440 Major Burney on the Lacquered-IVare of Ava. 
it darkens the colour a little, but adds much to its brilliancy and trans- 
parency. The Burmese possess no really transparent varnish, and it would 
be satisfactory to know if any could be obtained from the Theet-tsee, by dis- 
tillation or other means. 
There are three descriptions of lacquered-ware in Ava. The first, and 
by far the best articles, are brought from the Shan countries, “ Shan-pyee-ga.” 
They may be distinguished by the lightness and elegance of the manufacture, 
and the superior brilliancy of the varnish and colours. The next are those 
manufactured at a place called Nyoung-oo,* and its neighbourhood, near 
the ancient capital, Pugan. These are generally distinguished by their 
being of yellow or green colours, and almost all the small betel-boxes, 
** Kwon-eet,” in use among the Burmese, are of this kind. ‘The best of this 
kind are made at Pugan itself, and called after that town; but the larger 
proportion is named from Nyoung-o0. The last and worst description of 
articles is manufactured in the city of Ava and its environs; and these are 
to be distinguished by the coarseness of the work, its plain red colour, and 
the frame being generally of wood and not of basket-work. Most of the 
plain red large boxes with high conical covers, T,hamen-tsa out-gyee, and 
other vessels used by the Burmese for holding food, are of this description. 
The lacquered boxes from Laos have upon them tasteful figures and other 
ornaments of a beautiful black colour, or of gold, and those from Nyoung-oo 
have them of yellow or green colours. Many of these boxes are so thin, 
that you may discern the basket-work through the varnish. The best ware 
is tried by seeing whether the edges of two sides can be made to meet, 
without cracking the colour or breaking the article. I believe none but a 
few Shan boxes will bear this test. 
The different figures and ornaments on the lacquered ware are executed 
in the following manner, called Yowon t,ho, or engraving after the manner 
of Yowon, which was the general term formerly applied by the Burmese to 
Northern Laos and Zen-may, but which, and sometimes with Gyee, or great, 
added, is the name now given to Cochin China only. After the last coat of 
* Nyoung-oo means “ Fig-tree Point.’—The name of this place, where Lieut. Joan Norru, 
one of our early Envoys to Ava, died, and was buried on the 30th August 1755, has been 
strangely used. Captain Baker writes it Young-owe and Pegang Youngue—Symes Nioundoh 
—Cox Gneayan, Gucayne, and Gucayn—Crawrurp Nyaung-ngu—and WaLLicu Gnaunee- 
The Burmese lower classes scarcely pronounce the ng of Nyoung, which has led a friend of mine 
to write the name Gree-a-o0. 
or 
———— 
eS we ae. we Feet ee 
= 
