BURMAH: ITS PEOPLE, CUSTOMS, &C.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2092, 3 December 1885, Page 4

BURMAH: ITS PEOPLE, CUSTOMS, &C.

Tiik following partienlns Jointing to Burmah, :ire taken fiom W heeler V work on that coMiitry, and in piesent eiicumstonces shoul'l piovc of some inteicst : — fiKIM.lt \ I'll V OK UtTltM MI. Burmah is an irregular oblong him: west mid oa*>t between Bcngiland China, and between thi* Bay of Bengal ami the kingdom of Siani *'n the noith it touches iWwra and Thibet. On the south it runt downwards in a long uariow stnp of seaboard, like the tail of .111 animal, and terminates at the Siamese ttontier on the n\er I'ak Chan *v \ \sn l-Kir. Itui inah includi «. Hie \.illcj of the lia Miiddy w huh is «!• staned, at no distant period, to play .is ni)|ioi taut .1 p.ut in the Kustern world as the Valley of the (Jange«. linrm.ih |>ropet or Av:i, comprises only the upper \ alley. The lower \ alley, although intludi d in the general term of Burmah, A better known as Peirii. Ava, or Burin 111 pi or ci, is an ml.md eonntrj entirely <ut olf fiom the sea by the tein'tory of I'egu. It has no outlet to the sea excepting hy the liver litavaddy, which runs through lYgu. antl forms a delta toward-* the (Julf of Martal>nn. In nucicut tinns, and down to the middle of the list century, Ava and I'egn were separated into dilfeicnt kingdoms, and v*«mc often .it wir with each other. Indeed, there wis some olwire aiitacnn ism of iar<\ the people of A\,i l»eing known as Burmans and the people of I'egu asTaliim. Besides Ava and Pegu there are two Ions; ships of coist territory fatine the Bay of Bengal, which are respectively known as Arakan and Tcunisirini: but thty also foimeil indepen dent kingdom*, mid had no political connection with either A\a 01 Pegu until a recent period. Ainkin ions iiorthwatri from the dilla of the lirawaddv touaids the fiontiirof Bengal on the liver Naf. Tuna««ciim rnn>, southward toward* the frontier of Sinin, on the river l'ak Chan. Tenas«eriui is the "temtorial tail" 111dieated in the opening paragraph of the present chapter. ni'UMKSE I'EOpLK The people of Bm mah L clous to the Indo Chun se race, hiving Mongolian features, wnli tolciably j.iir complexions, \ai \ ing from a dusky \ellow to a clear vih tenes-. Thc> aicßuddlu^tsin leligion; conwits from the old Vedic worship of Indrn, ]sr,ilim», and other cods, which nt.il 1 lingcks in the land. They me without caste, without; hereditary tank savin the Royal Family, without nobility s.'m* what is official and peisonal, and without any of the prepidicis winch pre\.iil in India as reganlo eaily n.urriagts and the bcclubion ot fein.il* I>.1 >. 'I In 1 } are a joyous race in companion with the grave and «elf-eonstiained Hiudous, taking phasure in dramatic pci formaiiucs, nimjing, music dancing, bufloonciy, boat racing, and gainbli'i/. They ie\el in shows and processions on gala day, at which young and old of both s-e\cs mingle freely together. They indulge in much mirth and pmctical joking at the water festival and other feasts, whieli have betn handed down fiom the old Nature worship of Vcdir times. They are imbued with military sentiments skin to those of li.ijp.its, and leave all menial appointments to sla\es and c.iptnei. LIKh ANU .MAS\KK->. Hurmah us a Imd of sun and 1 am. Time ate no cold blasts fiom the Himalayas like those which t,wetp o\er Hindos'an during the winter season ; and the sou th west mon*oon, which begins early in May and lasts till September, empties it* tortents on the soil far more abundantly than on tlio plains of Indn The \illagfs 01c geneially on the banks of the iiverc '1 hey consist of wooden huw built on pilrs, so ns to be