1835.] Autobiography of Tisara Moung-Bo. 1 57 



ed by rebellion, did for the purpose of ensuring the fidelity 

 of his subjects issue a royal edict, that all the twelve dif- 

 ferent orders of royal servants, viz. elephanteers, cavalry, 

 shieldrnen, golden spearsmen, silver spearsmen, mu-sketeers, 

 cultivators of royal land, kulabin or corps of foreigners, 

 Feringhee musketeers, Pwaabet-yan, &c= &c. should send 

 their male children from five to twelve years of age to the 

 capital to be organized in corps. Above 40,CQ0 of these 

 children were collected. They were each marked by 

 tattooing on the shoulders ; one shoulder bore the 

 efiigy of kyenthai, the other of the I'o (particular 

 animals). The preparation for tattooing was said to be 

 an antidote to bruises or blows. These children were 

 called kyagles (or young tigers) from the circumstance of 

 the King having been born on a monday and the kya or 

 tiger being the corresponding representation of the planet 

 moon. .1 was appointed to the charge of 1,500 of these 

 children of whom none were above the age of 12. They 

 received from the Royal granary each one basket of paddy 

 per month ; and every ten days three small copper coins 

 to buy other articles of food with. In consequence of the 

 tender age of these children which rendered it necessary to 

 hire people to beat out the paddy, there did not remain suf- 

 ficient for their sustenance, and they were reduced to a state 

 of starvation. On a representation to the King, his Majesty 

 ordered the supply of Paddy to be increased to two baskets 

 each monthly, and that they should each receive two tic- 

 kals of Dine silver per month for their bazar expenses ; this 

 money however was not entrusted to me or any body else 

 who might have taken care of it, but it was given to the 

 akiats the lowest rank of officers commanding parties of 10 

 boys. These akiats were themselves boys, the conse- 

 quence of which was that as soon as the money was paid 

 it was quickly dissipated in trash, and till the next pay- 

 ment the boys were obliged to resort to the tanks in the 

 neighbourhood and procure for food the shell fish wdth which 

 they abound. This had an injurious effect on their health, 

 and the Cholera morbus attacking them killed a vast num- 

 ber of them. Many hundreds died daily and of the 40,000 

 scarcely half that number survived. 



