TO THE COURT OE AVA. 
185 
known to the Burmese Government; and, unless 
to contribute to the personal gratification of the 
sovereign, it is seldom that money is disbursed 
from the public treasury. If a foreign expedition 
be undertaken ; if a palace or a temple be to be 
built; if an embassy is to be sent to a foreign state, 
or a mission from a foreign state is to be enter¬ 
tained, an extraordinary contribution is levied on 
the people, general or local, as the exigency of the 
case may seem to require. In fact, the contribu¬ 
tions paid directly into the treasury become little 
better than a hoard to gratify the vanity or ava¬ 
rice of the reigning prince ; and the amount exact¬ 
ed from the people, for this purpose, depends en¬ 
tirely upon his personal character, whether liberal 
or avaricious. 
Under the circumstances which I have stated, 
any thing like a detailed account of the resources 
of the country cannot well exist; by far the 
largest share of what is exacted from the people 
being intercepted, and never reaching the treasury. 
While at Ava, I received various statements of 
the amount of treasure left by the late King at his 
demise. One of these made this to amount to no 
more than 3,600,000 ticals; but here the treasure 
in silver only was included ; that in gold, said, 
however, to be inconsiderable, not being accounted 
for. The highest estimate made it amount to 
10,000,000 ticals, or 1,250,000/. sterling. The 
statement, iiowever, upon which I place most 
