536 Specimen of the Burmese Drama. [July, 



members of the royal family whenever they call their companies 

 before them, but I have not been able to discover any work of this 

 description here. Yours sincerely, 



J. SMITH. 

 To C. A. Blundkll, Esq. 



The Argument. 

 The nine princesses of the city of the silver mountain, which is 

 separated from the abode of mortals by a triple barrier (the first being 

 a belt of prickly cane, the second a stream of liquid copper, and the 

 third a Beloo, or devil) gird on their enchanted zones, which give 

 them the power of traversing the air with the speed of a bird, and 

 visit a pleasant forest within the limits of the south island (earth.) 

 While bathing in the lake, they are surprised by a huntsman, who 

 snares the youngest with his magic noose, and carries her to the 

 young prince of Pyentsa, who is so much struck by her surprising 

 beauty, that he makes her his chief queen, though he has but lately 

 been united to the daughter of the head astrologer of the palace. 

 Being obliged soon after to take the field against some rebels, the 

 astrologer seizes advantage of the prince's absence to misinterpret 

 a dream, which the king calls upon him to explain ; and declares 

 that the evil spirit, whose influence is exerting itself against the 

 king's power, is only to be appeased by the sacrifice of the beautiful 

 Mananhurree, who has supplanted his daughter in the young prince's 

 affections. The prince's mother hearing of the offering about to be 

 made, visits the lovely Mananhurree and restores to her the enchanted 

 zone which had been picked up on the shore-edge of the lake by the 

 huntsman, and presented by him to the old queen. The princess imme- 

 diately returns to the silver mountain ; but on her way thither, she 

 stops at the hermitage of a recluse, who lives on the borders of the 

 delightful forest before mentioned, and gives to the old man a ring 

 and some drugs, which confer the power upon the possessor of them 

 of entering the barrier and passing unharmed through its dangers. 

 The young prince having put an end to the war, returns to the city 

 of Pyentsa, and finding his favourite queen gone, he instantly sets forth 

 in quest of her. Having come to the forest, the appearance of which 

 astonishes and delights him, he dismisses his followers and visits the 

 hermit, who delivers to him the ring and the drugs; he then enters 

 the frightful barrier, and after meeting with many adventures, arrives 

 at the city of the silver mountain, and makes known his presence to 

 his beautiful bride by dropping the ring into a vessel of water, which 

 one of the palace damsels is conveying into the bath of the princess. 



