246 
JOURNAL OR AN EMBASSY 
lands, of healthier situations, or from mere ca¬ 
price. None of the tribes now described have 
adopted the Budd’hist religion, and they all speak 
dialects, if not languages, distinct from the Bur- 
man. But, perhaps, the most remarkable circum¬ 
stance connected with the existence of these tribes, 
especially of the most considerable of them, is, 
that they do not occupy particular districts or pro¬ 
vinces exclusively, but are scattered all over the 
kingdom, living in the midst of, but not inter¬ 
mixing or associating with the more civilized in- 
habitants. Thus situated, they live under the go¬ 
vernment of their own chiefs, preserving their 
peculiar customs, manners, and language, and ra¬ 
ther paying tribute to, than being under the di¬ 
rect dominion of the Burmans. Under these 
they accept of no public trust, and they refuse to 
perform for them military and all other services. 
The strangers sojourning, or naturalized, in the 
Bur man dominions are, natives of Cassay, Siamese, 
Cochin-Chinese, Chinese, Hindus of Western In¬ 
dia, Mohammedans, and some Christians. The 
natives of Cassay, originally captives, but now ge¬ 
nerally as free as the rest of the inhabitants, form 
a very considerable proportion of the population 
of the capital. They are much employed as 
weavers, blacksmiths, and other artificers, and 
have commonly formed the cavalry of the Bur¬ 
mese armies. The Siamese are, like the Cassays, 
captives, or the descendants of captives. Their 
