Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

apparent refignation. It is also faid that they are very seldom unfaithful to their foreign masters, indeed they are often effentially ufeful, particularly to thofe who trade, by keeping their accounts and tranfacting their business: but when a man departs from the country, he is not suffered to carry his temporary wife along with him; on that point the law is exceedingly rigorous: every fhip, before the receives her clearance, is diligently fearched by the officers of the custom-house: even if their vigilance were to be eluded, the woman would be quickly missed; and it would be foon discovered in what vessel she had gone, nor could that ship ever return to a Birman port but under penalty of confifcation of the property, and the infliction of a heavy fine and imprisonment on the master: female children alfo, born of a Birman mother, are not suffered to be taken away. Men are permitted to emigrate; but they think that the expatriation of women would impoverish the ftate, by diminishing the fources of its population.' P. 328.

The Birman ladies, like Penelope, ply the loom, and the mild active benevolence of the men, while at home, gives way, during a foreign invafion, to every ferocious paffion: as invaders, defolation marks their track, and they fpare neither age nor fex.' It is fingular, that the fymbol of their nation is a goofe. Elephants are numerous, but the jackall, though frequent in the neighbouring countries, is unknown in the Birman empire.

The divifion of the year is not very accurate in this country; and the emperor, who seems one of the first astronomers in it, is fo well aware of the deficiency, that he has requested the affiftance of an astronomical bramin from Bengal. The Pali is their facred text, not very distant in its nature and appearance from the Sanferit Birman, and the character is the round Nagari. The Pali, like that of the Sanferit, and all other ancient characters, reprefents the letter in relief. The account of the mufic and poetry of the Birmans we cannot abridge. Dr. Buchanan's geographical information we shall felect.

• It appears "that the Arracan river is not fo confiderable as what has been fuppofed, but takes its rife in hills at no great distance to the north.

"That the river coming from Thibet, which is supposed to be that of Arracan, is in fact the Keenduem, or the great weftern branch of the Ava river.

"That what is fuppofed to be the western branch of the Irrawaddy, is in fact the eastern one, which paffes by. Ava, and runs to the north, keeping weft from the province of Yunan, and leaving between it and that part of China a country fubject to the Bir

mans.

"That the Loukiang, which is fuppofed to be the great branch

of the Irrawaddy, has no communication with that river; but on entering the Birman dominions affumes the name of Thaluayn, or: Thanluayn, and falls into the fea at Martaban.

"That the river of Pegue, which is supposed to come from China, rifes among hills about 100 miles from the fea, and which form the boundary between the Birman and Pegue kingdoms.

"That between the Pegue and Martaban rivers there is a lake, from which two rivers proceed: the one runs north to Old Ava, where it joins the Myoungnya, or Little River of Ava, which comes from mountains on the frontiers of China; the other river ruus fouth from the lake to the fea, and is the Sitang river in the map. "That the rivers of China, which are fuppofed to be the heads of the Pegue river, are thofe of the river of Siam.

"That the rivers of Siam and Cambodia communicate by a very confiderable branch, called the Annan." P. 341.

The general character of the Birmans difplays benevolence and liberality: it was only in his public fituation that major Symes could complain of the refined infults, which we have noticed. He vifited the king and the princes, his fons, who were governors of different provinces, and in each vifit found omiffions, which a people fo punctilious as the Birmans would not have made, except from defign. Thefe ceremonies are too tedious for an extract, and with the defcriptions of the palace, the kioums (monafteries), the feredaw (chief priest), can only be perufed with fatisfaction in the author's own language. The palace and the kioums are particularly fplendid, from the quantity of gold profufely fpread over every part. The libraries confift of numerous chefts, in which the works are arranged with great regularity, the contents being marked in gold letters on the head of each cheft. Some of thefe are written on thin fheets of ivory; and there are various works in the ancient Pali, the religious text and language of the fhepherd race.

