1837.] Some account 0/ the Wars between Burmah and China. 145 



answered that there is, below the city of Prome, — he asked, if the 

 Burmese history and ancient records do not mention, that in a former 

 king of Pagans time, a Chinese army invaded the country and 

 marched along- the Erdwadi as far as that place, which was thence 

 called Taroup-mo ; — and on again being answered in the affirmative, 

 he observed, an army under the son, brother, and son-in-law of 

 Tshen-byu'-mya:yen, king of Pegu, only came as far as those towns 

 of Ho- 1 hit, Ld-thd, &c. during the reign of that king, and built those 

 pagodas ; — but if you refer to the spot only to which an army may 

 have happened to reach, the Burmese army ought, on the same prin- 

 ciple, to retreat as far as Taroup-mo* . The letter from the Chinese 

 generals was then taken in to the Wiin-gyih, who, after reading a 

 translation of it which was made, sent word that all his officers had 

 not yet joined him, and that the Kue-chow-bo must come again in 

 four or five days. 



The Wun-gyih summoned thirty of his principal officers and con- 

 sulted with them as to the answer which should be made to the 

 letter from the Chinese generals. They all recommended that no 

 terms should be given ; — but the Wun-gyih observed, that whenever 

 the Chinese had heretofore erred and attacked Ava, the Burmese 

 kings restrained their feelings and granted them peace, recollecting 

 the long friendship which had existed between the two countries ; — 

 that even if the Chinese force then before them were entirely destroy- 

 ed, the empire of China would still possess abundance of troops and 

 population ; — that if the Burmese refused to grant terms to the 

 Chinese, when asked by them, and cut them to pieces, such a pro- 

 ceeding would be recollected for many successive generations with 

 feelings of animosity and desire of revenge on their part, and the 

 inhabitants of both countries would continue deprived of peace and 

 quiet. For these reasons, the Wun-gyih gave it as his opinion, that 

 terms ought to be granted to the Chinese, — and declared, that if the 

 king of Ava disapproved of the measure, he would take the whole 

 responsibility of it upon himself. The other officers acquiesced, and 

 the Wun-gyih then addressed a long reply to the Chinese generals, 

 recapitulating the causes and events of the war, and concluding with 

 an inquiry, whether the Chinese generals desired to settle the dispute 

 by arms or by negotiation. The Chinese generals Thu'-koun-ye' 

 and Akoun-ye', (the latter here stated to be the emperor of China's 

 son,) next sent a long letter addressed to the king of Ava, closing 



* The ground on which the Burmese claimed Hu-thd, Ld-thd, &c. is precisely 

 the same as that on which the Burmese of the present day founded their right 

 to Kubo valley, Manipur, and even to Chittagong and Dacca. 

 u 



