The land and people of Burma

Following advertisement at reference 2, I have now finished a first reading of the short, easy read book at reference 1. One of the ‘Lands and Peoples Series’ published by Adam and Charles Black, lately of Soho Square. Once proud and independent, the publisher, inter alia, of Who’s Who, but taken into the Bloombury family in 2000. See references 3, 4 and 5. With the series of which the present book is part being missing from reference 3. Don’t catch Wikipedia out very often!

Despite having a dust jacket, the book tells me nothing about the author, probably C. A. Maxwell-Lefroy, the son of Harold Maxwell-Lefroy, an entomologist in the Indian Service who went on to found the company that became Rentokil. For all of which and more see reference 6. The present Maxwell-Lefroy became a general manager of Burmah Oil Company – a company which I had forgotten all about.

Just about a hundred small pages organised into fifteen chapters, plus a map and a modest selection of black and white pictures. While perhaps a little English and condescending – not to say patronising – in tone, a book by someone who loved the country. And a book which suited my needs very well, wanting a general introduction to the land and people – as it said, as it were, on the tin.

My copy was once the property of St. Monica’s secondary school in Belfast, probably now part of the school described at reference 8. I wonder if the nuns lectured their charges on the various parallels between the two countries – thinking here as much of the chequered ancient history, as of the colonial history.

I share a few snippets.

It could take years for rafts of teak logs to make it down the Irrawaddy to Rangoon from Upper Burma. Complete with on-board huts for the loggers and their families.

Oil was being extracted as early at the thirteenth century, while rubies were certainly being mined in the sixteenth century. There was also jade, prized by the Chinese, but we are not told when that started. Mogok, north of Mandalay, seems to be the big mining centre – and also seems to have been carved out of Shan State at some point. 

In the olden days, an oil and sand soup was scooped out of hand-dug wells in baskets, and then, after a bit of settlement, shipped down the Irrawaddy in earthenware jars for refining and sale for use in lamps. I didn’t find an oil field at Yenangyaung on gmaps, but I did find an oil field fire station, right in the snap above. Irrawaddy left. And it looks as if the UK is not the only place where they put lots of houses on flood plains.

Burma, now Myanmar, is a mainly Buddhist country with lots of pagodas – but Arakan in the northwest of the country, cut off from the rest by mountains, includes a lot of Muslims, mostly from Bengal to the north. Then a lot of shops in Burma were run by either Indians or Chinese. And before the second war and the arrival of the Japanese, a lot more Indians worked as labourers in the paddy fields. Most of these Indians have now left.

The Irrawaddy Flotilla Company once operated a large fleet of paddle steamers and cargo flats. Now to be found under new colours at reference 9.

I read that Asians are rather particular about their rice; fussy both about its milling and its preparation. With the stuff that we use for rice puddings being no use to them at all. Another parallel with the Irish, who, I am told, can hold long and interesting conversations about potatoes in public houses. Speaking for myself, while I can fuss about both rice and potatoes, I prefer to keep my powder dry for bread. Much more important.

We are reminded that it was the failure of the civilians to govern effectively in the decade following independence in 1948 which opened the door to the military – who have been there more or less ever since. With one of the triggers being Shan State deciding that it wanted to leave the Union – provision for which had been written into the constitution at independence. While the Burman military were not going to stand by while a large chunk of what they saw as their country was lopped off. From where I associate to the present troubles in the Ukraine.

Another good find.

References

Reference 1: The Land and People of Burma – C. Maxwell-Lefroy – 1963.

Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/04/my-vanished-world.html. 

Reference 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_%26_C_Black. 

Reference 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloomsbury_Publishing. 

Reference 5: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/. 

Reference 6: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Maxwell-Lefroy. 

Reference 7: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yenangyaung.  

Reference 8: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Joseph%27s_College,_Belfast. 

Reference 9: https://www.iwt.gov.mm/en.