raistd »bo\c the floodidnrmf? the rainy B»aoon The ordmuiy \illogcia seem to saunter through life, caring only for their cattle And luirwsr*, their field 4, fiaheiits, and fruit trees ; know ing nothing of th. >mt(i world and caring for nothing exicpta^ regaids famoiM pagoda s or lenowned phees of pilt'iunige. All ital Inisine-s is gnu rally tian-utcd by wives and daughteix, who attmd to the caies of the lioiim holil, an. l oftui eu ry on a tralhc in the ba/ur, ami aie nwt exemplary in the diHCiiaige of their religions duties. HI I>DMIST M(»KS, MO.NA.STKKIKS, \M> »( 1 1 OOI^. 11l e\cry village throughout Bin mah theie is at least one Buddhist mona^tcr} built of wood or brick with a -9t pa rate building for a monasti 1 y bchool. Then are no indowmi nts of money 01 !an<l of any soit or kind Kvery moinmg the monks go their rounds through the \il Inge, clad in yellow robis, and cairymg bowls to receive the alms of the \illagers in cooked food, aftei the manner of (iolainn Buddha and Ins di^cipl's. The daily alms aio never wanting, tor eveiy Bui mi se mm and woman h imbued with the faith that, by such acts of benevolence and loving kindfuvi, they scenic a higher and better life in the next exis teiice 111 the chain of transmigiations WJicn the monks return to tlio monasteiy they take their bieakfast, which with them is the chief if not the only meal of tin; day. Tucjounger monks Hun en gige in reading, wiiting and arithmetic to a daily gathennil of v illaur boj 8 : ■whilst the older monks arc teaching the saend language of Pali to inoie advanced iieoohytes, 01 Hludying Pali scnptnics, or pondering over the mystcrifn of life and transiiiigiation of the soul. MABIirAI.E IVSTITI'TIOSM. There is one institution in Burmah mliv.li leveaU the maiked contiast between Hindoos and Burmese. In India marriages are conti acted by the pnrentH between boys and girls of a tender ngf, when tlio children themselves have no voice m the matter. In Burmah marriages aie brought about by mutual liking, which is developed by an innocent custom of putoral simplicity. The interval between Kiiniet nnd rotiiing to lest is known as courting time. Any Aoung daughter of a house who U desirous of receiving \isitors attirea her■elf in her best, adoi us her hair, takes a seit on a mat, and places a lamp in her Mindovv ns a hint that she is at home. Meantime all the young men in the village an ay themselves in like manner, and passes tlio houis of courting tiinein a round of visits, at which thcic is miirh talking and laughing. Sometimes the hour may be a little late ; sometimes thrre may boa little quarrelling between iealous nvala ; but as a rule the paity breaks up at a xuitablo tiire without any serious incident to mar the pieavuc of the evening. In this way young men and maidens meet and exchange thnii lentiments in a perfectly innocent and

natuiiil milliner, until pnitniTK mv selected for life, inai ti.ige.* me <<le l>i<itiil, and fioin thru the courting time IS 0\ 01 . DhM'OTIC TYK\NNY AND I> \ WV H I. WARS. Tliih tidily favoured cour.ti j hns I een f'Miovd fi uin .1 letrote |»t.*i i r >il to uilil opp't'NSKinp mill tlooilv. \\.i»« It va lanciii.tlv puiulnl out. like Inclii. among-t |>i tty kk 1 1 > i; ~ , w 'io w iged 11 1 • <| en» u.n >mii,u li ot lit i Tlnii' w.is Li'ti tint in.ihv bttwe n t f in ]{iiiiii>si< p< ople o' V \ si. o I tlii' r p| it I \ I !li \ of tin 111 1 Iduaddy, .i.m! the 'Inl.iius of I'igi in the IoWCI ValliV Otll t k'llgs W .11 1 111 .igunst i-nch ntliii in 111*. t* in.imu i . whilst t-v ( l ;iml ,111011 ,111 imiiliiij ,uiu\ fiom China and Sinn <«ipt run th« whole (onntiy .tu>l il lujrid tin 1 I.imil \Mtll lil'iOil Sometime* theie Mm 1 in -.uiri'ct ons iiinlfi a iel>< 1 pi'iiee 01 v!n<» mat.c monk, fol'owtd b\ sick md nus«acte without a pit.illil in p-coided Indtoiy. 