students in Burma, 5000 of whom are in the Government and vernacular schools for girls, about 20,000 in the boys' schools Avhich admit girls, and 2000 in private indigenous schools. The Karens have shoAvn more eagerness to be taught than the Burmese, and one fourth of the girls in the schools are of Karen birth. There is no more hopeful sign in Burma than this demand of the women for education ; they will probably discover better chap, xu EDUCATION OF GIRLS 383 than the men how to be at the same time pious Buddhists and educated persons, and hoAV to combine happiness and con tentment with the enlightenment of knowledge. With its Avomen free, happy, and educated, a country cannot go very far wrong. . /^^4w-/4^- -^ THE REV. DE. MAEKS. CHAPTER XLII THE GREAT CHANGE AND THE OUTLOOK IF my readers have followed me patiently in my attempt to realise to them the country, the people, the past history and the present condition of Burma, they will readily under stand hoAv great must be the change, Avhich the occupation of the country by a power so dominant and a people so masterful as the Enghsh, has brought about. The Burmese, loving ease, believing in the irreversible decrees of fate as the result of accumulated karma, delighting in colour, gaiety, and fun, holding possessions to be a curse and wealth a burden, are suddenly brought face to face Avith a people who delight in strenuous effort, Avho cannot rejoice in colour and beauty even Avhen they see them, Avho are grave and serious, Avho beheve money and commerce Avorth making any sacrifice to obtain, and Avho understand above all other nations hoAv to govern and to rule justly. The first result of the English occupation Avas that the Burmese very soon felt the comfort of a good and depend able government, and they showed their appreciation of this blessing by emigrating to the provinces where it could be obtained. When the British held only Arakan and Tenas serim the persecuted Peguans emigrated over the border ; Avhen Ave took Pegu, the expatriated Peguans came back ; but the Burmans of Upper Burma emigrated, in King Theebaw's time, in large numbers into Lower Burma. To pay taxes is always disagreeable; but to pay all that can be possibly extracted from one and yet not get good government in return, or to pay 384 chap, xlii THE OLD AND THE NEW 385 a regular demand, and purchase thereby protection of property, justice, and education, are conditions widely different, and people are not slow, as a rule, in making their choice betAveen the two methods of life. The Burmese have been freed by the conquest from the oppressions of their governors or " province eaters," and the exactions of their kings ; they are no longer torn from their homes and farms to give their labour on works of "royal merit," nor do they suffer any more from the cruelties and depredations of the dacoits. The country is at peace Avith its neighbours and Avith itself, and anybody can pass with safety from north to south and from east to west. But with our strong government Ave have introduced other things, — the desire to make money, restless striving, and earnestness. In our schools the Burman is now being taught that by competitive exami nation he may succeed to win a post, wherein by hard work he may earn enough money to live a sad and sober life. The contrast between this and the old methods is very great; in the place of placid content we have given the ambition to better conditions ; in the place of the belief that to possess nothing is the highest good, we are implanting the faith that to gain money is the worthy aim of endeavour ; and we are natu rally enforcing the British vieAv that to strive, to succeed, and to obtain is right and laAvful, in the place of the Burmese belief that to share is better than to hold, to dance happier than to work, and to be content holier than to strive. The result is that