AVA. 



wars between the two fons of the king oi Aracan, who fiic- 

 ceeded him in 1690 ; they quarrelled about the divifion of the 

 treafure, and never ceafed from contefting the prize till both 

 the competitors were deftroyed. Many of the diamonds (as is 

 fuppoied) were afterwards fold to the Dutcb, who happened to 

 touch at Aracan, at very low prices, by reafon of the ignorance 

 of the pofTeflbrs. 

 The next kingdom is that oi Ava. I fliall comprehend in it Kingdom of 



AVA. 



three ; that of Ava proper, Buragbmah, or, as it is vulgarly 

 called, Burmab, and Pegu. They once formed fo many inde- 

 pendent ftates, governed by their refpeitive monarchs ; but are 

 now by conquefl confolidated into one, being fubdued by the 

 king of Burmagb. His dominions extend from the province of 

 Tunan^ in Cbina, as far fouth as the mouths of the Ava^ a trail 

 of eight hundred miles. The ftandard of Mabomet was never 

 ere6led in thefe kingdoms ; all the inhabitants are rank idolaters; 

 their mode of worlhip and their rites agree in many points with 

 thofe of the Hindoos, and they allow the do(ftrine of tranfmigra- 

 tion. Their pagodas, and thofe of Pegu, very much refemble 

 in form that of a bell tent. The more northern part is the 

 kingdom of Burmagb ; that of Meekly^ tributary to it, forms 

 on our maps a large vacant fpace to the wefl, divided by a vaft 

 chain of mountains from Silbet and Tipera. RoJIman, another 

 void, is to the fouth of Meekly. The kingdom of Arac an fepa- 

 rates Burmagb, for a confiderable extent, from the eaftern part 

 of the bay of Bengal. The coaft of Ava fucceeds, and runs, 

 wafhed by the fea, as far as Cape Negrais, an extent of above 

 two hundred miles. 



The 



