Cox's Burmkcin Empire. 
5 90 
ders, with gilt umbrellas over them; 
and hackeries variously decorated with 
women of the palace. About half-past 
eleven the prince of Prone passed on 
horse-hack, with something less state 
than the Enga. He looked stedfastly at 
me tile whole time he was passing, and 
T rose and bowed to him. I waited 
half an hour longer for the other princes; 
when, hearing they had taken another 
load, I ordered money to be distributed 
amoug the crowd, and retired. The 
whole of this procession was very irre¬ 
gular, and the paraphernalia much be¬ 
low what I expected. In the intervals 
between the passing of the several per¬ 
sons of the royal family, the crowd 
could hardly be kept within bounds by 
my peon ; but, when any of the royal 
family approached, they flew like so 
many shadows crouching to the ground. 
I also observed that the gilt chattres, 
servants, and carriages, were obliged 
to make several trips for the inferior 
branches of the royal family. There 
might be altogether about 100 elephants 
in the procession, but some of them 
very small, and most of them very poor, 
and meanly equipped. The foot-guards 
could uot amount to more than five or 
six hundred men altogether, and the 
troopers to sixty or eighty. 
THE QUEEN MOTHER. 
June 26. Early in the morning the 
queen mother, in a superb palkee of 
state, borne by thirty-six men, and at¬ 
tended by a great number of the ladies 
of the palace in their palkees, passed 
by on their way to accompany the As¬ 
samese princess to court; also a party 
of troopers, musketeers, spearmen, &c. 
The fronts of all the houses in the 
high street, through which the proces¬ 
sion is to pass, are ornamented with 
verandahs of bamboos and mats, so 
constructed as to form a double roof 
open towards the streets, ornamented 
with painted borders; and the shops 
filled with their best goods, which 
were to be sold to the princess’s retinue 
at reduced rates. Cannon were planted 
at all the cross streets ; plaintain trees 
and sugar canes planted on each side 
the street, aud the street clean swept. 
About half-past seven a. m. the proces¬ 
sion began to pass by. First in order 
were spearmen, then musketeers, then 
Burmhan bramins, then music, then 
state chatlres of a particular construc¬ 
tion, then the queen mothers state 
equipage of beaten gold, then the queen 
mother in her state palkee, very high 
and large; on the platform of the pal¬ 
kee two young women richly dressed 
knelt in front, and two in the rear, 
facing inwards, with their hands closed 
palm to palm, and raised to their fore¬ 
heads, in the Burmhan mode of paying 
homage. Men bearing gilt chatlres 
surrounded the palkee. After the 
queen mother’s palkee followed a small 
body of cavalry, then spearmen and 
musketeers, then men carrying the 
princess’s- dowry, consisting of ele¬ 
phants" teeth, jasper-stones, Assamese 
arms, chests of clothes, bedding, &c. 
&c,, then followed several Assamese 
bramins, with white turbans, and long 
white jammahs. Then two woondocks, 
and several other Burmhan officers ; 
then women dressed in white, beating 
large tomtoms, with crooked silver 
soontahs, others sounding silver trum¬ 
pets of various forms, others playing on 
silver cymbals; then followed the 
princess’s state equipage of beaten 
gold ; then the princess in a superb 
state palkee, borne as the queen mo¬ 
ther's, with two young women kneel¬ 
ing in front and rear; the curtains 
were of Chinese flowered gauze, so that 
she might see without being seen; 
immediately after her followed another 
paity of Burmhan horse, then about 
twenty palkees, with court ladies, and 
the whole was closed by musketeers, 
spearmen, &c. The front of my house 
was ornamented, and Burmhan dancers 
and musicians exhibited in the front 
verandah. I had my breakfast-table 
placed in the front verandah, at which 
we were seated when the procession 
passed. 
DEGRADATION OF MINISTERS. 
August 13. This morning I learnt 
that his majesty had degraded the pa- 
caam and somba whoonghees, on ac¬ 
count of some religious opinions res¬ 
pecting the candle feast. The pacaam 
whoonghee has been treated with par¬ 
ticular severity; be has been turned 
out of his house, and deprived of all 
the insignia of his high rank. On ac¬ 
count of this punishment the guards at 
the palace-gates have been reinforced, 
and a stricter discipline ordained. Two 
seraghdobs, or poonghee bishops, have 
also been confined in irons. This se¬ 
verity, it is supposed, is occasioned 
by the intrigues of themhee whoonghee, 
who aspires at the pacaam Avlioonghee’s 
place v Tiie pacaam is a venerable aud 
respectable old man, and a general fa¬ 
vourite, having filled the office ot 
whoonghee with reputation ever since 
the first accession of the family of 
A lam-praw 
