THE ELEPHANT. 9 



Laos, Pegu * &c. the white elephants are 

 regarded as the living manes of the Indian Em- 

 perors. Each of thefe animals has a palace, 

 a number of domeftics, golden veffels filled with 

 the choicer!: food, magnificent garments, and 

 they are abfolved from all labour and fervitude. 

 The emperor is the only perfonage before whom 

 they bow the knee, and their falute is return- 

 ed by the Monarch. By all thefe attentions, 



honours, 



pliant, which was deltined to be fucceffor to the one in 

 the palace, which is faid to be three hundred years old. This 

 little elephant is fomewhat larger than an ox, and is attended 

 by many mandarins ; and, out of rcipedl to him, his mother 

 and aunt are kept along with him ; Idem, p. 273. 



* When the King of Pegu walks abroad, four white ele- 

 phants, adorned with precious {tones and ornaments of. gold, 

 march before him ; R:cue:l des Voyages de la Compagnie des hides 

 de Hollande, torn. 3. p. 43. . . . When the King of Pegu 

 gives audience, the four white elephants are prefented to him, 

 who do him reverence by railing their trunks, opening their 

 mouths, making three diftincl cries, and then kneeling. When 

 raifed, they are led back to their (tables, and there each of 

 them are fed in large golden vefTels. They are twice a day 

 ■wafhed with water taken from a iilver veffel. . . . During 

 the time of their being dreffed in this manner, they are under 

 a canopy fupported by eight domeftics, in order to detend 

 them from the heat of the fun. In going to the veffels 

 which contain their food and water, they are preceded by 

 three trumpets, and march with great majefty, regulating 

 their fteps by mufic, &c. ; Idem, torn. 3. p. 40. — 'White e- 

 lephants are held to be facred by the natives of Pegu : Ha- 

 ving learned that the King of Siam had two, they fent am- 

 baffadors offering any price that mould be demanded for 

 them. But the king of Siam would not fell them. His 

 Majefty of Pegu, incenfed at this refufal, came with his army, 

 and not only carried off the elephants by force, but rendered 

 the whole country tributary to him ; Idem, tern. 2. p. 223. 



