owners* they are servants of the public* pommon scavengers; they gounder
the^hGUseS^aBdidevourit&hkk^TheBfrmansj.aretakQfendi.of dogs,
numbers of which infest the. streets; ;,the::breed is, small., and extremely
noisy^v.w-heheYer we walked.outy the. inhabitants, were apprized of ©ur.
approach by the loud barMng-.o£th^e4rdobfesbnmie®rs,;
I was- -honoured «occasionally with visits from Jalkthe men of ;o|Bf iaL
consequence-in Rangoon* but • although they paid me this, complimentj,the
greatest formality asd eaution were still preserved in their deportment and
langUa^e-it Baba-Sheen was the only person with whom we held, familiar
intercourse, -and through him every attention was paid to our wants. .From
this conduct, however, 1 judged it prudent to suspend the astronomical
observations .which Mr. Wood was desirous to make, and.'.oofoto cmpfoy
my draftsman until a longer acquaintance had removed their-.suspiGions, ;
- Amongst the foreigners who-cnme to pay Iihs«g fespegtsjiG jljgJEnghsh
gentlemen, was an Italian missionary, named KiaccntiusjJpaBgawSiPsjHhd
had been deputed to this country about twenty years before, by the Society.
de propaganda: he seemed a very respectable, and intelligent man,
spoke and wrote the Birman language fluently, and was,held in high.estir
mation.by the natives for his exemplary life- andjmpffensive manners. His
congregation! consisted, of the descendants of former Portugueze colo-;
nists, who, though numerous, are in general very poor ; | they, however,
had erected: a meat, chapel, and purchased for their pastor a piece of
ground a mile from the town, on which a neat comfortable dwelling was
built, and a gardens inclosed. He is indebted for his subsistence to
voluntary ..contributions., of his flock; in return for their charity he educates
their children, instructs them j in the tenets of the Romish faith, and
performs mass twice a day a t the chapel.
From this1 reverend'father •I’lrfeEsivbd,much useful' wfoiimatiomqhhe told
me ^f^slngufla#1 description'of peoplejealledfCamymess.ji-;Ojfc.@^iyrfel'ferthat
inhabit lvdififefent piartsiGStthe country,«particularly preypiees,
of Dalla arid-»Bhssien^se^Krailtsocietie& of whopr' algctcdwell ip the .districts,
adjacent"'to Rangoon/.'5 He iiiepre^ented1' them as,ja^ , race,
speaking*» 'langdhg# dlstinotj-from ithah afofche Rijpi»ns,^a|id entertaining
rudefmWaonSl'ef religion, h 'They;lead -qnheia pastoraWJ|gfHtd! ,a|e .Jhp-mp^t
industrious 'suhjeetese f 1 the 'State :3. them villages fdrne^t^kpt-icomjnunity,
from which they exclude all «flier saofrs^arad naved reside, id a, pity; intej?
miriglepferhaVry with strangers, «They profess; afetiSyi^ylofesgryLe, ;uniT
versal peace, '*i$' engaging in war,.or1ra3®ng,part in contests for‘domini©0j,
#%stemthafc'hecessafi!y;plaees.thern-in a state o f aubjeetioittoi-jihe rulihg
■ power 'of the day. ' Agriculture,, tbe 'eare:of cattle, aaadirearing- poultry, is
almost (their.!only occupation. A great-qiart sof.the'provisfons.msed. in th.e
country,, is raisedtby .tha-Carianers,' and they* particular! y,>excel prfgtfi den-
aSg. They have of late years been heavily'taxedf f e d oppressed b y she
great Birman landholders,* io&ebnsequence of which numbers have with-
drawn into the mountains of Aigicao. .-/They have traditional maxims o f
,|H&sprudence for their i q t e r n ^ L b p . n ;are( wjthput m\ HtittcSi
laws custom yitk.tfrbm, constitutes the law, Spme. learn to ,;^peak(ihe‘
«Birman tonghe* and a few cam-read'and write: itt-iasp« litcllv ,-They <ufc
timorous, honest, mild in their' fnarinefS;' and 'Exceedingly hospitajalp ftp
strangers.
; The temple of fjhocdagon,* or Dagoupg, about two miles and a half north
of Rangoon* is a very gra^d(i although no^ ig ^ ig h , by twenty-
* The name of this temple, which signifies Golden Dagon, naturally recalls to mind the