J 836.] tying north of the Tenasserim Provinces. 695 



yesterday, a person was sent out to keep the people from coming up in the 

 zayat, and a writer came to hang up a notice to the same effect. I have been 

 left to myself all day. The poor woman into whose house the person who abused 

 me on the night of our arrival ran for shelter, came to-day to beg my interces- 

 sion. She is a stranger from Bankok, and, as she could not point out the offender, 

 is threatened with a fine. As they have shewn a disposition to punish the per- 

 son, I promised to intercede for her. 



At 10 a. m. on the 18th, Chow ne nam Maha Neut and some other 

 officers came out to conduct me to the Tso-boa's house. They proposed 

 that I should halt for some time at the court of justice, which was soon 

 given up on my positive refusal to do so, and I proceeded in the same order 

 as I had done at Laboung. The Tso-boa came in after a few minutes and 

 seated himself on a cushion at the foot of the zoyabollen ; I was seated im- 

 mediately in front of him on a pretty large Persian carpet with pillows. I 

 inquired after his health, age, prosperity, &c. and explained the purport of my 

 visit to be a wish on our part to cultivate his friendship and open the gold and 

 silver road, that, as at Laboung, we might exchange our superfluous produce to 

 mutual advantage, &c. &c. He replied, that to all proper subjects of traffic there 

 was no restriction. I said I was glad our customs agreed, and hoped that there 

 would be now no further objections to the export of cattle and buffaloes, which 

 was what we principally wanted from this country. The Chow-Houa, who as 

 at Laboung, transacts all the business, and who is said to be the only one opposed 

 to the trade in cattle, objected on the score of the great mortality which some- 

 times takes place among them, in which case I observed the price would rise, 

 and still only surplus cattle would be sold ; that I did not urge him to give the 

 people an order to sell, but permission to do so. He made some objection, half 

 expressed, on the score of fear of the Nats or presiding spirits of the country. 

 I pointed out the fact of their being sold to the Red Careens, to which he made 

 no reply ; but, Buddhists as they are, the question of the life or death of the 

 animal has never been mooted by any one exeept Chow-tche-Weet in trans- 

 ferring the sin of selling to the Chow-Houa. The Tso-boa then heard the 

 letter read, ordered in some sweetmeats, desired us his children to continue our 

 business, and retired on plea of weariness. The hall I was received in, is a brick 

 building about 100 feet by 50 ; the walls painted with an extraordinary jumble 

 •of clouds, trees, temples, &c. ; on the window-shutters natives of different 

 countries in the act of salutation. Among others I observed two Europeans in 

 the costume of the time of George II. Below the windows a sea with boats and 

 the white umbrella (emblem of royalty) of seven tiers of coarse cotton cloth, 

 diminishing in size to the top (like an old fashioned dumb-waiter,) was fixed 

 above the zoyabollen. I did not ascertain what chiefs were present, but the 

 Tso-boa and the Chow-Houa were the only ones with whom I had any con- 

 versation. 'Die Tso-boa is 80 years of age, but looks much more hale and 

 robust than Chow-tche-Weet. He was raised to the Tsoboaship by the king 

 of Bankok, from his merit as a soldier, though he can neither read nor write, — 

 a very unusual thing in this country. 



"On my way to the fort this morning I called on Chow-Houa, and found 

 him as much disposed to be friendly as he had been the reverse on the two 

 former occasions. He agreed to the trade being perfectly free and unrestricted. 

 4x2 



