1835.) the ancient capital of the Burmese Empire. 403 



with figure-heads and war-boats, to be made ready, and embarked in 

 them all his gold and silver and treasures ; a thousand cargo boats, 

 also, he loaded with paddy and rice ; in a thousand state boats he 

 embarked all his ministers and officers, and in the gilded state boats, 

 his concubines and female attendants. But as the boats could not 

 accommodate all the royal concubines and female attendants, who 

 were very numerous, the king said, ' These women and servants 

 are too numerous to be all embarked in the boats, and if we leave 

 them here, the Chinese will seize and take possession of them ; tie 

 their hands and feet together, therefore, and throw them into the 

 liver.' The king's teacher however observed, ' in the whole circle of 

 animal existence the state of man is the most difficult of attainment, 

 and to attain that state during the time of a Buddha, is also most 

 difficult. There can be no occasion for your majesty to commit the 

 evil deed of throwing these people into the water. Such an act will 

 be for ever talked of even among kings, and will be registered in 

 the records of the empire. Let your majesty therefore grant per- 

 mission for any person to take such of the royal female attendants as 

 cannot be embarked in the royal boats, and by so doing, your majes- 

 ty will be said not only to have granted them their lives, but to have 

 afforded them protection.' The king replied, ' Very true,' and 

 set at liberty 300 of the female servants of the interior of the palace, 

 who were taken and carried away by different inhabitants of the city. 



" The king then embarked in his gilded accommodation boat, and 

 retired to the Talain city of Bathein (Bassien). 



" Nanda Peetzeen and Yanda Peetzeen, after the loss of Nga- 

 young-gyan, retreated and built a couple of stockades on the eastward 

 slope of the male mountain, where they again resisted the Chinese. 

 Both the generals, holding some fixed quicksilver* in their mouths, 

 leaped 15 and 16 cubits high in the air at a time, and attacked 

 the Chinese ; but whilst fighting in this manner, an arrow, which 

 had been discharged by one of the Nats of the two countries, who 

 were contending in the air, struck Nanda Peetzeen, and threw him 

 to the ground lifeless. In consequence of this event, and the Chinese 

 army being very numerous, victory was unattainable, and defeat again 

 ensued. The Chinese pursued vigorously, and the Pugan generals re- 

 treated, keeping their force as much together as possible. On arriving at 

 Pugan, and finding that the king and the whole of the population had left 

 that city andfled to the Talain country, the army followed them to Bathein. 



* Amoog the Burmese alchemists, fixed, or as they call it dead, quicksilver, is 

 an object of great desire, owing to the miraculous power which it is said to confer 

 on the possessor. 

 3 e 2 



