28 The Remains at Pag&n. [No. 1. 



basement mouldings which run all round the building. 



by the " Shemin of Satan," (Sitang or perhaps Thadung), and the latter contested 

 the throne with a member of the old royal house of Pegu, whom the Portuguese 

 call Shemindoo, he was killed before Pegu by the fortunate shot from the musket 

 of Gronzalo ISTeto. But in 1552 a second prince of Toungoo again got possession 

 of Pegu. This is the king called by the old writers Aleagar, or " Brama king of 

 Pegu,"* who extended his conquests over Ava, Mogoung, Jangomai (Zimme), the 

 west of Yunan, and other adjoining states, and the wealth and splendour of whose 

 court made Pegu so famous in Europe as an empire of fabulous magnificence. 



Casper de Cruz, a Dominican, appears to have been to the East between 1550 

 and 1560. He speaks of the " Brames" as " a great people, very rich of gold and 

 precious stones ; chiefly of rubies ; a proud and valiant nation. The country 

 very scarce of victuals. They wear their clothes painted or wrought. They are 

 somewhat like the Chinas in their faces ; they have very rich gallant shippings 

 garnished with gold, in which they sail in the rivers ; they use vessels of gold 

 and of silver ; their houses are of timber very well wrought. The kingdom is 

 very great. They have not commonly war with the Chinas, because of the great 

 mountains that are between the one and the other, and because the Chinas are 

 well fortified on that side,"f &c. All which is very accurate. 



In 1557, Bomferrus a Dominican missionary returned from Pegu. He had 

 spent three years in learning their language and mysteries, that he might preach 

 among them, " but was soon forced to give over and return into India ; for they 

 could not endure to hear any better knowledge than they had. "J This mission- 

 ary appears to have given a tolerable account of Buddhism as it exists in these 

 countries. 



In 1569, Csesar Frederick, a Venetian merchant, was in Pegu, and gave a very 

 interesting account of that country. That same " Brama of Toungoo" was on the 

 throne, who was said to have twenty and six crowned heads at his command, and 

 to be able to bring into the field a million and a half of men of war ! § "For 

 people, dominions, gold and silver" Mr. Frederick hesitates not to say, "he far 

 excels the power of the Great Turk, in treasure and strength." 



These expressions seem utterly preposterous, when we see what Pegu and Bur- 

 ma are in our day. All the old travellers use similar superlative terms in speak- 



* His name in Burmese history is Tshen-byu-mya-yen " Lord of many white 

 elephants." He is the personage called by Pinto, " The Chaumigrem." " He 

 was born on a Wednesday" says the chronicle, '' and on the day of his death the 

 great Pagoda fell into ruins, an inundation covered the whole city, and a shower 

 of rubies fell from heaven." (Sangermano, p. 45.) 



f In Turchas, III. p. 169. 



X Purchas,Y. p. 507. This Friar according to Sir Thomas Herbert, " came 

 home professing that he had rather with St., Anthony preach among pigs than 

 among such a swinish generation." Herbert's Travels, p. 359. 



§ That is, more than twice the whole population of the British province of 

 Pegu in 1856. 



