318 
JOURNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
besides the five principal Buddhist command¬ 
ments, recommend to parents kindness to their 
children, and to children duty to their parents. 
The very aspect of the procession announced 
temporal punishment to such as offended. It 
was led by the chief Taong-m’hu, or principal 
hangman, the branded old malefactor whom I 
have already described,—a rod in one of his 
hands, and a cord in the other. He was fol¬ 
lowed by a numerous band of worthies of the 
same profession, similarly armed. After these 
came a drum and two gongs, a party of the 
King’s guards, a led horse, an elephant carrying 
a herald who read the proclamation, with three 
heralds on horseback. A copy of the procla¬ 
mation would have been a great curiosity, but 
I could not obtain it. 
We had heard much of a person said to be 
covered all over with hair, and who, it was in¬ 
sisted upon, more resembled an ape than a 
human being; a description, however, which, 
I am glad to say, was by no means realized by 
his appearance. Having expressed a curiosity 
to see this individual, the King politely sent 
him over to our dwelling some days ago, and 
Dr. Wallich and I took down on the spot the 
following account of himself and his history. 
His name was Shwe-Maong, and he stated 
