1840.] Mission to the Court of Siam. 17 



considerable size, though I have been unable to obtain any 

 accurate information as to the number of people it contains, 

 from the excessive jealousy of the people on such subjects ; and 

 from its extent, have not been able to count the number of 

 houses, as was roughly done at Camboorie. The greater number 

 of the inhabitants, as in that town, live about the banks of 

 the river, outside the fort, which has a brick wall of about eighteen 

 feet high, with an open parapet and ravelin at each corner, 

 two doors in the long faces, and one at the ends; it stands 

 east and west along the banks of the river, which here runs to 

 the eastward a distance of a few hundred paces, it is about 

 300 paces broad, and 7 or 800 long, with a large portion of 

 the ground waste inside ; there were about 200 or 280 boats 

 in the river of a large size ; the river is fordable a short way 

 above the town at low water, and the tide does not rise more 

 than four feet opposite the town at spring tides. I am told 

 the Myo-won receives from the king 600 tickels a year, and 

 has the law fees and presents besides. I do not believe, from 

 all I have heard, that any of the chiefs of towns receive so 

 large a sum. 



February 1st. — Bankiew, 4h. 50m., fifteen miles. Sent the 

 mahouts for the elephants at day-light ; they found them, contra- 

 ry to the promise of the people sent by the Myo-won to take 

 charge of them, tied up close to the town. When preparing to 

 start, a message was brought from the Myo-won to request me 

 not to hurry off, as breakfast was preparing for our party, to 

 which I returned an acknowledgment of his kindness, and 

 intimation of my readiness to wait. The interval was employed 

 by me in dispatching two boats I had been furnished with for the 

 sick and some of the royal presents, and by them in again 

 urging me to go by the river, now on the Myo-won's account, 

 as the Myo-won of Camboorie would obtain credit with the 

 king for having prevailed on me to come here, whilst he could 

 not get me to go to May-klong ; they disclaimed any wish to 

 prevent my seeing that part of the country; I said I did not 

 think personal motives should have weight with us, that I did 

 not consult my own personal ease in labouring over the hot 

 plains, but that I had been sent by a great government to the 



