104 
JOUllNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
Iron-ore is obtained and smelted in the vicinity 
of the mountain Paopa and the district of Mre- 
duh. It costs at Ava, according to quality, which 
is very various, from eight ticals to fifteen per hun¬ 
dred viss, or three hundred and sixty-five pounds. 
This loses, when forged, from thirty to fifty per 
cent, in weight. The Burmans cannot manufac¬ 
ture steel, which, as well as some iron, is imported 
from Bengal in considerable quantity. The prin¬ 
cipal places where cutlery, always coarse and rude, 
is manufactured, are Ava and Pugan : here swords, 
spears, knives, scissors, and carpenters’ tools, are 
fabricated: muskets, or rather matchlocks, are also 
made at Ava. The best-tempered swords are im¬ 
ported from the country of the Shans. A Bur- 
man matchlock is generally sold for ten ticals of 
flowered silver, or about twenty-five shillings ; and 
an old English musket at from fifteen to twenty 
ticals, or from thirty-seven shillings and sixpence 
to fifty shillings. 
Brass-ware is not very extensively used by the 
Burmans in their domestic economy, earthen and 
lackered wares being, in a good measure, substi¬ 
tuted for it. Still, however, there is a considerable 
consumption of it for such articles as candlesticks, 
spit-pots, vessels for carrying water to the pagodas, 
&c. We saw a considerable manufactory of such 
articles a few miles from Sagaing. The copper 
which is used for this purpose is brought from 
China, and the zinc from Lao. Bells are very 