1 M-i'pt nnion^ Tutu Niti»i-s Pi) tins il.iy tin' wliolr 11 yon of I't-yii ami A\.i la.ns the nuiik of those ili-spn l.itm<* uontcst^ ; anil xa^t tiaots of ciiltiv.ilili 1 l.mils In- uttcily waste from shooi w nit of population. Tin- tii it Hiirinise war to k place in t S'J 1 , tlirotcusion lieiti^j an insolt-nt <lein.uul on the; p irt of the l»utin n "i< < to haxegtwn hj> some fiti;iti\ca who, In ing rngnged in an unsuccessful revolt ng limt Bnrnipse authority, had taUon jffngc in Rnti&li India Tins w.n 1 exulted in the annevation of AraUan and Trnasscrxan. Ol'l'Kl sMON Ol ItKITISII sriITHTS AT KWI.IHIN. In 1851 the European ineiehants at Rangoon laid tlmr complaints before the Bntfli (fi)vernmcnt. at Calcutta. En^h^h sc 1 cMptdins liad hecn cond*'innc<l on false clungcs to pay heny lines, .uid weic tlitn biil*|ectt.d to inipri-onincnt and insult. lit itisli inercliants, who had licin In ini,' at R'liiL'oon nndiT pro\t«<ions of the ticaty of Vfiiuloibo, wuie driven to d<*tl.nc that unless they they protected liv tluir own <!o\ eminent they must ahnudou tlini piooucy and leave Hurtue>e tcrtitoiy. Thii conduct w,i< .1 breach of a ticaty liy w liitli both the Hntiili ami lliiumsc Com 11111K nt v\eie pledged to aftoid pto faction Hid s< unity to all merchant* traiding to tin 11 ii'-pectne poits or re aiding within then ic-pc-tnc ti nitoriu*. It was cihsolutely necceS'sai y, tlierefote, to declate w.ir, as all attempts to secure tieaty ol)Fervani-es were met hy deceit and treated with contempt. The result was tJiat in l!C>.l R ingoon v\ is eaptuied, and afterwaids liuss-tun and l'rotne Having thus Income masters of IV#u it was dei-idi d to annex it to the Uiitish Kmpiri*, leiving the King in possession of Uppi r I>ui m.ili. l'KOsl'Ull IV HI |JKITI>II I 1,!I 1 ,! KMKII The same fidniinistrath r 1 han^es were ciiined out at IVgu .is had hci-n b.-^un in the rnuj.ib, lint with limited re-.oniees md on a !e*9 bnlliant <*cile. M.i]or (the piesent Sii Aitlinr) I'll 1 vie, was aj> pointed Commi-sioner of Pe^n, and introduced Bntish adiniiiistiation with a strong Mib-itintuin of lJnnnuse othcials With the assistance of r.iptain, now General Kytclic, and other distitiguishvd oih'ceis, Miijor I'li.tyre «ncceoded in eleiring the neu pioviuce of tobherb .\m\ outlaws and estal'lishini; older and law. Ultimately in ).Sli2 the three tenitoms ot AiiiLtn, IVgu and Tems^enin were for.ntd into tiie province of Hntish liurnmli, with Mijor I'hajic ns Chief Coin-iiu-sioii' 1. I'lie conseiiuence has been that Hiiti'h Hurmah not only jays the whole evpciisc ot the local adniinistiation, but contiihutes a I.ngc yearly surplus to the Impel ial tieisury. .Since 15.")2 the populatio 1 of R ingoon alone has increased tenfold, aid promise-i to I ecome another Calcutta ; and when the population of IVgu hns in<-iej«ed in a like latio, the pi ounce will prove as piodnrtive as Iseiig.il Alieady the Inawiddy is beginning to poui down as much wealth to the <.f.i ,is the (J.uijjcs and Jumna be fore the intioduction of the railways; and within anotlier gent lafion, when existing oljhtruction* ,11 c i (.-moved, new fields of <ominttc-e will l>u opened out in Western (Jhina, ami le-store the tabled glones of the Golden Chtrsone.se 111 the Maliacca Peninsula. Should the ilfjiaitinent of IJtitNh India ever be conterminous with l'ei.sia, Knsbia and China, new inaikets will be opened to Uiitish manufactuies, of which the present geneiation can form no conception, w Inlst the lcsourcea of the new conntnes, which at present are undeveloped, will seive to eniich half Asia.

