our innumerable humorists and dialect writers.
Burlingame (bûr′lĭn-gām), Anson, an American statesman, born at New Berlin, New York, in 1820. He studied at the University of Michigan, and at the Harvard Law School, and began the practice of law in Boston. In 1853 he was elected to the senate of Massachusetts, and one year later to Congress, helping to form during the following year the new Republican party. In 1861 President Lincoln appointed him minister to China. In 1867 he intended to give up his position and return to America, but the regent of the Chinese Empire appointed him special Chinese ambassador to the United States and the countries of Europe, to make treaties between China and other nations. In July, 1868, he succeeded in getting new articles added to the old treaty between China and the United States, which gave the citizens of each country many privileges in the other, such as religious freedom and the right of founding schools. This is known as the Burlingame treaty. Mr. Burlingame then secured special treaties between most of the European powers and China, and was at St. Petersburg, negotiating a Chinese treaty with Russia, when he died in 1870.
Bur′lington, a city in Iowa, county seat of Des Moines County, on the west bank of the Mississippi. It is a beautiful and healthful city, the business portion being built along the river, while the residences are on high bluffs, from which there is a fine view up and down the river. The city has good public schools, besides Burlington Institute College and a Roman Catholic Academy. Notable in the city are the municipal buildings, opera house and public library. Coal is extensively mined near the city, making it a favorable place for manufactures, among which there are flour and saw mills, foundries, soap factories, breweries and pork-packing establishments, agricultural tools, furniture, etc. Population in 1910, 24,640.
Bur′lington (bŭr′ling-ton), N. J., city and port of entry in the county of the same name, on the Delaware River, 19 miles northeast of Philadelphia and on the Pennsylvania Railroad. Here are situated Burlington College, and St. Mary's (P. E.) Hall for Girls, and the town has an opera house and a good public library, besides churches and schools. Its industries embrace iron pipe, stove and carriage works, harness and shoe-making establishments, also canned goods, besides berrying and market gardening. The city owns and operates its own water-works, its charter as a city dating from 1851, with revision in 1868. Population (1910), 8,336.
Bur′lington, Vermont, a city and port of entry in Chittenden County, Vermont, on Lake Champlain. It is the seat of the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, of the Vermont Episcopal Institute, (for boys) and of Bishop Hopkins Hall (for girls). The Mary Fletcher Carnegie Library Building. The city has Fletcher Free Library now housed in a Carnegie Library Building. The city has an extensive trade in lumber and in the manufactured products of lumber, in stone and marble and in proprietary medicines. Good water-power is furnished by the Winooski River and large cotton and woolen mills are situated here.
The public schools of the city have an enviable reputation, the parochial schools are largely attended, and there are two commercial colleges. Burlington is the educational center for a wide region of country. It is noted for its beauty of situation, for its wide and well kept streets, for its handsome private residences and for its fine public buildings. It has a municipal electric lighting plant. Population, 20,468.
Bur′ma, the largest of all the provinces of the Indian Empire, lies between Tibet, China, Siam and the Bay of Bengal. It covers about 236,738 square miles, considerably more than California and South Dakota, while the total population is over 12,115,000. The old province of Lower Burma occupies about one third of the territory, and the new province of Upper Burma, with the Shan States about two thirds.
Surface and Drainage. The country ismostly hilly, largely covered with forests. Of the numerous mountain peaks, the highest reaches an elevation of 15,000 feet. The largest river is the Irawadi, flowing from its unknown source in the snows of Tibet, over a course of 1,100 miles to the Bay of Bengal. It is navigable all the year round for river steamers for 700 miles; and though there are now several railroads, most of the trade is carried on by the numerous rivers.
Natural Resources. Teak and bamboo are the most valuable of the forest products. An unusual wealth of wild beasts, serpents, birds and fishes found in India abounds here. The mineral yield of the soil is not noteworthy, except that from the ruby mines near the capital. The ruby-yielding region extends for about 200 square miles, and the rubies are the best in the world.
People, Customs. Besides foreigners, the people are mainly Burmans, Shans, Karens and other hill tribes. The Burmans are the largest class. Their chief food is rice, and they have, besides, fish or meat daily. They live well, but save little money. Most of the people live in modern houses or bamboo huts, but the pagodas or temples of masonry and the monasteries made of teak are more substantial buildings. The finest and most sacred pagoda in Burma is the Shway Dagon Pagoda at Rangoon.
Products. The chief crop of the country
