standing army was small. Levies were made, in case of war, by way of conscription; and a specified number of houses was required to furnish a soldier or pay a fine. The religion of the country is that of Buddha, which is said to exist here in great purity. The tutelary divinities worshipped in various Buddhist countries are unknown, and the vows of poverty and chastity taken by the monks are said to be less frequently broken here than elsewhere. The Burmese possess a complete system of education, so far as male children are concerned. All boys are required to reside in a religious house for three years, and there they act as servants to the priests, who instruct them in reading, writing, and arithmetic, as well as the doctrines of their religion. The census of 1901 returned a population of 9,184,121, of whom 88.6 per cent were Buddhists, the density per square mile being 55, against 184 for India. Upward of 90 per cent of the population dwell in rural areas, and no tendency toward gravitation to the towns is observed. Although population has been steadily increasing in Burma the fact that an enormous tract of country not previously enumerated was now included in the census operations renders any comparison with the figures of 1891 misleading. Within Burma proper, however, an increase of over 19 per cent is found to have occurred, and a birth-rate of over 38 per mile compares not unfavorably with average European standards. Notwithstanding the fact that the social position of women is so assured in Burma and that there is no suspicion of the existence of female infanticide, women number only 962 in 1,000, against 1,006 and 1,022 in Bengal and Madras. But the explanation probably lies in the preponderance of the male element among the numerous immigrants into the province. Marriage in Burma is a purely secular ceremony, and elementary education is far more widely dispersed than in India, one individual in five being able to read and write.

History.- The Burmese empire is of little note in ancient or general history. Buddhism and civilization are said to have been introduced from India. The last native dynasty was founded by a Burmese called Alompra, a man of obscure birth, who defeated the Peguans, and in 1753 obtained possession of Ava. Having made himself master of Burma, he invaded Siam; but, during this invasion he died suddenly in 1760. Alompra ruled well and wisely, and Namdogee, his eldest son and successor, who died in 1764, inheriting his father's spirit, introduced various reforms and useful measures. Shembuan (Tshen-bo-yen), the emperor's brother, became regent as guardian for his nephew Momien; but he usurped the throne himself and conquered Siam. In 1771, how ever, Siam recovered its independence, while the principal part of the Burmese forces were engaged in a war with China. In this war they were victorious, and compelled the Chinese whom they took prisoners to intermarry with Burmese females, and to remain in their territory. In 1776 Shembuan left his empire, much enlarged, to his son, Chenguza. This prince lived in the unrestrained indulgence of every appetite till in 1782 he was dethroned and put to death. In consequence of the revolution, Mentaragyi, the the fourth son of Alompra,

ascended the throne. He ordered his nephew, Momien, who was a state prisoner, to be drowned, and in 1783 subdued the kingdom of Arracan. He then engaged in a war with Siam, which continued till 1793, when peace was made on certain conditions. About this period, it happened that some robbers fled from the Burmese empire, and took refuge in the territory of the East India Company. The Burmese demanded that they should be delivered up, and on their demands not being immediately complied with, marched with a strong force into the offending.country. At the same time they carried on a friendly negotiation with the government in Calcutta, which resulted in the surrender of the criminals, and the conclusion of a treaty of amity and commerce between the two governments, negotiated by Capt. Symes. The last victory of the Burmese was in 1822 over the province of Assam. The party driven from Assam, together with the Burmese rebels, fled to the British territories, whence they intended to invade Burma. The British government disarmed the insurgents, but refused to deliver them up or to drive them from the island of Shapuri, which they had occupied. At length the Burmese sovereign demanded of the government at Calcutta the cession of northern Bengal as being a part of Ava, and in January 1824 his forces marched into Cachar, which was under British protection. Lord Amherst, as governorgeneral of the British East Indies, now declared war against Burma, and Gen. Archibald Campbell prosecuted it so successfully that after the victory at Prome (1-3 Dec. 1825), he obliged the monarch to conclude a peace at Palanagh in 1825. As the treaty was not ratified on the part of the Burmese emperor by the time specified (18 Jan. 1826), Campbell renewed the war and stormed the fortress of Munnum. On 24 February the peace was ratified, and the war concluded with the cession of Arracan, Mergui, Tavoy, etc. In 1852 a second war broke out at the conclusion of which Rangoon and the whole of Pegu fell into the hands of the British. About 1860 the new city Mandalay supplanted Amarapura as the capital. In 1867 British steamers were permitted by treaty to navigate Burmese rivers, and not long after traffic was carried on up the Irrawadi as far as Bhamo. In 1885 the outrageous proceedings of King Theebaw provoked another war, and a British force proceeded from Rangoon up the Irrawadi River, took Mandalay, and sent King Theebaw a prisoner to Rangoon. On Jan. 1886, Theebaw's dominions were annexed to the British empire by proclamation of the viceroy of India (the Earl of Dufferin). After the annexation there was a considerable amount of scattered fighting with dacoits and others, but the country is now comparatively quiet, is being opened up to commerce, and is rapidly advancing in prosperity. In 1897 Burma was constituted a province, and placed under a lieutenant-governor instead of a chief-commissioner.

Bibliography.- Spearman, 'British-Burma Gazetteer) (1880); Mason, Burma: Its People and Productions' (1882-3); Phayre, History of Burma' (1883); Geary, Burma After the Conquest' (1886); Smeaton, The Loyal Karen of Burma' (1886); Yoe, The Burman, His Life and Notions' (2d ed. 1896); Bird, Wanderings in Burma' (1897); Hart, 'Pic