No. 363.]

[Price 2s.

JOURNAL

OF A

RESIDENCE

IN

THE BURMHAN EMPIRE,

And more particularly at the
COURT OF AMARAPOORAH.

BY CAPT. HIRAM COX.

When Captain Cox returned from Rangoon, from the embassy described in this original work, be found that Sir John Shore, under whose auspices he went, had sailed for Europe, and been succeeded as Governor-General by the Earl of Mornington, who expressed himself perfectly satisfied with his conduct during his negociation with the Burmhan Government. The tyranny of the Burmhan Government in the province of Arracan, having, in 1798, driven a considerable body of its unfortunate inhabitants to the resolution of abandoning their homes and native country, to seek a precarious existence in the woods and forests, which form the boundary of the British territories on the Chittagong frontier;-to give immediate assistance to these unfortunate beings, Captain Cox was commissioned by the Governor-General to proceed to Chittagong, for the purpose of arranging the most effectual means of relieving their necessities, by giving them a permanent settlement on the waste lands of that extensive district. In an active performance of the arduous duties of this situation, and in a cliamte peculiarly noxious to an European constitution, Captain Cox persevered till his own life became a sacrifice to his zeal and sense of

public duty. His premature death at the age of thirty-nine years, in the midst of public employment, of a nature that demanded the whole of his time and attention, therefore, prevented his making many additions to his journal from his private memorandums, (which it was his intention to have done had his life been spared ;) or even of arranging the matter it contained for the press.]

THE RANGOON RIVER.

S the journal of a voyage is usually

A barren of events which can afford

either interest or amusement, and is MONTHLY MAG. No. 363.

generally a repetition of remarks on the wind and weather, I shall commence my detail, says Capt. Cox, with the arrival of the Swallow packet in the Rangoon river, October 8, 1796, where I was met by a boat containing the king's linguist, who brought me a present of fruit from the Shabunder* of Rangoon, and informed me, that the Nakhan and a Sercedoghee were in waiting at the entrance of the river, to compliment me on my arrival.

October 9. To-day, two war canoes came along-side, each rowing about ten oars, with music playing, which consisted of two pipes, sounding like the bagpipe, and called in the Burmhan language, Nhae, a tomtom,† and a pair of cymbals. The seat in these boats for passengers is placed on the bow, with a raised platform and canopy, the stern being elevated above the water about six feet or more; the rowers sit two on a bench, using short oars like paddles; the steering oar is also like a large paddle, fixed obliquely, and worked with a pin or arm on its side, by way of tiller. The stern is ornamented with bushy tails, something like small chowries, hung all round, and a long pole projects over it. In these boats were a Nakhan, or reporter, and a Sercedoghee, or writer, sent by the Rangoon government to compliment me on my arrival. I received them in the cabin, and gave them chairs to sit on; they were well-dressed, handsome men, above the middle stature, with fine open countenances, and an olive-brown complexion; they had small, thin beards from the tip of their chins; their hair gathered up and tied in a knot on the crown of the head, and their teeth quite black. Their

* Shabunder, in the ports to the eastward of Calcutta, is a situation similar to that of master-attendant in our harbours.

†Tomtom, a species of drum, common all over the East.

Chowries are made of horse hair, or

the tail of the Tartary cow; they are used

for whisking away flies.

4 Ꭰ

dress

dress was a small fillet or handkerchief round the head, an open jamma of fine white cloth, and a lungeef of silk plaid pattern, of the country mauufac ture; the texture, apparently, very good, and the colours, green, red, or blue, were vivid, and well fixed; the lobes of their ears also were perforated, with spiral gold rings in them; they had each of them their separate attendants, with red lacquered boxes, containing their betel and cheroots (or segars,) and an earthen goblet of water; the attendants, however, remained on deck. The crews in the boats were in general robust men, in gait, manners, and appearance, similar to their superiors, some small allowance being made for the hardihood of rusticity; they were also much darker-skinned, the natural effect of constant exposure in their laborious vocation. A Chekoy also came on board much about the same time, in a common boat; he is in the war department, and is superior to the other two. He was a corpulent middle-aged man, rather shabbily dressed; but it appears he was despatched in a hurry to our assistance, in consequence of our having grounded on entering the river, whereas the others had been waiting for me two days. The Chekoy had the same apparatus as the others for his betel, cheroots, &c., with the addition of a silver pheekdawn. After chatting nearly an hour in the cabin, during which they chewed betel, smoked cheroots, and drank water, we adjourned to the deck; and in half an hour more they desired leave to retire to their boats and put off. Their questions were trivial, and their observations mostly complimentary; but they asked in particular after Captain Symes, and the gentlemen of the late embassy. This river is one of the finest for shipping I have ever seen. It is about six hundred yards wide at Rangoon, the water in general deep from shore to shore, the bottom good, and current moderate; how much the tide rises I have not yet learnt, but it must be very high, as ships of eight hundred or nine hundred tons can dock.

