( 76 ) 



145. The bulk of the male population earn a livelihood, either 

 Means of livelihood among men, by cultivation or boat hire; but, judg- 



and mode of living. m g from the number of idlers one 



sees loitering about, it appears as though employment was 

 scarce. This, however, is not the case, it is the cheapness of living 

 that stimulates laziness — the earnings of a month keeping them in 

 idleness for about half a year, and so long as they are possessed of 

 sufficient to buy a meal, they will not work. There are a few 

 Burman petty traders, who carry on a small business up river, in 

 grain and other minor indigenous products, but these are being 

 thinned out, by the demand for brokers, now that a royal monopoly 

 is gradually being established on all articles of commerce, which 

 are collected through a European firm at Mandalay, who have 

 guaranteed to the King a fixed annual revenue on all articles spe- 

 cified in the contract. Professions are limited to jewellers and car- 

 penters, both very mediocre, the demand for first-class workmanship 

 being small. 



146. The silversmiths find employment chiefly in smelting and 



adulterating silver, which is the only 

 Legal amount of alloy in silver. currency of the country north of the 



capital. The legal amount of alloy is 

 noted below, but there is good reason to believe the prescribed 

 standard is not in every instance adhered to. Buying and selling 

 by this process is both tedious and wasteful, not only do those 

 unfamiliar with the quality of the metal suffer, but great waste 

 occurs in chopping off wee pieces from the ingot, to obtain the re- 

 quired weight at which the article to be purchased has been valued. 

 This mode of exchange necessitates every one being possessed of 

 scales and weights. 



C 1 tikal silver 

 Nga-yay, very rough, contains ... ... ... \ i „ lead 



( i „ copper 



!1 tikal silver 

 f ,, lead 

 i „ copper 

 !1 tikal silver 

 i ,, lead 

 a „ copper 



I am indebted to Captain A. B. Bower's Bhamo Expedition Report 

 of 1868 for this information, which precisely corresponds with the 

 currency of the present day. 



147. The women are remarkably industrious and' ever busy with 



their domestic duties, in which they 

 industry of women, and system flisplav the greatest interest and exer- 



of mattrass-makmg detailed. .. r J , -, Ti . • „„ij^_„ 



cise supreme control. It is seldom 

 they are seen entirely idle, even their little flirtations are carried on 



