1869.] On the History of the Burma race. 49 



while hunting a wild elephant to capture it with a noose, he received 

 a wound of which he died. 



Prince Thi-ha-thu succeeded his father. He also took the title of 

 Tslieng-phyii-sheng. In Pegu, Bi-ngya-Dham-ma-Ra-dza succeeded 

 his father Ra-dza-di-rit. This king's two younger brothers Bi-ngya- 

 ran and Bi-ngya-kyan rebelled, and occupied the cities of Da-gun 

 and Than-lyeng. But the first soon submitted ; the other brother 

 sent messengers to king Thi-ha-thu for assistance, That king at 

 once sent a force which joining the rebel prince took possession of 

 Dala. The Burmese commander made the Taking inhabitants 

 prisoners of war, which provoked the resentment of the prince, and 

 a quarrel arose. The result was, that the Burmese force retired. 

 But the two brothers of the king of Pegu were now once more in 

 rebellion. Bi-ngya-kyan retired to Mut-ta-ma, while Bi-ngya-ran 

 occupied Da-gun. King Thi-ha-thu now sent a larger force to Pegu, 

 which marched in the month Nat-dau 784. They proceeded by the 

 Pu-thein (Bassein) route, which the Burmese had always found the 

 easiest, and took Dala once more. Prince Bi-ngya-ran entered into 

 negociations with them, and a marriage between his sister and king 

 Thi-ha-thu was arranged. But this was the immediate cause of his 

 destruction. For his chief queen Tsau-pho-may, who had been one 

 of his father's queens, offended at his neglect of her. called in a Shan 

 chief U'n-boung-lay, who came with an army to attack the city. The 

 king met him, but was wounded, and fled to Mo-nhyin, where he died 

 soon after, having reigned four years. 



The nobles now joined and attacked the Shan army, which retired. 

 An infant son of Thi-ha-tlm, named Meng-hla-ngay, was raised to the 

 throne. But the queen Tsau-pho-may, who had long been too inti- 

 mate with the chief of Ka-le, Kye-toung-ngyo, called him in. He 

 came with an army, killed the infant king, and seized the palace. 



This usurper's reign was short. The governor of Mo-nhyin, 

 named Meng-nan-tsi, was a man of much influence. He was of Shan 

 descent, but claimed also to be descended from the ancient kings of 

 Pu-gan ; his paternal grandmother was a daughter of Nga-tsi-sheng 

 Kyau-tswa, one of the kings of Shan race who reigned at Pan-ya, 

 and who died in 1V1. In the present state of affairs, he determined 

 to assert his claims. He came with a large force and invested Ava. 



