now the Chinaman is even proud of his adornment, and little
advantage is being taken of a recent relaxation of the decree.

Sailing for Singapore I was blessed with a cabin all to myself, and what
a blessing it is! In all my travels I have been singularly fortunate in
securing privacy in this way.

There is not much to interest in Singapore. It is one of the hottest
places on earth, the same in winter and summer, purely tropical. It has,
however, fine parks, streets and open places. The principal hotel is the
"Raffles," which I should imagine is also the worst. The most notable
feature of Singapore is the variety of "natives" domiciled
there--Ceylonese, Burmese, Chinese, Japanese, Siamese, Hindoos and
Malays. After leaving Singapore we looked in at Penang, where we had
time to inspect a famous Chinese temple. An American Army General,
D----, and his wife were among the passengers, and I found much pleasure
in their company; indeed, we travelled thereafter much together in
Burmah and India.

Rangoon, where we arrived next, is a large, well-laid-out city, as
cosmopolitan as Singapore. The bazaars are well worth visiting, and the
working of elephants in the great teak yards is one of the tourist's
principal sights. But the great Shwe Dagon pagoda is of course the
centre of interest, and indeed it is one of the most astonishing places
of worship it has been my fortune to visit. The pagoda itself is of the
typical bell shape, solidly built of brick, gilded from base to summit,
and crowned with a golden Ti. The shrines, too, which surround and
jostle it, hold the attention and wonder of the visitor. There are very
many of these, mostly of graceful design, with delicate and intricate
wood carvings and other decorations. The pagoda is the most venerated of
all Buddhist places of worship, containing as it does not only the eight
sacred hairs of Gautama, but also relics of the three Buddhas who
preceded him. It is also from its great height, 370 feet (higher than St
Paul's Cathedral), and graceful shape, extremely imposing and sublime.

From Rangoon I trained to Mandalay, on the Irawadi River, not a large
town, but rich in historical associations, and famous for its Buddhist
pagodas, such as The Incomparable and the Arakan; also the Queen's
Golden Monastery. King Theebaw's palace remains much as it was, and well
worth examination. The population here is almost purely Burmese; in fact
you see the Burmese at their best, and the