442 Some account of the Wars between Burmahand China. [June, 



the palace faces to the southward. In regard to the construction of the 

 palace, on a terrace of bricks 5 cubits high, 210 cubits long, and 140 

 broad, covered with plaster, posts are let in, surrounded by stones at 

 bottom, and on them transverse beams and rafters are placed, and a 

 double roof without a spire, covered with yellow Chinese tiles. The 

 sides of the palace are of plank painted with blue and red color. The 

 planks are not of teak-wood but of fir. The centre gateway on the south- 

 ern sides of the palace enclosure wall is arched, and is that used by the 

 emperor of China, and on each side of this gateway there are two smaller 

 entrances used by the ministers and officers. The centre gateway on the 

 northern face also is arched, and has smaller entrances on each side. The 

 western and eastern faces have the same kind of gateway and entrances. 



" Whilst residing in the brick-house the five principal men of the Bur- 

 mese Mission were daily supplied at night and in the morning with rice, 

 salt, fish, nyu-pi, chillies, onions, greens, pork and fowls under the direc- 

 tion of the Chinese officer Pan-tshaing and his servants, Teng-tsani, 

 who watched us day and night. The thirty-two inferior people (of the 

 mission) also were daily supplied with rice and curries ready dressed. 



<■ At 3 o'clock of the morning of the day of our arrival, five carriages 

 with 16 hoises were sent to us, and we were summoned by the Li-pu-ta- 

 yeng Wiing-gyih to attend on the emperor, who was coming out to see 

 the amusement on the ice. We proceeded accordingly, and joined Li-pii- 

 ta-yeng on the outside of the gateway, on the northern face of the palace 

 enclosure wall. We got out of our carriage and waited with the Wun- 

 gyih outside of the gateway for the appearance of the emperor. About 

 twenty-two minutes after we arrived, the sound of large gongs, bells and 

 trumpets announced the approach of the emperor, and shortly after he 

 made his appearance. Outside of the gateway there were two rows of 

 twenty men in each, waiting with large fans in their hands, and when the 

 emperor came out of the gate, these men stooped down and formed an 

 arch with their fans, but when the emperor had passed through this arch, 

 they did not follow him, but remained where they were.— With respect to 

 the ceremonial on this occasion of the emperor's appearing abroad— in 

 front of his party there were four umbrellas of red, blue, green and black 

 colours, two on each side, on the right and left of the road ; behind them 

 there were two rows of horsemen, twenty in each, armed with swords— 

 behind them, came two rows, six men in each, of officers of rank, who had 

 obtained two or three peacock's feathers, armed with swords and dressed 

 in the fashion of the country. Behind them came two rows more, six in 

 each, of officers of rank, who had obtained two or three peacock's feathers, 

 armed with bows and arrows. Seven cubits in front of the emperor and in 

 the middle of the road, a yellow umbrella was carried, and the emperor 

 followed, seated in a yellow sedan chair borne by eight men. Behind him 

 there were officers of rank armed with swords and bows and arrows, and 

 arranged in the same manner as those who preceded him. After the 



