28G Literary Intelligence, Sfo. [No. 3, 



cotton cultivation by every means • he asked me to get him the 

 estimate of a Hydraulic Press for packing cotton, a Whitney Gin 

 for removing the seed, and the machinery for making yarn. I tried 

 to persuade the king to give up the latter project, showing him that 

 it would be a losing one, His Majesty, however, says : " Never mind, 

 let me lose." 



He is very anxious to get some mocha coffee seed, cinchona-tree 

 seed, good tea seed and for distribution among the peasantry Ameri- 

 can cotton seed. He asked me the day before yesterday whether we 

 could buy all the cotton the country would grow ! I am preparing a 

 short summary of our cotton transactions that will surprise him even 

 more than what I told him on that occasion. He asked what I 

 thought of the country in comparison with those I had visited. I 

 intimated that I did not wish to speak out on"this subject, " the dis- 

 course would be long." My not being a master of the Burmese lan- 

 guage, especially of the Court dialect, prevented my speaking out the 

 truths that I hope to have yet an opportunity of suggesting to His 

 Majesty. " After you have been here five or six years you will under- 

 stand all about the country ;" " Whenever you think of anything 

 that will be to my advantage, let me know ;" said the king. When 

 I spoke of the undeveloped wealth in the mountains and the soil of 

 the plains ; he agreed, and said, " Ah ! the Burmans are very idle." 

 I in turn replied " 'tis true ! 'tis true !" Usually Camaratta acts as 

 interpreter when I see the king ; on the occasion, no one was present 

 but one of the " inner ministers" and myself, His Majesty seemed to 

 be more free even than usual. Yesterday he sent for me, from his im- 

 patience to know about what I could tell him of the prospect of his 

 getting machinery to further the cotton exportation. On my enter- 

 ing the inner palace, the sound of the rattan, and its victim surprised 

 me. By and bye, I found the " inner" minister looking on at a 

 general flogging in the yard below, of the door-keepers who had 

 allowed a priest to come into the inner part of the palace, without 

 orders. This minister occupying one of the highest positions, the 

 chief member of the interior council of four, had been scolded but a 

 few days ago by His Majesty, and told that he was a liar, and deserv- 

 ed to have his mouth so struck with a shoe that all his teeth would 

 fall out. Now, seeing the whipper lay it on mildly, he went down 

 the steps, took the rattan himself and flogged the executioner with his 

 own hand to show him how to do his duty ! ! 



