102 



BURMAH. 



BUKRITT, ELIHU. 



land and the Burmese Empire, the Burmese 

 showed considerable regret, and the funeral 

 was attended by most of the King's ministers. 

 Mr. Shaw was a man thoroughly acquainted 

 with Asiatic politics. He originally went to 

 India as a tea-planter, and was first brought 

 into notice by his journey to Yarkand, where 

 he resided for some time at the court of Ya- 

 koob Beg.* His knowledge of Central Asian 

 affairs recommended him for political employ- 

 ment, and he was appointed British agent at 

 Ladakh. On the conclusion of the treaty with 

 Yakoob Beg, Mr. Shaw was selected to carry 

 it to Yarkand for signature. Subsequently he 

 was sent to England as officer in charge of the 

 Yarkand envoy. On his return to India he 

 was appointed Resident at Mandalay. He 

 was succeeded in that office by Colonel Horace 

 Browne, who on his arrival at Mandalay was 

 escorted to the Residency by several Burmese 

 officials. On the following day the Premier, 

 the Minister of the Interior, the Judge of the 

 Mixed Court, and others paid official visits to 

 him. Nevertheless, Colonel Browne's gun and 

 sword were detained at the custom-house for a 

 short time, though foreigners are allowed to 

 land these ordinarily without a pass. 



The relations between Burmah and the Gov- 

 ernment of British India became still more 

 strained when Thebaw claimed sovereignty 

 over the East Karen nee country. After the 

 close of the Burmese war in 1852, it was first 

 proposed to carry the boundary line between 

 the British province of Pegu and Upper Bur- 

 mah on to the river Salwen, which forms the 

 western frontier of the Shan States tributary to 

 Siam ; but it was ascertained that the Karennee 

 country, lying between the Salwen and Sit- 

 tang, was independent of the King of Burmah. 

 The British frontier line, therefore, after cross- 

 ing the latter river, was abruptly turned off to 

 the southeast, so as to avoid Karennee and meet 

 the Salwen at a point considerably lower down 

 its course. The independence of Karennee, thus 

 recognized by the British, was respected by 

 Burmah till the spring of 1875, when the late 

 King laid claim to the western portion of the 

 country, and proceeded to occupy it with 

 troops. The Government of India remon- 

 strated against this movement, and sent Sir 

 Douglas Forsyth on a special mission to Man- 

 dalay. For some time war seemed to be im- 

 minent, but finally the difficulties were ami- 

 cably settled. The King of Burmah agreed to 

 recognize the independence of Western Karen- 

 nee, and the boundaries between that country 

 and Upper Burmah were demarkated by a 

 mixed British and Burmese Commission. The 

 Karennee country has for the Government of 

 British India a strategical importance, as in the 

 case of war it would enable the Burmese to 

 turn the British flank and threaten the British 

 communications between the frontier posts and 

 the seaports. 



In July Thebaw again ordered twelve per- 



* See "Annual Cyclopedia " for 1874, p. 488. 



sons, including several relations of the Nyoung 

 Yan Prince, to be murdered. About the same 

 time a disturbance broke out at Bhamo, due to 

 the King's officials having been sent to collect 

 unusually heavy taxes. They met with armed 

 resistance, and were all killed. 



In the beginning of October the British agent 

 and his party left Mandalay, without being in 

 the least molested. The Prime Minister of 

 Burmah wrote to the agent a polite letter, and 

 sent carefully on board the steamer all prop- 

 erty left at the Residency. Soon afterward 

 the King dispatched an embassy to the Gov- 

 ernment of British India. Having arrived at 

 Rangoon, the embassy was not permitted by 

 the British Deputy Commissioner to proceed 

 pending further explanations of the object of 

 his mission. 



BURRITT, ELIHTJ, a scholar and philanthro- 

 pist, was born at New Britain, Connecticut, 

 on December 8, 1810, and died there on March 

 9th. In 1828 he became apprentice to a black- 

 smith, and at the same time devoted all his 

 leisure to obtain an education. So ardent was 

 his desire for knowledge that he wrought 

 mathematical problems while working at the 

 anvil. At the suggestion of his brother, the 

 principal of a small boarding-school, he studied 

 the French, Latin, and Greek languages, and 

 in order to devote more attention to his stud- 

 ies he took a short course in the school. He 

 attempted to perform the duties of a teacher 

 as a means of support, but ill health prevented 

 success. He tried business pursuits, but the 

 financial crisis of 1837 left him destitute. He 

 then went to "Worcester, Mass., and resumed 

 work at the anvil and the study of languages. 

 Here he translated all the Icelandic Sagas re- 

 lating to the discovery of America, and ob- 

 tained the name of the " Learned Blacksmith." 

 Mr. Burritt made his first public appearance 

 in 1841 as a lecturer, claiming in his addresses 

 that all attainments were the result of persis- 

 tent study and effort. In 1842 he started the 

 " Christian Citizen " at Worcester, a weekly 

 journal, devoted to antislavery, peace, temper- 

 ance, and self-culture. Four years later he 

 went to Europe, and during a visit of three 

 years devoted himself to cooperation with the 

 English peace advocates. During this time, 

 also, he developed the basis of an international 

 association known as the League of Universal 

 Brotherhood, which aimed at the abolition of 

 war and the promotion of fraternal relations 

 and feelings between different countries. He 

 was prominent in organizing the first Peace 

 Congress, and took part in two subsequent 

 congresses, in 1849 and 1850. In 1852 he be- 

 came the editor of the " Citizen of the World " 

 in Philadelphia. In this paper he urged the 

 compensated emancipation of Southern slaves. 

 The John Brown movement, at Harper's Ferry, 

 was the death-blow of this plan, which was 

 rapidly gaining advocates. His disappoint- 

 ment at the failure of his project was great 

 He had advocated it clearly and forcibly ; he 



