^66 Dr Hamilton on a Map of Ava; drawn 
ma, used by the people of Rakhain, from whom, as I have said, 
those of Ava derive their origin. Brahma is the corruption of 
this name commonly used by the natives of Hindustan ; and I 
suspect that Dr Leyden was totally misinformed, when he con- 
sidered the Sangskrita word Varma as the name of this people. 
Several Hindu princes have used Varma as a title ; but the most 
celebrated persons of this name were not a nation, but a dynas- 
ty, governing the impure tribe of Kirata or Kichak, and who 
long held Nepal, and conquered several countries in the north 
and east of Bengal. It is possible that some of these princes 
may have penetrated to Rakhain, and from thence to Ava ; 
but, unless we knew Dr Leyden’s authority, much reliance can- 
not be placed on his authority, as he evidently was but slight- 
ly informed on the subject, did not know the name by which 
the people of Ava call themselves, and gave them one, Varma, 
which no combination of their letters will express. The term 
Birman Empire, given to the kingdom of Ava by my late 
worthy friend Symes, is the Persian plural of Birma, one of the 
vulgar corruptions of Marama, he having corresponded with 
the government of Ava in the Persian language. The original 
inhabitants of the Mranma country, before the Chinese inva- 
sion, were probably Ehisen, as the Mranmas still retain the cus- 
tom of tatooing on their legs, although they do not disfigure 
their faces with this attempt at ornament. 
Every where on the north and east, the proper country of the 
Mranmas, is bounded by districts occupied by the people which 
they call Shan, but who call themselves Tay. From the Mran- 
ma word Shan, through the Portuguese orthography, is no 
doubt derived Siam, the name we give to the most distinguish- 
ed nation of this race. I have already mentioned another na- 
tion of the same, the Tay Loun or Kasi Shan. East from 
this people, on both sides of the Erawadi, between the Mran- 
mas and Chinese, and extending from thence far south between 
the Mranmas and the Saluen river, is a numerous people of the 
same race, governed by many hereditary chiefs called Zabuas, 
and tributary to Ava. By the Mranmas this branch is called 
Mrelap Shan or Shanwa, and the king of Ava, among his titles, 
usually assumes that of Sovereign of the nine provinces of Shan 
(Ro-shan-pri,) meaning the nine chief provinces of the Shanwa, 