we are producing men who, though they pass our competitive examinations, cannot be depended upon to act as police or as soldiers, who easily fall victims to the temptations of opium and drink, and who lose the insouciance and happi ness which distinguished the primitive Burmans. Peoples like persons must, however, work out then own salvation, and after a few generations of secular education the Burmese may perhaps discover, like the Japanese, how. to reconcile Western 2 B 386 PICTURESQUE BURMA book v civilisation Avith Oriental ideas, and hoAv, after taking the best civilisation has to offer, to remain Burmese. Burma is not, it must be borne in mind, the country ex clusively of the Burmans ; in its immense area it contains races and nationalities differing widely in language, ideas, and religion, and the task the English have before them is to make of these peoples a homogeneous country. The Karens have already been rescued from barbarism, and are fast becoming one of the lead ing races; the Shans have been converted from freebooters to peaceful traders, and then chieftains are being taught the arts of government ; the Kachins and Chins have still to be tamed. An united Burma Avould become a strong country, particularly as the Burmans, Karens, and Shans have shown themselves capable of education and anxious to be taught. As the Burmese are not bound by the hampering restrictions of caste, and as the Avomen are free and respected, the national development of Burma is possible, should the people prove themselves capable of sustained effort, and their rulers permit of development on lines other than those of India. Though Burma is for the purposes of government treated as a province of India, it has little in common with India proper. The long independence of the Burmese nation, the absence of caste, the free position of the women, the ethical and non-idolatrous character of the Buddhist religion, the freedom from the thraldom of a priest hood, have combined to make Burma as distinctive in character from Hindu nationalities as is Japan. To be passed under the rule of the English, to be freed from tyranny, to be taught good government, is a happy fate for Burma. As the country improves in population, in Avealth, and in education, it may in the far future recover its lost nationality, and, freed from ancient Burmese tyranny and cruelty, give the Avorld the example of a people Avho knoAV hoAv to be happy Avithout caring incessantly to toil, and to be joyous Avithout desiring insatiably to possess. APPENDIX APPENDIX TRANSLATION OF THE INSCRIPTION ON THE BURMESE BELL (No. 15,219) IN THE INDIAN SECTION OF THE SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM. I, the giver of the bell, the famous man, the Yaywoon Min, was staying in the sweet-smelling town of Ma-oo, of which I collect the revenue for the king, and with me was my wife, my life's breath, Meh Shway Gohn, like to the pollen of a lily, from whom I will not be separated in all the existences to come, out of which we hope soon to escape, and therefore we give praises now in order to advance in the Meggas and the Poh [the four great attainments] ; we adore before the Lord Buddha that we may embark on the golden raft of the noble path which will conduct us to the final plunge into neh'ban ; we two, brother and sister [commonly used for husband and wife], have given this bell as an offering to the seven precious things. The exact weight of the bell in current reckoning is 2500 kyats weight. In this attempt to merit neh'ban our method was as follows : we took our own weight in gold and in silver, and bought copper and other metal, and mixed them well together. In the year 1209 [1847 a.d.], in the hot season, at a fortunate hour, I had it moulded, setting my heart on giving it in alms. As I wrote this inscription I offered up abundant prayer that no enemies or troubles