1S37.] Some account of the Wars between Burmah and China. 419 



returned to the city, some of the palace officers wearing red on the top of 

 their head-dress and a peacock's feather, brought to us from his majesty'9 

 table different kinds of meat and sweetmeats. On the 28th we joined the 

 Chinese officers in attendance on the emperor, and saw him offer his devo- 

 tions at a monastery within the palace enclosure. On the 29th we attended 

 the emperor, when he came out from the western gateway of the palace en- 

 closure, and proceeded to the garden in the lake, and on his return, he 

 stopped his sedan chair as he was coming out of the temporary building 

 erected for his accommodation on the royal plain, and giving us presents, 

 said : ' Let the ambassadors return on the 1st of November, in order that 

 my royal friend may learn every thing.' On the same day the Chinese 

 officers of rank summoned us to a spot on the royal plain to the eastward 

 of the palace enclosure, and gave us an entertainment, and delivered to 

 us the emperor of China's letter. On the 31st, the Wun-gyih Ho-tsou'n- 

 teng and Kou'n-yis'-thu', Thi'ta'-yi'n, and Lu-ta'-yi'n, gave us differ- 

 ent presents ; and on the same day we went into the palace where the 

 Wun-gyih Ho-tsou'n-teng was, and said to him, ' We were ordered to 

 return on the 1st of November, and to-morrow we are to set out ; but we 

 desire to receive an answer to the representation which we made at Zhehol.' 

 He replied, ' I have submitted to the emperor every word of your repre- 

 sentations, and his orders are : — The men who came to our country are 

 some of them afar off and some of them have disappeared or are dead, 

 and much delay and a long time will elapse in making the necessary 

 inquiries and examinations. When the snowy season arrives, the cold 

 will be very great, and these ambassadors, who have been sent to us on 

 business relating to the country, had better return with all expedition.' 

 The Wdn-gyih also said, ' The six men with Nga Tsi't who were 

 formerly deputed, were taken to the province of Kuan-toun in Tartary, 

 but they were ordered to be brought back the moment you arrived here, 

 and as soon as they come, they shall be sent down to Yunan and forwarded 

 to you; — and with respect to the Ts6-buah of Bamo, inquiry shall he made, 

 and he shall hereafter be surrendered. There is nothing difficult now that 

 our two masters have become friends, and the Tsountu of Yunan has 

 already received full instructions on every subject.' 



'•' On the 1st November, 1788, after seeing the emperor receive the ho- 

 mage of all his officers, which he does once a year on the last day of a 

 month seated on his throne, we took charge of the emperor's letter, the 

 ShikycL Muni image, and various costly presents, and left Pekin. We 

 came in a carriage with horses in 23 days' journey from Peftin to the city 

 of Shyeng -yeng:hien in the district of Hupe, beyond the districts of Taltll 

 and Ho-nan, when we embarked in boats, and came down the stream in 18 

 days, on the 1 2th December, to the city of Tnheng-tait-fu in the district 

 of Hunan. The route from thence by water being against the stream and 

 very difficult, we proceeded by land in covered sedan chairs, and arrived 

 at the city of Kue-chow on the 5th January, 1789. We left that city on 



