1840.] Mission to the Court of Siam. 221 



and about which they did not display much curiosity, the con- 

 versation led to that at Ava, and hence to Ava affairs. Generally 

 from the whole tenor of his remarks, it was impossible not 

 to see that his sentiments were the same as those of his son 

 and Radsithee. After waiting till the subject was nearly ex- 

 hausted, and he had several opportunities of offering his assis- 

 tance and co-operation, without having done so, I produced 

 George De Castro 5 s letter, which Mr. Hunter, who interpreted, 

 had before explained, and begged he would send an order 

 to Chumpahoon, and all the officers on that frontier, to permit 

 the people to dispose of their cattle without interference, 

 and that I might be furnished with a copy to transmit to 

 Mr. De Castro. He said he had already seen that letter, but 

 that as I was daily expected when it was received, he had 

 not yet mentioned it to the king. He made the usual objec- 

 tions on the score of religion to furnishing cattle for slaughter ; 

 I said there was no denying that we killed cattle for food, 

 and that we did so without attaching any criminality to it. I 

 mentioned the fact of the Burman army round Rangoon having 

 slaughtered and eaten cattle which we had refrained from 

 killing ; that many of the Laos and Siamese people killed bul- 

 locks, and that I had never heard any of them refuse to eat 

 beef; that 300 pigs were killed daily at Bankok, and, moreover, 

 that before we bought the Laos cattle, they were sold to the 

 Red Kareens, who killed and eat them under the name of 

 sacrifices to the Nats ; but that the cattle now required were 

 for the carriage of supplies, and not for slaughter. I also re- 

 quested an order to the Isoboas of the northern Laos towns 

 not to interfere to prevent their people from selling their surplus 

 cattle, and requested permission to take it up myself, as we 

 wished to make arrangements for an efficient supply of cattle 

 reaching the Provinces by the beginning of May, and that I 

 would return here if the king and ministers wished ; that I should 

 remain for a short time, to keep the ministers informed on 

 the true state of affairs between the British Government and 

 the Government of Ava. He inquired on what route I should 

 wish to travel ; I said by land, up the banks of the May- Ping, 

 or any route he thought shortest and best. He replied there 



