142 
Sir Arthur P. Phayre —The History of Pegu. 
[No. 2, 
command of the Crown-prince. Either this was intended only as a recon¬ 
noitring expedition, or the strength of the king of Ava, Tsi-thu kyau liteng, 
had been miscalculated. The Crown-prince advanced no further than Pugan, 
and was then recalled. 
During this year great exertion had been made to build the palace, 
which was completed in November, when a grand festival was held. The 
emperor was then, as stated in the Talaing history, consecrated according 
to the ancient ceremonies. Numbers of boats were being built in all parts 
of Pegu, and provisions were collected along the Erawati as far as Pugan, 
with a view to an advance to Ava. In July 1554, the son and the nephew 
of the king of Arakan arrived. The latter was married to one of the 
emperor’s daughters, and the former to a daughter of the king of Muttama. 
In November, the army of invasion set forth. The Crown-prince was left 
at the capital as his father’s representative. The army in two main 
columns, one of which accompanying the flotilla, proceeded up the Erawati 
route. The other with which was the emperor, marched from the capital 
to Taungu. From that city, the emperor led a corps across the hills to 
Taung-dwen-gyi, and on to Pugan, where they joined the water column. 
The remainder marching from Taungu under the emperor’s brothers, 
Meng Khaung, king of Taungu, and Meng rai kyau hteng, entrenched 
themselves to the south of the ancient capital Panya, to await intelligence 
from the emperor. The main army by means of the flotilla crossed the 
Erawati to the western bank, probably because provisions were more 
plentiful there than on the other. The march was continued along the 
right bank, and up the Khyendwen to Amyen, where that river was crossed. 
The army then marched to Tsagaing, situated on the Erawati opposite to 
Ava. The emperor’s first care was to communicate with his brothers 
wdio were entrenched near Panya. Arrangements for an attack on the 
city having been made, the two brothers issued from their entrenched 
position, but were at once attached by Tsithu-kyau-hteng, the king of 
Ava. He was, however, defeated and forced to retire into the city. The 
emperor’s army now crossed the river, and a combined attack was made. 
Ava was taken in March 1555, and the king, the last of the Shan 
dynasty, was made prisoner. Ho was well-treated and sent to Pegu. But 
two sons of the last native king of Pegu who were found here, were put 
to death. The emperor’s brother Meng-rai-kyau-hteng was made tributary 
king of Ava, with the title of Tha-do-meng-tsau. The emperor delighted 
to continue Hanthawati as the capital of his empire, but determined to 
remain at Ava until the northern Shans were subdued. 
It is much to be regretted that the Portuguese historian gives no 
account of this expedition, though it is almost certain that Portuguese are 
alluded to in the Burmese history, which speaks of four hundred Western 
