8 
JOURNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
the population, in 1825, gave 46,000 houses or 
families. It is usual, however, for the Wuns, or 
heads of districts, to give in the census at con¬ 
siderably less than its real amount; and this de¬ 
ficiency is commonly estimated at a tithe, which 
would raise the actual number of families to 
50,600. According to the Burman estimate, each 
family is reckoned at seven individuals, which 
would give a total population of 354,200.* This 
is at the rate of about 692 souls for each village 
or subdivision, and of 1229 to the square mile,—a 
very trifling population, when it is considered that 
three towns and the best cultivated portions of the 
empire are included in the enumeration. These 
statements respecting the extent and population 
of the capital, were furnished to me by a person 
wdio had actually perused the public registers, 
which are kept by one of the Atwenwuns, or 
privy counsellors, charged with this particular de¬ 
partment ; and the certain inference to be drawn 
from them is, that the total population of the 
whole kingdom must be very trifling, and its 
amount in all former accounts greatly exagge¬ 
rated. All this will appear the more probable, 
w T hen it is considered that the inhabitants of the 
capital enjoy, as will afterwards be explained, pe- 
* The Myowun of Sagaing informed me in conversation, that 
the number of houses or families in the town and district con¬ 
stituting his jurisdiction was 16,000, and the number of vil¬ 
lages about 150,—a statement which may be considered as a cor¬ 
roboration of that given in the text. 
