434 Some account of the Wars between Burmah and China. [June, 



embassy, a short account of whose route from Pekin was given by the 

 principal envoy, the Tso:buah of Ba-md, to Dr. (Buchanan) Ha- 

 milton, when he accompanied Captain Symes to this country, and was 

 published by that gentleman in a paper in No. 5 of the Edinburgh 

 Philosophical Journal*. 



On the 20th August, 1795, a Chinese embassy is again reported in 

 the Burmese Chronicles to have arrived at Amarapura with valuable 

 presents, &c. from the emperor of China. Captain Symes saw this 

 embassy at Amarapura , and he considered it as a provincial deputation 

 only ; — but I conceive that none of the members of the Chinese em- 

 bassies which visit Ava ever come from Pekin. The letter on gold 

 and some of the presents appear to be sent down to the Viceroy of 

 Yunan, and he forwards them by some officers serving under him ; 

 and these do not, even on their return, proceed beyond Yunan. The 

 Burmese envoys, when they accompany the Chinese, are made to 

 believe that the emperor has conferred some additional rank and 

 employment on the latter, requiring their presence in Yunan, and 

 preventing their accompanying the Burmese mission to Pekin. 



On the 22nd March, 1796, another embassy arrived at Amarapura 

 from China with presents and a letter from the emperor, and as I 

 possess a copy of this letter, and as its contents are curious, I annex a 

 translation of it. 



" As darkness disappears through the rays of perfumed light, and as light is 

 received when the white rays of day-break appear after the third quarter of the 

 night ; so, when reflecting on the affairs of the kingdom and of sentient beings, a 

 good idea occurred (to me). In the beginning of the world the early emperors of 

 China, when they attained an advanced age, abandoned the throne to their sons 

 and retired to the wilderness. In the same manner (I) now propose to abdicate 

 in favor of (my) son. Among (my) ancestors the name of the son who was con- 

 sidered most worthy to succeed his father as king, was written and placed on the 



* This Ts6:buah of Ba-md brought, on this or on some subsequent occasion, 

 a large Chinese chop or seal from the emperor of China, purporting to confer on 

 the king of Ava the same power and authority as the emperor himself possessed, 

 over every part of the Chinese empire. This seal is still at Ava, and is said to 

 be of pure gold, weighing 3 viss or lOlbs. and of the form of a camel, with some 

 Chinese characters at the bottom. At the time it was brought to Ava a question 

 arose as to the propriety of retaining such a gift, as its acceptance might after- 

 wards be construed into an admission, that the king of Ava derived his power from 

 the emperor of China, or that the latter confirmed the former's title to the throne 

 of Ava. The value of the gold, however, of which the seal was made, is said to 

 have decided the Burmese court in favor of keeping it. I can find no notice of 

 this remarkable circumstance in the history of the late king's reign, but the 

 details I have now given were communicated to me by good authority. 



