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for ii m«re particular account of them, w c fliall refer to the 

 Afiatic Rc(carchi.s (ubi infra). 



Amonc; tlie Birmaiis there are fcveral hidories, containing 

 an account of ti>e lives and actions ])crformcd by the differ- 

 ent famlhcs of their princes ; which liiftories are very fabu- 

 lous, and abound with the recital of omens and prodigies. 

 Indeed, the Birmans are much attached to divination. No 

 perfon will commence the building of a honfe, a journey, or 

 the moll trivial undertaking, without confulting fome perlon 

 of fliiil, in order to find a fortunate day or hour. Friday 

 is a moll unlucky day, on which no hiilinefs ought to be 

 comT.enced. On medicine the Birmans have feveral books, 

 containing the defcription of 96 genera of difcafts, with va- 

 rious recipes for their cure. Mu.iimy is with them a favour- 

 ite medicine, and they arc not unaeciuainted willi the ufe of 

 mercury in the cure of lues venerea ; b.:t their mode of ad- 

 minillering it is neither certain nor fafe. Moll of their reme- 

 dies, however, are taken from the vegetable kingdom ; and 

 they are chiefly of the aromatic kind, nutmegs being one of 

 their moll favourite mtdieiiies. Although tluy arc well ac- 

 r,uainted with the plants of their country, the practice of 

 their phyficians is almoll altogether empirical, and they pof- 

 fefs certain recipes and nollnims, the efficacy of which they 

 extol, and which have been tranfniitted from their ancellor.^ 

 for feveral generations. They combine with their medical 

 pradicc great faith in amulets and charms. In furgery, 

 they proceed no further than drefling wounds and fetting 

 bon'ts. Of late the inoculation for the fmall-pox has been 

 introduced into Arracan. 



The Hate of a^ricii/ttire in the Birman empire is not parti- 

 cularly illullrated by Col. Symcs. It fiJems, however, to be 

 purfucd with conliderable avidity ; and the foil in many parts 

 is capable of coltivation, and its produdlions, which are natu- 

 rally numerous, admit of further improvement. The cattle 

 ufed in fome parts of the country fir tillage and draft are 

 remarkably good ; ihey put only a pair of them to the 

 plough, which is little different from the plough of India, 

 and turns up the foil very fuperlieially. In their large carts 

 they yoke four llout oxen, which proceed with the fpeed of 

 a hand- gallop, and are driven by a country-girl (landing up 

 in her vehicle, who manages the reins and a long whip with 

 cafe and dexterity. Many of the rifing grounds are planted 

 with indigo ; but the natives fuller the hills for the moll part 

 to remain uncultivated, and only plough the rich levels. I'hey 

 every where burn the rank grafs once a year to improve the 

 pallure. The I'irmans will not take much pains ; they 

 leave half the work to natun , which has been very bountiful 

 to them. In the neighbourhood of Loongliee, many Htlds 

 arc planted with cotton, which thrives Well ; fcfamum is alio 

 cultivated in this foil, and is found to raifwer better th.m 

 rice, which is rroll productive in low and nioill grounds. 

 In the fuburbs of Pagalim, there are at leall zoo mills em- 

 ployed in expreffmg oil from the fefamum feed. In this ope- 

 ration the grain is put into a deep wooden trough, and 

 preffed by an upright timber fixed in a frame : the force is 

 increafed by a long lever, on the extremity of which a man 

 fits and guides a bullock that moves in a circle; thus turning 

 and prtlTuig the feed at the fame time. The machine is fim- 

 ple, and yet effetlually anfwcrs the purpofe. Waggons 

 form a caravan for travelling from the fouthcrn country to- 

 wards the capital. Of thete there are fometimes as many as 

 18, each of which is drawn by fix bullocks, and is covered 

 with a tilted roof of bamboo, overlaid with painted cloth, 

 for throwing off the ram. They contain not only merchan- 

 dize, but alfo whole families, the wives, children, monkies, 

 cats, parroqueti, and all the worldly fubllance of the wag. 



