58 On the History of the Burma race. [No. 2, 



The extent of this district was originally not greater than from 

 seventy to eighty miles from north to south, with a breadth of about 

 half that distance. On the east of the valley are high mountains, 

 where the wild Karen tribes are still numerous, and probably from 

 a very remote period held independent sway. The mountains on the 

 west barely exceed one thousand feet elevation, and the Karen tribes 

 are now scarcely to be found there. Gradually Talaing colonists 

 from the south, and Burmese from the north, appear to have occupied 

 the valley of the middle Poung-loung, leaving the hills to the Karens. 

 But for safety, these colonists appear to have had strongholds in the 

 lower hills on the western side of the valley. One of these, which 

 was occupied on the Ka-boung stream, a tributary of the Poung-loung, 

 was called in the Burmese language, Toung-ngd, from its position on a 

 projecting mountain point, and this name has been transferred to the 

 city, afterwards built in the plain, and to the whole district. As 

 long as the seat of the Burmese monarchy was at Pu-gan, Toungii 

 was not much interfered with, but when the capital had been trans- 

 ferred to Pan-ya, the Shan dynasty appear to have been more 

 attracted to it. In the year 679, Thi-ha-thu Ta-tsi-sheng sent his 

 son 17-za-na Kyau-tswa. to this district ; he occupied the then existing 

 city, and probably brought Burmese or Shan settlers with him. Later 

 a chief from Pegu, but probably of Shan descent, Pyan-kyi-gyi 

 became king. But after this, a Burmese adventurer Moung-phau-ka 

 was raised to power, and from this time the kings of Ava looked upon 

 the country as part of their dominion. But the governors were 

 frequently independent, aud by allying themselves alternately with 

 the Burmese or the Talaings, managed to maintain a position, which 

 the natural strength or wealth of the country could not otherwise 

 have sustained. 



It has already been mentioned that when Du-ti-ya Meng 

 Khoung, king of Ava, came to the throne, in the year 842 

 (A. D. 1480), the ruler of Toung-ii was Tsi-tha-kyau-hteng. He 

 had a brother, the governor of Ba-mai-then, who had married 

 a grand niece of Mo-nhyin Meng-ta-ra, the Shan chief, who had 

 seized the throne of Ava in the year 788. The family also claimed 

 to be descended from U'-za-na, the son of Kyau-tswa, the deposed 

 king of Pugan, who had reigned at Pan-ya after the death of his 



