ION 



BIRMA. 



BIRMA. 



1100 



and one species is nearly as big u an ox. Oxen and buffaloes are 

 found in a wild state in the forest*. The royal tiger, the spotted 

 leopard, and several species of cats are numerous. There are neither 

 wolves, jackal*, foxes, nor bysenas in Birma ; and it is said that none 

 of the fenwious members of the canine tribe are found in the 

 countries of tropical Asia lying east of Bengal Hares of a small size 

 occur in the upper provinces. Monkeys, differing in size, shape, and 

 colour are numerous ; especially along the water-courses of the 

 Irawaddi in the delta. The orang-outan is found in the great 

 forests which lie between the city of Pegu or Bag6, and Tongo or 

 Tanau. 



Of poultry a few common fowls and ducks only are reared. 

 Peacocks are very numerous in the woods of the lower provinces, 

 and of fine flavour. The jungle-fowl is generally spread over the 

 country, and two species of pheasants are numerous in the lower 

 provinces. Pigeons abound everywhere, especially wild ones of a 

 green colour. There are also partridges, quails, geeee, ducks, and 

 snipes. Parrots are numerous, and cause great damage to the fruit- 

 trees. Edible swallows' nests are gathered on some small rocky 

 islands in the neighbourhood of Cape Negrais and exported to China. 

 Many of the land-birds are distinguished by the brilliancy of their 

 plumage. The feathers of the blue jay are used in China to ornament 

 the state dresses of the mandarins. 



Fish are plentiful in the Irawaddi, and vast quantities of pressed 

 fish, or ngapi, are prepared. These pressed fish constitute a main 

 article of the diet of the Birmans. In some cases the fish is mashed 

 and pounded, and this description generally consists of prawns. In 

 the coarser sorts the pieces of fish are entire, half putrid, half pickled. 

 They are all fetid and offensive to Europeans. 



Lizards are numerous, and some species are used as food ; one 

 of them especially, called padat, is not inferior to a fowl Alligators 

 are met with in the channels of the delta, where the water is brackish, 

 and in many places where it, is perfectly salt. Land and water- 

 tortoises are found in several places, but more especially in great 

 abundance on the Bassein branch of the Irawaddi. Near the large 

 island of Negrais is another island called the Island of Turtles, where 

 these *ninnl are taken in immense numbers and exported to Pegu 

 and Bengal. They are of a great size, and sometimes weigh SOOlba. 

 Farther np is a sand-bank on which the tortoises deposit their eggs in 

 such numbers as to be sufficient for the supply of a great portion of 

 the empire. These eggs are sent by boats to Bassein and Rangoon, 

 and hence distributed over the country. 



Throughout the whole country, but more especially in the upper 

 provinces, nearly every species of serpent is used for food after the 

 bead has been cut off. Leeches are a great nuisance ; some are as 

 large as small eels, and inflict fearful wounds on the buffaloes, which 

 are fond of bathing in the rivers. A species of red ant is eaten fried, or 

 with ngapi; and a worm, which in the lower provinces is found 

 in the heart of a shrub, is considered such a delicacy that every 

 month a great quantity is sent to the capital to be served up on the 

 table of the emperor; it is eaten either fried or roasted. 



Bees are wild in the woods, and in such abundance that wax forms 

 a staple article of commerce. 



Inhalnlantt. The nations that inhabit the eastern and south-eastern 

 countries of Asia, including Birma, are distinguished by a short, squat, 

 robust, fleshy figure, and by features very different from those of 

 Europeans. The face U somewhat in the shape of a lozenge, the 

 forehead and chin being sharpened, while at the cheek bones it is 

 Tory broad. The eyebrows project very little, and the eyes are very 

 narrow, and placed rather obliquely in the head, the external angles 

 bring the highest. The nose is very small, but has not like that of 

 the negro the appearance of being flattened. The apertures in tlie 

 nostrils, which in the European are strait and parallel, in them are 

 nearly circular and divergent ; for the septum narium being much 

 thicker towards the face places them entirely out of the parallel line. 

 Their hair is black, coarse, lank, and abundant. Even in the warmest 

 climate the people hare not the deep hue of the negro or the Hind",,. 



If we may judge from the languages which are spoken in the 

 Birman territories the inhabitant* are divided at least into five 

 nations, some of which comprehend many tribes. Crawfurd states 

 that eighteen different tribes or nations had been enumerated to him. 

 Wilcox, in his attempt to reach the sources of the Irawaddi found in 

 the most northern comer of the kingdom seren dialects spoken in 

 Tillages only one day's journey apart, and differing so much that 

 the inhabitants of one village could not be understood by those of 

 another. He also found that the languages of the Bor Khamti, 

 of the Singfos, and of the Kunungs were entirely distinct from one 



The Birmans, who call themselves Mranmas (pronounced Myanmas) 

 or Brahma* (pronounced Brahma*), occupy the centre of the empire, 

 between 18* and 22* or 28* N. lat, and extend from the Araoan 

 Mountains to the Saluen River. The languages spoken by the Yo or 

 lo nd thone of the Kyain anil Karens are only dialects of the Birman 

 language. The Yo inhabit the hilly country extending west of the 

 Danghii hill* to the mountains of the Kookis : we know very little of 

 them. The Kyains, who call themselves Koloun, are the inhabitants 

 of the Aracan Mountains, but many of them have settled in the valleys 

 on the wert of the Irawaddi ; they are a peaceful industrious tribe, 



who cultivate the ground and weave cloth of cotton and silk. The 

 men and women tattoo their faces all over in lines mostly describing 

 segments of circles. The Karens or Karians live partly intermixed 

 with the Peguans in the delta of the Irawaddi, where they call them- 

 selves Play, and are the most industrious cultivators of the soil. 

