Burma: Census of India 1901 Vol. I - Khamkoo

of
:
during
REPORT- ON THE CENSUS OF BURMA.
4 *'.
•s^iectdofcjmoreythdntaiporti'on >onfy-of fcheirfichafges. ,? Toungoo gave the largestf
number of doubtful cases. Here the Anglicans, the Baptists and the Roman.
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less to- theT withdrawal of British; troops here- and there, but a' very substaritiali
increase anfbhgEurasians and Natives, and, on the whole, the Lower Burma figures^
arie
;93 per cent: higher' and the figures for Burma proper 76per cent, higher than ten'
years ago. The 'decrease among Europeans is confined to Lower Burma;:
>
In:
Upper Burmathe figures under this i: head shdw r a slight advance since the iaSti
Census; In Burma r proper the comparison of totals cannot be carried back further
fhan 'the ^1891' Census/ but in Lower Burmait wilMbe seen that the growth among'-
tbe Anglican cdmmuriity during the past ten years is proportionately far greater;
than at the preceding two decennia.- The figures given- above do not comprise^
thje" 1 totals for the Shan States and the Chin Hills. In- these latter areas, there
wer'e^^pi members '. - ,• head of Europeans '. the past decade, but an 1
--- ;- Roman :Catholics. . , i. C
-
. ., ., -=,-.. K, • •
i c
increase on the . whole ' and notably in the case or
Native Christians.
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There is. further (what is not : the case :with the 'Anglicans) a'
failirigbff amorig'the'Eurasians.' It is, however,: slight, and may in part be accounted
for by 'more "correct "classification. The diminution in the European- totals has
Its" ongi'n', no" doubt, in the" movements of British regiments. As a whole the
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Roman Catholics have increased iri Burma proper at the'rateof 48 per cent. since
the" last Cerisu'Si In Lower -Burma" the rate of increase; for the same period" is
exactlythe sanie. A' total of 853' Roman Catholics, not included in subsidiary
Tables Nos. III-C and III-D, were enumerated in the Shan States and the Chin
Hills in March 1961".
59. Except in the case of Eurasian females, there would' seem to have been
> a general decline in the strength of the Baptists, the
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most strongly represented denomination in Burma."
The diminution among Europeans, which is large, is ho doubt real and is in all
probability due to the transfer of Baptist soldiers from Burma. The decrease
among Eurasians, which is small, is less likely to-be an actual falling off in numbers.
The drop in the total of Baptist natives is, as I have shown above, undoubtedly
apparent only. If we assume, as we may reasonably do," that by far
the greater number of the natives who omitted to return their sect at the Census
belonged to the Baptist communion, there seems to be no reason for thinking that
this denomination has in reality gone down in numbers during the past decennium.
On the contrary, it is probable that there has been a slight increase since 1891. In
all 138 Baptists were enumerated in the Shan States and the Chin Hills. The
members of this sect muster in the greatest force in the Districts of Bassein and
Toungoo'.
- 60;- Of the other Christian denomination's the most numerous is the Methodist^
f '-— which numbers 1,238 adherents, in -Burma proper*
ri fier
a eno 1?n .'
.
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The bulk of the people classified under this; head. dre.^
strictly, speakings Wesleyans. The Wesleyans have several missions in Burma
and 'manage one
-
the twoiMandalay leper aSylums. c In Burma proper ;the
Methodist increase during the past decade has' been one of .1 15' per cent. •.. After
the'Methbdists in point of numbers^ come the Presbyterians. They number in all
620, of whom 53 only were enumerated 1 in': -.Upper- Burma-.'? The Lutherans^ and
Armenians come next. Their totals show that, while the former denomination is
rapidly gaining ground in Burma proper (399 as compared with 235 in 1891), the
latter has increased there by only 6 per cent, since the last enumeration. It should
be pointed out, however, that the Lutheran population, which consists largely of the
Scandinavian and German sailors on board the ships in the ports of the province,
is liable to marked fluctuations. The Greek Church numbers only 67 adherents in
Lower Burma and three in Upper Burma. Of the minor denominations number-
11