JOURNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
nying plan of the town and palace. We en¬ 
tered the inner town by the Letha gate, one of 
the two commonly used by the King.* Pass¬ 
ing through a short street, we came to the west¬ 
ern side of a high wooden palisade, which, in a 
quadrangular form, surrounds the Palace and 
its different buildings. From the western side 
of this palisade, we passed along the southern, 
at the termination of which we were requested 
to dismount from our elephants, and complied. 
The Sare-d’liaugyis, and other Burman officers, 
now preceding us, we moved on in the same 
order as before. We had not gone far, when 
these officers requested that we would take down 
our umbrellas, as a mark of respect to the Pa¬ 
lace, which we were approaching. I paid no 
attention to what they said, but desired the gen¬ 
tlemen not to comply ; and we moved on, until 
reaching the centre of the eastern face of the 
palisade, where there is a gate fronting the prin¬ 
cipal entrance of the Palace, opposite to the near¬ 
est side of which’ is the Rungd’hau, or Hall of 
Justice. The Sar6-d 5 haugyis, without our being 
aware of their intention, led us beyond the Rung- 
* One of the gates is called “ the dead gate,” because fu¬ 
nerals pass through this alone; from which circumstance, it 
is under a kind of stigma. Criminals, and persons under 
accusation, are also led through the same entrance. 
