TO THE COURT OF AY A. 
273 
A great number of state equipages, that is to 
say of palanquins, were waiting at the gate, and 
with them the ladies’ female attendants, scarce- 
ly any of whom were admitted into the palace. 
These were all in dresses of ceremony for the 
occasion, and accommodated under temporary 
sheds thrown up for their reception. Some of 
the gentlemen who stayed longer than myself, 
saw a number of the ladies themselves coming 
out in their court-dresses ; the most remarkable 
part of which is a kind of coronet of gold and 
black velvet. In all this, every thing was pub¬ 
lic and open. The ladies wore no veils, and, 
in short, no attempt was made at concealment 
in any way—a circumstance in the manners of 
the Burmans which distinguishes them in a re¬ 
markable manner from the nations of Western 
India, but in which they agree with the Sia¬ 
mese, and in a good measure with the Cochin 
Chinese also. I am not sure, after all, that the 
Burmese ladies gain much by this freedom, for 
I strongly suspect that the sex is upon the 
whole treated with less delicacy and considera¬ 
tion than in Mohammedan and Hindu coun¬ 
tries, where the most absolute seclusion is in¬ 
sisted upon. 
Oct. 25.—Our public visits were nearly com¬ 
pleted this morning, by our introduction to the 
VOL. I. T 
