a pretty house, called a Zayat, where travellers may rest.  As soon as a guest arrives, the villagers hasten to wait upon him;—­one brings a clean mat, another a jug of water, and a third a basket of fruit.  But why is all this attention shown?  In the hope of getting merit.  The Burmese resemble the Chinese in their respect to their parents.  They are better than the Chinese in their treatment of their children, for they are kind to the girls is well as to the boys; neither do they destroy any of their infants.  They are temperate also, not drinking wine,—­having only two meals in the day, and then not eating too much.  In these points they are to be approved.  They are, however, very violent in their tempers; it is true they are not very easily provoked, but when they are angry, they use very abusive language.  Thus you see they are by no means an amiable people.

APPEARANCE.—­In their persons they are far less pleasing than the Hindoos; for instead of slender faces and figures, they have broad faces and thick figures.  But they have not such dark complexions as the Hindoos.

They disfigure themselves in various ways.  To make their skins yellow, they sprinkle over them a yellow powder.  They also make their teeth black, because they say they do not wish to have white teeth like dogs and monkeys.  They bore their ears, and put bars of gold, or silver, or marble through the holes.

The women wear a petticoat and a jacket.  The men wear a turban, a loose robe, and a jacket; they tie up their hair in a knot behind, and tattoo their legs, by pricking their skin, and then putting in black oil.  They have the disagreeable custom of smoking, and of chewing a stuff called “coon,” which they carry in a box.

Every one (except the priests) carries an umbrella to guard him from the sun; the king alone has a white one; his nobles have gilded umbrellas; the next class have red umbrellas; and the lowest have green.

FOOD.—­Burmah is a pleasanter country than Hindostan, for it is not so hot, and yet it is as fruitful.  The people live chiefly upon rice; but when they cannot get enough, they find abundance of leaves and roots to satisfy their hunger.

ANIMALS.—­There are many tigers, but no lions.  The Burmese are fond of adorning their houses with statues of lions, but never having seen any, they make very strange and laughable figures.  The pride of Burmah is her elephants; but they all belong to the king, and none may ride upon one but himself, and his chief favorite.  Carriages are drawn by bullocks, or buffaloes; and there are horses for riding, so the Burmese can do very well without the elephants.  The king thinks a great deal too much of these noble animals.  There was a white elephant that he delighted in so much, that he adorned it with gold, and jewels, and counted it next to himself in rank, even above the queen.

HOUSES.—­The Burmese build their houses on posts, so that there is an empty place under the floors.  Dogs and crows may often be seen walking under the houses, eating whatever has fallen through the cracks of the floor.