THE BURMESE ARMY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2091, 1 December 1885, Page 4

THE BURMESE ARMY.

rut, "Burmese ai my is not thought veiy much of, even by the most patriotic Bui man who has aeeu soldiers in other paits of the world. Malignant people (fc.iya a concern porary) call it a rabble ; more smooth-tongued and favourably disposed cutiua aie fain to acknowledge that it is (Uiicicnt in discipline. In physique and coinage the men are formidable enough, but flintlocks and long Knhelds do not avail much against the bieechloader, and when complete inability to manoeuvre is added to this, it is evident that e\eu in jungle warfare, except against an equally ill armed foe, King Theebaw'b foicea would make but a soiry show. The commanding officer comes at the head of his legiment preceded by 20 pages e.iirying doublebai relied smooth bores in red cloth covers. These pages are all diessed .dike, accoiding to the individual taste of the commander, in uniform tuibans, tunic, and pasoh. The maiines aic the strongest in number, and far an ay the best in dull; the are quite 1000 stion£». Between legimonts came four cannon pulled by men, and with little peinons stuck m touch holes. Two gunners accompany each four pounder, one caiiymg a galvanised bucket and the other ,\ big cannister, intended for shot and ponder, but singulaily unfitted for such m.iteual on a campagin. Spongeis and rammers are wanting, and the men whodiaw the pieces arc the bomb.ud diers. After the iufautiy, at an interval of 200 yuuls, conic two lcgiments of cavahy, numbering about 500 lances in all. They wear helmet* of Grecian pattern, but otherwise aie. in the national dress. The second of the two is the celebiated " Kathay Horse," who have won in English bookb on Uurnitih a fame unknown m their own country. Tliey aie dressed in Fiench grey jackets and ted pn^ohs, and look very well : but their mounts are very poor for a country where ponies aie so plentiful, and where it is so easy for the commander to command their excellence. The saddles have long flaps or wings hanging down in front to niotect the rider-*' baie leg-, when riding through underwood, but it is so long since they have been in the jungle that the flaps are now more of a decoration than a necessity. Cavalry is an arm of the sen ice of little use in a country like Burmah, but with their long slender lances and splendid trappings they make a fine show, and not veiy much more can be said foi the infantiy — not so much in some cases. The lancers are followed by the coinmi°sariat and control departments, a rabble of men carrying pots and pans and tolls of bamboo matting, and boxes intended for ammunition, but containing nono, and huge wicker baskets, besides a lot of other baggage which may be useful, but does not look like it. There nre 000 or 000 of these men, guarded by a handful of dab and speaistncn. In their wake follows the aitillery cotps : first 30 or i 2 poundeis, similar to those between the different regiments, and with the same complement of men to each gun, and the same appliances. Then the elephant batteiy, each elephant with two jingals mounted on the howdah. These jingals, throwing a lib or , ! lb ball, with their long pointed tails and muzzles pointed to the skies, look very much like telescopes from a di&tancc. In actual warfare they would probably do nothing beyond scaring the elephant. Besides the mahout, each elephant cairies a man to manage the gunB. Fifty of them are loaded with this mosquito artilleiy, and behind them come 50 more with nothing on them but the mahout. Many of them are most magnificent tuskeis, and they constitute the mobt \ahiable part of his Majesty's army. Behind the elephants come the heavier guns, diawn by buffaloes, but they aie apt to stick in the heavy, unmade roads, and the buffaloes themselves are not easy brutes to manage, especially on a warm day, when their skins begin to crack. This battery, there, fore, usually goes but a short distance. These heavy guns are mostly veiy ancient ship guns of l'oitugese, Dutch, French, and Aclnnese make, and would be considered valuable in an English museum. They are innocent of any attempt to kill anyone, unless it be the fireis.

In Paiia si\ty-eight cluuchca own uoiks of ait winth iJ.'J2O,OOO. " W \i i nt, can you bring mo a nico > oung chicken, smothered in onions *'' " Ko, '.ah. AVo doesn't kill 'cm dat way, sah. We cuts off d'er heath." A VierOHMN.State school teacher can "ing a comic song, dance a hornpipe, 01 play a gape of " Napoleon "' in Ins school ; the one thing he must 110 do is to sing a hymn or pray. Americans manage to invent odd expressions. A young American lady was at a London ball. Dancing heated her. " I feel a little dewy." uhc said to her paitncr, sis she wiped the perspiration from her brow. To render shingles incombustible and preserve then 1 against decay, boil thorn in a solution of lOlbs salt and 201bs lime in 2">o gallons of water. Shingles treated in this manner have been tested severely and found to resist fire. "If you should allow me SI 1 per week on which to run the house," she said, as they •Kit together in tho twilight, "and T-.a\ed $3 per week out of that, what would you say?" "Say? Why I'd say you ought to run it on 'loven !"' he growled as he lighted tho gas.

The Bad and Worthless are never innlaitd or countofutril. This is especially true of a family medioinc, and it is positive proof that the remedy imitated is of the highest \alue. As soon us it had been tested and proved by the whole world that Hop Bitters -was the purest, best and the most valuable family medicine on earth, many imitations sprung up and began to steal tho notices in which the press and the people of thu country had expressed the niciit-, of 11. 8., aiid in every way trying to induce suffering invalids to use their stuff instead, expecting to make money or, the credit and good namo of H. B. Many others started uos trams put up in similar felylc to H. 8., with variously devised names in which the word " Hop"or " Hop-," weie uted in a way to induce people to behove they were the same as Hop Bitters. All such pretended remedies or ernes, no matter what their style or name is and especially those with the wonl "Hop" or " Hops" in their name or in any way connected with them or their name, are imitations or counterfeits. Beware of Micm. 'I ouch none of them. Use nothing but genuine American Hop Bittcis, j with a cluster of green Hops on the white label, and l3r Soule's name blown in the glass. Trust nothing else. Druggists and Chemists are warned against dealing in imitations or counterfeits,