228 Mission to the Court of Biam. [No. 99. 



with their heads towards the king, crouched upon their elbows, 

 were the princes of the blood, perhaps 20 or 30 in number; 

 immediately behind them, the Chow-pya Praklang (who is 

 also Kalahon, a higher office than Praklang, in virtue of which 

 he controls the affairs of one half of the kingdom towards 

 the west and south) ; beside, and behind him were a number 

 of the highest officers, inferior to him ; on the right of the 

 king, in a line with the Praklang, Chowkoon-booden, the prime 

 minister, (who rules the eastern and northern half of the king- 

 dom) was crouched, with officers the same as the Praklang 

 near him. The whole of the rest of the hall was crowded 

 with officers of less note, except a space of 10 or 12 feet wide 

 right down the centre, where we were seated, about one-third 

 of the way up to the hall, the presents immediately behind 

 us ; Piatschadook Pia-pi-pat, the Praklang 5 s deputy, and 

 Pia-Choolia, the chief of the natives of the Coromandel 

 Coast, immediately in front of us ; Mr. Hunter on my right, 

 and Radsithee close to him. The king, who was seated on his 

 highest throne, on which Mr. Hunter had never before seen 

 him, addressed Pia-pi-pat, who repeated the questions to Rad- 

 sithee, he again to Mr. Hunter, who communicated them to me. 

 The hall is painted to resemble paper, with a paltry looking 

 glass above, and a miserable print between each window. The 

 courtiers were all dressed in their robes of ceremony, muslin 

 with flowers of gold, and heavy gold embroidery on each arm ; 

 the six first on each side of the hall had, besides these, a gold 

 betel apparatus, diminishing a little in size from those of Chow- 

 pya-koon-booden and the Praklang, which were in size and 

 shape like an old fashioned soup tureen ; those behind them had 

 the same apparatus, and some of less costly materials. The 

 throne was raised about 15 feet from the floor, apparently all 

 of gold, in shape something like a boat, with four pillars and 

 a small canopy, all of the same metal ; close to the feet of it was 

 a child about 11 years old, I believe the youngest son of the 

 king ; near him was a musical clock, which was sent out a pre- 

 sent to the emperor of China from England, with Lord Amherst, 

 and was bought for the king by Mr. Hunter. — On the whole, 

 my reception (as I was frequently told it would be) was one of 



