THE CHIEF COURT--LAST YEARS IN BURMA
After spending rather more than a year in Europe, I was tempted back
to Burma by the offer of the post of Chief Judge in succession to Mr.
Copleston, who retired from the Service. I held the office for three
years, from 1902 to 1905. These are years of pleasant memory, mainly
on account of the very cordial relations with my colleagues, and
especially the kindness and friendship of the barrister Judges. Of the
Bar also I have a grateful remembrance. Its members were pleased to
speak appreciatively of me on my departure. I risk the double edge.
The most interesting event of these years was the Durbar at Delhi held
by Lord Curzon on New Year’s Day, 1903, to celebrate the Coronation
of His Majesty King Edward VII. I do not propose to tell a twice-told
tale by describing the Durbar and its attendant ceremonies. But a brief
reference may be permitted. A splendid pageant was the State Entry,
with its long line of richly caparisoned elephants, its dazzling array
of Chiefs in gorgeous vestments, seen by thousands from the terraces
of the Jamma Musjid. Glorious and soul-stirring was the Durbar itself
with all the pomp of heraldry and blazonry of colour. Perhaps the
most moving incident was the appearance of a body of Mutiny veterans,
conspicuous among them white-haired men of many Indian races who had
been faithful to their salt. The Shan chiefs, humble folk among the
stately Indian Rajas, were yet in their grotesque attire a picturesque
feature of the State Entry, and attracted notice as they paid homage
at the Durbar. Not soon to be forgotten was the review of native
retainers, where the followers of many Chiefs displayed curious customs
and equipment handed down from remote antiquity. Perhaps the most
charming ceremony was the State Ball in the Diwan-i-Am (with supper
in the Diwan-i-Khas), where Europeans and Indians, gleaming with gold
and jewels and radiant colour, flashed and glittered in the historic
halls of the Moguls. The conception of the Durbar and of the incidents
grouped round that memorable scene was worthy of the great event which
they celebrated. The Burma camp was, as usual, admirably arranged and
managed; the griffins, which characteristically guarded the gateway,
a piece of Burma set down in the Punjab plain. The guests hospitably
entertained there owe a debt of gratitude to Sir Frederic and Lady
Fryer and His Honour’s able and courteous staff for many pleasant days.
That fortnight remains in my mind as a charming episode.
In 1905, Lord Curzon appointed me to be Lieutenant-Governor in
succession to Sir Hugh Barnes, who went to the Council of India. Sir
Harvey Adamson became Chief Judge.
Early in 1906 the Province was honoured by the visit of the Prince and
Princess of Wales. Their Royal Highnesses were received with unbounded
enthusiasm by all classes and races in Burma. Their gracious kindness
and consideration had the happiest effect in exciting the loyalty of
the Burmese people. To Rangoon and Mandalay, Shan chiefs and many
strange folk from remote hills and valleys, Chins, Kachins, Karens,
Was, Padaungs, Brès, flocked to do homage. Proceeding down the river
to Prome in a steamer fitted up by the Flotilla Company, Their Royal
Highnesses saw a great deal of the country in a short time. The memory
of their visit will not fade from the minds of those privileged to see
them, and will be handed down as a glowing tradition to posterity.
Next year the Duke and Duchess of Connaught and Princess Patricia came
to Burma, and were welcomed with acclamation. Their Royal Highnesses
visited Rangoon, Mandalay, and Pagan, thus seeing the most interesting
places in the Province.
In 1907 the Viceroy, Lord Minto, with Lady Minto, paid us a visit,
and spent nearly a month in Burma. Their Excellencies saw Rangoon,
Mandalay, Lashio, Myitkyina, Bhamo, Pagan, and Prome. Coming, like Lord
Curzon, early in his term of office, Lord Minto obtained an insight
into the conditions of Burma, and became interested in the Province.
The most memorable incident of his visit was the Durbar held by His
Excellency in the Eastern Hall of Audience in the Palace at Mandalay,
the first public ceremony held there since Lord Dufferin’s Levée in
1886.
Although to Lord Curzon I owed my appointment as Lieutenant-Governor,
I was not in Burma at the time of his visit, nor was it my privilege
to serve directly under him for many months. Most illustrious of the
eminent statesmen who have held the high office of Viceroy of India,
Lord Curzon left, regretted by all who had at heart the interests of
the Empire and the good of the people. It is presumptuous of me to
attempt any appreciation of his work or to raise my feeble voice in
eulogy. Yet, having served under him, I cannot be altogether silent.
Lord Curzon set the example of the loftiest ideal. Inspiring the
heartiest enthusiasm in those brought into personal relations with
him, he spared no pains to raise the standard of efficiency, to reform
abuses, to promote the well-being of the people of India. When the dust
of controversy shall have been laid, the historian will see clearly, in
true perspective, how noble a task he accomplished in the years, all
too few, of his Viceroyalty.
So long as Burma remains a Province of India, her geographical
position will place her at a disadvantage in comparison with other
Provinces. Members of Council pay sparing and infrequent visits, and
seldom have any knowledge of the country and the people. Nor has the
Lieutenant-Governor many opportunities of visiting the headquarters
of Government. Only once, towards the end of my term of office,
did I go to Calcutta. While I was at Government House, except one
Member who came on a private excursion, giving me no warning of his
coming, and whom I never saw, only two Members of Council, Sir Denzil
Ibbetson,[262] and Mr. W. L. Harvey, came to Burma. It was a pleasure
and a privilege to make the acquaintance of Sir Denzil Ibbetson. His
coming, though unavoidably deferred till the last moment, was of
advantage to the Province. The same may be said of Mr. Harvey’s visit.
Sir Denzil Ibbetson and Mr. Harvey were lost to India soon afterwards.
Both were men of character, ability, and distinction, whom we could ill
spare.
Distance and the pressure of overwhelming official cares kept away the
Financial Member.[263] This was specially to be regretted. For the new
Provincial Settlement, cynically styled a Contract, was discussed and
determined. The debate was one-sided, and recalled the schoolboys’ tag:
“Si rixa est, ubi tu pulsas, ego vapulo tantum.”
Burma fared badly in this unequal contest, where the decision rested
solely with the Supreme Government. The situation may be described in
popular terms. Apart from local funds, revenue and expenditure in India
are divided into Imperial and Provincial. All the revenue is raised
in the Provinces, the Government of India having no separate estate.
Imperial expenditure, including the cost of the Central Government,
the army, and Home charges, has to be met by contributions from the
Provinces. Certain heads of revenue are Imperial, others provincial;
others are divided between the two. It is right and fair that Burma
as well as other Provinces should contribute to Imperial needs. Only
very foolish people believe that the Government of India depends upon
Burma for its livelihood, so to speak. The poor old milch-cow has been
trotted out too often, and has become a wearisome, time-worn beast. In
fact, the contribution paid by Burma is actually less than that paid by
the richer Provinces. At the same time it is true that the contribution
from Burma is greater in proportion to its population than that of
any other Province, and that from Burma alone the annual subvention
tends to increase. It may be admitted, as is perhaps the case, that
the settlement with Burma was made on the same lines as those of other
Provinces, that the proportion of its revenues taken by India is much
the same as the proportion taken elsewhere. What people in Burma feel
is that this is unfair. When our settlement was made we were still in
a backward state, ill-equipped with roads and buildings, with many
needs as yet unsupplied. Other Provinces were far more advanced,
and had less necessary expenditure to incur. Moreover, the cost of
public works in Burma is twice as high as in other parts of India. If,
therefore, we are to be treated like other Provinces, we ought to have
more liberal terms. So much is taken from Burma that not enough is left
for public works and other expenditure necessary to our expansion.
We also believe that this is a shortsighted policy, and that liberal
expenditure in Burma would benefit Imperial and Provincial revenues
alike. Stated in few words, this is the case for Burma, based on facts
available to the public, without reference to unpublished records.
Another disadvantage under which Burma labours is the application of
Indian principles and precedents. While Burma is part of India, no
doubt the system of administration and the main lines of policy must be
the same as in other Provinces. But in details, in matters where our
conditions differ essentially from those of India, it is unreasonable
that we should be bound by Indian rules. A Member of Council who has
never seen Burma thinks nothing of overruling[264] the Local Government
on points of purely local concern. Again, general orders framed after
consideration of the circumstances of Indian Provinces are applied to
Burma, where conditions are totally unlike. In this way much needless
labour and waste of valuable time are caused. I remember one Commission
which contained no representative from Burma, and which never came
near the Province. It issued an elaborate and extremely valuable
Report. For years afterwards poured forth a flood of Resolutions on
the Commission’s recommendations which we were required to consider
and discuss, though none of them could possibly apply to our local
conditions. No real harm was done, but time and labour were spent in
vain. As Burma differs essentially from India, and as it is impossible
that Burma should be adequately represented in all departments of
the Government of India, the natural conclusion is that the Local
Government should be allowed a much freer hand, and should be trusted
to know what is best in matters of local concern.
While on the subject of disadvantages I may mention a real grievance.
It may seem mainly to affect the Civil Service; really it is of vital
importance to the Province. I refer to the very small share which
Burma has in appointments under the Imperial Government. As I myself
obtained in my service more than I could have expected, I shall not
be thought to speak from any personal feeling. In the fifty years
since Burma has been a Province she has supplied to India one Member
of Council, two Deputy-Secretaries, one Agricultural Adviser (for a
short term), and two or three Under-Secretaries, all within the last
seven years. No civilian from Burma has ever been chosen to administer
another Province. It does not seem likely that of civilians in Burma,
chosen in the same way as other civilians, none has been fit for such
an appointment. It is needless to conjecture reasons for this apparent
neglect. I suggest that Burma should receive a fair share of high
offices, so that service in Burma may cease to be unpopular, and that
her needs and conditions may be properly appreciated by the Supreme
Government.
