m 



On the history of the Burmah Mace. 



[No. 1, 



ships to convey the missionaries across the Bay of Bengal. Then how- 

 did they arrive at their destination ? 



We may be sure that the mission to Suvarma Bhumi was not plan- 

 ned like a voyage of discovery to an unknown land, but was determined 

 on as a mission to extend religion to a country already known at least 

 on its sea-coast, and the inhabitants of which were considered to offer 

 a fair field for success. It is probable that the people of the Coro- 

 mandel Coast already had settlements on the Arakanese and Taking 

 coasts as places of trade, and the Budhists of Gangetic India would 

 in all probability resort to some of the ports on the east coast of the 

 continent, and not far from the head of the Bay of Bengal. At that 

 time it is probable that the people of Telingana carried on commerce 

 with Suvanna Bhumi, and the Budhist missionaries would embark in 

 their ships. 



It has already been mentioned that the Taking people call them- 

 selves Mon* They are called Taking by the Burmese. How came 

 the latter to give them this designation ? Certainly it does not bear 

 the sound of an Indo-Chinese word. It is probably derived from the 

 word Telinga, and hence it appears that the tribes of the upper Irra- 

 waddy, separated during long ages from the kindred tribes to the 

 south of them, only came to know the Mon after these latter had settle- 

 ments of Teiingas on their coast, f These people no doubt extended 

 their commerce into the interior, and hence the name, easily changed 

 into Talaing, came to be given to the whole population. The same 

 result of a partial knowledge of a leading race may still be seen. Until 

 comparatively of late years, the Burmese mixed up English and all 

 Europeans with the natives of India in the one common appellation 

 of KuU or western foreigners ; and it is only since the war with the 



Ian Jaie^r^Lf a ^- n ^V YOrk on B ™ a * states his opinion that the Mon 

 language is entirely distinct from all the Indo-Chinese Wnae-es of Hie tribes 



■SSSi^rrTif 1 *^ comes nearer to the ^iTriTu^Z 

 t^ Y ^£ 3W M^V** Journal of the Asiatic Societ y> Vols - IX - and x -> 



pronoun^ definitiv^ . L ° g ^ ^T^ " the radical ***<% of the native 



formation much mrZ\\ - g ? P m-u , ^ glossanal basis, are branches of one 

 Sl859 D 66 m °^ r a > mtoTl betoBurman than to Dravirian." Jour. Ind. 

 divlion of fh TulZ^l f C0 T Cta ° n h ^ WeeU aU the W^ges of the southern 

 Xahguage family ' See table No ' IV ' in M ^ Midler's Science of 



was SSd Sa^ooraf v^SwfuS^ '**"" * ***"**> the Site ° f ^ 



