"When a man of rank dies, his body is kept in a coffin for several months; the soft parts dissolving during that interval are conveyed in a fluid state by a bamboo tube, from the bottom of the coffin into the earth." EMMA. "How very disgusting! and how very unwholesome for the relatives of the deceased, in such a hot country too. I wonder the inhabitants do not all die from infection." MR. STANLEY. "These practices do vastly increase the mortality; but old customs are not easily abolished. Do you sail as far north as the Bay of Bengal, Charles?" CHARLES. "No, sir, all that portion of the ocean has been navigated: our next island is Borneo." MR. STANLEY. "But I suppose there would be no objection to my putting in a word on the Burman Empire, which probably you are not _much_ acquainted with. Parts of it are in the same longitude as the north of Sumatra; and I merely wish to mention some peculiarities connected with the Burmese. The government is entirely despotic, and the sovereign almost deified. When anything belonging to him is mentioned, the epithet 'golden' is invariably attached to it. When he is said to have heard anything, 'it has reached the golden ears:' the perfume of roses is described as grateful to the 'golden nose.' The sovereign is sole proprietor of all the elephants in his dominions; and the privilege to keep or ride on one is only granted to men of the first rank. No honors here are hereditary. All officers and dignities depend on the crown. The 'tsaloë,' or chain, is the badge of nobility, and superiority of rank is signified by the number of cords or divisions." GEORGE. "Is it true that they are a proud, consequential people?" MR. STANLEY. "Yes, quite true. Men of rank have their barges tugged by war-boats, common watermen not being admitted into the same boat with them. "A singularly absurd custom takes place in this country, in certain forms of political homage shown to a white elephant,--a preternatural animal kept for the purpose,--superbly lodged near the royal palace, sumptuously dressed and fed, provided with functionaries like a second sovereign, held next in rank to the king, and superior to the queen, and made the recipient of presents, and other tokens of respect from foreign ambassadors." CHARLES. "Well, that _is_ an odd superstition. I am much obliged to you for going out of the track to tell us these strange 'sayings and doings' of the Burmese. Are we now to resume our station?" MR. WILTON. "You are pilot. Charles; we rely on your guidance! Go where you please: we are not to control your movements." CHARLES. "Then, like Sir James Brooke, I will go to Borneo; but I do not expect to be made a rajah for my trouble: indeed I scarcely know if I should like to live there, although it is the largest island in the world, and is very fertile, and contains diamond mines and vast quantities of gold."