A BURMESE WOMAN.
"The Burmese have some resemblance to the Siamese in features and stature, but their physiognomy is not the same to a close observer, and there is a considerable difference in the dress of the two people. The children wear little clothing, or none at all, and when thus costumed they look very much like young Siamese in similar garb. Both men and women wear a short jacket of white material, and coming down about to the hips; the men wear a putso, which is a piece of silk or cotton cloth about a yard wide, wrapped around the waist, and descending to the knees, while the women have a similar garment that comes nearly to the ground. In each case this article is more or less gay in color, and the more red or yellow they can get into it the better are they suited. Both sexes wear the hair long; the women comb it straight back over the forehead, while the men make a bunch of it on the top of the head, and frequently cover it with a gaudy handkerchief.
"Both sexes wear ornaments in the ears, and large ones too. The ear is pierced so that it looks as though a large piece had been taken out of it: we are told that they puncture the ear when a child is very young, and gradually enlarge the opening by inserting pieces of bamboo. The ear is not considered properly pierced until the hole through it is at least half an inch in diameter; then it is useful as well as ornamental, as it will hold a cigar or any article of similar size, and a Burmese clerk finds it a convenient place for carrying a pencil. Doctor Bronson says that when you send a messenger to carry a letter, he rolls it up and puts it in his ear; he might put it in his pocket, but then he is far less likely to have a pocket about him than to have his ear pierced. The women use their ears as bouquet-holders, and it is not unusual to see one of them walking along the streets with a bunch of flowers in her ears that would sell for at least ten cents on Broadway in a summer afternoon.
A BURMESE JUDGE AND HIS ATTENDANTS.
"The natives have their own courts and ways of justice, subject to the control of the English; but the latter do not interfere with them so long as their sentences are not accompanied with cruelty. The British rule has been so humane, in comparison with the tyrannical methods of the kings of Burmah, that the people are quite content with the invaders, and have no desire to return to the old system. It is the custom of the Burmese to submit their disputes to an elder, whose decision is rarely opposed. We had a chance to look into a native court on our way back from the pagoda; the elder was sitting cross-legged on a stool, and his attendants were seated or squatted near him—two on each side. One of them was holding an umbrella—the symbol of dignity and power—and on the floor in front of the judge there were two large fans of palm-leaf. At certain parts of the ceremonials of a court these fans are taken up and waved, and, no matter how small the case may be, the judge displays an immense amount of dignity in giving his decision.
"It is said that the Burmese judges are very corrupt, and the man who pays the highest price can have the kind of justice he wants. This is particularly the case in those parts of Burmah where the English are not in power, and the whole government is a system of bribery and corruption. The officers are rarely paid, and even if they are they get very small salaries; a gentleman who has lived here some years, says that a native official in Burmah cannot make an honest living unless he steals it."
While Frank was busy with his description of the golden pagoda, and the sights connected with it, Fred devoted his attention to a short account of the British in Burmah, and how they came there. Here it is: