"Our only hope is that the cowardice of the Burman, and his ignorance of the way in which Karens are being treated, may lead him to quiet down. If my fears of a fresh outburst next October and November prove true, God alone can help us. "My brother-missionaries are calling loudly on me to hold on, and let the stern logic of events knock a few ideas into the heads of our rulers, infatuated as they are. I would do so, but-delay means blood; we must have some speedy administration of justice. Your jails are full of innocent men, and there is no one to try them.

"The Mayankhyoung poongyee, that our Karens sold to the Government for five thousand rupeesthe leader of the entire eastern rebellion—has not even yet been tried. The Burmese openly and tauntingly say we dare not.

"They openly boast that his supernatural powers are such that he is only kept in confinement by an iron rod, three inches in diameter, thrust through the calves of his legs. At the request of my Karens I went down and examined him in the jail, so as to enable them on my authority to deny the statement.

"Things could have been quieted in six weeks, with ordinary foresight and promptitude. It will

take six months now for even such as Sir Arthur Phayre, and longer and longer as matters are delayed."

[Copy of a letter from Dr. Vinton to the Commissioner on special duty.]

66

'Rangoon, July 23, 1886.

"To the Commissioner on Special Duty.

“DEAR SIR,

"I have just read your memorandum of the 8th of July, on the proposed increased stringency in working the Arms Act.

“While highly approving the general tone of the memorandum, and recognizing the necessity which prompted it, allow me to make a few representations.

"I take it for granted that the interest of the Government is to arm every loyal man who can defend his arms, and to disarm every disloyal man, or every coward who dare not defend the arms entrusted to him. I respectfully submit that the Karens have amply demonstrated both their loyalty and bravery, and should not be disarmed.

"The practical execution of your memorandum will be necessarily committed to Burmese officials.

"These Burmese officials are mortified at their own failure to accomplish anything for the suppression of the rebellion, piqued at the trust shown by the Government in the once-despised Karen, and jealous of Karen success.

"They will inevitably use this memorandum to disarm and harass the loyal Karens. To prove this, I have only to point to the fact that when the rebellion was only threatened, the Burmese officials at once commenced to disarm illegally the Karens, knowing that no one else would pull a trigger against the rebels. The Karens protested, and sent a delegation to Sir Charles Bernard, and received from him a solemn promise that the Christian Karens should not be disarmed. This promise I plead. To call a Karen away from his work at the present ploughing season means to starve him.

"This memorandum will enable the Burmese officials to harass the Karens till they make it all right.'

"I respectfully submit that the universal loyalty of the Karens, heathen as well as Christian, has earned for them a special exemption by name from the operation of this memorandum.

"The experience of the past bloody months has shown that the Karen invariably has fought

desperately for his gun, and parted with it only with his life. The dacoits have been armed from police stations and disloyal Burmese villages, and not from Karen villages.

"I have done my best to carry out paragraph 3, and issue not less than five guns to a village, but there have been no guns for sale. Many of the Karen villages have less than five guns, through no fault of mine or the villagers, but simply because there were no guns for sale.

"To check the importation of arms before every Karen village is a fortress bristling with guns held for the Queen by men as loyal and brave as any who fight for her, would be a suicidal policy.

"To make our Karen districts safe we want at least one thousand guns more. With two thousand we could send men to attack outside the tracts where the Karens are numerous.

Speaking frankly, is it worth your while to harass those who have stood by you faithfully even in the darkest hours?

"You will need help yet, for it is premature to speak of the late rebellion.' I am ready to give substantial reasons for my belief that a dangerous crime-wave will sweep over us just before next

harvest.

"To put the matter in a nutshell, I ask that the district officers be directed to prevent any disarming of the Karens. ·

"If you fear to hurt the feelings of the Burmese by an express exemption of Karens, a private order would be enough. At least allow me to assure the Karens that Sir Charles Bernard's promise that they shall not be disarmed will be held sacred, for they are seriously alarmed at the threats of the Burmese officials, and are sending their leaders to know what this new danger means. "Yours sincerely,

"Government is beginning to push me about Karen levies for the Thongwa district, and I expect soon to be pushed on the Pegu side; for the Government and Karens are at loggerheads in Pegu. The Pegu Karens fired the first shot ever fired by the Karens at the rebels. They offered to send a levy about the New Year, when Karen levies had never been thought of, and when, of course, secretariat officials laughed at 'the timid Karen' offering to fight.

"Now they have been vexed at the arrest of two