474 PEG 
PEG'NA GAR'CIA, a town of Portugal, in the pro¬ 
vince of Beira, on the borders of Spain : twenty-fix 
miles eaft of Cartel Branco. Lat. 39. 50. N. Ion. 6. 39. W. 
PEG'NA MA'COR, a town of Portugal, in the province 
of Beira, on the borders of Spain, fortified, and contain¬ 
ing three churches, a convent, and hofpital, and about 
2000 inhabitants : nine miles fouth-weft of Alfayates, 
thirty north-eaft of Caftel Branca. Lat. 39. 59. N. Ion. 6. 
40. W. 
PEG'NA MAYO'R, a town of Spain, in Galicia: 
twelve miles eaft-fouth-eaft of Lugo. 
PEGNAFEL', a town of Spain, in Old Caftile, fituated 
at the foot of a mountain, and defended by a caftle : 
twenty-five miles fouth-eaft of Valladolid. 
PEGNAFLO'RA, a town of Spain, in Afturia, on the 
weft fide of the Pravia : feven miles north-weft of Oviedo. 
PEGNAFLO'RA, a town of Spain, in the province of 
Cordova, on the Guadalquivir: thirty-two miles fouth- 
weft of Cordova. 
PEGNARAN'DA, a town of Spain, in Old Caftile: 
eighteen miles weft of Ofrna. 
PEGNARAN'DA, a town of Spain, in the province 
of Leon : thirty miles fouth-eaft of Salamanca. 
PEG'NITZ, a river of Germany, which runs into the 
Rednitz at Forth. 
PEG'NITZ, a town of Germany, in the principality of 
Culmbach, on a river of the fame name : ten miles fouth 
of Bayreuth, twenty-eight north-weft of Nuremburg. 
Lat. 49 45. N. Ion . it. 33. E. 
PEG'NON DE VE'LEZ, a fortrefs of Africa, fituated 
on the north coaft of Morocco, on the coaft of the Medi¬ 
terranean, belonging to Spain. It was built in the year 
1508, by Don Pedro of Navarre : forty miles eaft of Go- 
jnera, fixty-eight weft of Melilla. 
PEGNONGMEW'. See Pagahm, vol. xviii. p. 196. 
PEGOM'ANCY, f. [from the Greek myvi, a fountain, 
and fAOi-JTEict, magic.] Divination drawn from the appear¬ 
ances in a fountain of water, by throwing into it a kind 
of dice. When they funk to the bottom, they drew 
happy prefages ; but, if they remained on the furface of 
the water, it was a bad omen. See Hydromancy. 
PEGU', a country of Afia, (the fouthern part of which 
was the Golden Cherfonefe of the ancients,) bounded on 
the north by Arracan and Ava, on the eaft and fouth by 
Siam and the fea, and on the weft by part of Arracan and 
the bay of Bengal. This country now forms a part of the 
Birman empire, and occupies the lea-coaft as far as Mar¬ 
taban. It is for the molt parta level country, furrounded 
by mountains, which lerve as a frontier on the land fide, 
but towards the fea it is liable to invafion, and alfo in its 
interior parts by means of the rivers which pafs through 
the mountains. Thefe rivers, the chief of which are that 
of Pegu (or Syriam), and that of Ava (or Irawaddy), fo 
called from the capitals fituated on their banks, Hill con¬ 
tinue to roll down particles of gold ; and it is probable 
that their lands inuft in ancient time have yielded this 
precious metal in greater abundance. Hence it is not 
unlikely that the practice of gilding the roofs and fpires 
of temples and palaces may have been derived from a re¬ 
mote period, more efpecially as we are informed, that 
Shoemadoo was built about 500 years before the Chriftian 
era; and this fplendid appearance might naturally give 
rife to the clalfical appellation of the country. We learn 
from colonel Symes, that gold is difcovered in the fandy 
beds of ftreams which defcend from the mountains. Be¬ 
tween the Keen Duam and the Irawaddy to the northward, 
there is a fmall river called Sho Lien Kionp, or the 
Stream of Golden Sand. The air of this kingdom is very 
healthy; the foil is very rich, and produdfive of corn, 
fruit, and roots ; and it produces various kinds of tim¬ 
ber, particularly the teak. The animals that principally 
abound in Pegu are elephants. Befides the mines of the 
richer metals which are found in this country, it abounds 
with inferior minerals. But the nioft fingular produdt of 
Pegu is the ruby, which is found in a mountain between 
PEG 
Syriam and Pegu, and which exceeds in value that of 
any other country. 
