2 JOURNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
capital of the Burman Empire, was made so, a 
third time, in 1822, by his present Majesty. It 
lies in North latitude 21° 50', and East longitude 
96°. The native popular name of the place is 
Angwa, meaning a fish-pond, which the Hindus 
and Malays have corrupted into Awa, and the 
European nations, again, borrowing from them, 
into Ava, a word which we have extended to the 
whole kingdom. In all public writings, as already 
mentioned, the capital is denominated Ratanapura, 
or the City of Gems. The following description 
of the fortifications and site of the town was 
carefully drawn up by my friend M. Montmo¬ 
rency, and will be readily understood by a refe¬ 
rence to the accompanying plan, laid down by the 
same gentleman. 
44 The city of Ava is surrounded by a brick 
wall fifteen and a half feet in height, and ten 
feet in thickness: on the inside of which there is 
thrown up a bank of earth forming about an angle 
of forty-five degrees : on the top of this bank there 
is a ter re pleine , in some places, of a good breadth, 
but in others, so narrow as scarcely to admit the 
recoil of a gun. The parapet of brickwork is 
four and a half feet in height, and two in thick¬ 
ness, measured across the superior slope. 
44 There are innumerable embrasures at about 
the distance of five feet from each other, the 
cheeks of which are formed in such a way as to 
prevent any thing but a direct fire. On the Ira- 
