Mr Crawford^s Account of the Mission to Ava. S69 



was placed, in many respects, under very favourable auspices. One of the 

 members of it, Dr Judson, had acquired a knowledge of both far exceeding 

 what any other European had ever done before him. Vocabularies have been 

 collected of some of the numerous dialects spoken within the Burman domi- 

 nions, and which, in all, are not fewer than eighteen in number. Of the books 

 which have been brought from Ava by the mission, may be mentioned a col- 

 lection sent by the King to the Governor-General ; among other works which 

 this collection contains, is a Pali dictionary and grammar, with Burman trans- 

 lations, and some histories of Gautama, or Budd'ha, highly esteemed by the 

 Burmans. 



" Burman history, such as it is, has been investigated with some success, and 

 chronological tables of its principal events, true or alleged, been procured. 

 These tables go as far back as 543 B.C. The first monarchs are said to have 

 come from India, that is, from Magadha or Bahar, and to have fixed the seat 

 of their government at Prome, where it continued for 336 years. Traces of 

 the walls of the ancient capital are still to be seen a few miles distant from the 

 modern town. The seat of government was afterwards transferred to Pugan, 

 in the year of Christ 107, where it continued for more than twelve centuries. 

 Hence the wonderful extent of the ruins of that capital. In 1322 the seat of 

 government was transferred to Sakaing, and in 1364 to Ava, when it conti- 

 nued for 369 years, or until the capture of the place by the Talains. Alompra, 

 or Alaong-Bura (one that expects to be a Budd'ha), made his native town, 

 Monzaba (Motsobo) the capital of the empire in 1752. His descendants, by 

 a silly and superstitious caprice, have been shifting the capital ever since. 

 One of his sons removed it to Sakaing, another to Ava, another to Amerapura, 

 and his present Majesty to Ava again, in 1822, Each of these barbarous 

 changes was nearly equivalent to the destruction of a whole city. From the 

 foundation of the monarchy to the present time, there have reigned 128 

 kings, which gives an average of something more than seventeen years to a 

 reign. 



" Of relics of antiquity far more have been discovered than might have been 

 expected to exist from previous accounts. The most remarkable are to be seen 

 at Pugan, Sakaing, Sanku, and Angl-e-y wa. The mission had an opportunity 

 of examining those of the two first, which consist of temples and inscriptions. 

 The most remakable by far are the ruins of Pugan, which extend for twelve 

 miles along the eastern bank of the Irawadi, and to a depth of five or six. 

 Many of the temples are still entire, and exhibit a style of architecture, and a 

 superiority, both in building and materials, which far excel the present efforts 

 of the Burmans. In one of the old temples at this place we found, to our 

 surprise, images in stone, of braminical origin. These were figures of 

 Vishnu, Siva, and Hanuraan. Near another temple was discovered a small 

 but neat and perfect inscription in the Deva Nagari. At Pugan we discovered 

 not less than sixty inscriptions on sandstone ; and including Sakaing and other 

 places, we found in all not less than 330. In one place alone, the great tem- 

 ple of the Arracan image, near Amerapura, the late king had . collected from 

 various parts of the country no less than 260 such monuments. A few of 

 these are on fine white marble, but the greater number upon sandstone. In 

 form, the stones resemble the tomb-stones placed at the head of graves in aa 

 JULY SEPTEMBER 18^7- A a 



