( 51 ) 



Mussulmen and Chinamen. These latter ubiquitous people, who 

 carry with them their customs, costumes, and religion wherever 

 they go, are not alone distinguishable by their dress and pig-tail, 

 but may be traced by that flat-faced, high cheek-boned, oblique- 

 eyed countenance, so characteristic of their race. Their houses 

 are as a rule of brick, the dimensions being regulated by the 

 owners' means ; but, as far as I can remember, in no instance 

 have I seen an example of the Burnian type of architecture having 

 been entirely adopted. In Bhamo, Mogoung, and other towns or 

 villages on the Upper Irrawaddy, I have observed, that where a 

 Chinaman's means will not admit of his erecting an abode entirely 

 of brick, the front is always of that material, and the remainder 

 of bamboo and plaster until circumstances permit of the desired 

 addition being made. 



92. Here, these people have erected a most substantial temple, 



which apparently is open to the in- 



U1HH6S6 J. 6HTpl6. •■ n t /» n 1 • ■ 



spection 01 people 01 all religions ; 

 neither was any objection made to my sketching the different 

 articles of interest, though the Chinamen were markedly silent when 

 I elicited information on any religious subject, only noticing my 

 question by a significant laugh. My sketches afforded immense 

 amusement, more especially the one I presented them with, which 

 was done in red and blue pencil, and represented a love scene. 

 I was told it would be kept in memory of me and suspended on 

 the walls of the room in which we sat. I thanked them for the 

 compliment : and thinking the present- offered a good opportunity 

 to wedge in a question, I asked which were the appointed days and 

 hours for worship, but no reply was forthcoming, so I gave up all 

 hopes of gaining any information from them on religious subjects. 

 The temple is a square masonry building with a compart- 

 ment on each side, an open court in the centre, and roof such as 

 one sees in pictures of Chinese towns. It is entered by a circular 

 gate, which from a little distance has the appearance of a hole 

 in the wall. On either side are two huge marble figures represent- 

 ing some mythological Chinese demon. Kound the wall of the 

 vestibule were suspended all sorts of peculiar implements made 

 of wood and covered with silver paper representing the heads of 

 horses, battle axes, crosses, swords, &c, &c. : all these I afterwards 

 noticed being carried at the Dragon festival I attended at Bhamo, 

 and learnt they were distinctive orders of office. Fronting 

 the vestibule was a compartment railed off with gilded iron bars, 

 and a handsome gold fringe of about eighteen inches deep, suspend- 

 ed from the roof, ran the whole length of the rails. Evidently 

 this was the sanctum. Within were two large figures placed in 



