Cox's Bur,‘/than Empire. 
to his grandfather, who was seated at 
soine distance, with only a red silk 
lungee round his loins, and a while 
muslin fillet round his head. When 
my hat was presented to his majesty 
he put it on liis head, and kept it off 
for some time. He said, “this is a high 
proof of the Resident’s regard for me, 
tie has given me the hat lie has worn 
himself ; he could not do more for his 
own Sovereign.” He then took it off, 
and gave it to his grandson to have it 
laid by carefully: the boy said, “ I v/ill 
wear this when I go in the war-boats.” 
■“ No, no,” said ihe king, “ it is not 
for you.” 
THE NEW PALACE. 
February 12. At seven A. M. the ray- 
faodn came to my bungalow, and in¬ 
formed me that the mayhoon had sent 
two war-boats, to convey me and my 
'suite to the main, to visit the new pa¬ 
goda. 
The rayhoon requested 1 would pull 
off my hat in passing the leoto, as 
the whoonghees were there, a compli¬ 
ment which I begged leave to decline 
paying, as being inconsistent with my 
public situation. When we came a- 
breast of the looto, (an open shed with 
& raised platform about four feet from 
the ground, and thatched), the rayhoon 
desired us to stop a little. The second 
whoonghee who is also generalissimo of 
ills majesty’s forces, was sitting in the 
looto in his undress. He sent for Mr. 
Moncourtuse and desired him to tell 
me, he hoped I would excuse a little 
delay, as he had sent to know his ma¬ 
jesty’s pleasure as to w hat he wished I 
should be shewn; he added that I was 
a lucky man, that my conduct had 
given such satisfaction to everyone, 
that his majesty regarded me as one of 
his own children. During this conver¬ 
sation, T was standing about fifteen 
yards from the looto, remarking the 
royal boats near the bank ; in a few 
minutes the rayhoon joined me, and 
desired I would return to the steps as¬ 
cending to the pagoda from the river 
front. These steps consist of three 
flights, about thirty feet broad at the 
lowest step, and twenty at the highest; 
of ordinary brickwork masonry, with 
a low parapet wall on each side, and 
led to the first terrace about fifteen feet 
above the ordinary level of the river in 
the rains. The revetemcnt of the river- 
face of this terrace was of stones 
wrought to an equal surface on their 
exterior superfices: but rough and ir¬ 
regular on their interior, laid in Com- 
Monthly Mag. No. 363. 
6 85 
mon mortar made of stone pounded, or 
lime arid sand. At the lowest step we 
were requested to take off our shoes, 
which we immediately did: all our 
servant s were allowed to attend us, and 
I was allowed to take my Hindoostanee 
pimkalL. We were not at any time de¬ 
sired to take off our hats. Immediately 
within the Verge of the first terrace, 
on either side of the steps, are erecting 
two colossal figures of lions, or rather 
Sphinxes, in positions rather couchant 
than rampant. They are of brick ma¬ 
sonry, and seated on pedestals of the 
same materials; the surface of the pe¬ 
destals are about two cubits above the 
level of the terrace, and the height of 
the figures from the surface of the table 
to the crown of their heads is fifty- 
eight cubits; making altogether sixty 
Burmhan cubits of nineteen inches 
each, or ninety-five English feet. The 
body and limbs are of proportionate 
magnitude, according to the Burmhan 
ideas of sculpture ; the eyes and teeth, 
are of alabaster, the eye-ball, which 
we had an opportunity of measuring, 
was thirteen feet in circumference. The 
northermost figure is finished to the 
plastering and ornamental parts, the 
sockets for the eye-balls are left vacant, 
and to place the eye-balls in them will 
require some exertions of mechanical 
ingenuity, which I should like to see. 
There are six ten-aces rising above each 
other, their parapet w alls equidistant 
and rev-etemeuts of the faces of each of 
good brick masonry, with stone spouts 
ornamented with sculptured alligators’ 
heads, to carry off the water. Above 
these is a seventh terrace, on which is 
the plinth of the pagoda, and the eighth 
terrace is formed by the upper surface 
of the plinth. The seven lower ter¬ 
races have not been wholly formed by 
art, but advantage taken of a little 
mount, the sides of which have been 
cut down, and then reveled with ma¬ 
sonry ; the levels of the terraces so far, 
being left of the common soil, a sandy 
loam mixed with shingly stones. Upon 
the seventh terrace rises the exposed 
part of the base or plinth of the in¬ 
tended structure; the foundation of 
which is sunk of solid masonry ■still 
lower ; how much 1 liave nof been able 
to ascertain. Within the plinth a 
hollow chamber is left, forming a qua¬ 
drangle whose extent is sixty-one feet 
six inches, its depth eleven feet, and 
the Halls being twelve feet eleven in¬ 
ches thick, make the, exterior surface 
a square of eighty-seven feet four iff- 
4 E ekes. 
