56 
JOURNAL OE AN EMBASSY 
in the month of March last, after the peace of 
Yandabo. My Burman interpreter informed 
me, that when he was at Padaong, about ten 
years ago, the Akunwun, or collector of land 
tax of Aracan, accompanied by the Raj Guru, 
or chief Court Brahmin, and astrologer of the 
time, arrived there, bringing with them a Hin¬ 
doo girl, who was described as the daughter of 
a 44 Brahmin King.” This young woman, pro¬ 
bably some person of very low caste, was taken 
into the seraglio of the late King of Ava, and 
is still living in the palace. The Akunwun, 
for this piece of good service, was raised to the 
rank of Rewun. 
Quitting Shwe-taong we skirted along the 
western shore of a long island, lying nearly in 
the middle of the river. As soon as we had 
reached its northern end, a very beautiful and 
picturesque view presented itself, one of the 
finest, indeed, which I have ever seen. An 
amphitheatre of hills nearly surrounded us. On 
our left was the island of Tet-the, well wooded 
and raised, contrary to custom, for most of the 
other islands which we had seen, being subject 
to inundation, exclude the growth of trees, and 
are covered with nothing but tall grass. Be¬ 
fore us was a distant view of the town of 
Prome. The river was broad, and, from the 