During my term of office the Royal Commission on Decentralization
came to us. Needless to say, Burma had no representative among its
members. That could hardly be expected. Bombay had two members, Madras
and Bengal one each. The Punjab and the United Provinces were omitted.
Except Mr. Dutt, a Bengali civilian who served in the regular line and
seems to have attained no special distinction, the Commission included
no one who had any acquaintance with the system of government by
Lieutenant-Governors, and only one, Sir F. P. Lely, who had served in a
non-regulation Province. The constitution of the Commission was clearly
reflected in the Report which regarded all India as administered under
the Presidency system, and therefore in the hands of Secretaries and
Members of Executive Councils. The Commission learnt little of Burma
during its somewhat hasty visit. Nor was it likely that permanent
benefit would result from the labours of a body which set out to
investigate and reform the whole administrative system of India in the
course of a cold-weather tour.
The reforms of Councils devised by Lord Morley or Lord Minto were
discussed and carried into effect during these years. These reforms
were not needed in Burma; there was no popular demand for them; they
were entirely unsuited to the Province. But Burma must lie on the
procrustean bed. I am thankful to say, that for a time at least, the
Province was saved from popular elections. In a country where, after
thirty years, it is rare to find Europeans or Burmans of position
willing to take an interest even in municipal elections, that would
be the last straw. But the Council had to be enlarged, a non-official
majority secured, and the elective system introduced at least to
the extent of enabling one body, the Burma Chamber of Commerce, to
elect[265] its member. And all the detailed rules of procedure, of
Budget discussions, of interpellations, and the like, framed for other
Provinces, have been applied to Burma. It may safely be said that no
one in Burma is a penny the better for these innovations, and that the
great heart of the people remains unmoved. The net result is some waste
of time and public money owing to the appointment of more official
members, worthy gentlemen who have to spend hours in Council when they
should be doing their work. We were quite as well off under the old
Council and the old rules. The situation would be ludicrous if it were
not pathetic.
The objects which I regarded as most important, and which, to the best
of my ability, I pursued, were the encouragement of efficiency in
the Services, insistence on the principle of selection to which the
Government of India often drew attention, and the improvement of the
position and prospects of officers of various departments, particularly
but not exclusively, those manned by people of the country. I had the
pleasure of making the first appointment of a Burman as a District
Judge, my old friend Maung Aung Zan,[266] K.S.M., being the officer
selected. Two posts of Deputy Commissioner were obtained for the
Provincial Service, the first Burman to hold that office being Maung
Myat Tun Aung, C.I.E., K.S.M., T.D.M. Later I appointed the first two
Burman Superintendents of Police, Maung Tun Min,[267] T.D.M., and
Maung Shwe Tha,[267] I.S.O., K.S.M., A.T.M. These appointments enabled
us to solve a long-standing problem, the officering of Kyauk-pyu.
This district was notoriously unhealthy for any but natives of the
locality, so that it was difficult to keep European officers there
for any length of time. With one Arakanese as Deputy Commissioner and
another as Superintendent of Police, both accustomed to the climate,
it was possible to have the district efficiently administered without
sacrificing anyone’s health. For some time Kyauk-pyu was administered
solely by native officers. The experiment seems to have been
successful; both the Deputy Commissioner and the Police Superintendent
having recently been decorated. I take the opportunity of reminding my
Burmese friends, who justly cite me as desirous of seeing them placed
in higher offices, that one essential condition is that by character
and ability they should prove their fitness for advancement. I am the
last man in the world to wish Burmans promoted merely because they are
Burmans, without regard to their qualifications. “After these things do
the Gentiles seek.”
A successful effort was made to equalize the pay and prospects of the
higher ranks of the Judicial Service, so as to attract men of at least
average ability and ambition to that branch. The Provincial Judicial
Service was organized on a proper basis, so that officers who chose or
were posted to it might receive the same pay as those on the Executive
side. The important Land Records Department was reorganized and placed
on a proper basis as regards pay, and a system of recruitment and
training was devised. To my lot, assisted by Colonel S. C. F. Peile,
C.I.E., the experienced Inspector-General, fell the task of introducing
most of the changes following the Report of the Police Commission. In
this matter I think we might have been allowed more liberty to consult
local conditions. After all, the Report was not verbally inspired.
I had much at heart the enactment of legislation for restraining
the alienation of land and for the protection of tenants. I was
unsuccessful in effecting either of these objects before my retirement.
I have no doubt that gradually but surely the Burman is being squeezed
off the land, and that if, as seems likely, the proposed legislation is
abandoned, the land will fall into the hands of non-agriculturists and
natives of India. Free trade in land as in other things may be good.
From an economic point of view the position is probably sound. More
rice will be grown for export; more land revenue and customs duty will
be garnered. But there are other considerations. The standard of living
will be lowered. The deterioration of the Burmese race which will
inevitably accompany their divorce from the land will be a subject for
regret when it is irremediable. Similarly, tenants in Burma are rapidly
increasing in numbers. There, as elsewhere, they need protection. The
solace of my disappointment was the progress of the co-operative credit
movement under the fostering care of Mr. A. E. English, C.I.E. This
movement will afford a great deal of help to the Burman cultivator.
If it spreads to a sufficient extent, it may even obviate the need of
agrarian legislation.
Among the pleasantest as well as the most beneficial duties of the
Lieutenant-Governor is the making of tours in all parts of the
Province. These journeys bring the head of the local Government into
touch with officers of all grades and departments, as well as with
the people. Not the least charming incidents associated with them
are the receptions at every halting-place of importance, where the
townsfolk offer a hearty welcome in their own fashion, and tender
loyal addresses. Some of these receptions were elaborately and
magnificently staged, with presentation of flowers, with dance and
music, with triumphal arches, with decorated streets. Without meaning
to be invidious, I think receptions at Mandalay, Pegu, Akyab, and
Bassein, where I was charmed to meet many old friends, stand out in my
memory as conspicuous. The addresses presented on these occasions were
often gracefully worded. Besides a profusion of loyal sentiments and
good wishes, they usually stated matters of local interest for which
the benevolent attention of Government was sought, the need of a new
school, waterworks, sanitation, as the case might be. In one address my
wife was gratified by being styled my “august consort.”[268] Except
the Chin Hills, the Hill districts of Northern Arakan and Salween, and,
I am ashamed to say, Tharrawaddy, which was unaccountably neglected,
I visited all the districts as well as the Northern and Southern Shan
States. Kyaingtôn (Kēngtūng), across the Salween, was an object of
unfulfilled desire, and a projected ride to Namkham was not realized.
To Mogôk I went for the purpose of investing the young Sawbwa of
Möñgmit with the administration of his State. At a very early age the
young Chief was taken in hand, and placed in charge of the Rev. J. N.
Cushing,[269] the venerable head of the Baptist Mission in Rangoon,
and one of the first of Shan scholars. Dr. Cushing received him into
his own house, and treated him as a son. When of suitable years, the
future Sawbwa was sent to a district for training in judicial and
executive work. Not till he was of ripe age, and had given evidence of
steadiness of character, was he allowed to assume charge of his State.
He received his Sanad in full Durbar, and with it much good advice.
With an experienced Burman officer as his principal Assistant, and
under the effective supervision of the Deputy Commissioner, Mr. E.
C. S. George, the young Chief has done well, and has shown zeal and
intelligence in the management of his State. I think the impressions
of his early years have not faded. At the time of his investiture his
marriage was celebrated--a pleasing ceremony which I was privileged
to attend. At Mogôk the usual strenuous round of duty and pleasure,
incident to the inspection of a district headquarters with a vigorous
Deputy Commissioner, filled days and nights. Up at six to ride round
and visit local institutions, business occupied the day; at about five
in the evening amusements began, and lasted till the small hours.
Carrying very pleasant memories, a tired party reached Mainglôn, on
the march back to May-my̆o. Most of the route lay along a well-graded
hill-road, aligned and made by the Public Works Officer of Thibaw, a
very intelligent Shan. At each halting-place comfortable encampments
of mat and bamboo had been built by direction of Mr. Stirling,[270]
Superintendent, and the Chief, my good friend Saw Hkè.[271]
A charming tour took us the round of the maritime districts, Tavoy,
Mergui, Akyab, Kyaukpyu, and Sandoway, in the R.I.M.S. _Dalhousie_.
We cruised in the lovely Mergui Archipelago, a summer sea set with
countless islands, rivalling in beauty the Inland Sea of Japan. Perhaps
the most noticeable sight was Elephant Island. It stands alone, its
green slopes narrowing to the sky. At low water we approached the
shore, our boat with difficulty and strenuous effort pushed over sands
hardly covered by the shallow sea. So we came to where the water
deepened, at the mouth of a gloomy cavern. Entering, we found a low,
winding, rock-roofed tunnel, just wide and high enough for our boat,
with a glimmer of daylight at the far end. Emerging, we reached the
middle of the island, a still lagoon, encircled by smooth marble walls.
A magic scene from fairyland: a snow-white ring, with an opening like
the crater of a volcano; in the midst the purple lake. One pictured
it as the secret refuge of buccaneers, who here might hide in safety.
