Hamilton’s account of the east indies..

42 33

ought to be fubjefr, as being near kinfman and friend to all the gods in heaven and onearth, and by their friendfhip to him all animals are fed and preferved, and the feafonsof the year are regularly kept: the fun is his brother, and the moon and liars are hisnear relations, Lord over the floods and ebbing of the fea ; and after all his lofty epi-thets and hyperboles, he defcends to be King of the white elephant, and of the twenty-four white fomereroes or umbrellaes. Thefe two laft he may indeed claim with fomefhewof juftice, for I have feen elephants of a light yellow colour both in Pegu andSiam , but who ought to be called their Lord is a queftion not yet decided ; and as Kingof the twenty-four white fomereroes, I believe few Kings will much care to difputethat glorious title with him, for thofe fomereroes are only common China um-brellaes, covered over with thin Chormondel beteellas, and their canes lackeredand gilded ; and becaufe his own fubjects dare not ufe any fuch umbrellaes, he wifelylays his imperial commands on all other Kings to forbear wearing of them when theygo abroad.

After His Majefty has dined, there is a trumpet blown, to fignify to all his flaves, as.he terms other Kings, that they may go to dinner, becaufe their Lord has alreadydined. And when any foreign Ihips arrive at Syrian , the number of people on board,with their age and fex, are fent to him, to let him know that fo many of his flaves arearrived to partake of the glory and happinefs of his reign and. favour ; and the highelttitle his own fubjects aflfume, is the King’s Firft Slave.

The King’s palace at Ava is very large, built of Hone, and has four gates for its con-veniencies. Ambaffadors enter at the eaft gate, which is called the Golden Gate, be-caufe all ambafladors make their way to him by prefents. The fouth gate is called theGate of Juftice, where all people that bring petitions, accufations, or complaints, enter.The weft is the Gate of Grace, where all that have received favours, or have beenacquitted of crimes, pafsout in ftate, and all condemned, perfons carried out in fetters :and the north gate fronting the river, is the Gate of State, where His Majefty paflesthrough, when he thinks fit to blefs his people with his prefence, and all his provifionsand water are carried in at that gate.

When pots of water, or bafkets of fruits, are carried through the ftreets for. theKing’s ufe, an officer attends them, and all the people that fortune to be near, muftfall on their knees, and let it pafs by, as a good Catholic does when he fees the holt.

When an ambaflador is admitted to audience in the palace, he is attended with a largetroop of guards, with trumpets founding, and heralds proclaiming the honour the am-baflador is about to receive, in going to fee the glory of the earth, His Majefty’s ownLveet face; and between the gate and the head of the ftairs that lead to the chamber ofaudience, the ambafiador is attended with the mailer of the ceremonies, who inftructshim to kneel three times in his way thither, and continue fo with his hands over his head,till a proclamation is read before he dare rife. Some of his elephants are inft'ructed tofall on their belly when the King pafles by them..

This relation I had from one Mr. Roger Alifon, who-hadbeen twice ambaflador fromthe governor of Fort St. George, or his agents at Syrian , to the court of Ava.; andthough the palace is very large, yet the buildings are but mean,, and the city thoughgreat and populous, is only built of bamboo canes, thatched with ftraw or reeds, andthe floors of teak-plank, orfplit bamboos, becaufe if treafon or other, capital crimeshe dete&ed, the criminals may have no place of Ihelter ; for if they do not appear onthe firft fummons, fire will fetch them out of their combuftible habitations.

His fword-officers have no falary, nor his foldiers for their fupport, but there is a.province or a city given to fotne minion, who is to give.fuftenance to fuch a number of

foldiers,.