152 Dwellings, tvorks of art, laws, Sfc of tie Karens. [No. 3, 



those who have ever maintained their independence; which goes to 

 prove that a bad government is better for a people than no government. 

 Among themselves, every tribe is antagonistic to each other. In 

 the south, where there are Pwos and Sgaus, one fought against the 

 other In the Mergui district, the Pwos are not now more than half 

 as numerous as the Sgaus, but the numbers of the two tribes are said 

 to have been formerly about equal ; the present difference being the 

 result of their wars; and before the English took possession of the 

 country, the Sgaus were preparing for another onslaught on the 



'inToun-oo, the Bghais and Pakus have maintained, from time 

 immemoriaCa relation to each other, much like that of the French 

 and En-lish of past centuries ; regarding each other as natural 

 enemies ; and the Bghais being the most addicted to war, were 

 usually the attacking party ; while the Red Karens in the distance, 

 more powerful than either, looked impartially on both contending 

 parties and plundered each as convenient opportunities offered. 

 While these wars were going on in the east, the Bghais had another 

 enemy to contend with in the Gaikhos, on the north, with whom a 

 petty warfare has been ever maintained. Besides the wars of nations 

 and tribes, each village, being an independent community, had always 

 an old feud to settle with nearly every other village among their own 

 people. But the common danger from more powerful enemies, or 

 having common injuries to requite, often led to several villages uniting 

 together for defence or attack. 



Karen Free Masonry, -There are established forms of making 

 covenants of friendship, by which each party pledges himself to the 

 other to be his friend ; and to aid and support him in all circumstances 

 throughout life. There are three grades. Mghe, Tho, and Do. The 

 strongest, and most sacred is the Do. The obligations of the Tho are 

 less than' those of the Do; and of the Mghe less than the Tho. 



When two persons wish to become related to each other, so as to 

 become Dos ; the one who is at home takes a hog, or a fowl, and 

 cuts off the hog's snout, or the fowl's bill, and rubs the flowing 

 blood on the front of the legs of the other, and sticks on them some 

 of the feathers or down of the fowl. Then they consult the fowl's 

 bones, and if they give a favourable response ; they say ; " We will 