Tkn yeais ago nobody could upend a sinuinci night at the Poutane, on the hank of the Tiber, thiee miles bclou the city of Roii'p, without imminent danger of bring attacked by the \\or-»t foim of Roman miliiinm fe\oi, and consequently the few labouiers went to the p! ice in the morning and I* ft befow Mimet. Now :i.">o poisons «tny thcic constantly and all are in good health The improvement in tin* sanitary condition of the place is mainly, if iiofc e\clusi\elv. dtio to the growth of a groxe of 123,000 eucalyptus trees. Fram'K has just had one of its periodical spy acarei A Be) fort journal status that two elderly and two young gentlemen who were lately walking on the fortifications were challenged by a sentiy and a-ked what they wanted l'hev asked the \\ ;i y to Siiint Maurice, but the -rhtiy olwr\ed that instiad of ijoiiij; in that dncction they closely inspected tin 1 foi titlcations ; and lie who understood fienn.in. luurd one of them j .iy, •' Hue would he a good spot for .in a<nauH. " He loinmuniuited witli the ' commandant of the foit. who sent older* to airt">t them They tut nod out to be a Pinssian genei.il fmm Mulhouae, his aide de camp, and his two sons. Tliev were searched, and maps wore found upon tliem Inashoitii ttlegram from a suptiior authority pa mo in those woids — "Conduct the pn*oner to the fiontier. " A< 11 < 1«»i!i»is<:1 «»i!i»is<: to a. Sin Francisco paper, the gnat glaoiei of Ala&k.i is moving at the rate of a nnlo per annuir. The ft out pies-ents a w"»ll of ice 500 ft in thickness ; its breadth \aiies fiom three to ten miles, and its length is about l.~>o mile*. Almost every quaiter of an houi hundreds of tons in large blocks f.ill into tlie sea, which they agitate in the most \iolent manner. The waves are said to be such that they toss about the largest vessels \\ hieh appiOrU.li the glacier a.s if they weie small boats. The ice is extremely pure and daz/ling to the eye ; it has tints of tho lightest blue as well as of the deepest iiuliiio. The top is very rough and broken, forming,' small hills, and even I'h.iins of mountains, in miniature. This immense mass of ire, aaid to be mon* than an avei.ige of 1000 ft thick, advances daily towards the sia. Si ii id i: in Natckk, — Early in December, KS7!', an nppare'it epidemic of suicide attacked the hen ings and sprats in Deal Roads, and they lushed ashoie in such myiiads at Walmer that the fishermen got tned in eaiting tliem off, and they wero left on the bpach for all who cared to help themselves. N.ituie seems now and then to put hounds to over population, but, if this be the case, no herrin/j famines need he feaicd, for economical Nature would never have played into the hands of the (isheimen who aie always at war with her. Such wholesale suicides omir among other forms of pnimal life. In Afiica'regiments of rats have been seen deh> eiately marching into streams, whole tliey were immediately devouied by fish. Rats Ii ivc migrated in myriads, stopping nowhere either day nor night, and Invp been prejed upon by both laige birds and heists of prey. In the Seychelles some ) ears ago several hundred tin tit? conspired to <lie together on the island in front of the hathoui, and earned out tlieir di oi^ion. Were they the victims of \\\ diophobia, deliiiutn treinens, or some other dr<easr ? K\en the gay and spiightly butterfly has been known to migrate in immense clonds from the land stiaight out to sea, without the reino'ct chance of ever reaching another slur-'. What conld be the reason for such a suicidal act ?

The Bad and Worthless are luucr imitutol or co-ntttiftitnl. Thif» if? f.pi'cMl'y true of a fiuinly meriiuinr, ant' it ih (KMitivn proof tliut tin- remedy •Hht'itttt is of the highest \nln«\ As goon a* it had h- en tested nml pro\nl by the whole wot Id tint Hop Bifteis was thr purest, best .mil the most \alnihle family in (1 cine on cuth, many imitations piiinj.' up and In gin to steal tin- noticts in wlirli tli» pnf.l and fh* 1 proplc of the d'liiti v had i'\|trt»sserl the inn its of 11. 15. nid in «'\(>ry nay tr} mi? to induce induing in\;ilii];i to uae tlicii stuff in--.tuid, txpciting to mnkf money on the cndit and good name of 11 B. Many others started noa tiiim^ put up in similar style to H 1) , with \anon-.ly de\ i-ed names in \Miidi the »oid " Hop" or " Hops" were umil in a way to indiiui 1 people to lielicve M» v Mcie tin 1 as Hop Hitters. All suh pi etended remedies oi curt'R, no niithi whattlicu stjleor name is and especially t'lose with the word " Hop" or 1 Hops'' in then name or in any way con !!••( t> <1 with tlifm or tluir name, are imititions or counterfeits. Beware of them, louch none of them. Uae no thins; but genuine American Hop Uitteis, « it.li a cluster of green Hopa on the white label, and Dr Soule'a name blown in the jjhss. Triifit nothing else. Druggists and Chemists are warned aui.n&t dealing in imitations or counterfeits.

RhhKKKiM! to the mnrringe of the li inccss Beatrice, the St James Budget "aid :— "Just in time to reach Obsorne before the bridal party started for the church several solemn Highlanders set out from Bilmotal in charge of a precious parcel. They hastened with it to Oiborne House, and it passed not out of their lueping for a moment until they placed it in Royal hands. The Highlanders love their Queen not less than she loves them, and tin y w lohed to do her youngest daughter a high honour. There \*tis a piofession of flowers at Oiborne, hut this Highland gift was the bouquet which the bride carried to church. As they say in the country wht re it was gathered, she "was in ir ieil in it." H.ippy is the in.iriicd life of li i who ue.ws the white heather at her weddins;; and the most conspicuous flower in the Highland bou jut t v.is a '■prig of it plutkul from the hills about Balmoral. If this honquct hid not arrived in time, the Arehlmhop of Canterbury must have waited for it. White heathei is L'lineess Beatrice's " Luck, ' and it was indisp'msablf for her to hold it during the ceremony/^