might come nigh me, and that I might obtain neh'ban. Then I dedicated it. Now will I record all the alms which I gave and erected within the sacred enclosure of the . pagoda, round the slender spire. I gave a tagohn-deing, the price of which, with all incidental expenses in putting up and everything, was five hundred rupees ; that was the alms exactly. At the foot of the tagohn-deing I built four small pagodas, making bold to offer them in alms. In addition to these I built, outside the pagoda enclosure, a monastery and a rest-house. I, the Yaywoon Min, wished earnestly to give the greatest alms of any 389 390 APPENDIX in fragrant Ma-oo-myo, of which I collected the taxes. I, the Yaywoon Min, and my wife, my sons, and my daughters, the four chief parties, together with my servants and slaves, [presented these things]. I per suaded them all to give alms that they might attain to neh'ban, the deliverance ; that they might prepare for themselves the way, difficult and full of swirling eddies. Let the four congregations — let men, nats, dewahs, and all creatures unite in praise. Such are all my offerings ; these alms dedicated all together in order to gain merit, to rise and progress to neh'ban, to the world just before it. May I be freed from the four states of punishment ; the three great kaps, fighting, famine and plague ; the eight evil places, from which a man is born blind, dumb, and otherwise crippled ; from the five enemies ; from unfortunate times and seasons ; from bad- intentioned people — may I escape all these when I die. When new glories wake up, I will give praise in the king's palace, in the golden dwelling where the king lives; I will ponder well, and chant aloud the praise of faith. Very high, even to the skies, rises the pagoda given in alms by the Ma-oo revenue collector, the Yaywoon Minpayah, the pious founder. All men and nat-dewahs, when they behold it, will cry out eagerly in praise ; they will shout thah-doo, well done, thou good and faithful servant, with united, limitless clamour. The good that I have done in this world, all the alms that I have given, may they be for the benefit of my parents, teachers, cousins, and all my relations ; all who in Zampoo-deepa are kings of the earth ; all queens, their sons and daughters ; nobles and all men of rank, officers and all people of the earth in the thirty-one seats of the world. All the merits I have gained, may they be shared with these. I give them and share them freely. The alms are manifest. I have given them. This good work, when I forget it {i.e., in my next life), may it be counted to me in the time of the Buddha Areemadehya, when he is revealed. The friendly witnessing nats will bear testimony as they wring the water from their streaming hair. The Great Bell at Mengohn. — While this book was passing through the press, news was received in England that the great Bell had been raised and was now swung from its supports. It would take, however almost a battering-ram to evoke the full power of its mighty voice. WORKS CONSULTED "Travels by Marco Polo" (13th century). "Travels by Caesar Frederike" (1563). "Travels by Gasparo Balbi" (1579). "Travels by Ralph Fitch" (1583). "Travels by Nicolas- Pimenta" (1597). Collected in "Purchas' Pilgrims." " Embassy to the Kingdom of- Ava in 1795." By Colonel Michael Symes. "Journal of a Residence in the Burmhan Empire in 1796." By Captain Hiram Cox. "The Burmese Empire " (in 1800). By Sangermano. " The Prisoner in Burmah." By Gouger. " The Burmese War in 1826." By Major Snodgrass. " Two Years in Ava.'' (1827.) "A Memoir of the Rev. A. Judson, D.D." " Papers relating to the Burman War." (1826.) " The Second Burmese War." By Colonel W. F. B. Lawrie. (1853.) "Mission to the Court of Ava in 1855." By Captain Henry Yule. " History of Burma." By Sir Arthur Phayre. " Burma Past and Present." By Lieutenant-General Albert