144 Some account of the Wars between Burmah and China. [Feb. 



sends presents, as was the former custom, in the 16th year of the 

 emperor of China's reign, we shall send presents in return. Our 

 master the emperor's orders are : ' Fight, if they fight ; or make 

 peace, if they make peace.' We three generals, desirous of settling 

 this dispute, have come with a moderate force only. In our Chinese 

 country we are not accustomed to say more than one word, and are 

 used to speak with truth and sincerity only. The present war has 

 arisen from the circumstance of the Ts6:buahs of Theinni, Bd-mu, 

 Mo.-gaung, and Kyaing:yotin having come and invited us. We will 

 deliver up the Tso:buahs, subjects of the sun-descended king, who 

 are now in China. Let them be restored to their former towns and 

 situations. And after the (Burmese) general has delivered up to us 

 all the Chinese officers and soldiers who are in his hands, let him 

 submit to the sun-descended king and great lord of righteousness, 

 and we will also submit to our master, the emperor and lord of 

 righteousness, that the two great countries may continue on the 

 same terms as they always were before ; that all sentient beings may 

 be at rest ; that there may be no war ; and that the gold and silver 

 road may be opened." 



The Kue-chow-bo* coming to the advance of the Burmese army 

 with the foregoing letter on the 3rd December, 1769, the Wun-gyih 

 sent out some officers with a Chinese interpreter to meet the bearer 

 of the letter. One of the Burmese officers, hearing that the object 

 of the letter was to open a negotiation for peace, told the Kue-chow- 

 bo, that in order to establish an important precedent, such negotia- 

 tion^ ought to take place on the boundary line between Ava and China. 

 The Kue-chow-bo replied, " Very true, but only say where the boun- 

 dary is." The Burmese asked, if Buddhist pagodas were not built in 

 the towns of H6-thd, Ld-thd, Mdnd, Tsandd, Kaing :mdh, Khantf, and 

 Khan-nyen? The Kue-chow-bo said that they were built, and that 

 they are still in existence. The Burmese rejoined, the Chinese do 

 not build or worship Buddhist pagodas, but the Burmese do ; such 

 buildings are erected throughout the king of Ava's dominions, and 

 their existence in Hd-thd, Ld-tha, and the other towns, is a convincing 

 proof of those places belonging to the king of Ava. The Chinese 

 army ought therefore first to retreat beyond those towns, to the 

 boundary of the Chinese empire at Md:myin and Kyeng-thi. (Kyang-si ?) 

 The Kue-chow-bo then asked, if there is not such a place as Ta-roup- 

 md (Chinese point) in the king of Ava's dominions ; and on being 



* That is, " The officer of Kue-chow city ;'' but this name is generally written 

 in Burmese history, Kue-tsue-bo. 



