poses her new-born infant to perish in the fields: a crime, however odious, by no means, I am affured, unfrequent. With this the Tibetians never can be charged. Their cuftom, as it eventually operates against fuperabundant population, tends alfo to prevent domeftic difcords, arifing from a divifion of family interefts, and to concentrate all the fpirit, and all the virtues, inherent in illuftrious blood. "The ceremonies of marriage are neither tedious nor intricate in Tibet. Their courtships are carried on with little art, and quickly brought to a conclusion. The elder brother of a family, to whom the choice belongs, when enamoured of a damfel, makes his propofal to the parents If his fuit is approved, and the offer accepted, the parents with their daughter repair to the fuitor's houfe, where the male and female acquaintance of both parties meet and caroufe for the space of three days, with mufic, dancing, and every kind of feftivity. At the expiration of this time the marriage is complete. The priests of Tibet, who thun the fociety of women, have no fhare in thefe ceremonies, or in ratifying the obli gation between the parties. Mutual confent is their only bond of union, and the parties present are witneffes to the contract, which, it feems, is formed indiffolubly for life. The husband has it not in his power to rid himself of a troublefome companion, nor the wife to withdraw herself from the hufband, unlefs, indeed, the fame unifon of fentiment that joined their hands fhould prompt their feparation; but, in fuch a cafe, they are never left at liberty to form a new alliance. Inftances of incontinency are rare; but if a married female be found to violate her compact, the crime is expiated by corporal punishment, and the favoured lover effaces the obloquy of his tranfgreffion by a pecuniary fine, "If, in general fociety, the males be fometimes chargeable with coldnefs towards the female fex, they cannot, therefore, be faid with cy nical severity to forbid them all indulgence; fince very precife chaftity, before they marry, is not expected in the fair fex, though, when they have once formed a contract, they are by no means permitted, with impunity, to break it." MANNER of receiving the BRITISH EMBASSY at the BIRMAN COURT, [From Lieutenant-Colonel SYMES's Account of an EMBASSY to the KINGDOM OF AVA.] the fenior being now at the point - of death, came forth from the gate of their inclosure, attended by a retinue comparatively very fmall. We found three war boats at the bank ready to receive us; thefe boats were fufficiently capacious for the number they were deftined to contain the largest was of fifty oars, but they were not above one third manned, probably with a view to our accommodation, as the veffels are fo narrow, that perfons unaccustomed to them cannot fit between the rowers without inconvenience: it did not, however, efcape our notice that they were quite plain, without either gilding or paint.We were about twenty minutes in rowing to the oppofite fide of the lake, and found a crowd of people collected near the water's edge to fee us land. The place where we landed appeared to be nearly a mile, in a direct line, below the fort, the fouthern walls of which are washed by the lake when the waters are fwollen. Three elephants and feveral horfes were waiting to convey us; and fome Birman officers of inferior confequence attended at the bank, dreffed in their robes and caps of ceremony. The furniture of the animals we were to ride was far from being fuperb. Men of rank in the Birman empire always guide their own elephants, and fit on the neck, in the fame manner that the drivers or mohaats do in India: owing to this cuftom, they are unprovided with thofe commodious feats in which an Indian gentleman repofes at cafe on the back of this noble beaft, whilft the government of it is intrufted to another perfon. A large wicker basket, fomewhat refembling the body of an open carriage, but fmaller, without any elevated feat, and covered with carpets at the bottom, was faftened on the back of the elephant by means of iron chains that paffed under his belly, and were prevented from chafing him by tanned ox-hides.This equipage was neither comfortable nor elegant; but as I had not learned how to manage an elephant, and ride between his ears, there was no alternative; I was obliged either to take what was provided, or fubmit to a lefs dignified conveyance. The drivers, instead of making the beaft kneel down to receive his rider, as is the custom in other countries, drove him up to a temporary ftage that had been erected for the purpose of mounting. Each of the Chinefe deputies was allo honoured with an elephant. Mr. Wood and Dr. Buchanan rode on handfome fpirited horfes, of the fmall Pegue breed, which had been prepared for them, and were equipped with much better furniture than was affigned to the elephants. The Birman faddles, however, not being. well calculated for the enfe of an European rider, two of English manufacture, which we had brought with us, were fubftituted in their ftead. The moonfhee, the pundit, and the painter, were likewife permitted to ride on horfeback. After we had adjufted the ceremonial of mounting, the proceffion was marfhalled in the following order: A fandohgaan, or mafter of the ceremonies, on horseback: An