Fytche. " Our Burmese Wars." By Colonel W. F. B. Lawrie. (1880.) " Burma after the Conquest." By Grattan Geary. (1886). "Annual Reports of the Administration of Burma." " Report of a Tour through the Northern Shan States." By Lieu tenant G. C. Rigby? (1894-95.) " Report of the Thetta Column and Work in the Southern Chin Hills." By Captain John Harvey, R.A. (1894-95.) "Chin-Lushai Land." By Surgeon -Lieutenant-Colonel A. Scott Reid, M.B. " Four Years in Upper Burmah." By W. R. Winston. " The Burman." By Shway Yoe. 392 WORKS CONSULTED " In the Shadow of the Pagoda." By E. D. Cuming. "The Opium Commission." "Report of Public Instruction in Burma for the year 1894-95." " Fergusson's Indian Architecture." " The Principles of Buddhist Law." By Chan-Toon. " Life of Gaudama." By Bishop Bigandet. (1866.) "The Wheel of the Law." By Henry Alabaster. "The Modern Buddhist." By Henry Alabaster. "Buddhism." By T. W. Rhys Davids. INDEX INDEX AlaungsithA, King, 304. Alchemy, 178. Alompra, 320. death of, 322. English massacred by, 322. Pegu besieged by, 321. Siam invaded by, 322. vanity of, 363. Amaurapoora, ancient city of, 43. ,, Buddhas at, 51. ,, built by Bodoahpra, 324. ,, cottage industries at, 49. ,, Kuji temple at, 48. ,, lakes of, 44. , , rebuilt by Tharawaddy, 68. „ ruins of, 46. ,, sketching at, 46. ,, splendour of, 45. ,, suburbs of, 45. ,, vacated by Hpagyidoa, 67. ,, vacated by Mindohn Min, 345- Amherstia nobilis, 88. Ananda, temple of, 304. Annexation of Arakan, 332. of Pegu, 341. ,, of Tennasserim, 332. ,, of Upper Burma, 361. Anoarhta Soa, King, 303. Arakan annexed by Burma, 325. ,, ,, by Great Britain, 332. ,, colonised from India, 304. ,, emigrants from, 327. Area of Upper and Lower Burma, 375. Audience hall of King Theebaw, 31-34. Ava, city of, 65. ,, described by Crawfurd, 68. Ava, history of, 65. rebuilt by Hpagyidoa, 67. royal entry into, 67. ruins of, 69. vacated by Bodoahpra, 66. vacated by Tharawaddy, 68. Bernard, SirT., 349. Bell -casting, 203. ,, monster, at Mengohn, 203. ,, Temple, at Shway Dagohn, 202. Bhamo, 254. Binya Ran, 309. Boat races at Ava, 120. ,, ,, at Rangoon, 122. Boats, fisher, sailing, 117. ,, old war, 118. ,, paddy, 117, 131. Bodoahpra, King, 324. ,, character of, 327. ,, cruelty of, 364. Bombay-Burma Co., 350. Boring the ears, 145. Boxing and wrestling, 124. Buddha, life of, 261. Buddhas, colossal, at Amaurapoora, 51. >> ,, at Pagshn, 57. at Pegu, 84. Buddhism, aims of, 275. ,, beliefs of, 271. ,, influence of, 199, 293. „ precepts of, 274. Buffaloes, 95. Bureng Naung, King, 316. great state of, 317. Burma, area of, 375. ,, climate of, 116. 396 INDEX Burma, domestic life in, no. geography of, 4. ,, population of, 376. ,, products of, 371. ,, resources of, 371. ,, revenue of, 376. Burman at home, 105. ,, at play, 117. ,, as a soldier, 118, 132. ,, at work, 129. Burmans, food of the, 113. ,, dress of the, 1 14. Burmese doctors, 181. ,, houses, how built, 106. ,, ,, interior of, 107. ,, lullaby, 142. ,, medicine, 180. ,, sobriety of the, 224. ,, women, 135. Butterfly spirit, 179. Calaminham, 241. Campbell, Sir Archibald, 328. Carts, country, no. <•-- " Centre of the Universe,'' 215. Charm against snake-bite, 48, 175. ,, ,, drowning, 175. Chaubainhaa, 31 1. Chess, 126. Childbirth, treatment of women 184. Children, care of, 108, 142. Chinese in Burma, 253. ,, invasion, 323. Chins, the, 251. Cholera frightened away, 184. Christian Karens, the, 234. Climate of Burma, 376. Cobra ceras, 97. Cobras, 47. College, Baptist, 378. ,, Engineering, 381. ,, Rangoon, 378. Cock-fighting, 126. Cox, Captain Hiram, 326. Crawfurd's Mission to Ava, 334. Cremation of the dead, 149. ,, of a phongyee, 294. Dacoits, the, 356. ,, military expeditions against, 359- ,, shooting of, 357- Dancing of men, 155. ,, of women, 154. ,, religious, 155. De Brito, Philip, 318. Devil-dance, 182. Dhammapada, quotations from the, 