BIRMAN EMPIRE. 



523 



Bttman of security and succour. Having thus completed the 

 Empire, conquest of Ava, the king of Pegu returned to his 

 1 "' own country, Vnving his brother to govern the capi- 

 tal of the royal captive, whom he carried with him, 

 and afterwards cruelly murdered. At first, matters 

 had the appearance of tranquillity and submission ; 

 the principal inhabitants acknowledged the authority 

 of the conqueror, and took an oath of allegiance to 

 him. Among the rest, Alompra, the chief of a small 

 village, but a man who possessed a spirit of enterprise 

 and boldness equal to the most arduous undertakings, 

 at first dissembled his views, though at the same time, 

 be harboured the hope of emancipating his country, 

 and meditated the best means of accomplishing his 

 purpose. Having in the neighbourhood about 100 

 devoted followers, on whose courage and fidelity he 

 could safely rely, he ventured with this handful to 

 attack the troops of the conqueror, and being after- 

 wards further supported by his countrymen, he in 

 1753 regained possession of Ava, the capital. A 

 bloody and cruel contest ensued ; and though Alom- 

 pra laboured under great disadvantages, and met with 

 various disasters, yet victory usually crowned his ex- 

 ertions : He at length drove the enemy from the king- 

 dom of Ava, and in 1757 he even invested Pegu, the 

 capital of the conqueror. After some time, the city 

 was taken and given up to indiscriminate plunder : 

 the king himself was made prisoner, and after being 

 kept in captivity for about 20 years, was cruelly put 

 to death by one of Alompra's successors. Having 

 thus conquered the kingdom of Pegu, and annexed it 

 to the Birman monarchy, Alompra proceeded to 

 bring under his subjection, the countries to the east- 

 ward, including the fertile districts between* Pegu and 

 the three Pagodas : he also reduced Javoy under his 

 dominion, and afterwards proceeded to chasten the 

 Siamese for the support and encouragement which 

 they had afforded his enemies. After various achieve- 

 ments, the victor advanced towards the capital of the 

 kingdom ; but two days after the commencement of 

 the siege,. he was taken ill of a disease which he fore- 

 saw would prove mortal, and he therefore gave orders 

 for an immediate retreat ; but before he reached the 

 seat of his empire, he died, May 15, 1760, in the 50th 

 year of his age, regretted by his people, who at once 

 venerated him as their monarch and deliverer. Alom- 

 pra, whether viewed in the light of a soldier or a po- 

 litician, is undoubtedly entitled to high respect. The 

 wisdom of his counsels secured what his victories ac- 

 quired ; he was not more eager for conquest than at- 

 tentive to the improvement of his territories, and the 

 prosperity of his subjects ; he issued a severe edict 

 against gambling, and prohibited the use of spiritous 

 liquors throughout his empire : he reformed the courts 

 of justice, abridging the power of the magistrate, and 

 prohibiting them to decide at their private houses on 

 criminal causes, or with regard to property, when the 

 . amount exceeded a certain sum : and every process of 



importance was to be decided in public, and every decree 

 registered. The reign of Alompra though short, was 

 vigorous ; and if his life had been prolonged, he 

 would probably have proved the benefactor of his 

 country in a still higher degree. 



Alompra, the founder of the Birman empire, was 



succeeded in the throne by his eldest son Namdogec, 

 who, after suppressing various insurrections, and pro- 

 moting the internal improvement of the country, died 

 in 1761'. He left behind him an infant son named 

 Mornicn, but Shembuan, the uncle and natural guar- 

 dian of the young minor, deprived him of the 

 crown, and took the reins of government into his own 

 hand. On ascending the throne, the new monarch 

 declared war against the Siamese, and after various 

 rencounters, they were completely defeated by hi* 

 army in a general battle. The forces of Shembuan 

 immediately proceeded to invest Siam, the capital of 

 the kingdom ; but as the fort was of considerable 

 strength, the besiegers were content with maintaining 

 a passive blockade, the favourite system of Birman 

 warfare. In a short time the king of Siam, in des- 

 pair, secretly withdrew from the fort, in order to 

 avoid falling into the hands of the enemy ; and elud- 

 ing the Birman outposts, sought refuge among the 

 hills, where he is said to have perished, though by 

 what means is unknown. The Siamese, deserted by 

 their sovereign, agreed to capitulate ; the fortifier 

 tions of the city were destroyed, and a governor was 

 appointed over it, who took an oath of allegiance to 

 the Birman monarchy, and engaged to pay an annual 

 tribute. However, though they were beaten, the 

 spirit of the nation was not subdued. The conqueror 

 had no sooner withdrawn his army, than one of the 

 king's relations returned at the head of a numerous 

 troop of adherents, displaced the new government of 

 Siam, and abolished the regulations of the Birman 

 commander. Shembuan dispatched a new army tu 

 suppress the insurrection, but in consequence of the 

 treachery and rebellions of the Peguese soldiers wh* 

 composed it, the operations against the Siamese were 

 completely suspended, and the nation was saved from 

 destruction. . 



In the mean time, however, the Birmans had suc- 

 cessfully repelled the invasion of their territories by 

 the Chinese government, who, with the view of sub- 

 jugating them to its dominion, sent in 17G7 an army 

 ol 50,000 into one of the northern provinces. The 

 troops of Shembuan advanced to meet them, and sur- 

 rounded the Chinese on all sides, so that a retreat be- 

 came impracticable, and to advance was desperate. 

 In this situation the Birmans attacked the enemy with 

 impetuosity, while, on the other hand, the defence 

 made by the Chinese was equally resolute. After a 

 conflict of three days, the latter, in an effort of des- 

 pair, tried to force their way through one of the di- 

 visions of the Birman army. The attempt proved 

 fatal. They sunk under the pressure of superior 

 numbers, and the carnage that ensued was dreadful. 

 Not an individual of the Chinese army returned home 

 to relate the melancholy tale, and only about 2500 

 were preserved from the sword, who were conducted 

 in fetters to the Birman capital. Various employments 

 were assigned them, and they were encouraged t 

 marry native women and settle in the country ; cir- 

 cumstances which confer valuable privileges even oa 

 slaves taken in war. 



Such were some of the principal events of Shem- 

 buan's reign. At length, after various other military 

 exploits, m the course of which he subjected to ? 



liirmaii 

 Empire 



