592 
Cox^s Burmhan Empire, 
fession was Immediately communicated 
to liis majesty, who gave orders for the 
mhee whoonghee’s being seized and his 
house searched. The arms were found 
as reported, and the same confessiou 
extorted from several others of the 
conspirators; among the rest was my 
acquaintance the young cliobwa and his 
companion. When the mhee whoon¬ 
ghee was brought before his majesty 
and confronted by his sons, he con¬ 
fessed his having erred in amassing 
such a quantity of arms without ac¬ 
quainting his majesty, but professed 
they were intended to be used only 
against his enemies, and denied every 
other part of the accusation. It is said he 
was severely tortured by ligatures on 
his limbs, and beating him over the 
breast, joints, shins, and back, with a 
bar of iron, but without effect; and 
that he was afterwards loaded with 
irons, and confined in the palace pri¬ 
son. His sons also were subjected to 
the same treatment, and every sus¬ 
pected person apprehended and con¬ 
fined in various prisons. The enga’s 
wlioon has been appointed generalissi¬ 
mo, and taken command of the new 
levies, &c. 
September 6. Yesterday being full 
moon, and held holy by the Burmhans, 
prevented any thing being done in 
the affair of the conspirators, except 
precautions against surprise or riots. 
Horsemen patroled the streets at night, 
and the inhabitants kept quiet within 
their houses, trembling for the conse¬ 
quences ; so that after dark the city 
was as still as a desert. 1 also thought 
it necessary to bring my guard and 
servants into my house, and shut the 
doors at night. This day, however, 
it was expected that the prisoners would 
be executed ; I, therefore, sent my in¬ 
terpreter into the fort to collect intel¬ 
ligence. *On his return he informed 
me that his majesty had granted the 
mhee whoonghee and his party their 
lives, at the intercession of the queen 
mother; that his irons had been taken 
off, but that he was still in confine¬ 
ment. 
The mhee whoongee, from whatever 
cause, was entrusted with more power 
than any other man in the empire; his 
will was law without appeal; he was 
generally detested, and as much feared ; 
clownish and brutal in his manners, 
and depraved in his appetites ; not -re¬ 
markable for talents of any kind, ex¬ 
cept those of abjectly cringing to his 
majesty, and his favourite children, 
&c. hence, therefore, his majesty's par¬ 
tiality ; he was a necessary engine for a 
despotic government ; his vices, and 
low origin, perhaps, were considered 
as a security for his fidelity; his de¬ 
pendence resting solely on his master’s 
protection, who made him the stalking- 
horse to screen him from the odium of 
occasional severity, or other unpopular 
measures ; and opposed him as a coun¬ 
terpoise to the power and ambition of 
his children. Whoever searches the 
annals of tyranny will find that a policy 
of this kind is always among the 
wretched shifts of despots ; and, it is 
more than probable, that the avowed 
enmity of the royal family, especially 
of the heir-apparent, will secure his 
impunity, if not occasion his reinstate¬ 
ment. In the evening I went to exa¬ 
mine if my boats wereready, and found 
them sufficiently so, to admit of em¬ 
barking the remainder of my baggage. 
I mean, however, to suspend my pre¬ 
parations a day or two, to see what will 
be the effect of this revolution, espe¬ 
cially as it is confidently said that the 
mayhoon will be here in a day or two ; 
although, I must confess, I have but 
small hopes of success. The mhee 
whoonghee was certainly my ostensible 
enemy, but I doubt much whether he 
was not secretly encouraged by the 
master-hand. I have heard, that when 
the news of my arrival was first re¬ 
ported to his majesty by the mayhoon, 
lie called a council of his principal offi¬ 
cers, who were 8 unanimous in their 
opinion that an alliance with the Eng¬ 
lish v r ould tend to his majesty’s honour 
and advantage, except the mhee 
wdioonghee ; who was uniformly in op¬ 
position, until after his public inter¬ 
views with me at Mheghoon, where it 
appears my conduct pleased him so 
much, that on his joining his majesty at 
Keounmeoun, he w r as as loud in my 
praise. In consequence, his snajesty 
took an opportunity, in full court, of 
reproaching him for his tergiversation, 
sneeringly adding, I suppose the Resi¬ 
dent has fee'd you w T ell for this conver¬ 
sion. Piqued at the severity of this re¬ 
proof, he has ever since secretly been 
my enemy, and availed himself of the 
first plausible pretence of again op¬ 
posing me openly, and this I have ex¬ 
perienced irnall its bitterness ; and, as 
it has been totally undeserved on my 
part, it certainly tends to confirm this 
report. My situation is truly distress¬ 
ing, exposed to the brutal insults of a 
lawless people, under circumstances 
totally 