274. Dhammazedi, King, 308. Divorce, laws of, 141. Doctors, Burmese, 181. Donaben taken by Campbell, 330. ,, ,, by Cheape, 342. Dragon Pagoda at Mandalay, 36. at Sagaing, 71. Dramas, 152, 156. Dress of Burmese children, 144. ,, ,, men, 114. ,, ,, women, 115. of Chins, 251. of Kachins, 250. of monks, 280. Duty-days, 198. Dyeing, 211. Education in missionary schools, 382. ,, in monastic schools, 289, 379. ,, in public schools, 378. ,, of women, 382. Elephant, Celestial White, the, 165. ,, "rogue," a, 94. Elephants, affection of, 170. „ language of, 95. ,, stacking timber, 17. „ taming wild, 167. ,, trodden to death by, 171. „ wild, 93. Embroidery, 211. Eurasians, 256. Expenditure of Government, 377. Factories in Burma, 375. Fergusson on Pagahn temples, 62. Fireworks, 124. Fish propitiation ceremony, 190. Football, 124. INDEX 397 Forests and their wonders, 88. Forest trees, 88-92. Four paths, the, 276. French intrigues, 349. Funeral ceremonies, 148. Gautauma, Buddha, 261. ,, attains the Buddhaship, 265. ,, enters Nirvana, 270. Geographical features of Burma, 4. Gohn-nyin, 125. Gold and gold mines, 373. "Golden Foot," 215. Gongs, 205. Government, Burmese, 219. " Great shoe question," 348. Gwe Shan, King, 319. Hamadryads, 96. Harvest festival, 127. Hindu Chetties, 255. Historical maps of Burma, 342. Hlwot-daw, the, 219. Homicidal maniacs, royal race of, 362. Hpagyidoa, King, 327. ,, ,, insanity of, 365. Ions, the, 221. Irrawaddy, the, 20. „ defiles of, 21. ,, steamers on, 21. Kachins, the, 248. „ dress of the, 250. „ houses of the, 248. Kadaw, or beg-pardon day, 194.' Karens, the, 234. „ conversion of, 236. „ missions to, 237. „ schools of, 239. Karma, 272. Kimmendine, taking of, 329. King, power of the, 213. King AlaungsitM, 304. „ Alompra, 320. „ Anoarhta, 303. „ Binya Dala, 319. „ Binya Ran, 309. J King Bodoahpra, 324. j „ Bureng Naung, 316. „ De Brito, 318. „ Dhammazedi, 308. „ Gwe Shan, 319. „ Hpagyidoa, 327. ,, Katha Kumma, 302, ,, Kyansittha, 304. ,, Kyiswa-Soakai, 307. ,, Maha Dhamma Raja, 318. „ Maha Thambawa, 300. „ Mindohn Min, 344. ,, Myedu Meng, 323. „ Namigdoagyi, 323. „ Pagan Men, 335. ,, Tarukpyemeng, 305. „ Tabeng Shwehti, 310. ,, Thado Dhamma Raja, 319. ,, Thadomengbya. 306. „ Tharawaddy, 335. „ Theebaw, 346. ,, AVareru, 307. ,, Yuva Raja, 317. ,, v Zinguza, 364. King Theebaw's audience hall, 31 „ „ throne, 30. ,, „ palace, 29. Kinwoon Mingyee, the, 351. Kioung, plan of a, 288. ,, school in a, 289. ,, Queen's golden, 35. Kshatriyas, migration of, 299. Kublai Khan, invasion by, 305 . Lacquer work, 208. Lent, Buddhist, 193. Leper homes, 185. Leprosy, 185. Lethtas, 257. Lictors, 218. Lucky and unlucky days, 173. Madrassees, the, 255. Maha Bandula, army of, 330. „ „ death of, 331. Maha Dhamma, Raja, 318. Mandalay, 28. ,, bazaar at, 38. 398 INDEX Mandalay, hill of, 36. ,, massacres at, 33. ,, palaces at, 29. ,, streets of, 37. Marionettes, 160. Marriage ceremony, 146. ,, laws, 140. Marriages, how arranged, 138. Martaban, sack of, 313. ,, siege of, 311. Massacre of English at Syriam, 322. ,, of princes at Mandalay, 346. ,, of prisoners, 350. Maulmain, 84. ,, caves of, 86. ,, pagodas of, 86. Medicine, Burmese, 180. Metempsychosis, belief in, 191. ,, influence of, 271. Mindohn Min, 344. ,, ,, character of, 367. ,, ,, death of, 346. Minelah, taking of, 352. Ministers, Burmese, 219. Monarchs, despotism of, 213. Monastery, life in the, 290. Monastic life, rules of, 284. Monk, ordination of a, 280. ,, excommunication of a, 284. Monkeys, 96. Music, how learnt, 163. ,, instruments of, 161. ,, orchestral, 161. Myat-htoon, 342. Myedu Meng, King, 323. ,, ,, ,, character of, 364. Namigdoagyi, King, 323. ,, ,, character of, 364. Nationality, preservation of Burmese, 3S6. Neophyte, induction of a, 279. Net-fishing on the Irrawaddy, 189. Nirvana, 277. Nuns, visit to, 109. Opium-eaters despised, 226. „ laws in force, 230. Opium shops