Our time for admiring this lovely landscape was limited; too long a
stay would have imprisoned us for hours, till the tide fell and left
the tunnel navigable. Working by charts nearly a hundred years old, we
approached Victoria Point, the farthest outpost on the south, bordering
on the Siamese State of Renoung. The revival of tin-mining had begun to
make the place of some importance. Later a wireless telegraph station
was established. More recently rubber-planting has been tried.
After a winding course over rocks and shoals, through unexplored Shan
States and savage hills where head-hunting is still fitfully pursued,
the Chindwin joins the Irrawaddy above Pakôkku. Passing between banks
clad with dense forest, we desecrated with steam and smoke silent
reaches glamorous with romance. The march of progress is gradually
dissipating the mist which yet still clings to this river of ancient
story. Here and there a court-house or a military police post marks
the advance of civilization. Inland the woodman’s axe resounds in the
primeval forest. A coal-mine, one of the many promising but faithless
ventures of the prospector, makes a deep cavern in a hillside. We
explored it for a considerable way by the light of naked, guttering
candles; no Davy lamps in that mine. On the Chindwin are still current
stories with an old-world ring. There you will see a little monastery
at the water’s edge. Above that point, though snakes abound, they have
no power to harm. On one side of the line thus marked, if a snake bites
you, prepare to die; cross the line, the same snake may bite you with
no worse effect than a fleeting sting. Walking through a village, to
test the story we asked a man if there were many snakes. “Oh yes,” he
replied; “but, of course, they do no harm. I was bitten yesterday.”
And he showed on his leg the mark of recent fangs. The reason of this
interesting difference is comparatively simple. Once upon a time the
countryside was ravaged by a gigantic serpent. The King himself, in
the fearless old fashion, gave battle to the snake, and, after a
desperate struggle, slew it and cut it in half. The two pieces he flung
into the river. Now, the head-piece, where are the poisonous fangs,
floated down-stream; the tail-piece, where there are none, floated
upwards. You see the result. If you go farther north, you will come
to a village where the people have the fascinating power of turning
themselves into tigers. We went no higher than Homalin, and missed the
chance of verifying this attractive legend. It was poor compensation to
land at Thangthut, the capital of a very small Shan Chief, to find a
stack of polo-sticks in his haw,[272] and to learn that Manipuris, the
originators of the game, sent teams to play polo with the Sawbwa and
his staff.
Talking of tigers reminds me of one or two stories which may find a
place here. Real tigers are common to many parts of the Province.
One day a tiger came upon two little girls in the jungle, seized the
younger, and was trotting off with her. The elder sister, a girl of
about twelve, took off her tamein[273] and flapped the tiger about the
face till the astonished beast dropped the child and fled. The truth
of this story is proved by the fact that Government gave the girl a
silk tamein in recognition of her courage and presence of mind. Another
time, quite recently, a woodman was seized by a tiger. He cut at him
with his da[274] till the tiger dropped him and retreated. The man,
enraged at being attacked, followed and slashed him again, his only
weapon being a long wood-cutting knife. Another authentic story, of an
earlier date, tells how a tiger was killed by a man armed only with
da. We may hesitate to believe people who tell us that Burmans are not
brave.
The American who declined to go to the Taj Mahal because he had not
come to India to see tombs, when he came to Burma would not look at
Pagan because he had not come to see pagodas. Described once for all by
Sir Henry Yule in “The Court of Ava,” in its way Pagan is one of the
most remarkable places in the world. The seat of an ancient dynasty,
it lies along the bank of the Irrawaddy below Myingyan. Pagodas,
literally for miles and in hundreds, fill the landscape as far as eye
can see. All varied styles of Buddhist architecture, with many traces
of Hindu influence, are represented. Here is the renowned Ananda
Pagoda, among the most famous of Buddhist shrines. Here, too, are
solemn, stately figures of the four Buddhas[275] who have yet visited
the earth. As the ages roll by, other Buddhas will descend for the
regeneration of the world.
Not very far below Pagan, illustrative of a strange mingling of ancient
and modern, is the most productive of the oil-fields of Burma, that
of Yenangyaung. In 1886, reviewing the prospects of mineral discovery
in Upper Burma, we prophesied before we knew. We went nap, as might
be said, on coal, and took but little interest in petroleum. The
development of the oil-fields is the most striking feature of the
economic history of the Province for the past twenty-five years. The
search for coal has been uniformly disappointing. The Yenangyaung field
was worked in former times by crude native methods. Into shallow wells
dug by hand men went down, clad in a sort of diver’s costume, and
laboriously baled out oil with a bucket. The out-turn was comparatively
small. The wells were owned by a close corporation of local Burmans
known as twinzas,[276] who had exclusive hereditary rights. All the oil
extracted had to be sold to the King at a fixed price. Of late years
the oil-fields have been exploited with all the resources of modern
science by companies who, by grant or purchase, have acquired rights
over wells and oil-bearing land. The Burma Oil Company were pioneers
of the industry. It was under the auspices of my friend Sir Campbell
Kirkman Finlay, Managing Director of the company, that I twice visited
Yenangyaung. One of my visits was marked by the spouting of the most
productive well yet struck in Burma. The oil-field is a busy bustling
place, covered with tall derricks and giving employment to many
drillers and mechanics. Side by side with modern scientific extraction
may be seen the primitive native methods still practised. Over all is a
Warden to enforce the elaborate rules necessary to safeguard the field
against danger from fire and to prevent its premature exhaustion. From
the wells runs a pipe-line conveying oil for about two hundred and
seventy-five miles to the refinery at Syriam, where a populous town
has sprung up. The latest report gives the total quantity of petroleum
produced in Burma as 222,000,000 gallons, a very small fraction of the
world’s production.
Our tours on the Irrawaddy and Chindwin were made in steamers of the
Royal Indian Marine and in the house-boat already mentioned. Among
Indian Marine officers I had many friends. One I may mention by name,
Lieutenant H. R. Bowers, was with us on several tours. The son of
Captain A. Bowers, R.N.R., long resident in Burma, who had accompanied
Colonel Sladen’s mission to Yunnan in 1868, he had close hereditary
associations with the Province. From the first he impressed us as an
officer of great promise, capable and self-reliant. I bade him farewell
on the eve of his departure, full of hope and pride, for the journey
whereon he died a hero’s death among Antarctic snows. His memory lives
in the hearts of his countrymen.
My final tour brought me at last to the lovely lake of Indawgyi,
which I had in vain tried to reach in 1894.[277] From Hopin on the Mu
Valley Railway the distance is only some thirty miles, which we rode
leisurely in three or four easy stages. With us were Mr. Hertz,[278]
the very able and distinguished Deputy Commissioner of Myitkyina, and
Mr. W. Scott, one of his Assistant Superintendents, whose knowledge
of Kachin language, folklore, and customs is extensive and peculiar.
Very impressive is the panorama of the lake, lying in a semi-circle
of hills, with few traces of civilized intrusion. A pagoda here and
there on its green banks adds a picturesque touch to the scene. We
sought but did not find the floating islands of which we had heard long
ago. Indawgyi lies on the border of a fertile country once populous,
but devastated after a Kachin rising not long before the Annexation.
It is slowly recovering, and as population increases will once more
be a rich harvest-field. Thence we paid a last visit to Myitkyina
and the confluence.[279] More precious than the Commissioner, the
Lieutenant-Governor was not allowed to shoot the rapids. He was
induced to skirt them on a pony. Of the rise and progress of Myitkyina
I have already written. Then for the last time, with many regrets, we
passed through the glorious First Defile and bade farewell to it for
ever.
It were ungracious to close this discursive record without expressing
my grateful obligations to those who worked with me in the last
responsible years of my service. No Lieutenant-Governor ever had a
better personal staff or more capable Secretaries. If I take leave
to mention Mr. F. C. Gates,[280] Mr. W. F. Rice, C.S.I., Mr. Lionel
Jacob,[281] Mr. R. E. V. Arbuthnot, Mr. G. F. Arnold, C.I.E., Mr.
F. Lewisohn among Secretaries; Major F. J. Fraser, the late Mr. D.
Shearme, Captain A. F. S. Hill, R.E., Mr. C. S. Pennell, Captain E. L.
Caldecott, R.A., among officers of the personal Staff, it is not that
I value less highly the loyalty and good service of their colleagues.
If I were to mention Commissioners, district, and departmental officers
to whom I am indebted, I must name practically the whole Commission and
plagiarize many pages of the Civil List.
So after a chequered career we bade farewell to Burma, fairest and
brightest of Eastern lands, the memory of whose happy people will
always be enshrined in our hearts.
GLOSSARY
[Containing only Burmese words used more than once, or not explained in
text or notes.]
_amat_ = Minister.
_atu-ma-shi_ = incomparable. “There is none like her--none.”
_bein-sa_ = opium-eater.
_bo_ = chief, leader.
_da_ = a knife of any sort.
_Ein-she-min_ = heir-apparent.
_gyi_ = great.
_hlutdaw_ = Council of State.
_kala_ = barbarian, a foreigner from the West.
_kappiya-taga_ = a lay attendant of a monastery.
_kin-bya_ = a somewhat familiar form of address.
_ko-mi_ = a game of cards.
_ku-tho-daw_ = royal merit.
_kyaung_ = monastery.
_kyaung-taga_ = founder of a monastery.
_maung_ = much the same as “Mr.”
_min_ = King, lord.
_mingyi_ = great lord, high official; in this book, one of the four
chief Ministers of State.
_min-laung_ = an embryo _min_.
