270 
JOURNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
river face, and arrived there at about one o’clock. 
The fly of a large marquee was pitched in the 
street, and adjoining to the front of the house: 
this, which was laid with Chinese carpets, and 
where we had the convenience of benches to 
sit upon, served the purpose of an ante-room. 
In this place we were detained nearly an hour, 
when we were ushered into a spacious hall, a 
few steps raised from the ground, and forming 
the front part of the Prince’s palace ; a tolerably 
good Burman wooden house, with a tiled roof, 
but destitute of all that appearance of neatness 
and propriety, which, according to our notions, 
is necessary to comfort or convenience. We 
were seated on carpets, in front of a handsome 
couch, which the Prince was to occupy. He 
appeared, in a few minutes, by a door leading 
from the inner apartments. The visit, on his 
side, was intended to be unceremonious and 
friendly. He came, therefore, without any state- 
sword, and in a neat undress, seating himself ex¬ 
actly in the position we were in. He asked 
after the health of his Majesty the King of Eng¬ 
land, or of the Governor-General, for the ex¬ 
pression made use of in Burman might bear 
either interpretation. The words were Englit- 
men, which may equally mean the English 
Ruler, or the King of England. 
