A Civil Servant in BurmaWhite, Herbert Thirkell, Sir
History
A Civil Servant in Burma
White, Herbert Thirkell, Sir
Burma
[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.
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