POPULATION. In 1901 the inhabitants of Bur ma, mostly native, numbered 9.:221,161, the in crease being over IS per cent. since 1891. The original Burman are believed to have de scended southward from Tibet. The tribe of Rama, or Burma, settled on the northern Irra waddy. whore they came into contact. with the Peguan or :\ Ion race, probably of A nnamitie ori gin. The Burman, are Mongoloid, with a sugges tion of the Aryan, with fiat faces and broad skulls, black hair, rich brown skin, and brilliant blaek eyes They are usually xvell-formed, me dium-staturM, thick-set. the men being fond of athletics. They wear a simple dress, consisting of ruse and tamriu, the former for men, 10 yards long and a half-yard wide, which is hitched round the loins and disposed in various ways over the body, making a dress without buttons or strings, but with pockets and infinite capacities. The wo man's garment. only feet long, is of cotton, -silk or calico. The white cotton coat is common to both sexes. The old costume seems now to be giv ing way to a new tartan-like dress or garment, about 9 or 10 feet long. On their heads they usu ally wear a knot of their own hair or bright figured silk kerchiefs. They are very fond of personal deeorations, and the native jewelers are expert at gold and silver work. The smoking of tobacco and the chewing of betel-nut are almost universal. The houses, usually set on piles, on account of river floods, are made of bamboo, laid on timber framework, and covered with the leaves of the palm, or by other suitable vegetable leaf and fibre. The Burmese are fairly industrious, but the women excel the men in variety of domes employments. They are temperate and hearty, but not fond of continued labor. The number of festivals is very great, and they are enthu siastically kept and enjoyed by the people at large. Among the amusements may be mentioned boxing matches, pony, bullock, and boat races, cock-fighting, 'splitting the cocoanut,' chess, dominoes, and various sorts of juggling, snake charming, etc. The Burman is excessively fond of pageants and frolics, In theatrical represen tations, as a rude, the hero and heroine are prince and princess. the countryman is a jester or clown,
and time Ding's officer are courtiers or execution ers. The King is consistently idealized, while his deputies are travestied. The ballet is very gay and animated, the dancers dressing in superb cos tumes. The entertainment often lasts several days or nights in succession, and it may consist of dialogues, music, interludes of dancing and poste ring.
Other races besides the Burmans proper dwell within the limits of Burma ; the Shams inhabit the eastern highlands, where they have semi independent States, and the Kaehins the north ern. The Harems, in many respects an interest ing people, are the most important hill race of the country, and best exemplify the mode of life of the aboriginal tribes, who have been kept out of the plain-lands by the more powerful Bur mans. Those living in the mountains between Burma and Siam get their living by making forest clearings. on which they raise one crop, removing to another site every season. Those set tled in the lowlands are more civilized, and speak and dress like Burmans. Noted for their hospital ity, truthfulness, chastity, and spirit of equality, they are nevertheless given to drunkenness and to superstition. They are shorter and stouter than the Burmans, and of much fairer complexion. They employ elephants, and are good hunters, and do not marry until reaching mature life.
The language of the Burmese belongs to the same group as the speech of the Annamese, Siam ese, and others speaking monosyllabic tongues. The alphabet seems to be a rounded form of Pali. The forms of speech tend to preserve relative ideas in the same categories as the terms ex pressing the ideas. The root remains unaltered; thus, instead of our 'herb,' shrith,"tree,' the Burman speaks of grain-plants, creeper-plants, timber-plants. Written Burmese literature goes hack for over SOO years, and it is everywhere colored by Hindu influences.