I was born at No - The MAN & Other Families

36Bassein contained only a small European community and we foregathered at the Club,where there were two tennis-courts, every evening, and. after tennis played billiards orwhist. Once a week a feeble attempt at dancing took place, but as there were only three orfour ladies it didn't amount to much. There was a Company of volunteers, European andEurasian, of which Beatson was Commandant and to this I was elected Lieutenant, andwhen Beatson left later for England I became Commandant. Beatson was also ConsularAgent for the United States and to this position I also fell heir when I became manager atBassein. The duties were not onerous and mostly consisted in settling disputes betweenCaptains of American ships and their crews, drunkenness, desertions, etc. and in sendingan annual trade report to the Consul-General at Calcutta.On July 4th, Independence Day, we entertained at dinner the American Community,which consisted of Baptist Missionaries, male and female. The Baptists had two largeMission Schools on the outskirts of Bassein and seemed very prosperous. They had finebuildings, school and residences and lived in great comfort and used to get every threeyears a holiday home to the U. S. A.After about six months service under Beatson, he went to England on nine monthsleave and I became manager, having as my assistant Mc Taggart, who had been myassistant at Chittagong also.I instituted paper-chases on horseback, once aweek during the rainy season, which thoughsmall affairs, compared with Rangoon, helpedas a diversion in a somewhat monotonousexistence.During the time I was at Bassein I got a letterfrom a friend in Rangoon asking me if Iwould put up for a few days a Mr. GarnetMan, a lawyer, who had a case in Bassein. Ofcourse I replied in the affirmative and in a fewdays my visitor arrived. I little expected thathe would one day become my Father-in-law.It appears Mr. Man had been a very successfullawyer in Rangoon before my time and hadretired in the hope of resuming his professionin London, but had no success there, sodecided to return to Burma. He showed me aphotograph which he had just received of hiswife in Court dress (she had just beenpresented) of which he was very proud.Mrs. Man (right) was expected to join him in Rangoon very shortly and I remember himtelling me he was looking forward to her arrival just as much as if he were a bridegroomwaiting for his bride. He was a most entertaining visitor, being very witty and amusing