1835.] the ancient capital of the Burmese Empire. 401 



" In the Burmese year 643, (A. D. 1281,) the Talain Wareeroo 

 killed the noble Aleimma, who was lord of the city of Mouttama 

 (Martaban), a part of the empire, and set himself up as king there. 

 In the same year, the emperor of China deputed ten nobles with 

 1000 horsemen, to demand certain gold and silver vessels, on the 

 ground that king Anauratha Men Zau* had presented them. Some 

 histories assert that they came to demand a white elephant. 



" The Chinese envoys conducted themselves in a disrespectful 

 manner in the royal presence, when his majesty ordered the whole 

 of the ten nobles and 1000 horsemen to be put to death. One of 

 the ministers, Nanda Peetzeen, respectfully addressed the King, say- 

 ing, ' Although the envoys of the emperor of China are ignorant of 

 what is due to a king, and have conducted themselves in a disre- 

 spectful manner, yet if it seemeth well to your glorious majesty, a 

 report of their conduct should be made to the emperor of China. If 

 it pleaseth your majesty to have patience, and issue such orders as 

 may promote the interests of the country, such orders should be 

 issued. To put ambassadors to death has not been the custom during 

 the whole line of our kings. It will be proper then for your majes- 

 ty to forbear.' The king replied, saying, ' They have treated with 

 disrespect such a sovereign as I am; put them to death.' The officers 

 of government, fearing the royal displeasure, put the whole of the 

 Mission to death, without a single exceptiont. 



" When the emperor of China received the intelligence of the 

 execution of his envoys, he was exceeding angry, and collecting an 

 army of at least six millions of horse and 20 millions of foot, sent them 

 down to attack Pugan ; the king of which, Naratheehapade, as soon 

 as he heard of the coming of this force, placed under the generals 

 Nanda Peetzeen and Yanda Peetzeen 400,000 soldiers, and numerous 

 elephants and horses, with orders to proceed and attack the Chinese 

 army. The two generals marched to the city of Nga-young-gyan, 

 and after putting its walls, ditch, and fortifications in a proper state of 

 defence, opposed the Chinese army at the foot of Bamau river, killing 

 during three months so many of that army, that not a grass-cutter 

 even for its elephants and horses remained. The emperor of China, 

 however, kept reinforcing his army, and replacing those who were 

 killed, by sending 200,000 men, when he heard of the loss of 



* This King of Pugan is said to have invaded China about A. D. 1040, and 

 gold and silver flowers or ornaments are the emblems of tributary subjection 

 among all the Indo-Chinese nations. 



T There is some kind of tradition at Ava, that the Chinese envoys insisted 

 upon appearing in the royal presence with their boots or shoes on. 

 3 E 