_min-tha_ = Prince, son of a _min_.
_Mi-paya_ = Queen.
_my̆o_ = city, town, township, circle.
_my̆o-ôk_ = officer in charge of a township, a member of the
Subordinate Civil Service.
_my̆o-ôk-gavaw_ = My̆o-ôk’s wife.
_my̆o-sa_ = a title of a Shan chief (in his book).
_my̆o-thu-gyi_ = head of a _my̆o_ or circle.
_my̆o-wun_ = town magistrate.
_nan_ } = palace.
_nandaw_ }
_nat_ = a spiritual being.
_neik-ban_--_Nirvána_ = the state of rest.
_pa-dauk_ = a tree yielding excellent timber and bearing lovely
flowers.
_pa-ya_ = a pagoda, a sacred image, a title of honour = lord.
_pè-nin_ = helmsman.
_pôn-gyi_ = a monk; literally, “great glory.”
_pôn-na_ = Hindus of Mandalay, descendants of captives from Assam or
Manipur.
_pwè_ = an assembly, most commonly an entertainment of a dramatic
nature.
_pya-that_ = a terraced spire.
_sa-daw_ = a monk of high position.
_Saw-bwa_ = a title of a Shan chief.
_sa-ye-daw-gyi_ = clerks or secretaries of the _hlutdaw_.
_shwe_ = gold, golden.
_Su-paya_ = a Princess of royal birth on both sides.
_taik_ = a territorial division, called in English a “circle.”
_taik-thu-gyi_ = headman of a circle.
_tamein_ = a woman’s skirt.
_taung-ya_ = hill-cultivation.
_tha-tha-na-baing_ = head of the monastic Order.
_thu-gyi_ = headman; literally, “great man.”
_twet_ = a term applied to a monk who renounces his Order.
_win_ = a house and grounds.
_wun_ = an official title of varying denotation.
_yo-ma_ = a range of hills; literally, “backbone.”
_za-yat_ = a rest-house.
_ze-gyo_ = the great bazaar or market at Mandalay.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] _Môk-so-bo-myo_, the hunter’s city.
[2] See p. 107.
[3] Great or headman of the circle.
[4] Principal taxpayer.
[5] Headman of the village.
[6] Members of the Provincial Civil Service.
[7] Literally, heads of townships, members of the Subordinate Civil
Service.
[8] Major-General T. Lowndes, I.S.C.
[9] Mr. B. Ribbentrop, C.I.E.
[10] The late Sir Augustus Rivers Thompson, K.C.S.I., Lieut.-Governor
of Bengal.
[11] This term, formerly in ordinary use, is now obsolete.
[12] Paddy is the local name for unhusked rice.
[13] _Gyi_, great.
[14] Major-General Horace Browne, I.S.C.
[15] Colonel C. H. E. Adamson, C.I.E.
[16] Mr. A. H. Hildebrand, C.I.E.
[17] Called after General Godwin, who commanded the force in the Second
War.
[18] The population of Rangoon in 1881 was 134,176; in 1911 it numbered
293,316. In 1878 its trade was valued at £10,484,469, as compared with
£32,040,000 in 1911 (private trade alone).
[19] A Chief Commissioner, newly arrived, whose face was not yet
familiar, was told by a barber in the town, in the course of his
ministration, that he should try to join the gymkhana, as that was the
way to get into society.
[20] Afterwards of the Commission.
[21] _Nat_, a spiritual being in Burmese mythology. For a full account
of nats the curious may refer to Sir Richard Temple’s learned and
sumptuous work “The Thirty-Seven Nats.”
[22] This is, however, a matter of taste. A lady told me that the only
thing which made it worth while to come to Rangoon was the Strand
Hotel, with its general comfort and its incomparable omelette. The
pagoda merely impressed her as “a messy place.” Perhaps she was only
playing upon the poor Indian’s simplicity.
[23] _Kala_ is as nearly as possible barbarian, and has a connotation
of contempt. It is applied by the Burmese to all foreigners from the
West, Indians or Europeans. A Chinaman is a cousin, so is a Siamese.
Neither of these is a kala.
[24] The late Mr. G. D. Burgess, C.S.I.
[25] The late Sir Charles Aitchison, K.C.S.I., successively Member of
Council and Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab.
[26] Maung Pe, I.S.O., K.S.M.
[27] The first Viceroy was Lord Canning. Many people erroneously think
that Clive or, perhaps, Warren Hastings was the first who attained that
dignity.
[28] _Mingyi_, one of the four principal ministers. Literally, great
lord.
[29] _Mintha_, prince.
[30] See p. 126.
[31] There is a subtlety here. _Ko_ is one of the Burmese equivalents
of Mr., more respectful than Maung.
[32] Council of State at Mandalay.
[33] As to grammar, Latter helped us in those early years. Students of
to-day, more fortunate, have the invaluable help of Mr. Bridges’ book.
[34] What it really wrote was “clearness and simplicity.”
[35] Early breakfast.
[36] The late Colonel F. D. Maxwell, C.I.E.
[37] The late Sir Edward Spence Symes, K.C.I.E.
[38] Sir Colin Scott-Moncrieff, K.C.S.I., K.C.M.G.
[39] The late Sir Charles Bernard, K.C.S.I., for some years Secretary
in the Revenue and Statistics Department at the India Office.
[40] “Don’t let them do that, they’ll take me for a Burmese Minister,”
he called out, as officious underlings were hustling some carts out of
his path as he rode through Mandalay.
[41] Among many mistaken appreciations of Burmese character is the
notion that Burmans have no sense of gratitude. This story indicates
the contrary. Since my retirement I have been touched by the frequent
receipt of letters and other tokens of remembrance from Burmese friends
obviously disinterested.
[42] _Ti_, an umbrella; also the ornamental summit of a pagoda.
[43] The Arakan Pagoda, as we call it, at Mandalay.
[44] Sergeant or Thugyi’s wife.
[45] _A-pyo-gyi._
[46] _Tha-yet-my̆o_, not the city of mangoes, as might be supposed, but
the city of slaughter.
[47] Streams.
[48] In _taungya_ cultivation, the farmer prepares a piece of
forest-land by setting fire to the trees and undergrowth, and
fertilizing the ground with the ashes. Rice and vegetables are sown
broadcast. Except by careful Chins, the same piece of land is not used
again till the forest growth has been renewed. It is a wasteful plan,
rightly discouraged.
[49] Tiger fence.
[50] _Da_, a knife; in this case a Burmese sword.
[51] _Paso_, _lôngyi_, skirts worn by Burmese men, the former of ampler
size.
[52] The Burmese man’s headgear.
[53] Local civil officer.
[54] In Mandalay, in 1886, a _parvenu_ official was guilty of the same
breach of decorum on entering my office. I made no remark at the time,
but I mentioned the incident to his friends. The Prime Minister seemed
surprised that the earth had not opened and swallowed up that fearful
man. The offence was not repeated.
[55] Now Sir John Jardine, K.C.I.E., M.P. for Roxburghshire.
[56] Elephant driver.
[57] Colonel William Cooke, lately Commissary-General in Madras.
[58] _Atwin Wun_, one of the classes of Ministers, so called from being
nominally employed inside (atwin) the Palace, near the person of the
King.
[59] As Burma was not under the Madras Government, this arrangement was
anomalous and inconvenient; after the war it was abolished.
[60] The late Sir Godfrey Clerk, K.C.V.O., C.B.
[61] Now Colonel Sir Neville Chamberlain, K.C.B., K.C.V.O., Inspector-
General, Royal Irish Constabulary.
[62] Major-General Sir George Pretyman, K.C.M.G., C.B., R.A., whom I
met not again till he came to succeed Sir Donald Macleod at May-my̆o,
where he spent the last year of his service in command of the Burma
Division.
[63] _Yôma_, a range of hills; literally, backbone.
[64] The Right Honourable Sir Henry Primrose, P.C., K.C.B., C.S.I.,
I.S.O.
[65] The Earl of Cromer, P.C., G.C.B., O.M., G.C.M.G., K.C.S.I., C.I.E.
[66] Guardians of the Royal life.
[67] Sir Charles Crosthwaite, K.C.S.I.
[68] Mr. C. G. Bayne, C.S.I., whose early retirement deprived the
Province of an invaluable officer.
[69] Sir Alfred Irwin, C.S.I., lately a Judge of the Chief Court.
[70] The Myingun Prince was a son of Mindôn Min, who in the year 1867
rebelled against his father. Defeated, he fled to Lower Burma, where he
continued to plan mischief. He was deported to India; later, he escaped
to French territory, and lived for many years at Saigon. He was long
a source of some apprehension to Government, and a likely cause of
trouble; but I think for some time he has been regarded as harmless.
[71] Messengers.
[72] Broad hat made of bamboo.
[73] Most of this paragraph is extracted verbatim from my Report on the
Administration of Upper Burma in 1886.
[74] Administrative Report for 1886 _ut supra_.
[75] _Ibid._
[76] A woman’s skirt.
[77] The late General Sir Harry Prendergast, V.C., G.C.B.
[78] The late Field-Marshal Sir George White, V.C., G.C.B., G.C.S.I.,
G.C.M.G., G.C.I.E., G.C.V.O., O.M., Commander-in-Chief in India, the
heroic defender of Ladysmith.
[79] The late General Sir W. Penn Symons, K.C.B., who served with the
highest distinction in Burma and India, and met a soldier’s death at
Talana Hill.
[80] The late Sir Edward Sladen.