In confequence of major Symes' very calm and temperate remonftrance, he is at laft admitted to an audience of the king; for on his former vifit the monarch did not appear. His embaffy had a fortunate termination, and a commercial connection of a very advantageous kind was eftablished. The account of his audience we must not omit.

'On entering the gate, we perceived the royal faloon of ceremony in front of us, and the court assembled in all the parade of pomp and decoration. It was an open hall, fupported by colonnades of pillars, twenty in length, and only four in depth: we were conducted into it by a flight of steps, and advancing, took our places next the space oppofite to the throne, which is always left vacant, as being in full view of his majefty. On our entrance, the basement of the throne, as at the Lotoo, was alone vifible,

"

which we judged to be about five feet high; folding-doors fcreened the feat from our view. The throne, called yazapalay, was richly gilded and carved; on each fide a finall gallery, inclofed by a gilt baluftrade, extended a few feet to the right and left, containing four umbrellas of ftate; and on two tables, at the foot of the throne, were placed feveral large vessels of gold, of various forms and for different purpofes: immediately over the throne, a fplendid piafath rofe in feven stages above the roofs of the building, crowned by a tee, or umbrella, from which a spiral rod was elevated above the whole.

• We had been feated a little more than a quarter of an hour, wher the folding-doors that concealed the feat, opened with a loud noife, and difcovered his majefty afcending a flight of fteps, that led up to the throne from the inner apartment; he advanced but flowly, and feemed not to poffefs a free use of his limbs, being obliged to fupport himself with his hands on the balustrade. I was informed, however, that this appearance of weakness did not proceed from any bodily infirmity, but from the weight of the regal habiliments in which he was clad; and if what we were told was true, that he carried on his drefs fifteen vifs, upwards of fifty pounds avoirdupois of gok!, his difficulty of afcent was not furprifing. On reaching the top he stood for a minute, as though to take breath, and then fat down on an embroidered cushion, with his legs inverted.. His crown was a high conical cap, richly ftudded with precious ftones; his fingers were covered with rings, and in his dress he bore the appearance of a man, cafed in golden armour, whilft a gilded, or probably a golden, wing on each fhoulder, did not add much lightness to his figure. His looks denoted him to be between fifty and fixty years old, of a strong make, in ftature rather beneath a middle height, with hard features, and of a dark complexion; yet the expreffion of his countenance was not unpleafing, and feemed, I thought, to indicate an intelligent and inquiring mind.

On the first appearance of his majetty, all the courtiers bent their bodies, and held their hands joined in an attitude of fupplication. Nothing farther was required of us than to lean a little for ward, and to turn in our legs as much as we could; not any act being fo unpolite, or contrary to etiquette, as to prefent the foles of the feet towards the face of a dignified perfon. Four bramins, dressed in white caps and gowns, chanted the ufual prayer at the foot of the throne: a nakhaan then advanced into the vacant space before the king, and recited, in a mufical cadence, the name of cach perfon who was to be introduced on that day, and the prefent of which, in the character of a fuppliant, he entreated his majesty's acceptance. My offering confifted of two pieces of Benares gold brocade; doctor Buchanan and Mr. Wood each prefented one. When our names were mentioned, we were feparately defired to take a few grains of rice in our hands, and, joining them, to bow to the king as low as we conveniently could, with which we im

mediately complied. When this ceremony was finished, the king uttered a few indiftinct words, to convey, as I was informed, an order for investing fome perfons prefent with the infignia of a certain degree of nobility: the imperial mandate was inftantly proclaimed aloud by heralds in the court. His majefty remained only a few minutes longer, and during that time he looked at us attentively, but did not honour us with any verbal notice, or speak at all, except to give the order before mentioned. When he rose to depart, he manifefted the fame figns of infirmity as on his entrance; after he had withdrawn, the folding-doors were closed, and the court broke up.' P. 412.

