8 Mission to the Court of Siam. [No. 97- 



them back; if I should see them at Maulmain. I told him the 

 people he mentioned I had seen at Maulmain, and on their 

 arrival had assisted them; that he quite mistook the ground 

 on which I demanded these natives of India; that they were 

 felons, condemned to imprisonment for life for murders of the 

 most aggravated kind, which I explained to him, and warned 

 him of their character. After some conversation on the Cochin- 

 Chinese war, he ordered in two or three and twenty small dishes 

 of sweetmeats, roast pork, roast fowls, and soup, all apparently 

 Chinese cooking, of most uninviting appearance, for myself, and 

 different trays for all the people, who did more honour to his 

 hospitality than I could. He then pressed me to stop here for 

 four or five days, as he said was the custom ; I however declined 

 remaining more than one day more, and am to start on the 28th. 

 I had by a great deal of inquiry amongst the Talines here 

 learned that there is a good and much frequented road, as was 

 to be expected, from this to Bankok, by Nongkaw, in six days ; 

 and when the subject of my route was discussed, as all matters 

 are here, I intimated my intention of going by that route, with- 

 out allusion to the attempt made to deceive me yesterday. I 

 spoke of the goodness of the road with such confidence, that 

 no attempt was made to dispute the fact now, but a wish 

 expressed that I should go by boats, or if by land even, that I 

 must go to Rajapore or Pra-pree. This I also objected to 

 doing, as it is considerably out of the direct course to Bankok ; 

 that I had no business with the Myo-won of Rajapore or Pra- 

 pree ; and had here waited on him, the Myo-won of Camboorie, 

 and stated the only object of my visit; he said they had no 

 wish to put any restraint on me ; that I might go by any road 

 I felt inclined, but the Myo-won of Pra-pree had made prepara- 

 tions to receive me, and would be disappointed if I did not visit 

 him. The subject was then dropped, and I took my leave, near 

 three o'clock ; the sweetmeats, &c. were sent after me to the 

 tent, and about nine in the evening the Taung-ka-paung Myotsa 

 came to press again on me the necessity of going by Pra-pree ; 

 I again declined going by that route, as my business lay at Ban- 

 kok with the ministers ; it was decidedly out of my way, and 

 when I got there, how was I to be assured the Myo-won of Pra- 