[81] Nephew of Sir Arthur Phayre; he died for his country in June,
1886, at Padein, near Minbu.
[82] The subjoined table shows the succession of the Kings of the House
of Alaungpăyá. The dates and details were gathered from the lips of
Ministers in 1886:
Alaungpăyá (1752-1760).
|
+------------------+--------------------+
| |
2. Naungdaw 6. Bodaw Paya 3. Sinbyu-yin
Mintayagyi (1781-1819). Mintayagyi
(1760-1763). | (1763-1776).
| | |
5. Paungga Min Einshe Min 4. Singu
(reigned seven (died before Mintayagyi
days in 1781). his father). (1776-1781).
|
+-------------------+-----------------+
| |
7. Bagyidaw Paya 8. Shwebo Min (King Tharrawaddy)
(1819-1838). | (1838-1846).
|
+-------------+-----------+
| |
9. Pagan Min 10. Mindôn Min
(1846-1852). (1852-1878).
|
11. Thebaw Min
(1878-1885).
[83] Royal Herald.
[84] _Wun_, a local official of varying rank; probably in this case
about equal to a subdivisional officer.
[85] Head revenue officer.
[86] Major-General T. Lowndes, I.S.C.
[87] Colonel C. H. E. Adamson, C.I.E.
[88] Wife (in this case widow) of the chief local authority.
[89] Incomparable.
[90] Council of Ministers.
[91] Monastery.
[92] The Hill of Peace.
[93] This stone disappeared the day after the occupation of Mandalay.
It was never suggested that any of the force of occupation was guilty
of the theft.
[94] Pagoda of Royal Merit.
[95] U Pe Si, C.I.E., one of the first Upper Burmans to receive a
British decoration.
[96] The late Mr. T. F. Fforde, of the Burma Commission, who died as
Deputy Commissioner of Sagaing.
[97] Queen.
[98] _Mintha_, prince.
[99] See p. 30.
[100] The late Major-General R. A. P. Clements, C.B., D.S.O.
[101] Major-General H. d’U. Keary, C.B., D.S.O.
[102] Colonel R. M. Rainey-Robinson, C.B.
[103] Horse-keepers.
[104] Technically, a dacoit is one of five or more persons banded
together for purposes of robbery. It has been the custom to apply the
term to all our opponents in Upper Burma, after the King’s surrender.
Even technically, the use was almost invariably justified.
[105] Circle headman, much like a Taik-Thugyi in Lower Burma.
[106] Cavalrymen.
[107] P. 130.
[108] The Right Hon. Sir Mortimer Durand, P.C., G.C.M.G., K.C.S.I.,
K.C.I.E., successively Minister at Teheran and Ambassador at Madrid and
Washington.
[109] The late Sir Alexander Mackenzie, K.C.S.I., Chief Commissioner of
Burma, Member of Council, and Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal.
[110] Sir Donald Mackenzie Wallace, K.C.I.E., K.C.V.O., best known,
perhaps, as the author of the standard work on Russia.
[111] Field-Marshal Lord Nicholson, G.C.B., R.E.
[112] General Sir Ian Hamilton, G.C.B., D.S.O.
[113] Colonel Sir Neville Chamberlain, K.C.B., K.C.V.O., Inspector-
General Royal Irish Constabulary.
[114] Lieutenant-General Sir Reginald Pole-Carew, K.C.B., C.V.O., M.P.
[115] Palace.
[116] Temporary pavilion.
[117] Mr. St. Barbe had a marked turn for letters. Some of his papers
may be found in the _Cornhill Magazine_ of the seventies.
[118] The late Mr. G. J. S. Hodgkinson, C.S.I., afterwards the first
Judicial Commissioner of Upper Burma.
[119] Now Mr. Taw Sein Ko, I.S.O., recipient of the Kaiser-i-Hind
medal, Superintendent of the Burma Archæological Survey. I gratefully
acknowledge much valuable help from him in the preparation of this book.
[120] Messenger.
[121] Raja lôg ate haiṅ
[122] See p. 27.
[123] See p. 126.
[124] See p. 67 _et seq._
[125] Already mentioned, p. 125.
[126] There is one more who has lived in obscurity in Rangoon for many
years.
[127] See p. 122.
[128] _Supaya_ means a Princess of royal parentage on both sides.
Except the King’s sister, there was in Mandalay only one real holder of
the title, the Pyinzi Supaya.
[129] Elder royal sister.
[130] Queen.
[131] See p. 270.
[132] See pp. 123-4.
[133] See p. 210 _et seq._
[134] Headman of a town or circle, much like a Taik-Thugyi in Lower
Burma.
[135] Village headman.
[136] Sir Frederic Fryer, K.C.S.I., Chief Commissioner and first
Lieutenant-Governor of Burma.
[137] Sir James Digges la Touche, K.C.S.I., Lieutenant-Governor of the
United Provinces and a Member of the Council of India.
[138] The late Mr. H. P. Todd-Naylor, C.S.I., C.I.E., Commissioner and
acting Financial Commissioner.
[139] Sir J. George Scott, K.C.I.E.
[140] Colonel H. A. Browning, afterwards Chief Commissioner of the
Andaman Islands.
[141] Mr. B. S. Carey, C.I.E., Commissioner.
[142] Mr. H. M. S. Matthews, C.S.I., Settlement Commissioner.
[143] The late Major-General M. Prothero, C.B., C.S.I., afterwards
commanding the Burma Division.
[144] Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army.
[145] Colonel E. T. Gastrell.
[146] _Bo_, a chief or leader.
[147] “The Pacification of Burma.”
[148] See p. 106.
[149] Chief of eleven hundred and fifty men. He was also called the
Mobye-Sitkè-gyi.
[150] Perhaps most familiar to English readers in “A Persian Passion
Play”--Matthew Arnold’s “Essays in Criticism.”
[151] See p. 146.
[152] This solemn farce is, I think, still played. Of course, no
astrology is needed. The method of calculation is explained in Sir
Alfred Irwin’s learned book on the Burmese Calendar.
[153] Literally, great blood-drinker, a Burmese official designation of
various connotation. Tun Baw was hereditary door-keeper and custodian
of the Hlutdaw building. He still survives in receipt of a modest
pension for faithful service.
[154] Earthen pots.
[155] See p. 115.
[156] _Brinjal_, a vegetable; _jingal_, a small cannon.
[157] See p. 123.
[158] Lord High Admiral.
[159] Sir J. George Scott, K.C.I.E.
[160] See p. 266. The Myowun died this year.
[161] Embankment.
[162] Fire-carriage.
[163] Pônkan was a bogey to the people of Bhamo till it was settled,
without much difficulty, by Sir George Wolseley in 1889.
[164] The highest title of a Shan chief.
[165] See p. 17.
[166] Chief wife.
[167] House and compound.
[168] Advisers, ministers.
[169] See p. 149.
[170] Mr. A. H. Hildebrand, C.I.E.
[171] Sir J. George Scott, K.C.I.E.
[172] General Sir Edward Stedman, G.C.B., K.C.I.E., successively
Inspector-General of Police in Burma, Quartermaster-General in India,
General Officer Commanding the Burma Division, and Military Secretary
at the India Office, one of the most distinguished officers of the
Bengal Army.
[173] Pickled tea.
[174] My wife spent the hot season of 1888 at May-my̆o, the first
Englishwoman who ever visited it.
[175] _Hein_, a Shan official of about the standing of a Circle Thugyi
in Burma.
[176] 13s. 4d.
[177] See p. 45 _et seq._
[178] The suppleness of Burmese women is remarkable. To lean backwards
and pick up with the eyelid a rupee placed on the floor is not an
unknown feat.
[179] Sir George White’s close connection with Upper Burma was never
forgotten. When Ladysmith was relieved, the Upper Burma Club sent
him a telegram of congratulation, of which we received a courteous
acknowledgment, probably the only instance of an exchange of telegrams
between Mandalay and Ladysmith.
[180] A great deal of nonsense has been written from time to time on
the subject of the Burmese custom of _Shiko_. A Burman coming into
the presence of a superior, a monk, a member of the royal house, an
official, an elder of his family, adopts an attitude akin to kneeling,
and places the palms of his hands together. Placing the palms of the
hands together and slightly raising them is the essence of the attitude
of respect. It is a charming and graceful salutation. In European
schools boys are taught to adopt instead a weird caricature of a
military salute or a debased imitation of the Indian salaam, which they
do ungracefully and with the ugliest effect. I do not care very much
for the prostration on the floor, and think it may be overdone. I used
to make people of any standing sit uncomfortably on chairs. But what
objection there can be to the hands slightly lifted in reverence, a
natural and beautiful action, why it should be thought more dignified
to pretend to cast dust on the head in salaaming, I cannot understand.
The last outrage perpetrated in school is to teach boys to stand with
arms folded across their chests in the presence of their elders and
betters.
[181] Heads of _Gaings_, that is, collections of monasteries;
assistants to _Gaing-ôks_, heads of large monastic institutions.
Roughly, I think, this is a fair interpretation. In speaking of
these dignitaries, I abstain from the common practice of using the
nomenclature of Christian Churches. The analogies are superficial.
[182] In this instance a formal document setting forth the terms of the
recognition.
[183] A Hindu gentleman, orthodox but emancipated, after a tour in
Burma, did me the honour of dining at my table. In the course of the
evening he said to me that, after seeing Burma, he thought it much to
be regretted that Buddhism had not maintained itself as the prevailing
religion of India.
