Transcriber's Note: Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible, including some inconsistent hyphenation and accents. The erratum noted after the list of illustrations has been fixed. Some other changes have been made. They are listed at the end of the text. The sentence concerning the penalty for wrongly dividing a word at the end of a line has been separated from the surrounding paragraph to prevent re-wrapping. Italic text has been marked with _underscores_. A CIVIL SERVANT IN BURMA [Illustration: BUDDHA’S FOOT.] A CIVIL SERVANT IN BURMA BY SIR HERBERT THIRKELL WHITE, K.C.I.E. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS LONDON EDWARD ARNOLD 1913 (_All rights reserved_) TO MY WIFE WHO SHARED MY LIFE IN BURMA FOR MORE THAN THIRTY-TWO YEARS PREFACE This is not a guide-book, or a history, or a study of manners and customs. It is a plain story of official life for more than thirty years. It does not compete with any of the books already written about Burma, except, perhaps, the monumental work of General Fytche. While pursuing as a rule a track of chronological order, I have not hesitated to wander into by-paths of dissertation and description. I could not write without attempting to give fragmentary impressions of the people and their character. As far as possible I have limited my narrative to events within my own knowledge; my judgments are based on my own observation. I have to express my acknowledgments to the friends who have given me photographs to illustrate the book. My special thanks are due to Mr. A. Leeds, I.C.S. (retired), for a large number of characteristic and charming pictures. H. T. W. _September, 1913._ CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTORY: A RETROSPECT AND SOME COMPARISONS 1 II. EARLY YEARS AND FIRST IMPRESSIONS 16 III. THE FIRST SUBDIVISION: THE SECRETARIAT 36 IV. SOME ASPECTS OF BURMESE LIFE AND CHARACTER 55 V. ON THE FRONTIER 73 VI. THE SECRETARIAT: THE LAST SUBDIVISION 90 VII. THE TAKING OF MANDALAY 99 VIII. EARLY DAYS AT MANDALAY 114 IX. LORD DUFFERIN’S VISIT--MANDALAY ONCE MORE 137 X. THE FIRST YEAR AFTER THE ANNEXATION 154 XI. A FEW WORDS ON BUDDHISM 183