 They occupy also the hilly and mountainous country on the upper 

 branches of the Setang, near Tongo, where, according to the state- 

 ment of Sangermano, they have preserved their independence. Other 

 Karens are found on the banks of the Saluen north of Martaban, as 

 far as the mouth of the Junzalaen. 



The Peguans, who at no distant time formed an independent and 

 powerful nation, seem at present not to be very numerous. They 

 are called Talaius by the Birmans, and by themselves Moan : they 

 occupy nearly exclusively the low country between the delta of the, 

 Irawaddi and the Saluen River. In the delta itself they are mingled 

 with the Karens, but form the greater part of the population. 



The Shans are the most numerous nation of the peninsula beyond 

 the Ganges : they call themselves Tay. This nation is dispersed over 

 nearly one half of the Birman empire, and all the tribes inh 

 the kingdom of Siam and Lao belong to it. In Birma four tribes of 

 Shans are distinguished : the Lowa Shan occupy Upper Lao, the 

 Tay yay, called by the Birmans Mrelap-ahan (pronounced Myelap 

 live on the west bank of the Saluen and extend north of Ainara- 

 pura to the Irawaddi, and even to the country on the west of 

 that river. Their country is called Ko-Shan-pri (pronounced 

 Ko-sang-pyi), or ' the nine provinces of Shan.' The country to the 

 north of them is inhabited by the Tay-Loong, called by the Birmans 

 Casi-Shan; the Bor Khamti, visited by Wilcox, are only a snmller 

 tribe of these Casi-Shan. Another numerous tribe of the Shan 

 extends on both sides of the Kyan-Duayn up to the boundary of 

 Munipoor, and the inhabitants of the last-named country are likewise 

 Shans. The Shans inhabiting the country along the Kyan-Duayn are 

 called by the Birmans Kathu or Caai. 



In the northern parts of the empire the tribes of the Shan appear 

 to occupy only the plains and larger valleys. The mountains ami the 

 upper valleys are in possession of two numerous races of mountaineers, 

 the Singfos and the Naga. The Singfos inhabit the mountains which 

 skirt the Irawaddi on both sides and extend northward to the vale of 

 the Brahmaputra in Asam. The Naga tribes are dispersed over the 

 extensive mountain districts between the upper branches of the 

 Kyan-Duayn, and as far as the boundary of Asam. They seem to 

 belong to the same nation which under the name of Kookis occupies 

 the country between Munipoor and Chittagong. The Singfos and 

 the Naga live in a state of independence. 



The Birmans are greatly inferior to the Hindoos in civilisation, 

 and still more so to the Chinese. Like the Talains or Peguans they 

 tattoo or stain the skin with an indelible tint, but this practice in 

 confined to the men. Not to be tattooed is considered a sign of 

 effeminacy, and there is no one who is not tattooed more or less. 

 They bore the lobe of the ear, making a very large and unseemly 

 aperture, into which a gold or silver ornament is put, or a piece of 

 wood, or a roll of paper. If the aperture is not occupied a man or 

 woman after smoking naif a cigar thrusts the remainder into the ear 

 for future use. They consume large quantities of tobacco in the form 

 of cigars ; and also much betel, which they mix with the arcca nut, 

 lime, and a little tobacco. 



Their dress, though upon the whole not unbecoming, is much less 

 so than the flowing and graceful garments of the western nations of 

 India, Too much of the body is left naked, and the IV 

 are comparatively coarse and homely. Umbrellas, which are in 

 general use among all classes, are among the jiriiieipal insignia of 

 rank or office. The colour of the dress of the priests is yellow, and 

 it would be deemed nothing less than sacrilege in any one else to use 

 this colour. 



The Birmans are very uncleanly in their food. They eat all kinds 

 of reptiles, lizards, iguanas, and snakes; and as their re! 

 them killing animals for food, they generally oat those which hare 

 died of disease. Venison is the only meat permitted to be sold in the 

 markets. The killing of a cow is punished with peculiar severity. 



The Birmans are of a gay character and fond of amusements, which 

 are principally chess, music, the exhibition of fire-works, and some 

 kinds of dramatic representations. 



Manufactunt. Their progress in the useful art* has not been great. 

 All their cotton fabrics are coarse and high-priced, and British piece- 

 goods are imported in considerable quantity. Silk articles are coarse 

 and high-priced but durable. All the colours given to these fabrics 

 are fugitive, especially those of the cottons. Coarse and unglazed 

 earthenware is of very good quality and cheap. Those known in 

 India under the name of Pegu jars often contain 180 gallons ; but 

 the Birmans are unacquainted with the art of making any kind of 

 porcelain. Their iron manufactures, which are always coarse and 

 rude, consist of swords, spears, knives, scissors, and carpenters' tools. 

 Muskets, or rather matchlocks, are made at Ava, and the best tempered 

 swords are imported from the country of the Shans. Brass ware is 

 not much used, lacquered ware being chiefly substituted for it. The 

 manufacture of this ware is very much extended, and in this the 

 Uirmans display invention and taste, but the best description i* 

 imported from Lao. Gold and silver ornaments are manufactured 



