10 Sir Arthur P. Phayre —On the History of Pegu. [No. 1, 
of the emperor, styled Ngyaung Ram Meng, governed the country of the 
upper Erawati with his capital at Ava, and remained faithful to the empire. 
The emperor by his incapacity and his cruelty alienated all the other 
members of his family. Even his uncle, the king of Taungu, and his brother 
the king of Zimme now followed the rest. The king of Taungu wrote to 
the king of Arakan, who had become powerful, to join him, and the same 
year 958, or A, D, 1596, according to the Burmese history, the son of the 
king of Arakan, styled Meng Khamaung, came with a large fleet, and took 
possession of Syriam, This town had gradually become the principal port 
of Pegu, and was the great depot for foreign produce intended for the 
capital. The king of Taungu now sent an army against Pegu under his son 
Nat sheng naung ; but it was not until 1598, that he and the Arakanese 
prince had concerted operations, and invested Hanthawati, Numbers of 
the leading nobles and citizens now left the city, and many of them fled to 
Ava. The emperor’s son Meng-re-kyau-tswa entered the Taungu camp and 
was sent off to the city of that name, where the queen, at the instigation of 
her son, put him to death. The king of Taungu now entered the city and 
took possession of the palace ; the emperor and all his family surrendered 
themselves prisoners. The city was plundered, and though the Arakanese 
force does not appear to have participated in the occupation, a portion of 
the plunder was reserved for them, and a white elephant and one of the 
emperor’s daughters was sent to their camp. The city was taken in De¬ 
cember, 1599, and thus ended the reign of the emperor Nanda Bureng, called 
also Nga-tsu-daraga. He and his empress were sent without delay to 
Taungu. 
The king of Siam, Byanarit, hearing of these events, determined to 
march to Pegu to take his revenge for former invasions of his country. 
The king of Taungu did not desire to make Pegu the seat of his kingdom. 
The Talaings were inimical ; the country was spoiled, and from the presence 
of Europeans he felt that he could do nothing without a fleet. He therefore 
returned to his own country, leaving everything to the prince of Arakan. 
But he carried off many of the inhabitants of the city, and immense treasures ; 
the Burmese history adds also the holy tooth relic which had been acquired 
from Ceylon. This relic, it is stated, was some years later taken, when 
Taungu was captured by the son of Ngyaung Ram Meng, and carried to 
Ava, where it was enshrined in the Radza Mupi-tsula Zedi. The king of 
Siam marched on to Taungu, and demanded that the emperor should be 
delivered up to him. This being refused, he invested the city, but provisions 
failing he was forced to retreat. Returning to Martaban, he made a Talaing 
chief tributary king of that portion of Pegu with the title of Binya Dala, 
and Bya-thabaik was made tributary king of Tavoy. He then returned to 
his own kingdom. The prince of Arakan carried off from Hanthawati what- 
