•62 On the History of the Burma race. [No. 2, 



army. The king of Pegu then fled with his whole family to Prome, 

 where he was received by the king Na-ra-pa-ti. 



King Meng-ta-ra Shwe-hti was profuse in his acknowledgments to 

 his general, and bestowed upon him the title of Bhu-reng Noung, 

 intimating that he would be king hereafter. It was now determined 

 to pursue the king of Pegu to Prome, and here the history once 

 more is linked with the fortunes of the king of Ava, Tho-han-bwa, 

 which for a time were dropped, in order to trace the events which 

 brought the king of Toungu from Pegu up the Irawati to Prome. 



The king of Prome hearing that he was to be attacked, had per- 

 suaded Tho-han-bwa, king of Ava, to support him, That king came 

 down the river with a large army of Shans. They and the fugitive 

 king of Pegu met at Prome, and took an oath of fidelity to each 

 other. Near Prome, the flotillas of the contending powers had an 

 engagement, in which the allies were defeated, and some of their 

 pi'incipal officers were taken prisoners. Meng-ta-ra Shwe-hti either 

 did not then feel himself strong enough to retain Prome, or more 

 urgent affairs called him to Pegu ; for he now led his army back to 

 that country. The king of Pegu, Thi-sheng-ta-ga-rwut-bi now desired 

 his allies to invade Pegu. But they were unwilling to do so. He 

 therefore proceeded himself with a small force, but lost his life in the 

 jungal. King Tho-han-bwa returned to Ava, taking with him the 

 children of the king of Pegu. Soon after, the king of Prome, Na-ra- 

 pa-ti died, and was succeeded by his younger brother Sheng Tha-ret, 

 who took the title of Meng Khoung. His sister, the widow of the 

 king of Pegu, was sent to Arakan, where she married the king of that 

 country. 



After the death of Thu-sheng-ta-ga-rwut-bi, all the Talaing nobles 

 in Pegu submitted to Meng-ta-ra Shwe-hti. He provided for the 

 most worthy by appointing them to the different districts. But 

 Mut-ta-ma (Martaban) still held out. The brother-in-law of the late 

 king, Tsau-bi-ngya, governed that province, and refused to submit to 

 the conqueror. The king therefore marched with a large army to 

 take the city. On arrival, he found the difficulties enormous. Situ- 

 ated near the mouth of a great river, or an arm of the sea, it was 

 defended with numerous guns ; and the Ku-la Pan-the (Foreigners 

 and Muhatnmadans), some on the city walls, and some on board seven 



