616 An account of some of the Petty States [Oct. 



sent to the king of Siam, whose instructions would be taken. He wished to 

 kuow what terms we were on with the Burmese. I said on terms of friendship : 

 that after a war of two years they had sued for peace, and had obtained it — that 

 they had nearly fulfilled the terms of the treaty, and that it was a principle of 

 the English to forget an injury as soon as reparation was made. He said such 

 was not the case with them ; that they had been at war with the Burmans for 

 ages, and that they killed or made slaves of them whenever they had it in their 

 power — that the Burmans were equally inveterate. He then asked if I thought 

 I could obtain an order from the Commissioner of Maulamyne for the Burmese 

 to give up some tribes of Shans who had originally formed part of their king- 

 dom of Siam. I said they were Burman subjects ; and though we had conquer- 

 ed the greater part of their kingdom, it had been restored to them, and that we 

 had now no control over them. He said that we had the Theaiev? 5 or Siriam 

 Shans with us ; that they were originally from Caung-Ghan 66 ; and that if they 

 wished to return to the land of their forefathers, he hoped that they would not 

 be prevented. I said, that they were our subjects, and that if they wished to 

 return, every facility for doing so would be afforded them. 



" I thought this too favorable an opportunity to be missed, as I knew nearly 

 every one in court was aware of my beiti^ acquainted with the circumstance of 

 thirty or forty families of Burmans having been carried off by his people when 

 coming to Maulamyne with a pass from Sir A. Campbell. Seeing the person who 

 carried them off in court ; and a Mussulman merchant being with me who had 

 represented the impropriety of their proceedings at the time, and fearing that 

 an unfavorable construction might be put on my silence and a precedent for 

 like enormities in future; kuowing also that Major Burney had demanded 

 and obtained from the court of Siam the liberation of several hundred people 

 carried off by the Siamese from about Mergui and Tenasserim ,• I thought it 

 my imperative duty, as the business had already in some degree been agitated, 

 to endeavour to obtain their release, notwithstanding my instructions were not 

 to interfere in the matter if it could be avoided. I therefore said, I hoped 

 equal indulgence would be granted to the Taline people who had been taken 

 with the British General's pass. He denied having seen the pass, though I 

 believed at the time and have since heard that it was shewn him when several of 

 the Zimmay and Logan chiefs were present — that their liberation was agitated 

 and opposed by the Zimmay chiefs. The chief who carried them off being in 

 court, and having been before pointed out to me, I immediately put it to him, 

 and he acknowledged that the pass was still with him, but no one present 

 understood English ; that they were ignorant of its contents, but it should be 

 brought to my tent in the evening. Chow-tche-Weet said it should be made 

 known at Siam, and that they must abide by the instructions from thence. I 

 mentioned the circumstance of Major Burney's mission, and said I was sure 

 jt only required to be made known to his Siamese Majesty. The old chief was 

 evidently much embarrassed during this part of the conversation ; however, in 

 case of any thing further being done towards their liberation, he cannot again 

 plead ignorance. I repeated the hope that our intercourse might be free and 

 unrestrained, and was again told that they must wait for instructions from Siam. 

 I said that they might come to our settlement on the coast with the same freedom 

 they would go to Lagan or Zimmay, and requested that Ponya-tche (who had 