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gonei-s. Each bullock has a bell under his throat. They 

 travel llowly, from 10 to 15 miles a day. At night they are 

 difpofed in a circle, and form a barrier, within which the 

 carriers feed their cattle, light fires, and drcfs their vidluals, 

 fecure from the attacks of tigers, which muc4i nifcll the lets 

 populous parts of the empire. 



We fliall clofe this article with a brief account of the 

 prrfons, ilifpofition, and mannfis of the inhabitants of the 

 Birman emp'ire, and of fome of their fmgular aijloms. The 

 Birmans, in their features, bear a nearer rcfemblance to the 

 Cliinefe than to the natives of Hindoltan. The women, par- 

 ticularly in the northern part of the country, are fairer than 

 the Hindoo females, but lefs delicately formed ; they are, 

 however, well made, and in general inclined to corpulence ; 

 their hair is black, coarfe, and long. The men are not tall 

 in (lature, but a6live and athletic i tiicir appearance is youth- 

 ful from the prevalent cullom of pluck'rg their beards inftcad 

 of ufing the razor; they tattoo their thighs and arms into 

 various fantallic (liapes and figures, whieli in their opinion 

 ooerate as a charm againll the weapons of their enemies. 

 Neither the men nor women are fo cleanly in their pcrlons 

 as the Hindoos of India, among whom diurnal ablution is a 

 religious as well as a moral duty. Girls are taught, at an 

 early age, to turn their arms in a manner which makes 

 them appear dillorted : when the arm is extended, the elbow 

 is inverted, the infide of the joint being prutrud--d, and the 

 external part bending in\vardd. The general difpofition of 

 the Birmans is llrikiiigly contralled with that of the natives 

 of India, from whom they are feparated by a narrow range 

 of mountains, which in many pUces admit of an eafy inter- 

 courfe. Neverthelefs, the phyficil difference between the 

 nations could fcarcely be greater, if they had been fituated 

 at the oppofite extremities of the globe. The Birmans are 

 a lively, inquifitive race, active, irafcible, and impatient. 

 As the paffion of jealoufy feems to have no influence among 

 them, their wives and daughters are not concealed from the 

 fight of men ; and they are allowed as free intercourfe with 

 each other as the rules of European frciety admit ; but ia 

 other refpefts women have jull reafon to complain of their 

 treatment. They are confidered as very inferior and iubor- 

 dinate ; and even the law (lamps a degrading dilliuftion be- 

 tween the fexes ; the evidence of a woman not being received 

 as of equal weight with that of a man, and a woman not 

 being fuffered to afcend the Heps of a court of julliCe, but 

 being obliged to deliver her tedimony on the outfide of tlie 

 roof. The cuftom of felling their daughters, and even their 

 wives, to flrangers, though confined to the lowell c'affes of 

 fociety, and frequently the confeqnence of pecuniary embar- 

 raffmeut, is not regarded as fhameful, nor is the female dif- 

 honoured by it ; and hence it is that women furrender them- 

 felves tlie victims of this barbaroiKS cullom with apparent re- 

 fignation. But no man, who leaves the country, is per- 

 mitted to carry hi? temporary wife along with him. Every 

 attempt of this kind is watched and guarded ; and a fliip, in 

 which any females are conveyed away, can never return to a 

 Birman port but under penalty of coiififcation of the pro- 

 perty, and the inlllttion of a heavy fine and imprifonment on 

 the mailer. Men are allowed to emigrate ; but the expor- 

 tation of women, would, in the opinion of the Birmans, im- 

 poveridi the (late, by diminilhing the fources of its popula- 

 tion. The females, who arc reduced to the neccffity of 

 purfuing a coiirfe of proditution, are not at their own dif- 

 pofal, nor are they allowed to receive the earnings of their 

 unhappy profcfTton. They are flaves fold by creditors to a 

 licenfed pander, for debts more frequently contraflcd by 

 others than themfelves. According to the laws of Pegu, he, 



who 



