144 An Attempt to prove that Ava 



mon laurel, nutmeg, spikenard, all grow in this country. — 

 (Rees's Cyc. '' Birman.") 



Elephants and precious stones. No country produces such 

 large elephants ; jewels of all kinds abound in this once opu- 

 lent region. The reader, who has any doubts on these points, 

 may have ample evidence in the 7th chap, of the Wars and 

 Sports of the Mongols and Romans. 



Josephus, speaking of Saphira whence Solomon had his 

 gold, says that it was a country of India, and not an island, 

 and that it is now called by the name of Aurea *. 



Ava and Pegu are, in Ptolemy's map, named Argentea 

 RegiOy and Aurea Regio. The city of Pegu was anciently 

 Sahara Civitas ; Persain, or Basseen, was Barabouna Empo- 

 rium. 



Colonel Symes mentions that the analogy between the Bir- 

 mans and ancient Egyptians, in many particulars, is highly 

 deserving of notice ; that Phra was the name under which the 

 Egyptians adored the sun (before it was named Osiris), and a 

 title for their kings and priests ; and that Praw, or Phraw, in 

 the Birman country, imports lord, and is always annexed to a 

 sacred building, and is a sovereign and sacred title, probably 

 the same as Pharaoh. The temple of Shoemadoo f was 

 founded 2300 years ago J. 



** The ruins of the walls of Terrechetteree are of massive 

 thickness, and may be traced through a circuit of ten miles. 

 The enormous masses of brick pagodas in Pegu are of imme- 

 morial age, and approach nearer to the pyramids than any 

 other relic of antiquity. The constant ornaments of the 

 religious edifices are sphinxes, griffins, mermaids, and croco- 

 diles, which are the exact symbols of the religion of the Egyp- 

 tians. Would not this warrant the conclusion, that some 



* Phil. Trans. 1767, Ivii. 155. 



t Shoe means golden. There is also a temple called Shoedagoung, or 

 Shoedagon. " Dagon his name, sea-monster, upward man, and down- 

 ward y?*A;' — Milton, Book i. 462. It is well worth inquiry at Rangoon, 

 whether the shape and rites of their god dagon have any analogy with 

 those of the Philistines: and in this enquiry, it will be ascertained, 

 whether there be any reference or connexion with ih^Jish found in those 

 seas called dugong. Some curious information may probably be ol> 

 tained on this subject. 



t Symes, 8vo. vol. ii. 62—76. 