* Jamma is a kind of loose jacket, generally made of muslin, and tied or buttoned on one side of the breast.

+ The lungee goes round the loins, two or three times, and is then brought between the legs, with one end hanging down in front.

Pheekdawn, a vase made of brass or silver, for spitting into.

The town has a rude appearance from the river, being composed of straggling huts of cadjan and bamboo, raised on piles close to the water's edge, slips for building ships, and mud docks. Some few tiled houses are seen among the trees within the stockade, and the roof of the custom-house is raised two stories in the Chinese style; part of the timber stockade, which encloses what is called the fort, is seen towards the river; and near the flag-staff is a very good wooden pier, with a crane, and steps for landing goods, &c.

ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY. October 23. For the first time, I today rode into the country, and found it agreeably diversified, with gentle risings and slopes; and from the site of an old pagoda, I had a commanding view of the country for many miles round; the Martaban mountains forming a boundary to the N.E., the valleys in general being cleared for paddygrounds; to the southward and westward of the river (the meanderings of which are seen for many miles) is an extensive plain of paddy-grounds bounded by deep forests. The soil of the valleys is a sandy loam, covered with fine luxuriant pasture of grass highly nutritive, as is evinced by the appearance of the cattle, which are as large and in as good condition as I have ever seen in any part of India. The soil of the knolls, or little hills, appeared to be a red loam mixed with sand, on a basis of red rock, that seems to have undergone the action of volcanic fire. It is friable, and broken on the surface into gravel, and seems to contain a large portion of iron. The roads at present are very indifferent, but might very easily be rendered good and fit for carriages. In the vicinity of the town are several orchards of fruit-trees, and many pleasant situations for building. The air is pure and elastic, and as yet I have not found the heat oppressive. The general salubrity of the air is best evinced by its effects; the inhabitants, male and female, are a hale robust race; and strangers in general preserve their health, or recover soon if they arrive sick.

NATIVE PROCESSION.

November 14. I rode out to the great pagoda to see a procession of the natives. Fortunately my poyzah (or sircar) has a house close to the stairs leading from the great avenue to the pagoda. There I had carpets spread, and chairs placed for myself and Mr. Burnet, and commanded

commanded a perfect view of the men and women going and returning. The crowd of both sexes was very great from sun rise till ten o'clock, every one carrying, or rather offering, according to their abilities or zeal. Some of them bore pageants in the form of trees, the branches loaded with clothes, betel, and other necessaries for the priests; others, elegantly constructed pyramids of various forms on the backs of paper elephants, crocodiles, or giants. These pyramids were very neatly made of coloured paper and wax, formed into fret-work containing fire-works-others fire-works, cloth, or fruit. The officers of government, and those who could afford the expense, were preceded by the country musicians; all were dressed in their gala-suits, and in the silks manufactured in the country; which for texture and vivid colours would be esteemed even in polished circles. The manners of the whole reflected credit upon them as a nation; no jostling or ill-humour was seen, all were gay and decorous. The dress of the women impresses strangers with an idea of their being immodest; but, in my opinion, they are quite the reverse; frank, but innocent; affectionate wives and tender mothers.

SOIL OF PEGU.

November 25. I to-day visited a mineral spring in the neighbourhood, and as it may be proper in the first place to notice the country in which it is situated, I ought to observe, that the province of Pegu has generally been represented as flat and swampy, particularly that part which is in the vicinity of Rangoon; and those who have attempted to describe it to me have in general fallen into an error common among the seafaring people, who frequent this port, stating that the inequalities of the soil are artificial. Nothing is, however, more distant from the truth.

December 5, 1796. At five A. M. we left Rangoon with the flood-tide; the general course of the river was to the north-west, but with frequent and deep windings, where the reaches on the river are about 250 yards broad; winding sometimes less than 100 yards, but with depth sufficient, I was told, for ships. The banks are low, but highest on the north-eastern side, and appear well cultivated, and interspersed with straggling houses. I had, however, no opportunity of seeing whether the country is more highly cultivated or more

3-43

populous inland. The same contrivance for scaring the birds from the paddy fields, which is used by the Malays in the eastern islands, is common here. This is a high stage erected in the centre of the fields, with lines extending to elastic poles in every direction, with little branches affixed to the lines, so that the least motion at the centre agitates the whole. The spontaneous growth of the banks of the river are cane-reeds from six to ten feet high; the tops of these canes are excellent provender for cattle: there were also varieties of trees unknown to me, but none of them apparently valuable as timber, and the soil from the edge of the river is an unvaried stratum of rich sandy loam,

All the boats of burden have outriggers, and a platform of bamboos fore and aft clear of the body of the boat, for the crew to walk along in poling. The main banks for the most part are a mile distant from each other, with houses scattered along them. Culture does not seem to be carried on upon an extensive plan, but in spots and patches according to the exigencies of the natives. Wherever I have landed, they have appeared to me as well lodged, clothed, and fed, as the peasantry of any other part of India I have seen. Every family plant their own indigo, cotton, and paddy; and the women spin, manufacture, and dye, all the cloth necessary for their own consumption, while the men attend the labours of the field.