oniroupferee, or regiiler of ftrangers, on horfeback: A letzounferee, or regifter of prefents, on horfeback; dreffed in their official robes and caps. Soldiers that compofed the efcort. The elephant of the reprefenta tive of the governor-general. Mr. Wood and Dr. Buchanan, on horseback. Baba-Sheen, as chief interpreter. The Chinese deputies, on elephants, preceded by their fervants, bearing flags. A woondock, or fecond counfellor of state. Two terrezogees, or officers who hold judiciary ftations. The fervants of the embaffy walked on each fide, two by two; and a number of conftables attended, with long white rods, to keep off the populace. "The proceffion being thus arranged, we commenced our march, keeping a moderate pace, fo as not to diftrefs the bearers of the prefents. After proceeding a fhort way, we entered a wide and handfome street that was paved with brick: the houses on each fide were low, built of wood, and covered with tiles; they had been evidently prepared for the occafion, being fresh whitewashed, and decorated with boughs and flowers; the fhops, which are ufually open towards the street, difplayed their beft goods. In front of each houfe was a flight latticed railing of bamboo, advanced into the street, to the diftance of three or four feet; over this fpace was fpread a fhade of bamboo mats, that reached from the eaves of the houfes to the railing, forming a fort of covered balcony, every one of which was crowded with fpectators, men and women indifcriminately. Boys fat on the tops of the houfes, and the streets were fo thronged as to leave only a fufficient fpace for the proceffion to move without interruption. But what rendered the fcene most remarkable was, the pofture which the multitude preferved; every perfon, as soon as we came in fight, fquatted on his hams, and continued in that attitude until we had paffed by: this was an indication of high refpect. Throughout the crowd there was no difturb. ance nor any extraordinary noise ; the populace looked up and gazed in filence, nor did they attempt to follow us, but were fatisfied with a tranfient view. The pagwaats, or conftables, armed with long rods, fometimes affected to ftrike thofe who were most forward, in order to make them recede; but in this act they humanely avoided hurting any one, generally directing the blow to the ground clofe to thofe whom they intended to remove.— Thus we paffed through feveral wide ftreets running in a ftraight direction, and often croffed by others at right angles. We perceived only two brick houfes, and thefe we were informed belonged to foreigners. Contiguous to the fort was a fmall ftreet, entirely occupied by the fhops of filversmiths, who exhibited their wares in the open balcony, and difplayed a great variety of Birman utenfils in plate.The diftance from the landing-place to this ftreet we computed to be two miles. Immediately after we croffed the ditch of the fort, which was wide, deep, and faced with brick, but had little water in it: the paffage was over a caufeway formed on a mound of earth, in which there was a chafm of aboutten feet to carry off the rain, and across this a strong bridge of planks was laid. Between the bridge and the foot of the wall there was a space eighty or a hundred feet wide, on which two redoubts were raised to defend the paffage of the ditch; the rampart, faced by a wall of brick, was about twenty feet high, exclufive of the parapet, which had embrafures for cannon, and apertures for mufquetry. Small demibaftions projected at regular diftances beyond the wall, but they did not appear to contain fufficient fpace to admit of heavy ordnance. The body inclination of the body, and raifing the hand to the head, as they did; a defire with which I complied, although I conceived the distance fo great as hardly to require that mark of refpect. When we had proceed body of the rampart was compofed of earth, fuftained externally and within by ftrong walls; the gate was maffive, with a wicket in it; and the fort altogether, confidered as an eastern fortification, was refpectable, but infufficient to refifted two or three hundred yards far the approaches of an enemy fkilled in the fcience of war. The Birmans, however, believe it to be impregnable; they put their trust in the height and folidity of their wall, which they conceive to be strong enough to refift all affaults, independent of the cover of a glacis, or any other advanced work than the ditch. I did not attempt to mortify their pride by telling them a difagreeable truth, that a battery of half a dozen cannon would, in a few hours, reduce their walls to a heap of ruins; and indeed, if I had told them fo, it is probable that they might not have credited the information. "We entered by the western gate: there was little diftinction between the houses in the fort and thofe of the city, except that the dwellings of perfons of official confequence, and the members of the royal family, who refided within the walls, were furrounded by a wooden partition that inclofed a court. We paffed, making feveral angles in our way, through a market fupplied with rice, pulfe, and other vegetables, but faw neither meat nor fifh. At the diftance of two fhort ftreets from the palace, we came to a fpot where bamboo ftages were erected for us to alight, fimilar to thofe at