the Birmans; they are confidered as not belonging to the fame fcale of the creation as men; the evidence of a woman is not confidered as of equal weight, nor is fhe allowed to afcend the steps of a court of juftice.'

The difference is indeed remarkable between the nations, in their treatment of the fex; for the Birman women are employed in the moft laborious offices, without any idea of feclufion. The author faw a woman of rank at Rangun, wife of the governor of Dalla, who fuperintended the building of a fhip, and spent most part of her time with the artificers, to keep them to their duty.

The Birmans in fome points of their difpofition, difplay the ferocity of barbarians, and in others, all the humanity and tenderness of polifhed life: they inflict the most favage vengeance on their enemies; as invaders, defolation marks their track, for they spare neither fex nor age; but at home they affume a different character; there they manifeft benevolence, by extending aid to the infirm, the aged, and the fick; filial piety is inculcated as a facred precept, and its duties are religioufly obferved. A common beggar is no where to be feen: every individual is certain of receiving fuftenance, which, if he cannot procure by his own labor, is provided for him by others.'

The Birman month is divided into four weeks of feven days each. The names by which the days are diftinguished are in all probability those of the planets, following the fame arrangement as prevails in Europe as we infer from obferving the Sanferit names of the planets, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn, for

Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. The other names are either peculiar to the Birmans, or have been imperfectly caught by major Symes; fince the Siamefe have the fame names for the planets, and for the days of the week, with thofe ufed by the Brahmans.

The Birmans are extremely fond both of poetry and mufic: they have epic as well as religious poems of high celebrity. Some of their profeffional musicians difplay confiderable kill and execution, and the fofter airs are pleafing even to an ear unaccustomed to fuch melody.'

Major Symes informs us that the Pali, the facred language of the priests of Buddha, is thought to be nearly allied to the Sanfcrit of the Brahmans; and that there is certainly much of that holy idiom engrafted on the vulgar language of Ava, by the introduction of the Hindu religion. The priefts have a character peculiar to their facred language, and another character is ufed in writing the Birman tongue. The author has exhibited a specimen of both, and has given the Birman alphabet with the corref ponding characters in Devanagari; and the founds which they exprefs in Roman letters. Unhappily, they have been tranfpofed by fome inadvertance, for the two latter do not always correfpond; of the first, we are unqualified to judge: but the vowels of both are omitted.

The Birman empire appears to include the space between the 9th and 26th degrees of north latitude, and between the 92d and 107th degree of longitude eaft of Greenwich; about 1050 geographical miles in length, and 600 in breath. It is likely that it may extend fill Hh 3

farther

balcony upon his right hand. Upon his left fide stood a cabinet of dimi nutive idols, and a variety of confecrated trinkets. Close upon his right was placed an efcrutoire, for the depofit of papers required to be at hand; and before him was a fmall painted bench, to place his tea-cup on, and answering all the other purpofes of a table. We each advanced, prefenting, one after another, a white filk scarf, or long narrow piece of pelong, fringed at both ends (as is the custom in those countries), to the raja, who, keep

in his hand, and paffed them to his zempi. I delivered allo into his hand the governor-general's dif patches, which he received with a fmile upon his countenance, looking upon them, and nodding with a flow motion of the head feveral times, before he laid them upon the bench before him. On the other fide of the room were placed, immediately oppofite to the raja, three feparate piles of cushions; the raja, extending his arm, pointed to them, and at the fame time, with his hand, directed us to be feated.'