[184] One patriarchal Deputy Commissioner made a law that carts
entering his headquarter town, at least by the road which passed his
house, should not creak. Every cart before long carried a small pot
of oil, and at a respectful distance halted while the wheels were
effectively greased.
[185] _Thein_, a very sacred building, containing images of the
Buddha, where ordination services are held. The land on which a
_thein_ is built must be sacred in perpetuity and granted by the King.
In modern practice grants of land for _theins_ are signed by the
Lieutenant-Governor himself.
[186] See p. 45 _et seq._
[187] A feast and presentation of gifts to monks.
[188] A monk of high position.
[189] This excellent example has, I am glad to say, been followed.
Several gaols are regularly visited by monks, who exhort prisoners to
repentance and a new life.
[190] Then Commissioner of the Irrawaddy Division.
[191] Government.
[192] “The Pacification of Burma,” by Sir Charles Crosthwaite. (Arnold,
1912.)
[193] Terraced spires over the gates.
[194] See p. 106.
[195] I need not mention this sportsman’s name. It was neither Andrew
Thomson nor Jem Bernard.
[196] Messengers.
[197] Store-room.
[198] Valet.
[199] Table-servant.
[200] The late Mr. D. M. Smeaton, C.S.I., for some years M.P. for
Stirlingshire.
[201] Hidden by the curtain.
[202] Panthays are Chinese Mohammedans of Yunnan.
[203] Mr. H. F. Hertz, C.I.E.
[204] _Cf._ “The Pacification of Burma,” p. 239 _et seq._
[205] Brigadier-General Hugh O’Donnell, C.B., D.S.O.
[206] A curious sight often to be seen outside of Bhamo was a drove of
pigs brought from China, each pig at night picketed to a small peg.
Hard by baskets of walnuts deluded the stranger into the belief that
the pigs, like pack-bullocks, were made to carry the baskets.
[207] The station of that name on the Myitkyina line used perversely to
be called by railway engineers “One-two.”
[208] Mr. Fielding-Hall, the accomplished author of “The Soul of a
People.”
[209] Sir Frank Campbell Gates, K.C.I.E., C.S.I., Financial Commissioner
of Burma.
[210] Now a Judge of the Chief Court.
[211] “The Pacification of Burma.”
[212] It remained for the ingenuity of the Courts in later years to
discover that in the eye of the law the headman was not a respectable
inhabitant.
[213] Lieutenant-Colonel D. J. C. Macnabb, C.S.I., Commissioner of the
Minbu division.
[214] Colonel F. M. Rundall, C.B., D.S.O.
[215] Lieutenant-Colonel F. S. Le Quesne, V.C., R.A.M.C.
[216] Mr. E. S. Carr, now Conservator of Forests.
[217] Afterwards Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal.
[218] Lord MacDonnell of Swinford, P.C., G.C.S.I., K.C.V.O.
[219] Sir Edward Stedman, already often mentioned.
[220] Mr. A. H. Hildebrand, C.I.E.
[221] Sir J. George Scott, K.C.I.E.
[222] “The Pacification of Burma.”
[223] A full account of the Shans is to be found in Mrs. Leslie Milne’s
charming book, “The Shans at Home.”
[224] _Myelat_ = middle country--the name given to the small Western
States bordering on Burma proper.
[225] The Honourable Saw Maung (_Sao Mawng_), C.I.E., K.S.M., Member of
the Local Legislative Council.
[226] See note, p. 138.
[227] Mounted military police.
[228] Sun helmet.
[229] Sir G. W. Shaw, C.S.I., acting Lieutenant-Governor of Burma.
[230] Nursery of seedlings.
[231] Mr. E. C. S. George, C.I.E., I.C.S. (retired), whom ill-health
alone prevented from attaining the highest distinction.
[232] See p. 250.
[233] General the Right Honourable Sir Henry Brackenbury, P.C., G.C.B.,
K.C.S.I., R.A.
[234] Sir William John Cuningham, K.C.S.I.
[235] Now Major-General Sir Hamilton Bower, K.C.B., recently commanding
the Abor Expedition.
[236] Arrangements.
[237] Surgeon-General O. E. P. Lloyd, V.C., R.A.M.C.
[238] See p. 76.
[239] Early breakfast.
[240] In recent years much of the country east of the ’Nmaikha has been
taken under administration. Forts have been built and roads made far
north of ’Nsentaru.
[241] See p. 305.
[242] _Kazins._
[243] Maung Aung Zan, K.S.M., District Judge. See p. 25.
[244] A viss was then equal to 3.65 pounds avoirdupois. It has now been
standardized at 3.60 pounds.
[245] Native servant (_bhai_).
[246] A dacoit leader in Tharrawaddy in the early days of the
pacification of Pegu (1852-1860). This reward was offered by the
Government of India instead of the modest two thousand suggested by
Sir Arthur Phayre. Gaung Gyi went across the frontier when Tharrawaddy
became too hot. I met some of his descendants in Mandalay.
[247] Major W. R. Stone, I.A.
[248] I refrain from specifying many others, still living, lest by
naming some I seem to slight others equally worthy.
[249] See p. 122.
[250] See p. 166.
[251] For years afterwards, perhaps to this day, as a measure of
superabundant caution, the city gates were closed early in the night,
to the annoyance and inconvenience of strayed revellers returning late
from dance or dinner without the walls.
[252] Brigadier-General W. H. Dobbie, C.B., commanding a brigade in
India.
[253] See p. 195.
[254] For many years Chinese adviser to the Government of Burma.
[255] Colonel F. B. Longe, C.B., R.E., formerly Surveyor-General in
India.
[256] Colonel E. W. M. Norie, A.D.C., Assistant Military Secretary at
the War Office.
[257] Major J. W. L. ffrench-Mullen, C.I.E., Commandant of the
Myitkyina Battalion of Military Police.
[258] A temporary hall built for the occasion, of mats and bamboos,
gaily adorned with flowers and curtains and paper ornaments.
[259] Teacher.
[260] See p. 115.
[261] Sir Harvey Adamson, K.C.S.I., Lieutenant-Governor of Burma,
formerly Member of the Council of the Governor-General.
[262] The late Sir Denzil Ibbetson, K.C.S.I., Lieutenant-Governor of
the Punjab.
[263] The late Sir Edward Baker, K.C.S.I., afterwards Lieutenant-
Governor of Bengal, whose early death we have had but lately to deplore.
[264] I am aware that he has to obtain the Viceroy’s concurrence; but
he has the advantage of the last word.
[265] I need hardly say (as I proposed it) that I regard this as a
sound measure.
[266] See note on p. 295.
[267] Some of these officers are Arakanese, one a Talaing; all are
natives of Burma.
[268] I must not be thought to regard these addresses with levity. I
appreciated them highly, and have preserved them all.
[269] I have elsewhere paid my humble tribute of respect to Dr.
Cushing’s memory. The first person to join with me in lamenting his
loss was the Right Reverend Bishop Cardot, of the Roman Catholic
Church. Our own Bishop was not backward in expressing his sorrow and
appreciation. In Burma, at least, there is some unity among Christians.
[270] Mr. G. C. B. Stirling, C.I.E.
[271] See p. 175.
[272] House of a Shan Chief.
[273] Skirt.
[274] Knife, of any size.
[275] Kakusandha, Konagamana, Kassapa, Gaudama.
[276] Eaters (= owners) of wells.
[277] See p. 250.
[278] Mr. W. A. Hertz, C.S.I.
[279] See p. 249.
[280] Sir Frank Campbell Gates, K.C.I.E., C.S.I.
[281] Sir Lionel Jacob, K.C.S.I., too soon carried off to be Secretary
to the Government of India in the Public Works Department.
