ence, sufficient to counteract thé machinations of our enemies, a te the
utmost lengths that we should go;; -b y n o t interfering farther, the Birmans
will be eoUviieed o f the moderation and justice ®£ t»ur «prjneiplesf and
learn from them to repel the insidious advances of any other power, made
with a latent view to undermine their domiriion;;: and; ultimately. to wrest
their country from them. It is our interest to maintain their independence,
and to guard it from foreign encroachment, whilst a knowledge Of this
truth cannot fail, in the end, to Unite the Birman government to ours, in
bonds of reciprocal amity and confidence, ft
During the few days that we continued at Rangoon, I had the pleasure
to interchange many reciprocal marks of civility with- the May woon, : who
paid me a Tisif on board the Sea Horse V afters wMéh we raWedidmte
war-boat to a very fine ship belonging to him, which' had $ recently
been built, and, he assured ine, was entirely: th e workmanship of frative
artificers.
Whilst we remained here, Doctor Buchanan, accompanied-Ay one of
the officers of the Sea Horse, made an excursion on -horseback a few miles
off, to View a village inhabited by Garianers, the- sfrUpleerUraKracStef
people, of whom mention has already beenmadeVhR&ssitïgby the ’great
temple of Shoedagoung, they proceeded along an indifferent roasd, about
three miles, till they arrived at One of the villages which": they sought*.! sit
contained not more than ten or a dozen Bouses raised on posts, and disposed
in such a manner as to inclose a square yard, in which were a
number of buffaloes. The head man was gone to a distant village, but
one of the inhabitants invited the strangers to enter his dwelling, and
hospitably offered what his house afforded. The visitants ascended a
narrow laddttrdbs^rSwelipfoet^ighti^i^-aiSocfc-Qf barU:, divided- into two
bywmatjpairtitiojsj •th4fli^;was,> QfirQugh-boards, the, ^|S;j®fjmgtss, and
a roof icomposed-efi^mboos^ was':icov@t^d. with tha tch; ateighMbey draw
u p the‘-ladder; mrad,>•'closing, th^daor,, -sl^ep'-seeuEe.-froni the assaults of
wild p l i g h t .men, as many
women, andfSpyerabchaldren, e®nsfeitu.ted a numerous family;,itheyseemed
aheafehy aBd-Vi-gOriSdsWpace p$.#j§&G>ple, - a-ndi .were pfr,» fairer completion
than the*-gener-al-itfiftbfi southern Birmans; soma of the- women jw.Qre. rich
strings-of eoral round ;{fe#irtiraefefes^ and were eivsen adorned with ornaments
l*f*'gSldi and silver; -they speak.a cfaject peemfamta tthemsalweSj’Jaut-fcheir
language1 is radically »the same as the. Birman-. . Them-areshytbfPegue and
Birman Carianers, who-differ -in.tfhe same^degreeras..the nations to which
they* afetat-tached; they- complain- of beipag oppressed bynt-He, Birmans,, but
their appearance did- not indicate severe-oppression.) andihayhav'e, a -.certain
sMh for^ha'tevep their-indrfistry can raise. Doctor Buchanan saw se ve-
. ral Bi rmans on the » a d , -carrying baskets; so{ne»g.eang,lprith£!.produce o f
their gardens, others returning with.burthens.of fruilj%®di,y£gfit&hles.1i,Tha
life.these people lead, is trulypastQralp-they.Bavf'asbbQtherv-feusinessi or
objeCt\ except that of cultivating the soil, and tending their flppfesji
their religion is the worship., of .Gaudnja,. buhdn-Acse.ritea) th p y b ^ &'°t
jo i»w ith tlie same fervour- that- animates, the. Birmans»;, thpyifrafheyi-Sfeem
to, acquiesce in the doctrines of-their conquerors, .which: they, dd not even
profess to understand..
Dr. Buchanan interrogated; one o f theiimeh^ 'Wfha a^mittedidieh'. want
of knowledge, and assigned as the- reason; that Qod. ones, WWte-JiiSa laws
and commands on the skin of a . b u f f a l o , a j l l i
earth to’ come and take a- copy-; a. summons ;whLch-,ali
111111