The embassador returned down the Irrawaddy, laden with prefents, equally in confequence of Birman kindnefs and Birman pride, which would accept of nothing without beftowing an equivalent. Among the prefents were fome Birman horfes, which are reprefented as fmall, but beautiful, and, with their affiftance, he could occafionally extend his limited fphere of obfervation. He faw the country fertile; the people induftrious, and apparently happy. Numerous temples occurred in their way, in one of which was a coloffal reprefentation of their deity, being twenty-four feet from its head to the pedeftal on which it fat, with proportional bulk. This was faid to be made of a fingle block of marble, an affertion which the minuteft obfervation could not difprove, though the difficulty of moving fuch an immenfe mafs muft excite aftonishment. The temple was evidently built over the ftatue. It was remarkable, that the images of the deity, brought from Arra can, were conftantly made of brafs.

The wells of Petroleum, which our travellers observed in their journey, are a fingular curiofity, but the description is not very important. The country around was flinty and barren; the oil was conveyed in earthen jars, which were often broken, from the fhocks received in a very uneven road. Two or three hundred pots of oil coft on the spot about half a crown. The depth of the wells was thirty-feven fathom, and it was reckoned a tolerably productive depth when the oil reached to a man's waift. We fufpect, in this estimation, a proportion of water must be included. The defcription of the Kayn, or mountaineers, inhabitants of the mountains on the eaft of Arracan, is very fingular, The faces of the women only are tattooed in concentric circles. Their manners are fimple, and their minds uninformed: they believe in the tranfmigration of fouls, and have no idea of either future rewards or punishments.

Major Symes' reflections on the importance of establishing a friendly connection with the Birman empire, and of the nature of the commerce which it will be expedient to carry on,

are liberal and enlightened. Timber is the most indifpenfable article, but he thinks it highly inexpedient to encourage fhipbuilding in thefe eaftern harbours. In this laft refpect we cannot fully acquiefce in his conclufion, but muft acknowledge our inability to judge of his arguments with precifion. The numerous harbours of this empire must be of the highest importance to our Eaft Indian marine. The Birmans are very fond of chefs; but their game differs, in fome respects, from ours, as in all the oriental practice they have no piece whofe movements are fo uncontrolled as thofe of our queen. The queen, in the eaftern game, is the vifier.

Of the rarer plants collected by Dr. Buchanan, fir Jofeph Banks has felected the following, of which plates, with a defcription, are annexed, viz. thalia cannæformis; gardenia coronaria; pontederia dilatata; bauhinia diphylla; fonneratia apetala; epidendrum moschatum; agyneia coccinea; and heritiera fomes. The first only feems to have been known to the European botanifts. The Appendix contains major Symes' letters, with the Birman monarch's proclamation, &c. in more than the diffufe ftyle of eaftern exaggeration and amplifi

cation...

[ocr errors]

The plates of the work are numerous, and the objects well chofen. They are faid to be very faithful and accurate reprefentations, often perfonal likenelles, and are executed with great neatness and precision. The mode of catching the wild elephants, from a drawing fent by the king; the view of the imperial court, with the ceremony of introduction; the reprefentations of the kiou, and the golden boat, are the most fplendid; though thofe of the different races and characters, in their appropriate dreffes, were to us most interesting. After the long account we have given of this work, we need not fay that it has highly pleafed and interested us; nor will our readers probably think a detail fo curious and instructive unneceffarily protracted. On the contrary, it may lead them to extend their gratification farther, by a perusal of the whole.

Medicina Nautica: An Effay on the Difeafes of Seamen. With an Appendix, containing Communications on the new Doctrine of Contagion and Yellow Fever, by American Phyficians; tranfmitted to the Admiralty by Sir John Temple, Bart. his Majefty's Conful-General. By Thomas Trotter, M. D. Phyfician to his Majefty's Fleet. Vol. II. 8vo. 7s. Boards, Longman and Rees. 1799.

WE fpoke with approbation of the first volume of this work, in our XXlft Vol. N. A. p. 386, and can cheerfully add

« ZurückWeiter »