454 
JOURNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
tress of the country, for a long time back, will 
satisfy you of our inability to pay at the period 
agreed upon. 
E . I must repeat to you that my engagement 
was to postpone the period of payment on two 
sufficient grounds, viz. the execution of the 
treaty in the form in which I wished it, and 
your exhibiting evidence of your incapacity to 
make prompt payment.— B. Bassein, Dalla, Ran¬ 
goon, and the other southern provinces, which 
are the most productive parts of the country, 
have long been out of our hands, and we have 
drawn no revenue from them. 
E. There is no occasion at present to bring 
forward any arguments upon this subject. Some 
days ago you sent me confidentially the Wun of 
Bassein, with certain propositions respecting the 
deferment of the third and fourth instalments. 
I told him, for your information, that, as a fa¬ 
vour to the Burman Government, I would take 
upon myself the risk of postponing payment 
upon your conditions. You do not, however, 
advert to the proposition in question, although 
it originated with yourselves. 
No reply was made to this observation. The 
Atwenwuns had been sitting one on each side 
of me. They now changed their places, and 
along with Dr, Price, the two Than-d’hau-thans, 
