204 
JOURNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
this to you, and was your conduct in this matter 
suitable ? If you had waited a day longer, the 
King’s ratification would have come down.” 
The answer to this was, “ You had due warn¬ 
ing ; a violation of engagement was committed, 
and through it you lost two battles, and the pro¬ 
vinces of Mergui, Tavoy, and Ye, and part of 
Martaban ; but I beg this subject may be drop¬ 
ped, as we are now friends. I referred to it 
only to show what might be lost by want of 
punctuality to engagements.” I added, that if 
it were inconvenient to the Burmese chiefs to 
keep their appointments in any case, it was only 
necessary to state real grounds for doing so, 
which would be considered by us perfectly sa¬ 
tisfactory ; and that I was convinced the con¬ 
ferences would not again be postponed on slight 
pretexts. The Kyi-wun replied, that he was 
ashamed, and sorry for the part he had been 
obliged to take. Dr. Price acted as interpreter 
between us, with the occasional assistance of Mr. 
Judson, whose attention was principally enga¬ 
ged in discussing the same question with the 
Palace Secretary. This person had said to him, 
“ I thought you were as one of us, like Price. 
Jp former times, you received the King’s favour. 
You are acquainted with our disposition and 
our ways, and how good a people we are.” A 
