134 
JOURNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
that they might not witness the shame of their 
Government. Even this subterfuge was at 
length abandoned; and before the instalment 
was completed, the money was openly brought 
from Ava in broad day. The Burman, pecu¬ 
liarly a Government of fear and violence, seems 
to have little hold of the affections of its sub¬ 
jects, and the support of its authority chiefly 
depends upon its maintaining a character of in¬ 
fallibility. Much of its system of administra¬ 
tion consists in a juggle to impress this charac¬ 
ter upon the minds of its subjects, and its as¬ 
sumed preeminence is perhaps founded as much 
upon policy, as upon national vanity and mis¬ 
calculation of its own strength. Under such 
circumstances, it may seem surprising that no 
formidable insurrection broke out during the 
progress of the contest with the British. The 
countries actually occupied by our army, sub¬ 
mitted, indeed, peaceably to our rule ; and, had 
we determined on permanent conquest, would 
in all likelihood have been easily maintained. 
Against the sovereign, however, humbled as he 
was, there was but one plot at Court, and the 
evidence even of this is doubtful. The case 
alluded to was as follows:—The Pakan Wun, 
or Governor of Pakan, had, towards the con¬ 
clusion of the war, become a favourite : he was 
