TO THE COURT OF AVA. 
141 
both to a province and a township; for there is 
no word to distinguish them. The province is, 
in fact, an aggregate of townships ; and each par¬ 
ticular one derives its name from the principal 
town within its boundary, being the residence of 
the Governor. The district or subdivision of the 
township, in like manner, takes its name from the 
principal village within it. This arrangement 
somewhat resembles that which prevails in China, 
although much ruder. The governor of a pro¬ 
vince is called Myo-wun, and is vested with the 
entire charge of the province, civil, judicial, mili¬ 
tary, and fiscal. The following is an example of 
the officers serving under the Myo-wun, taken 
for the large and maritime province of Han-tha- 
wati, or Pegu. The next officer in rank to the 
Myo-wun or his deputy, is called Ite-wun, lite¬ 
rally the “ water chief,” which some of our writers, 
with more complaisance than accuracy, have trans¬ 
lated “ admiral.” The third provincial officer is 
the Ak’hwon-wun, or collector of taxes; and the 
fourth, the Akaok-wun, or collector of customs. 
The officers more especially engaged in the admi¬ 
nistration of justice, and the conservation of the 
peace, will be described in another place. The 
inferior officers now named, act as a council to 
the Myo-wun, without whose previous assent , 
however, no order of any consequence can be ex¬ 
ecuted. The Myo-wun commonly exercises the 
power of life and death ; but in civil cases, an ap- 
