RANGOON, a city and principal sea-port of the Bur-man empire, in the province of Pegu. It is situated on the Rangoon river, one of the mouths of the great Irrawaddy, about twenty-four miles from its mouth. The river is broad, deep, and navigable. At its entrance it is nearly a mile in width, and is distinguished by a clump of trees called the Elephant, which stands on the western point. It gradually narrow’s to about a quarter of a mile opposite Rangoon. There is a depth of from six to eight fathoms water in the river, and no shoals; and there are four fathoms water on the bar at half flood. About three miles below the town is the mouth of the Syriam or Pegu river, where it joins the Rangoon. The country above is level, and agreeably variegated with clumps of trees; although it appears to be much depopulated, from the frequent wars between the Burmese and Peguers. The town, with the exception of the public offices, and one or two houses, is built of wood, extends along the bank of the river about a mile, and is about half or three quarters of a mile in breadth. It is built in the form of a square, surrounded by a stockade fifteen feet high, and on the north side it is farther strengthened by an indifferent fosse, across which a wooden bridge is thrown. The fort or stockade is an irregular square, the north and south faces of which were found to measure 1145 yards, the east 598, and the west 187. On the north face there arθ two gates and a sally-port, on the south three gates and three sally-ports, on the east two gates, and on the west one gate and one sally-port. The stockade is fifteen feet high, and is composed of heavy beams of teak timber. The city and its suburbs are divided into eight wards, superintended by an officer, whose business it is to maintain, watch, and ward within his division. The palisaded fort or stockade is a town composed of three wide and clean streets running east and west, and three smaller ones crossing them, and fronting the gates of the south face. The most populous part of the town is the suburb called TackalIy, immediately on the west face of the stockade. Wooden stages are erected within the stockade for musketeers to stand on in case of attack. A battery of twelve pieces of cannon, raised on the banks, commands the river; but it has fallen into disrepair. The town has by no means an imposing appearance. The wooden buildings along the banks of the river resemble barns, though the great temple of Shoe Da-goon, in the midst of its intermediate spires, forms a splendid object. This temple is a well-known place of pilgrimage; it is frequented by many strangers during the vernal festival in March, when, as it is usual in the East to connect commerce and religion, a great fair is held near it. It is the only temple frequented as a common place of worship by the inhabitants of Rangoon and its vicinity. The principal part of the city is situated within the stockade; the streets are wide and at right angles; and one or two houses only are built of brick and chunam, the chief of which is the custom-house. The dwellings of the common people are constructed of posts driven into the ground, at the distance of two or three feet, from which there is a bamboo grating forming the floor. The roof is covered with the leaves of the palmyra, or long grass twisted round and sewed to slips of bamboo. The houses of the priests are large buildings of teak, with substantial tiled roofs; the floors are commonly eight or twelve feet from the ground, and many of them are carved. In these are contained the marble or gilded wooden images of Gaudma, seated on an oak, in which their sacred books are contained. The suburb of Tackally, inhabited by the lower classes, is more populous than the town itself. Almost all the houses here, as in other parts, are composed of the cheapest and frailest materials, and are peculiarly liable to destruction by fire. In March 1826, Mr Crawford, who was sent on an embassy to Ava, saw the whole suburb burned to the ground in a few hours, from the accident of a pot boiling over. It was reconstructed in less than a month, and the houses were far more numerous than before the accident. The great pagoda or golden temple is situated two and a half miles in the rear of Rangoon; the road to it is through one of the northern gates, by a causeway across the fosse. The road then ascends between two rows of smaller pagodas, until the eminence is reached upon which the temple is situated, occupying the highest of three platforms. The building is octagonal at the base and spiral at the top, and is estimated at 330 feet in height. It is highly gilt on the top, and is an umbrella of open iron work, surmounted by a vane, and a small globe of glass. Bells are hung round the lower part. There are no apertures in the building, which is solid throughout. It has small niches all around, that formerly contained images of marble and wood. But these were mostly removed by the English when they occupied the town during the Burmese war. The smaller pagodas were also mostly pillaged by the soldiery. On the southern side of the pagoda is a beautiful pavilion, gilt and painted, containing an image of Gaudma, of gigantic dimensions. The river Rangoon is extremely commodious for ship-building, which is carried on to a great extent. The spring-tides rise to the perpendicular height of twenty feet. The banks are soft, and so flat that there is need of little labour for the formation of [7:19:70]1 docks, and vessels of any burden may be built. It is estimated that vessels can be built at Rangoon for one third less than at Bombay. This capital of the Burmese empire is the resort of traders from all nations; and it is also an -asylum for less respectable characters, such as insolvent debtors from different settlements of India, foreigners of desperate fortunes, who are received in the most friendly manner by the Burmans, and generally support themselves by some petty traffic. Malabars, Moguls, Persians, Parsees, Armenians, Portuguese, French, and English, men of all countries and of all complexions, are here seen mingled together on the exchange; and all meet with the most perfect toleration for their religion, provided they do not meddle with the worship of the Burmese divinity, Guadma, or with the ceremonies of any other sect. A considerable portion of the inhabitants are Chinese, who are merchants, shopkeepers, artisans, and constitute the most industrious portion of the community. A share of the trade is also engrossed by the Parsees, Armenians, and a small portion of the Mahommedans, who ∙are also selected by government to fill offices of trust that relate to the trade and the transactions of foreigners.

The imports from the British settlements consist chiefly of coarse piece-goods, glass, hardware, and broad cloth. The returns are chiefly made in timber, with which Madras is mostly supplied from Rangoon. The trade is carried on in boats, about ten or twelve of which are annually fitted out, and about thirty more from various towns on the Irrawaddy river. These proceed by the way of the Bassein river, through the channels which divide the great Negrais from the continent, along the coast of Arracan, to Luckipore, Dacca, Calcutta, Bogwandola, and even to Patna and Benares. They caιτy each a crew of from twenty to twenty-five men; and on an average 4000 rupees in bullion, the remainder of the cargo consisting of sheathing boards, sticks of copper from China, Sticklac, cutch, ivory, and wax.

The inhabitants are stout and athletic, the men being about five feet eight inches in height, with straight muscular limbs; the women rather diminutive, but well formed in every respect, except the nose, which is flat. Both sexes are of a copper colour; they are lively and inquisitive; almost all of them read and write, and have no prejudices that obstruct the progress of improvement. The women are not immured at home like those of Hindustan, but superintend the domestic economy, and weave the clothes worn by the men. Their own dress is scanty, and scarcely affords them a decent covering. They are not strict in their morals; and the men are in the practice of selling their wives and their daughters. The population is estimated at 30,000; but Crawford, on a census which he directed to be made whilst in the country, states it at 181,000. Long. 96. 9. E. Lat. 16. 47. N.