1837.] Some account of the Wars between Burmah and China. 559 



" We did not see any images or pagodas connected with Buddh, his pre- 

 cepts and disciples, sculptured or built, and worshipped by the inhabitants 

 of China. We only saw in every town and village, buildings dedicated to 

 Nats, and large images of Nats, before which buffalos, bullocks, goats 

 and hogs were killed and sacrificed. The Chinese priests wear trowsers 

 and jackets of black, blue or yellow colours, and shave the hair of their 

 heads, and wear caps. They eat at night, but have no wife or children. 

 They do not drink spirituous liquors and do not study books. They 

 guard the buildings dedicated to Nats, and the figures of Nats, day and 

 night, and after sweeping the floor or ground clean, they burn lights at 

 night before the figures of the Nats, and remain in attendance ; and 

 when the inhabitants of the country kill buffaloes, cows, goats and hogs* 

 and offer them in sacrifice, the chief of the priests superintends and directs 

 the ceremony. 



" Children learn to read by paying money to a teacher. From LuayJaing 

 chokey to Pekin, all the towns and villages on our road presented us with 

 money and clothes agreeably to former custom. On our arrival at Pekin 

 we delivered the royal letter and presents and had audiences of the em- 

 peror, and he gave us presents. These particulars, with the days on which 

 they occurred and the quantity of presents we received, having been al- 

 ready reported, (in separate letters to the king and ministers, of which 

 I still hope to procure copies) they are omitted here, and only a descrip- 

 tion of the different towns we saw in our journey, and of the city of Pekin, 

 and an account of the military and civil officers and of their dress are 

 inserted. 



"We left Ava on the 27th June, 1833, reached Pekin, the residence of 

 the emperor of China on the 3rd February, 1834. We remained at Pekin 

 32 days and left it on the 6th of March, with the letter from the emperor, 

 his presents of cloth for the king and queen of Ava, and the letter ad- 

 dressed by the ministers of the emperor, to the Lhuot-to at Ava. We 

 returned by the same route as that by which we went to Pekin, and 

 arrived at Yunan in a certain number of days, and remained there for 

 some days, whilst the TsotinJu prepared his letter for the Lhuot-to at 

 Ava. We then came to Md-myin, and having written a petition for the 

 king and a letter for the ministers of Ava, we inserted these documents 

 into bamboos covered with red cloth, and sealing them carefully, deliver- 

 ed them to the governor of Moimyxn for the purpose of being forwarded 

 to the governor of Ba-mo, who transmitted them to Ava. We requested 

 that governor also to send a party to meet us at the chokey of LuayJaing 

 and escort us in safety agreeably to former custom. From Mo:myin to 

 LuayJaing we were escorted by a party of musqueteers with a suitable 

 officer, and the Tso-buahs and chiefs of the eight Shan cities conveyed to 

 Ba-mo the emperor of China's letter and presents, and all our baggage." 



3 c 2 