The kingdom of Pegu is faid to have been founded 
about 1100 years ago. Its firft king was a feaman ; con¬ 
cerning whom and his fucceffors we know nothing till 
the difcoveryof the Eaft Indies by the Portuguefe in the 
beginning of the fixteenth century. In 1518 the throne 
of Pegu was poflefied by one Breffagukan, with whom 
Antony Correa the Portuguefe ambaffador folemnly con¬ 
cluded a peace in 1519. This monarch was pofleffed of 
a very large and rich empire, nine kingdoms being in 
fubjedtion to him, whofe revenues amounted to three 
millions of gold. Among other nations, the Birmans 
were at this time fubjedt to the king of Pegu ; but they 
revolted about the middle of the fixteenth century, and 
appear to have acquired a fuperiority over the Peguers 
which continued down to about the year 1740. At that 
period a war took place, which was profecuted on 
both fides with favage ferocity ; but as the Peguers, 
living to the fouthward near the mouth of the navigable 
rivers already mentioned, had a confiderable intercourfe 
with European traders, from whom they could purchafe 
better arms than are manufadlured in the eaft, they gra¬ 
dually obtained a fuperiority, and gained feveral vidlo- 
ries over the Birmans in 1750 and 1751. Thefe advan¬ 
tages were fo vigoroufly profecuted, that in the year 1752 
the Birman capital Ava was inverted. The Birmans, 
difpirited by repeated defeats, and probably ill com¬ 
manded, after a ftiort fiege, Diveepdee, the laft of a long 
line of kings, was made prifoner with all his family, ex¬ 
cept two fons who efcaped to Siam. Beinga Della, king 
of Pegu, left his brother Apporaza as governor of Ava, 
and carried to Pegu the captive Birman king. Thus a 
complete conqueft appeared to be effefted. The land¬ 
holders and principal inhabitants of the country round 
Ava fubmitted, and took an oath of allegiance to the king 
of Pegu, who, in an infolent proclamation, announced 
the annexation of the Birman country to the Pegu mo¬ 
narchy. 
After fome time, a Birman of low extraction, Alompra, 
afpired to become the deliverer of his country. He had 
fubmitted like the reft, and w'as continued by the con¬ 
queror in the command of an inconfiderable village, Mon- 
chaboo. Here he had no more than one hundred de¬ 
voted followers, upon whofe intrepidity and fidelity he 
could rely. This village, like moft of the Birman towns, 
was furrounded by a ftockade. This he ftrengthened and 
repaired, without awakening any fufpicion in the Pegu 
conquerors, who never fufpefted that fo inconfiderable a 
perfon would attempt a rebellion. In Alompra’s village 
of Monchaboo there were no more than fifty Pegu foldiers, 
who treated the Birmans with great arrogance. Taking 
advantage of the indignation excited by fome particular 
aCl of oppreftion, Alompra encouraged his followers to 
attack the Pegu foldiers, and put every one of them 
to the fword. Even after this aCI of rebellion, Alompra 
difguifed his intention with a view to gain time. He 
wrote to the brother of the Pegu king Apporaza, who had 
been left governor of Ava, expreffing much humility and 
regret for what had happened, profefling his fidelity to 
the Pegu government, and reprefenting the maflacre as 
the refult of an accidental quarrel between the Pegu 
foldiers and the people of his village. Thefe affurances 
prevented vigorous meafures from being taken with fuf- 
ficient fpeed againft him. Apporaza, having prefting 
bufinefs at Pegu, left Ava under the government of his 
nephew Dotachew, with inftruftions to lecure Alompra as 
a prifoner. Accordingly about a thoufand men were 
fent to occupy Alompra’s turbulent village, and to fend 
himfelf to Ava. They expended no oppofition, and came 
ill prepared for it. They were not a little difconcerted 
to find the gates of the ftockade around the village ftiut 
againft them on their arrival, which was late in the even¬ 
ing; and at day-break next morning they were fuddenly 
attacked and routed by the Birmans. Alompra, having 
thus 
