One cause of difficulty in learning their language was that their books were made of palm-leaves, marked or engraved with an iron style or pen, without ink.  We who are accustomed to clear characters on paper can hardly imagine the difficulty of tracing out these obscure scratches on the dried palm-leaves.  Another was that in writing, “their words are not fairly divided like ours by breaks, and points, and capitals, but run together in a long continuous line, a sentence or paragraph seeming like one long word.”  Another difficulty was, that in their idiom, a great variety of verbs must be used to express one action, either as performed by persons of different rank, or as done under different circumstances.  Thus there are three or four ways to speak of eating rice, sleeping, dying, &c. one of which is always used of the king, another of priests, another of rulers, and another of common persons, and it would be an insult to use a phrase lower than one is entitled to.  Again, for our term to wash, for instance, there are many words; one is used for to wash the face, another, the hands, another, linen, another, dishes, &c.  They have in their language eleven vowels and thirty-three consonants, but of these there are so many combinations, that about one thousand characters must be used in printing.  Printing, however, was unknown to the Burmans until our missionaries introduced it.

As no progress at all could be made in their missionary labors until the language was mastered, they applied themselves cheerfully and diligently to its acquisition.

An interesting incident is related by Mrs. Judson under date of Dec. 11th, 1813, her first visit to the wife of a man in power.  “To-day for the first time I have visited the wife of the Viceroy.  I was introduced to her by a French lady who has frequently visited her.  When we first arrived at the government house, she was not up, consequently we had to wait some time.  But the inferior wives of the Viceroy diverted us much by their curiosity, in minutely examining everything we had on, and by trying on our gloves, bonnets, &c.  At last her Highness made her appearance, richly dressed in the Burman fashion, with a long silver pipe in her mouth, smoking.  At her appearance all the other wives took their seats at a respectful distance, and sat in a crouching posture without speaking.  She received me very politely, took me by the hand, seated me upon a mat and herself by me.  One of the women brought her a bunch of flowers, of which she took several and ornamented my cap.  She was very inquisitive whether I had a husband and children, whether I was my husband’s first wife,—­meaning by this whether I was the highest among them, supposing that Mr. Judson, like the Burmans, had many wives; and whether I intended tarrying long in the country.

“When the Viceroy came in I really trembled, for I never before beheld such a savage-looking creature.  His long robe and enormous spear not a little increased my dread.  He spoke to me, however, very condescendingly, and asked whether I would drink some rum or wine.  When I arose to go, her highness took my hand again, told me she was happy to see me, and that I must come to see her every day.  She led me to the door, I made my salam and departed.