tion; the different stages, and fome other trivial matters. In the fourth, we are conducted to Tuffifudon, the capital of Bootan, and meet with the following account of the reception of Mr. Turner and fuite by the Daeb Raja. We were firft conducted to a large apartment on the weft fide of the great fquare of the palace, where the three principal officers had affembled to receive us. Here we refted until one of them, who went to announce our arrival, returned to ufher us into the prefence of the daeb. We followed him, the other officers accompanying his feat all the time, took them ing us, through feveral paffages, and up a number of lofty ladders, which connected the different floors, till at length we arrived at the elevated ftation occupied by the raja, near the fummit of the citadel. After a fhort paufe upon the landingplace, the door was thrown open, and we were ushered into a small, but well-proportioned room, having on the weft fide an arched balcony with fliding curtains, being the only aperture for the admiffion of light, immediately oppofite to the door by which we entered, and before which a skreen projected nearly onethird of the breadth of the room.The remaining space on the wall, beyond the fkreen, was decorated with the portraits, wrought in filk, of fome champions of their faith, as stiff and formal as any heroes that ever appeared in tapestry, The walls of the room were coloured with blue, and the arches of the balcony, pillars, doors, &c. were painted with vermillion, and orna mented with gilding. The raja was habited in a deep garnet-coloured cloth, and fat cross-legged upon a pile of cufhions, in the remoteft corner of the room, with the

After a fhort converfation, tea, which is in general use, was introduced, which the zempi, or cupbearer, as amongst the Medes and Perfians, firft tafted, to prevent any fufpicion of poison, and then poured out to the raja.

From this description of the court and officers, it cannot be expected that there fhould be much grandeur or magnificence among the fubjects. The country is mountainous, bold, romantic, ornamented by streams, abounding with fish, and lakes frequented by wild fowl; the foil in general, and particularly in the valley ofTuffifudon, is fruitful, and adapted Hh 4

to

We fhall now follow our author to Tibet, with which the establishment of an exchange of commodities and friendly intercourfe was the chief object of his embally. The five or fix first chapters contain little more than the preparation for paying and receiving numerous vifits of form and ceremony, and a long, though not unentertaining account of the mausoleum of the late Teefhoo Lama, to whom Mr. Boyle had been deputed ambaffador. The religious, both in Bootan as well as Tibet, are held in great veneration; and the feverities of penance and mortification that they will undergo to obtain the reputation of fanctity in their profeffion may be conceived from the following extract:

to the cultivation of most of our how he took the indifpenfable reEnglif plants and vegetables; of frefhment of fleep, when wearied agriculture, the inhabitants appear with fatigue, he said, that at first, to have a tolerable conception, but to prevent his falling, he used to are almost entirely ignorant of gar- be tied with ropes to fome tree or dening poft; but that this precaution, after fome time, became unnecessary, and he was able to fleep ftanding without fuch fupport. The complete term of this firft penance being expired, the next he undertook was to hold his hands locked in each other over his head, the fingers of one hand dividing those of the other, for the fame space of twelve years. Whether this particular period is chofen in compliment to the twelve figns of the zodiac, or to the Indian cycle of twelve years, I cannot decide. He was ftill determined not to dwell in any fixed abode; fo that before the term of this laft vow could be accomplished, he had travelled over the greatest part of the continent of Afia. He firft fet out by croffing the peninfula of India, through Guzerat; he then paffed by Surat to Buffora, and thence to Conftantinople; from Turkey he went to Ifpahan; and fojourned fo long among the different Perfian tribes, as to obtain a confiderable knowledge of their language, in which he converfed with tolerable eafe. In his paffage from thence towards Ruffia, he fell in with the Kuffaucs (hordes of Coffacs), upon the borders of the Cafpian fea, where he narrowly efcaped being condemned to perpetual flavery: at length he was fuffered to pafs on, and reached Mofcow; he then travelled along the northern boundary of the Ruffian empire, and through Siberia arrived at Pekin in China; from whence he came through Tibet, by the way of Teefhoo Loomboo, and Nipal'

A Gofein (fays captain Turner), whofe name is Pranpoorec, exhibited fo extraordinary an inftance of religious penance, that I cannot refift the temptation of relating fome particulars of his life. Having been adopted by an Hindoo devotee, and educated by him in the rigid tenets of his religion, he was yet young when he commenced the courfe of his extraordinary mortifications. The firft vow, which the plan of life he had chofen to himfelf induced him to make, was to continue perpetually upon his legs, and neither to fit down upon the ground, nor lie down to reft, for the space of twelve years. All this time, he told me, he had employed in wandering through dif ferent countries. When I inquired

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