INDEX
Adamson, Colonel C. H. E., 9, 114, 123, 166, 213, 221
Adamson, Sir H., 8, 284, 286
Aitchison, Sir C. U., 18, 26
Akyab, 297, 299
Alaungpaya, 2, 107, 108, 216
Allan-myo, 74 _et seq._
Allen, Mr. C. F. E., 17, 171
Amarapura, 120, 181
Annexation of Upper Burma, 140, 142
Arakan Pagoda, 121, 197, 200
Arbuthnot, Mr. R. E. V., 306
Ardagh, Sir J., 244
Arnold, Mr. G. F., 306
Art industries, 63 _et seq._
Atlay, Mr. F., 204
A-tu-ma-shi Monastery, 118, 121
Aung, Maung Myat Tun, 295
Ava, 106, 129, 130, 132
Ava, Earl of, 138
Aw, Bo, 207
Baber, Mr. C., 222
Bahadur Shah, 208, 209
Băkht, Mirza Jamshíd, 209
Băkht, Prince Jawan, 209
Banmauk, 252
Barnes, Sir H. S., 286
Bassein, 10, 17, 74, 260, 297
Baw, Tun, 164
Bayne, Mr. C. G., 90, 94, 207, 218
Beresford, Lord W., 139, 244
Bernard, Sir C. E., 52, 53, 92, 94, 95, 104, 114, 115, 116, 125, 134,
136, 140, 143, 144, 149, 154, 155, 157, 160, 161, 168, 170, 173, 176,
182, 189, 257
Bernard, Mr. J. H., 144
Bernard-myo, 203
Bhamo, 170, 211 _et seq._, 223, 239, 242, 244, 251, 252, 272, 287
Bigaudet, Bishop, 49
Boat-races, 61
Bôn, Thandawzin So, 111
Bower, Sir H., 245
Bowers, Captain A., 304
Bowers, Lieutenant H. R., 304
Boxing, 73
Brackenbury, Sir H., 244
Bradford, Sir E., 224
Bridges, Mr. J. E., 173
Briscoe, Rev. J. D., 86
Browning, Colonel H. A., 158
Buddha, relics of, 199
Buddhism, 183 _et seq._
Burgess, Mr. G. D., 18, 19, 20, 24, 51, 81, 90, 92, 95, 99, 156, 217,
255, 277
Burma, Lower, disorder in, 137, 221
Bwa, Maung Ba, 261, 264
Bya, U., 25
Caldecott, Captain E. L., 306
Cardot, Bishop, 298
Carew, Sir R. Pole-, 138
Carey, Mr. B. S., 158, 221
Carter, Mr. G. M. S., 114, 166, 204
Carving, wood, 65
Caste, absence of, 67
Cattle theft, 80
Chamberlain, Sir N., 88, 138
Chesney, Sir G., 116
Chess, Burmese, 57
Chief Court, 280, 285
Chindwin River, 10, 300
Chin-lôn, 59
Chin Hills, 170, 221
Chinese Boundary, 244, 271 _et seq._
Chinese, relations with, 243
Chinese Shan States, 275
Chisholm, Mr. M. J., 114
Cho, Bo, 161, 259, 260
Churchill, Lord R., 122, 258
Claims against Government, 169
Clandeboye, Lord, 138
Class distinctions, 151
Clements, Major-General R. A. P., 129, 133
Clerk, Sir G., 88
Climate, 85
Cloney, Mr. E. P., 217
Cock-fighting, 59
Collins, Mr. G. G., 14, 106
Connaught, T.R.H. the Duke and Duchess of, 287
Connaught, H.R.H. Princess Patricia of, 287
Cooke, Colonel W., 86
Cooper, Captain, 103
Co-operative Credit Movement, 297
Copleston, Mr. F. S., 280, 285
Courneuve, Mr. de la, 51
Cromer, Earl of, 89
Crosthwaite, Sir C. H. T., 90, 161, 168, 201, 203, 219, 231, 233, 234,
257
Cuningham, Sir W. J., 244
Curzon, Earl, 286, 287, 288
Cushing, Rev. J. N., 298
Dacoits, 132, 161
d’Avéra, M., 30
Davies, Colonel H. N., 86
Decentralization Commission, 81, 292
Defile, First, 215, 251, 306
Second, 214
Delhi, Durbar, at, 130, 284
Delhi, Royal Family of, 208-10
Deputy Commissioner, position and powers of, 23
Disarmament, 168
Divorce, 71, 72
Dobbie, Brigadier-General, 269
Drever, Captain J. W., 248
Drinks, intoxicating, 56, 57
Dufferin and Ava, Marquis of, 138, 139, 141, 166
Dufferin and Ava, Marchioness of, 139, 141
Dun, Captain E. W., 178
Durand, Sir H. M., 138
Durians, 68
Dutt, Mr. R. C., 293
Education, elementary, 184
Einshemin, 122, 149
Elgin, Earl of, 284
Eliott, Mr. L., 213
Elliott, Sir C., 224
English, Mr. A. E., 297
Eyre, Colonel G. S., 106, 123, 259
Fenwick, Major, 129
Ferrars, Mr. M. H., 34
Fforde, Mr. T. F., 5, 123, 166
ffrench-Mullen, Major J. W. L., 272
Finlay, Sir C. K., 304
Fleming, Mr. A. S., 106, 123, 218, 237
Football, 59
Forde, Brigadier-General, 105
Forest Department, 6
Fowler, Mr. E. O., 221
Fraser, Major F. J., 306
Fryer, Sir F. W. R., 156, 218, 235, 237, 256
Gambling, 57-59
Gastrell, Colonel E. T., 159
Gates, Sir F. C., 218, 306
George, Mr. E. C. S., 242, 245, 251, 271, 272, 277, 298
Gordon, Mr. R., 51
Grant, General U. S., 32
Grey, Colonel W. F. H., 86
Gyaw, Maung Tin, 261, 263, 264
Gyi, Gaung, 260
Hall, Mr. Fielding, 217
Hamilton, Sir I., 138
Harvey, Mr. W. L., 289
Hassan, Prince, 152, 210
Henzada, 10, 261
Hertz, Mr. H. F., 213, 274
Hertz, Mr. W. A., 305
Hildebrand, Mr. A. H., 9, 176, 179, 226, 227, 233
Hill, Captain A. F. S., 306
Hindus and Mahomedans, 234 _et seq._
Hkè, Saw, 175, 299
Hladwe Sadaw, 189
Hlaingdet, 231
Hlethin Atwinwun, 166
Hlutdaw, 118, 122, 123, 134, 143, 144, 145
Hlwa, Maung, 129
Hodgkinson, Mr. G. J. S., 144, 207
Hopin, 305
Houghton, Mr. B., 222
Ibbetson, Sir D., 18, 289
Ilbert Bill, 92-94
Imlumshan, 277
Indawgyi, 305
Inle, 231
Insects, 84
Irrawaddy, _passim_
Irrawaddy Division, 260
Irrigation works, 240
Irwin, Sir A. M. B., 95, 163
Jacob, Sir L. M., 306
Jade Mines, 213, 250
James, Mr. H. W., 83
Jardine, Sir J., 82
Jubilee, H.M. Queen Victoria’s, 173, 180
Judicial Administration, 5
Kachin Hills, 170, 211, 214, 221, 242, 245
Kachins, 241-242
Kalaw, 231
Kale, 226
Kanaung, 95
Kansi La, 213
Kansi Naung, 213
Karenni, 172, 226
Katha, 217, 239, 252
Kaunghmu-daw Pagoda, 135
Kawlin, 217
Kawlin Mintha, 148
Keary, Major-General H. d’U., 129
Kengtung (Kyaingtôn), 177, 225, 227, 298
Kheddah, Elephant, 181
King Mindôn, 27 _et seq._, 100, 109, 125, 148, 149, 166, 169, 180, 216
King Pagan, 27, 147
King Thebaw, 29, 107, 108, 109, 118, 125, 126, 169
Kinwun Mingyi, 30, 101, 103, 104, 106, 109, 120, 134, 147, 186, 217,
267
Ko, Mr. Taw Sein, 144
Kuthodaw Paya, 122
Kyangin, 95
Kyan-hnyat, 203
Kyankmyaung Atwinwun, 86
Kyaukpyu, 295, 299
Kyi, Maung Shwe, 6
Kyimyin Mipaya, 125
Lacquer-work, 64
Ladysmith, 182
Land Alienation, 296
Lansdowne, Marquis of, 244
Lansdowne, Marchioness of, 244
Lasa, 275
Lashio, 10, 254
La Touche, Sir J. D., 156
Lat, Maung, 79 _et seq._
Le, Ma Twe, 180
Le Quesne, Colonel F. S., 221
Le, Yindaw Ma, 180
Ledi Sadaw, 197 _et seq._
Lely, Sir F. P., 293
Let-pet, 63
Lewisohn, Mr. F., 306
Limban Mipaya, 150
Liu, General, 272 _et seq._
Lloyd, Surgeon-General O. E. P., 245
Loch, Mr., 159
Longe, Colonel F. B., 272
Lowndes, Major-General T., 5, 114, 115, 135
Lu, Saw, 175
Lu, Twet Nga, 227
Lytton, Earl of, 27
MacDermott, Mr. B. K. S., 82, 216
MacDonnell, Lord, 224
Mackenzie, Sir A., 138, 234, 235, 255, 256, 257
Macnabb, Colonel D. J. C., 221, 261
Macpherson, Sir H., 159
Mahomedans and Hindus, 235 _et seq._
Maingkaing Myosa, 180
Mainglôn, 173, 299
Maingtôn, 173
Mali-kha, 248, 249
Mandalay, _passim_
Mansi, 252
Marriage customs, 71, 146
Matang (Matin), 276
Mathews, Mr. H. M. S., 158
Maung, Saw, 232-233
Mawlamyaing-gyun, 41
Maxwell, Colonel F. D., 51, 198
May, Colonel, 178
Maymy̆o, 178, 231, 254, 299
Meiktila Supaya, 149
Mergui, 299
Min, Maung Tun, 295
Minbu, 156
Mindôn Min, 27 _et seq._, 100, 109, 125, 148, 149, 166, 169, 180, 216
Mingin, Wun of, 111-113
Minhla, 106, 114, 123
Ministers, Council of, 145-146
Minto, Earl of, 149, 287, 293
Minto, Countess of, 287
Missions, 49, 50
Mobôn, 75
Mogaung, 213, 250
Mogôk, 177, 204, 205, 252, 298, 299
Momien, 214
Möñgmit (Momeik), 298
Monks, Buddhist, 161, 183 _et seq._
Morley, Viscount, 293
Morrison, Dr., 214