the landing-place; here we difmounted, and walked in the fame order as we had rode. Coming to the top of a fhort ftreet leading down to the palace, we were defired by the fandohgaan, or master of the ceremonies, through Baba-Sheen, to stop and make obeifance to the refidence of majesty, by a gentle ther, the fandohgaan repeated the ceremony of bowing, to which I offered no objection; nor fhould I have felt the smallest reluctance in complying, had not the manner of the fandohgaan been what I confidered extremely difrefpectful. Thus we proceeded until we came to the rhoom, which was a lofty hall, raised four or five feet from the ground, and open on all fides; it was fituated about a hundred yards from the gate of the palace court, on the left hand, and in the centre of a spacious area. Putting off our fhoes we entered the faloon, and fat down on carpets that were fpread for us, with our faces towards the palace gate: here the prefents were depofited, whilft the Chinese deputies took their places on the other fide. "It was now about ten o'clock, and the woondock intimated that we muft wait until all the princes of the royal family arrived, before it would be proper for us to enter: we had fat but a fhort time, when the prince of Pegahm, the junior of the king's fons in point of rank though not in years, being born of a different mother, made his appearance. He was mounted on the neck of a very fine elephant, which he guided himself, fitting on a fearlet cloth embroidered with gold, whilft a fervant behind, on the back of the animal, fcreened him from the fun with a gilded parafol. About fifty mufqueteers led the way; thefe were followed by a number of halberdiers, carrying fpears with gilded fhafts, and decorated with gold taffels. Six or eight officers officers of his household (each of the king's fons have a feparate establishment) came next, dreffed in velvet robes with embroidered caps, and chains of gold depending from the left shoulder to the right fide; thefe immediately preceded the prince's elephant; another body of fpearmen, with his palanquin f itate, clofed the proceffion. On entering the gate, he gave to one of his attendants a polished iron hook, with which he governed his elephant; as not any thing that can be ufed as a weapon is fuffered to be brought within the precincts of the palace, not even by his majesty's fons.-The prince's efcort halted without the gate, and the greater number of his attendants were ftopped, thofe only being admitted who were of higher rank, together with the men who carried his large betel-box of gold, and his flagon of water, which are brought rather for ftate than for refreshment. When the prince had alighted, his elephant returned, and all the attendants ranged themselves in the area between the rhoom and the palace gate. Soon after the prince of Pegahm had entered, the prince of Tongho, the next in precedence, appeared; he was attended by a fuite nearly fimilar to that of his brother; and in fucceffion came the princes of Baffein and of Prome: the cngy teekien, or heir apparent, came latt; when he arrived it was twelve o'clock, which the great drum - that proclaims the hours founded from a lofty tower near the palace. The ftate in which the latter perfonage made his public entrance was highly fuperb, and becoming his elevated ftation. He was preceded by a numerous body guard of infantry, confifting of four or five hundred men, armed with mufquets, who marched in regular files, and were uniformly clothed and ac coutred. Next came a party of Caf fay troopers, habited in their fancìful drefs, with high conical caps bending backwards. We were told that through refpect they had alightedfrom their horfes nearly at the fame place where we had difmounted. Twenty or thirty men followed thefe, holding long gilded wands; then came eighteen or twenty military officers of rank, with gilded helmets; next, the civil officers of his household and his council, wearing the tzaloe, or chain of nobility, and arrayed in their robes and caps of flate, varied according to their refpective ranks. The prince, borne on men's fhoulders, in a very rich palanquin, but without any canopy, followed; he was fcreened from the fun by a large gilded fan, fupported by a nobleman; and on each fide of his palanquin walked fix Caffay aftrologers, of the Braminical fect, drefled in white gowns and white caps, ftudded with ftars of gold; clote behind, his fervants carried his water-fagon, and a gold betel-box, of a fize which appeared to be no inconfiderable load for a man. Several elephants and led horfes with ich houfings came after; fome inferior officers, and a body of fpearmen, with three companies of mufqueteers, one clothed in blue, another in green, and a third in red, concluded the proceffion. "In every part of this oftentatious parade, perfect regularity was maintained, which confiderably increafed the effect. All things feemed to have been carefully predisposed and pro. perly arranged. If it was lefs fplendid than imperial Delhi in the days of Megul magnificence, it was far more decorous than any court of Hindooftan at the prefent day. The rabble was not tumultuous, the attendants and foldiery were filent, and every man seemed to know his own place. No noify heralds, as is the cuftom in India, ran before, vocife, |