596 Cox's Bur 
privateers and marauders, as it was for 
the best regulated government to pre- 
vent theft. That as to their taking the 
Bunnhan ships, it was'an act of piracy 
occasioned by the unsettled state of 
their government; but here my inter¬ 
preter, Moncourtu.se, endeavoured to 
screen the French, in whose interest 
he is, and I had no opportunity of recti¬ 
fying his assertions at the time, but 
shall not fail to set the business in a 
true light the first favourable occasion 
that occurs. After the tea, &c. were 
removed, his highness very obligingly 
desired 1 might be asked if I had any 
tiling to say. I immediately briefly 
detailed to him, in moderate terms, the 
Avhole of my proceedings, and the un¬ 
justifiable treatment 1 liad experienced 
from the mhee whoonghee, and mew 
whoon; and entreated his patronage 
and interference in my favour. 
At night I entertained the multitude 
with dancers and tumblers on the 
strand. I forgot to mention in its pro¬ 
per place, that while we were at the 
enga’s whoon\s house, a messenger he 
had sent to call the mew whoon, re¬ 
turned with an apology to him and me 
for not attending, as he was busy with 
his majesty in alchymical pursuits. 
THE QUEEN MOTHER. 
October 14. In the morning early I 
sent Mr. Rowland, my interpreter, 
with some presents for the queen mo¬ 
ther, the first and second queen, and 
king’s grandson; also to. the akedho 
or whoon, to the second queen, who had 
been instrumental in procuring my in¬ 
terview with the Enga Tekaing. * He 
saw the queen mother, as she is called, 
being the mother of the king’s first wife, 
and sister to the famous Alam Praw, 
the founder of the present dynasty. 
She received him, and frankly asked 
him how she could serve me ? He told 
her briefly the situation of my affairs, 
and that I only waited to have my me¬ 
morials presented and answered. 44 Are 
you sure,” said she, <4 that is all he 
wants? I have been told, he wants the 
island of Negran.” He assured her 
that was one among the number of 
falsehoods circulated against me, that 
the English sought for no power or do¬ 
minion in this country; that I only re¬ 
quired to be treated with the respect 
due to the Governor-General, whom I 
represented, and to have power to pro¬ 
tect English merchants trading to his 
majesty's dominions. 44 Well,” replied 
she, 44 I will undertake to do his busi¬ 
ness ; I don't care for the Enga Tekaing 
mhan timpirs. 
or any of them, and can speak my sen* 
timents to the king.” She then ordered 
one of her servants to go immediately 
to the mhee whoonghee and mew whoon, 
and direct them to present my memo¬ 
rials to his majesty as the next morn¬ 
ing, and she would go herself to the pa¬ 
lace in the morning and support my 
suit; and pointed out to him one of 
the people that she would send to call 
him when she wanted him. He could 
not see the queen’s or king’s grandson 
this day, as it was necessary that pre¬ 
vious permission should be obtained 
for his going into the palace. 
October 16. In the morning the 
queen-mother sent for my interpreter. 
When he waited on her she informed 
him that she had staid with the king 
till eleven o’clock last night, but had 
not been able to effect any thing in my 
favour ; that the enemies of the Eng¬ 
lish had poisoned his mind with reports 
to our prejudice, and induced him to 
believe we wanted to take his country 
from him; that the mhee whoonghee, 
the mew whoon, and the Malabar sha- 
buuder, were, in particular, the per¬ 
sons who opposed me, and had ob¬ 
tained such an ascendancy that it was 
in vain to contend further. She, 
therefore, advised me to give myself 
no further trouble; for if she could not 
succeed with her son in my favour no 
one could. The candour of this good 
old lady pleased me extremely ; for she 
is the first person who has spoken truth 
to me since I have been in the Burm¬ 
han dominions. She accepted the piece 
of fine muslin I had sent, and returned 
me many thanks, saying, she would 
make a dress of it for going to the pa¬ 
goda, and always pray for me. She 
added, that she was quite ashamed to 
receive so many things from me and 
not do any thing in return ; but that 
her-son had desired her not to take any 
memorials or letters from me ; she, 
therefore, could do no more in that 
business. 
RETURN OF THE MISSION. 
At two P. M. we left our station op¬ 
posite Amarapoorah ; five boats of my 
party, and one boat with the English 
merchants, Mr. Reeves and Mr. Lane; 
also a small boat with a Mahomedan 
trader. At four p. M. we made fast at 
Cheghain. In the evening I walked 
through a part of the town to the 
soutli point of the ridge of hills which 
commence here, and extend along the 
western bank of the river, almost as 
far as Keoun Meoun with very little 
interruption. 
