no 



THE LIVING RACES OF MANKIND 



Mesopotamia and Nile valleys. Their culture is certainly 

 of Hiudu origin." 



BURMA. 



THE reader, after looking at the photographs of Burmese 

 men, women, and children reproduced on pages 107-120, will 

 readily perceive that they belong to the Mongolian branch 

 of the human family. They are stout, active, and well- 

 proportioned, with brown complexions, and an abundance 

 of coarse and lank black hair. Besides the Burmese 

 proper, there are in Burma numerous other tribes, such 

 as Paloungs, Toungthoos, and Karens. To the east and round 

 the northern frontier, and along the ranges that traverse 

 the upper regions, are great hordes of Kachins, who lead a 

 rough life, blackmailing the peaceful inhabitants below. 



The Burmese have much in common with the Chinese. 

 Their women make excellent house-wives, and possess no 

 small aptitude for business. Previously to the annexation 

 WITH THICK HAIR ON NECK, BACK, of the country by Great Britain, the labouring people, both 



\ 



DRAWING OF A GIRL TWO YEARS OLD, 



AND SHOULDERS. 



small proprietors and common labourers, were considered 

 as slaves of the king, who might at any time call for their services, as soldiers or as 

 labourers. Hence a man could not leave the country without special permission. There 

 were seven classes of slaves. The class of outcasts were the slaves of the pagodas, the 

 burners of the dead, the jailers, executioners (who were generally condemned criminals), 

 lepers, and other incurables, who are held in 

 great abhorrence, and treated with singular 

 cruelty. The government was a pure despotism. 

 The civil, military, judicial, and fiscal adminis- 

 tration of a province was vested in a governor, 

 who had the power of life and death, with 

 appeal to the chief council of the king at 

 Mandalay. No official received a fixed salary: 

 the higher officials were paid either by an 

 assignment of land, or by the labour of certain 

 people; the inferior magistrates by fees and 

 perquisites a system naturally productive of 

 the worst forms bribery and extortion. 



There were uo hereditary honours. Any 

 subject, except a slave, might rise to some 

 important position in the State. Every article 

 possessed by a man, for use or for ornament, 

 indicated his rank, whether it were his earrings, 

 cap of ceremony, drinkiug-cup, or umbrella. 

 The last-named article is of general use, and 

 may be of brown varnished paper, red, green, // 

 gilded, or plain white. Any one of the lower 

 orders using the insignia of a higher class 

 might be slain with impunity by the first 

 person he met. 



In Burma proper there are no child- 



* These and the two drawings on page 112 are from the Zettectirift ftir Ethnologic, Berlin, Vol. VIII. 



-V- 



JULIA PASTRANA, THE HAIRY WOMAN OP 

 MEXICO.* 



