TO THE COURT OF AVA. 
287 
for ourselves, and some chiefs of rank, the prin¬ 
cipal of whom were the Atwen-wun Maong-za, 
the Kyi-wun, and the Myo-lat-wun. The pro¬ 
cession passed close to the shed, and the Bur- 
man chiefs politely explained to us the nature 
of the ceremony. The following was the order 
in which it advanced :—The insignia of the At¬ 
wen-wun were borne in front; then came pre¬ 
sents for the priests, and alms to be distributed 
amongst the beggars, consisting of sugar-cane, 
bananas, and other fruits, with ready-made gar¬ 
ments. A shabby elephant, on which was 
mounted an ill-looking fellow dressed in red, fol¬ 
lowed these. The man in red had in his hands 
a box, intended to carry away the bones and 
ashes of the deceased This, it seems, is an ig¬ 
nominious office, performed by a criminal, who 
is pardoned for his services. Even the elephant 
is thought to be contaminated by being thus 
employed, and for this reason an old or maimed 
one is selected, which is afterwards turned loose 
into the forest. A band of music followed the 
elephant; after which came a long line of priest¬ 
esses, or nuns, all old and infirm ; then came ten 
or twelve young women, attendants of the de¬ 
ceased, dressed in white, and carrying her in¬ 
signia. The state palankeens of the deceased 
and her husband; the bier ; the female relations 
