TO THE COURT OF AYA. 
279 
six weeks’ endurance, his existence was termina¬ 
ted by a few blows of a mallet over the head 
and breast. Men-tha-gyi, as the gaolers stated, 
watched and directed his torture and punish¬ 
ment. The young woman disappeared, and had 
never since been heard of. This, according to 
the information of the gaolers, was the second 
case of the same nature which had occurred. 
The first took place at Amarapura, about three 
years before. Men-tha-gyi, before the elevation 
of his sister, is alleged to have exercised the 
very humble occupation of a fishmonger: the 
Queen’s aunt is even said to have carried a bas¬ 
ket of fish upon her head, in the exercise of a 
still humbler branch of the same calling. 
On our return home, we visited the King’s 
pagoda and his water-palace, by special leave. 
The pagoda is one of the few which resemble 
in architecture those of Siam. The central 
building is of solid masonry, with pillars half 
European and half Hindustani. The materials 
are excellent, the plaster being almost as smooth, 
white, and shining as marble. All this excited 
a suspicion that the workmanship was exotic, 
and, on inquiry, we ascertained that the archi¬ 
tect was a Hindoo from Madras. The same 
artist, we also discovered, had constructed the 
handsome terrace of the palace before mentioned. 
