1864.] On the history of the Burmah Race. 7 



the law during fifty-one years, he, in the year 148, # at the age of 

 eighty, passed to Neil-ban, or in common language, died. He died in 

 the. country of Koo-thi-na-yoon, where the Malta tribe ruled, In the 

 month Wagoung of the same year, the first Thengga-ya-nd or great 

 council, was called by A-dzd-ta-that the king of Badzagyo, and it was 

 then agreed, that that year should be counted as the year one, of 

 religion, f 



As the kings of Burma claim to be descended from the Tlia-hya 

 race of Kap-pi-la-wot to which Gautama belonged, the inter-marriages 

 of the chiefs of that tribe are thus carefully detailed in the history. 



Having brought down the narrative of events to the death of Budha 

 Gautama, the first volume of the work proceeds to give an account of 

 the geography of the world of I)zam-boo-dee-pa, where the Budhist 

 kings reigned. In this mythological geography, Dzam-boo-dee-pa refers 

 to the earth generally, but that term is constantly confused by being 

 sometimes applied to the continent of India only, the other parts of 

 the world bemg considered as too insignificant whether in extent or 

 in civilization, to be mentioned. Dzam-boo-dee-pa therefore frequently 

 represents India prominently, and the world remotely. 



The great earth, or substratum of rock on which Dzam-boo-dee-pa 

 rests, is represented as being 82,000 yoozanas in depth. On this rock, 

 rests Dzam-boo-dee-pa or the island of the Dzam-boo or Eugenia tree. 

 It is broad at the north side, and to the south narrows like the fore- 

 part of a cart. This represents roughly the form of the continent of 

 India, which shows that the ancient books followed by the history, 

 frequently by the term Dzam-boo-dee-pa, referred to India only. From 

 north to south it is ten thousand yoozanas long, and the same from 

 east to west. 



In the great ocean outside and which surrounds it, are five hundred 

 small surrounding islands, Ceylon is a prominent island to the west- 

 ward. At the northern extremity of Dzam-boo-dee-pa , grows the Euge- 

 nia tree with golden fruit, the size of globular water-pots. 



In the Himalaya, it is stated there are seven great lakes. From one 



named Anau-tat-ta proceed four great aqueducts. By one of these 



a river issues through the elephant mouth into the western sea ; by 



another, a river falls through the horse-mouth to the northern sea • 



* This refers to the era established by king In-za-na. 



t According to the Burmese Calendar, the year 2406 of religion commenced 

 on the 13th of April, 1862, when the year 1224 of the common era commenced. 