January 20. The banks on both sides were about thirty feet above the present level of the river, and from them spreads an extensive cultivated plain, level to a range of mountains seven or eight miles inland on the east side, and to the westward and northward as far as the visible horizon. The soil at the surface is in general a sandy loam, and in some places clayey. Numberless villages and hamlets with farm-yards surrounded with stacks of paddy, buffaloes, horses, and black cattle, recalled to our minds scenes of European husbandry, and evince the industry and plenty of the country. We stopped to breakfast at the town of Cheynacoun, for several leagues round which saltpetre is extracted from the soil in the usual manner.

CITY OF AVA.

January 24. We came opposite the centre of the city of deserted Ava. Several pagodas still remain, but apparently

few

told them they need not doubt my performing all I had agreed to, and immediately I took them off, and sent back the other servants. The great door of the tent is close to the east side of the enclosure, but we entered at another gate a little to the right, on purpose, I suppose, that the multitude might see me walking in the sun, on the bare ground without my shoes. Before we advanced the sandogans and rayhoon kneeled down, closed their hands flat together, lifted them to their foreheads, and bowed their heads three times to the earth. At their request we took off our hats, and bowed in our own style three times, and then put on our hats again. The request was made with respect; we then advanced slowly towards the north face of the tent; midway the prostrations on their part and bows on ours were repeated. Just before we came to the door of the tent, they desired me to take of my hat; this however, I deferred doing until I got into the shade, as the sun was very hot. At the door of the tent, the prostra tions, &c. were again repeated. The whole distance I had to walk in the sun might be 100 feet. After the first prostration, the mayhoon turned immediately into the tent; and so ill had they concerted the farce they were acting with me, that a small pause occurred before they determined to lead me a little more round about.

When we entered the tent, we saw the courtiers arranged in ranks to the right and left, seated on mats spread on the ground fronting the throne to the north, so that by entering to the north the princes of the blood, who were seated in the two front rows, had a perfect view of me. A small pause was made also for that purpose. We then walked slowly to the south, passing the right-hand rows to the rear, and then turned into the centre avenue between them, to about the centre of the court, where mats were placed for us, and we were requested to pay our respects to the throne; when I dropt on one knee, and bowed my head. We then seated ourselves; I placed my feet across under me in the Hindostanee style; the whoonghees desired I would cover my feet, which I immediately complied with. Some one then desired the interpreter to tell me to sit sideways; the whoonghee called out, "Never mind;" I, however, immediately altered my position, placing my legs sideways, and leaning for support

ou my right hand, a very awkward and ungraceful position to those not accustomed to it. The grand audience-tent is circular, about 300 feet in diameter, supported in the centre by a stout mast about sixty feet high, the pinnacle rising above the top of the tent, perhaps twelve feet more, and gilt. The sides supported by an arcade of 100 arches; the piers of wood about fifteen feet high; the arches formed of bamboo work, the wall-plate which supports the back of the tent was of bamboos; stout ropes are extended in the inside from the centre pole to each pier, and then carried out to posts fifteen or twenty feet beyond, and made fast. These support the fly of the tent, which was made of single dungaree, (a coarse thick cotton fabric, common in India,) in the sea phrase, neither wind nor weather-tight. Round the base of the centre pole was built a pedestal about ten feet square, and fifteen high, whether of wood or masonry, I had no opportunity of observing. Round it was a circular open railing about six feet high; and within the enclosure several large square glass lanterns were hung, and looking-glasses arranged, with other trifles of the same kind.

The throne, which came close to the outer edge of the tent, was an octagon of wood, like a large pulpit; each face was about ten feet; the floor elevated about six feet above the level of the tent; the sides open to the south and east, the west and north sides screened by a curtain; the floor was carpeted, and a raised bench covered with velvet cushions laced with gold, was placed near the centre, a little advanced to the front. Below, within the circle of the tent, was a raised seat like a clerk's reading-desk, covered with green velvet, edged and trimmed with broad gold lace, with large red velvet cushions on it, trimmed in the same manner. To the right and left of the throne on the ground, just within the arcade of the tent, were ranged twenty of the king's body-guard, in satin gowns trimmed with gold lace, with treble scolloped capes and cuffs, and gilt hats like Mambrino's helmet. Nearer the throne, to the right or west side, were seated in a line with the body guards, six eunuchs of the palace, native Mahomedans, in white jammas and coloured silk lungees, with white handkerchiefs round their heads. The princes of the blood, the chobwas", and all the courPetty tributary princes.