licensed, 228. „ smoking, edicts against, 229. „ „ evil influence of, 226. „ ,, protests against, 226. Pagahn, fanes of, 54. „ Fergusson on, 62. „ greatness of, 304. „ Marco Polo on, 61. „ Rise and fall of, 303. ,, Yule on, 55. Pagan Men, King, 335. ,, ,, cruelties of, 366. , , , , excesses of, 336. Pagoda, Arakan, Mandalay, 37. ,, Dragon, Mandalay, 36. ,, Incomparable, Mandalay, 37. ,, Khoung-moo-daw, Sagaing, 71. ,, Kyaikthanlan, Maulmain, 86. ,, Shway Dagohn, Rangoon, 8. ,, Shway Ma-doo, Pegu, 82. ,, Shway San-daw, Prome, 77. Palaungs, the, 258. Palms, 89. Pegu, annexation of, 341. city of old, 78. foundation of, 302. siege of, by Alompra, 81. by the British, 341. treasures of old, 79. Peguans, conciliation of the, 333. Petroleum wells, 374. Phongyee, burial of a, 294. ,, ordination of a, 281. Phongyees, ascetic life of, 285. „ as mendicants, 279, 291. „ not priests, 278. „ influence of the, 286. Pinto, Ferdinand Mendez, 241, 312. ,, ,, ,, veracity of, 312. Polygamy, 21S. Praying at the pagoda, lo. Products of Burma, 371. Prome, city of, 74. ,. history of, 74. „ sack of, 75. „ taken by Alompra, 77. „ taken by the English, 77, 340. INDEX 399 Prome, pagoda of, 77. Province-eaters, 221. Pw6s, 152. Queen's Golden Kioung, 35. Queen Soa, 306. ,, Soaba, 308. ,, Supayah Lat, 367. Railways, 376. Rangoon, 7. ,, growth of, 15. ,, pagoda of, 8. ,, taken, first war, 329. ,, taken, second war, 338. ,, trade of, 18. Religion of the Burmans, 261. ,, ,, Chins, 252. ,, ,, Kachins, 248. Revenue of Lower Burma, 376. ,, of Upper Burma, 377. Rhinoceros, 95. Rice cultivation in the Delta, 1 30. ,, ,, in the hills, 131. ,, ,, in Upper Burma, 131 ,, exportation of, 371. Royal ploughing ceremony, 216. Ruby mines, 372. Sagaing, city of, 69. ,, marble quarries, 71. ,, pagodas of, 71. Sayah or prior, 288. Scholars in a kioung, 289. Schools, girls', 382. ,, monastic, 378. ,, missionary, 382. ,, public, 378. ,, technical, 381. Shampooers, Burmese, 183. Shan States, 241. ,, Tsaubwas, 245. ,, traders, 246. Sheng Soaba, Queen, 308. Shin, duties of a, 280. Shway Dagohn, 8. ,, ,, founding of the, 301. Shway Dagohn, taken by assault, 338. Silk-weaving, 210. Silk-worm growing, 210. Silver-work, 206. " Silver King," 156. Singers honoured, 163. Sladen, Colonel, 356. Sohn-daw-gyee feast, 195. " Spotted men," 218. Statue of Buddha at Arakan Pagoda, 204. Statues of Buddha, 204. Supayah Lat, Queen, 346. ,, ,, character of, 367. Superstitions, 172. Suvarna Bhumi, 301. Symes' Mission to Ava, 326. Tabeng Shwehti, King, 310. Tagoung, 63. ,, bricks from, 64. ,, founded, 299. Talaings, origin of the, 301. Talismans, 175. Tattooing the legs, 145. Taungu, use of, 309. Tawadehntha feast, 196. Teak, elephants stacking, 17. ,, floating logs of, 85. ,, forests, 90. ,, ,, reservations, 372. Technical education, need of, 210. Temple of Ananda, 55. ,, Gaudapalen, 58. ,, Sudha Munee, 59. ,, Thapinyu, 58. Tenasserim, annexation of, 332. Tharawaddy, King, 335. ,, ,, conduct of, 366. ,, ,, insanity of, 366. Tharekhettara, foundation of, 300. ,, ruins of, 73. Theebaw, King, accession of, 346. ,, „ deposition of, 354. ,, ,, deportation of, 355. Thi'see, uses of, 209. Tiger, man-eating, 95. Timplan, city of, 241. Toung-thoos, 258. 400 INDEX Trade of Burma, 375. Treaty of Yandabo, 332. Trial by ordeal, 177. Tyndah, the, 351. " Water-feast," 192. War declared, first Burmese, 328. ,, ,, second Burmese, 337. ,1 ,, third Burmese, 352. Wareru, King, 307. Wheel of the Law, 273. Witches, belief in, 176. Women, Burmese, 135. ,, ,, as traders, 135- Wood-carving, 206. Woon-douks, 219. Woon-gyees, 219. Work, Burman's view of, 129. Yandabo, treaty of, 332. Yule on temples of Pagahn, 55. Yuva Raja, cruelties of, 317. Zinguza, King, 364. THE END Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson c> Co. Edinburgh & London YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 3 9002 04073 4023