Morton, Captain B., 245
Moulmein, 10
Myanaung, 95 _et seq._
Myaung-my̆a, 40, 73
Myedè, 74 _et seq._
Myelat, 225, 231, 233
Myingun, Prince, 96, 125, 148
Myingyan, 106, 114, 123, 129, 184, 259, 303
Myitkyina, 10, 242, 249, 250, 305, 306
Myotha, 132-133
Myothugyis, 153
Namkham, 177, 298
Ngapi, 38, 62
Ngathaing-gyaung, 261, 264
Nicholson, Lord, 138
Ningyan, 156
’Nmaikha, 248-249
Norie, Colonel E. W. M., 272
Norman, Brigadier-General, 105
’Nsentaru, 249
Nuns, Buddhist, 192
Nyaung-ôk Mintha, 30, 148
Nyaung-yan Mintha, 30, 31, 148
Nyaungywe, 231 _et seq._
O, Maung Shwe, 39
O, Min, 163
O’Donnell, Brigadier-General H., 213
Oil-fields, 303-304
Ôktama, 161
Ôn Saw, 233
Opium, 55
Pacification of Burma, the, 161, 202 _n._, 213 _n._, 219, 333 _n._
Pagan, 106, 123, 141, 287, 302, 303
Pagan Min, 27, 147
Pagan Min, widow of, 147
Pagoda, Shwe Dagôn, 11, 194, 197, 200
Pakan Sadaw, 189
Pakangyi Supaya, 149, 174
Pakôkku, 114, 300
Palace at Mandalay, 117 _et seq._, 284
Pantanaw, 36 _et seq._, 260
Parents, respect for, 162
Patriarchal justice, 124
Pe, Maung, 25
Pegu, 258, 297
Pegu Division, 235
Peile, Colonel S. C. F., 296
Pennell, Mr. C. S., 306
Phayre, Sir A., 9, 28, 86, 92, 154, 204, 260 _n._
Phayre, Mr. R., 106, 123, 162
Pilcher, Mr. R. H., 7, 86, 87, 134, 135, 162, 176
Pinlebu, 218, 252
Pintha Mintha, 125, 126, 148
Po, Maung, 82
Police, 5, 78, 158, 296
military, 159
Pônkan, 170, 252
Pônnas, 146, 163
Prendergast, Sir H. N. D., 105, 106, 115, 118, 122, 143
Pretyman, Sir G., 88
Primrose, Sir H., 88
Prome, 10, 114, 189
Prothero, General M., 159
Provincial Settlement, 289, 291
Pwè, 45, 278
Pyi, Maung, 140
Pyin, Bo, 216
Pyinmana, 156, 259
Pyinmana Mintha, 125, 148
Pyintha, 177, 254
Pyinulwin, 177, 178
Pyo, Maung Tet, 81
Pyuntazá, 222
Queen Sinbyumashin, 29
Queen Supayalat, 29, 103, 107, 108, 109, 110, 115
Rae, Mr. D. W., 272
Raikes, Colonel F. D., 221
Railway, Mandalay-Toungoo, 167, 224
Mu Valley, 239
Southern Shan States, 230
Railways, 10
Rainey-Robinson, Colonel R. M., 129, 133
Rangoon, 11 _et seq._ and _passim_
past and present, 18-23
Ratnagiri, 109
Rawlings, Mr. A. E., 100
Rebellions, 270
Redman, Captain, 113
Regan, Mr., 54, 144
Ribbentrop, Mr. B., 6
Rice, Mr. W. F., 306
Richard, Mr. H. J., 202
Ripon, Marquis of, 52, 88, 93
Roberts, Earl, 87, 88, 138, 139, 159, 169, 173
Ronak Begam, 209, 210
Ross, Mr. D., 221
Ruby Mines, 203 _et seq._, 252
Rundall, Colonel F. M., 221
Sadôn, 246, 248
Sagadaung, 203
Sagaing, 67, 106, 130, 135, 239
Saing, Kun, 170 _et seq._
St. Barbe, Mr. H. L., 141
Salween, 227, 232
Sandford, Mr. J. D., 5
Sandoway, 221, 299
Sayedawgyi, 145
Scott, Sir J. G., 59, 158, 165, 176, 179, 226, 227, 267, 268, 277
Scott, Mr. W., 305
Scott-Moncrieff, Sir C., 52
Sè, Hein, 179
Shah Zamani Begam, 209
Shan States, 170, 225 _et seq._, 275, 278
Shans at home, the, 230 _n._
Shaw, Sir G. W., 240
Shaw, Mr. R. B., 30
Shearme, Mr. D., 306
Shiko, 186 _n._
Short, Mr. J., 14
Shwe Dagôn Pagoda, 11, 194, 197, 200
Shwebo, 2, 123, 216, 217, 240
Shwegu, 215
Shwehlan Myowun, 123, 165, 266
Shwelaung, 39
Si, Myowun U Pe, 123, 124, 143, 152
Silver-work, 65
Sima, 241, 245, 271
Sinbaungwè, 77, 81
Sinbaungwè, Wun of, 79
Sinbo, 244, 251
Sinbyumashin, Queen, 29
Sinaing, 177
Sinlumgaba, 272, 276
Sittang River, 10
Sladen, Sir E. B., 106, 122, 123, 125, 128, 134, 143, 276, 304
Smeaton, Mr. D. M., 207, 208, 256
Snadden, Mr. W. G., 267
Snakes, 48, 301
Stedman, Sir E., 176, 178, 219, 226
Stedman, Fort, 231, 232, 234
Stevenson, Mr. R. C., 106, 203
Stirling, Mr. G. C. B., 299
Stone, Major W. R., 260
Street, Colonel C. W., 7, 92
Su, Chit, 232
Summers, Mr. E. W. B., 237
Supayalat, Queen, 29, 103, 107, 108, 109, 110, 115
Superstitions, 97
Swè, Bo, 161
Symes, Sir E. S., 51, 90, 92, 95, 114, 137, 207, 234, 235, 254
Symons, Sir W. P., 105, 221
Syriam, 304
Tabet Myosa, 179
Taingda Mingyi, 29, 86, 103, 134
Tari, 56
Taungbaing, 176
Taung-gwin Mingyi, 162
Taung-gyi, 232
Taungya cultivation, 76
Tavoy, 221, 299
Tenancy Legislation, 296
T’Êngyüeh, 214, 244
Tha, Maung Shwe, 295
Thabeik-kyin, 206
Tharrawaddy, 222
Thathanabaing, the, 187, 189-191
Thaungthut, 301
Thayazein Mipaya, 150
Thayetmyo, 74 _et seq._
Thazi, 231
Thebaw Min, 29, 107, 108, 109, 118, 125, 126, 169
Theinni, 176, 225
Thetpau Mipaya, 150
Thibaw, Sawbwa of (1), 171 _et seq._
Thibaw, Sawbwa of (2), 175, 299
Thibaw, State of, 171, 299
Thompson, Sir A. R., 7
Thomson, Mr. A., 144, 147
Thônzè, 173, 176, 178, 180
Ti, Bo, 212
Tibet, 242, 245, 275
Tiger stories, 15, 301, 302
Tin, Maung, 145
Titcomb, Dr. J. H., 34
To, Bo, 224
Todd-Naylor, Mr. H. P., 158, 222
Tôk, Maung, 30, 126
Tônbo, 176, 254
Toungoo, 10, 88, 167, 224
Tuck, Mr. H. N., 221
Tucker, Mr. A. H., 258
Tucker, Mr. H. St. G., 156
Tun, Maung, 216
Twomey, Mr. D. H. R., 218, 221
U, Hla, 161
Vaccination, 216
Victoria Point, 300
Village Law, 219
Wakèma, 40
Wales, T.R.H. the Prince and Princess of, 181, 233, 287
Wales, H.R.H. Prince Albert Victor of, 224
Wallace, Sir D. M., 138
Warry, Mr. W., 272
White, Sir G. S., 105, 143, 159, 170, 182
Wilkinson, Mr. C. J., 5
Women, Burmese, 68 _et seq._
Wood carving, 65
Wuntho, 211, 217, 221, 239, 252
Yamèthin, 259
Yan, Shwe, 161
Yanaung Mintha, 30, 126
Yatsauk, 179
Yenangyaung, 304
Yenangyaung Mingyi (1), 126
Yenangyaung Mingyi (2), 124, 125, 126
Yunnan, 210, 214, 274
Yunnan-fu, 224
Zan, Maung Aung, 25, 252, 294
Zibingale, 176-177
Zibingyi, 254
Zinath Mahal, Begam, 208-209
Zinaw, 248
BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD.
Transcriber's notes:
The following is a list of changes made to the original.
The first line is the original line, the second the corrected one.
illustrious of pure Bhuddist shrines, dominating the
illustrious of pure Buddhist shrines, dominating the
I spent in the office eleven years a period surpassed only,
I spent in the office eleven years, a period surpassed only,
Two days earlier the King of Burmah issued a proclamation
Two days earlier the King of Burma issued a proclamation
into Divisions, and Commissioners were appointed, In June,
into Divisions, and Commissioners were appointed. In June,
he was noosed and tied up in the Keddah, and the
he was noosed and tied up in the Kheddah, and the
At Sadagaung it was found that all the servants,
At Sagadaung it was found that all the servants,
Their son and daughter, Mirza Jamshíd Bakht and Ronak Begam,
Their son and daughter, Mirza Jamshíd Băkht and Ronak Begam,
In the morning the valleys were covered with a vale of mist;
In the morning the valleys were covered with a veil of mist;
Some of these officers are Arakenese, one a Talaing;
Some of these officers are Arakanese, one a Talaing;
the very able and distinguished Deputy Commmissioner of Myitkyina,
the very able and distinguished Deputy Commissioner of Myitkyina,
_myŏ-ôk-gavaw_ = Myŏ-ôk's wife.
_my̆o-ôk-gavaw_ = My̆o-ôk's wife.
_myo-thu-gyi_ = head of a _myo_ or circle.
_my̆o-thu-gyi_ = head of a _my̆o_ or circle.
End of Project Gutenberg's A Civil Servant in Burma, by Herbert Thirkel White