TO THE COURT OF AVA. 
237 
of houses to 132,000. There is another element, 
however, to be taken into the calculation. The 
Burmese, for the express purpose of evading such 
a tax as this, often run two or even three houses 
into one. According to the Burmans, each house 
is reckoned at seven inhabitants ; but if we add to 
these, priests and public functionaries, making, at 
the same time, some allowance for houses omitted, 
for the reason just mentioned, the number will 
probably not be over-rated at twelve, which will 
give a population of 1,584,000. To complete the 
population of the kingdom, it would be necessary 
to add the inhabitants of the tributary States—the 
Karyens, the Kyens, and other wild or unsettled 
races. We have, however, in this statement, the 
effectual strength of the population; the most 
civilized, and also the most numerous class of the 
inhabitants. The number of Karyens and Kyens 
in the province of Bassein, has been estimated, 
from the Burmese records, at 40,600. Were 
there, therefore, a similar proportion of the wild 
races throughout the rest of the empire, their 
total number would amount, in round numbers, 
to 830,000. This, added to the last result, would 
give a total population, exclusive of tributaries, of 
little short of 2,414,000. 
In the Journal, I have attempted to estimate 
the population from the quantity of petroleum 
which is consumed ; this article, wherever pro¬ 
curable, being universally used by all classes for 
