1837.] Some account of the Wars between Burmak and China. 421 



" The emperor of China has always worshipped the image of the most 

 excellent deity (Gaudama), whom the Chinese call Shihya Muni ; and 

 once a year he executes the sentences of criminals in the following 

 manner. The emperor goes to a monastery at which there is an image of 

 the Tha-gyd Nat, and the names and acts of the criminals are proclaimed, 

 and written on slips of paper, which are hurnt upon a horse and cow, and 

 these animals are then executed. This custom is always followed from a 

 helief, that these papers and the souls of these animals are sent up to the 

 Tha-gyd Nut. Within the building covering the Wumein gateway of the 

 wall surrounding the palace enclosure, the figures of those men who have 

 gained victories in war, with the number of the victories, are written, 

 and on the outside of that gate there is a monastery in which different 

 emperors have had carved and placed, the figures of men who acquired, 

 renown, and of officers who were faithful or good soldiers ; and to this 

 place the emperor goes once a year and does honor. On the northern 

 bank of the lake, to the westward of the palace wall, the figures of the 

 three men, Mi'-kou'n-ye', Kua-ta-yi'n, and Tsbng-ta-yIn, who were 

 killed in the victories obtained in the year 1029 (A. D. 1767), are placed 

 each under a separate pyramidal building. At the four angles of the 

 palace enclosure wall there is a pyramidal building, in which the armour 

 worn by soldiers, and swords, and spears are lodged. In the buildings at 

 the gateways of the outer city, guns, muskets, shot, and powder are lodged, 

 and constantly guarded by troops. Pekin is divided into two cities, the 

 southern and northern* city. In the former there are seven gates, and 

 in the latter nine. The walls are 13 cubits high and 14 cubits thick. At 

 each of the gateways is a building on each side, and a double pair of folding 

 doors. There is a pyramidal building also at each of the four angles of 

 the wall. The ditch surrounding the wall is not lined at the sides, and is 

 about 70 cubits broad, with water let into it. The northern city is about 

 3500 cubits square, and the southern city about 4200 cubits square. The 

 line of walls inside of the northern city has no battlements, but is covered 

 on the top with yellow-colored tilest. It is 1750 cubits square, 10 cu- 

 bits high, and has six gateways at six different points. Inside of this last- 

 mentioned wall is the wall surrounding the palace enclosure; and this is 

 upwards of 700 cubits on the eastern and western sides, and about 1050 

 cubits on the northern and southern sides. It is surrounded by a ditch 

 filled with water, seventy cubits broad and ten cubits deep, the sides of 

 which are faced with stone. This wall is fourteen cubits high and seven 

 cubits thick ; at the four angles there is a tower, and it has a gateway on 

 each of the four sides, and a double-roofed shed supported on ten posts 

 covers each gateway. There are three entrances at each gateway, and 

 the folding gates are covered with plates of iron fastened with nails. The 

 road within the walls of the palace enclosure is fourteen cubits broad and 



* The Chinese and Tartar cities. t The external enclosure of tbe palace. 

 3 I 



