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great sanctity, and draws a constant flow of followers of the Bud- 

 dhist faith to the shrine, with offerings of all sorts. The idol is 

 seated on a throne, after the design of royalty, and is twelve feet 

 high, with well-proportioned limbs. This is said to be a faithful 

 cast ; having been presented to the reigning monarch by Gaudama to 

 compensate for his absence, as he was then about to leave Arakan. 

 It is supposed to have been brought across in two pieces, but 

 there are others who declare to it having been transported entire. 

 The steps leading up to the building are roofed in, and on either 

 side lined with stalls, at which are exposed for sale various articles, 

 including knives, scissors, toys, beads, looking-glasses, crockery, 

 combs, lacquer-ware boxes, &c, &c. , all of which seem to find a 

 ready sale among the devotees. There are two high roads leading 

 to this centre of attraction, the eastern and western ; I took the 

 latter. It is lined with mendicants, who are entirely supported by 

 charity ; and just before coming on the temple, there are 

 some workers in Sagain marble. They seem to have estab- 

 lished themselves in a capital position for business, numbers 

 of purchases being made as offerings to the temple by passers- 

 by. I was also induced to invest in a few articles, which 

 I sent to England, where they are greatly admired, especially 

 a little marble elephant, which was a wonderfully-good piece 

 of sculpture. It is really marvellous to see the masterly 

 manner in which these artists hew blocks of marble into all 

 manner of forms and shapes. They have none of the appli- 

 ances of the modern sculptor, but, seated on the bare ground, 

 with chisel in one hand and mallet in the other, work away 

 at the stone before them, substituting the crow-bar for the revolv- 

 ing-table, and using their great toes as a substitute for clamps 

 when the block is not sufficiently heavy to resist the blow. They 

 have neither callipers nor graduated scales to guide them, but 

 are entirely dependent on the eye for the symmetrical develop- 

 ment of the design, which they have conceived in their imagina- 

 tion. The design having reached a certain stage of completion, 

 the chisel is substituted by a rough, coarse file, followed by a 

 grinding process with fine sand and water. The final polish is 

 given first with finely-powdered fossilized wood, on a wet cloth, 

 and lastly applied dry ori the palm of the hand. 



96. The eastern road I had intended visiting at some future 



Inability to traverse the eastern time, with a view to sketching the 



road to Amarapoora. Maha-toolut-boungijo, and Maha-ounge- 



peima buildings, so celebrated for their elaborately-gilded carvings; 

 but I was prevented, having to embark for Bhamo sooner than was 

 anticipated. 



