1884.]' 



On the history of the JBurmah Race. 



29 



British of 1825-26 that they have learnt to distinguish between the 

 more prominent of the nations lying west of them. 



But the fact still remains that the Burmese received religion and 

 letters from India. Did they receive these through the Talaings or 

 from an independent source ? It is certain that they had no direct in- 

 tercourse with the sea probably until the second century of the Christian 

 era. Their alphabet differs in some degree from that of the Talaings, 

 though both are formed on the Deva Nagri model. The circular form 

 of the letters of both indicates the influence of the Tamulic letters. 

 The Burmese appears the more perfect of the two, and has probably 

 been formed at a later period than the other. It does not appear that 

 the Burmese people received their religion and letters through the 

 medium of their cousins the Arakanese, for that people refer to the 

 eastward as their own source of both. The passage of Indian Budhist 

 missionaries therefore from Gangetic India through Bengal and 

 Munnipore to Burma, is a probable event, but it took place much 

 later than has been represented. The only direct evidence we yet 

 have on this subject, is the discovery of a Budhist image at the ancient 

 capital Tagoung, bearing an inscription in the Deva JSFagri character as 

 described by Colonel Burney in the 5th volume of the Journal of the 

 Asiatic Society of Bengal, page 157. This image was found to have 

 a Sanscrit inscription, being the well known text of Ye-dham-ma &c. &e. 

 This is not the only inscription of the same kind that has been found 

 at Tagoung, and the fact appears to indicate that Tagoung received 

 missionaries direct from northern India. The character in which the 

 above text is written on the base of the image is considered by Prinsep 

 as coinciding with the letters of the inscription No. 2 on the Allahabad 

 Budhist pillar. 



Yv 7 e may then conclude that the rude tribes inhabiting the valley 

 cf the upper Irrawaddy, who at that time, like the hill tribes of tcr- 

 day, worshipped only the spirits of the woods, the hills, and the streams, 

 were converted and civilized by Budhist missionaries from Gangetic 

 India. A monarchy was then established at Tagoung, which gradually 

 extended its authority, and appears from the history to have been 

 overturned by an irruption of (so-called) Tartars and Chinese. The 

 names given to the invaders are Ta-ret and Ta-rook. The latter word 

 is evidently the same as Turk and is applied at the present day by 

 the Burmese to the Chinese generally. The destruction of the kingdom 



