and he added, that, in his opinion, there must also be a war
between the English and Siamese, on account of the Raja
o f Queda, and the seizure o f his country. I replied, that
I had heard nothing of a war between the Siamese and
English during my residence at Prince o f Wales’s Island.
The Governor-General farther asked, if the members of
the Mission were acquainted with the contents of the letter
that came to him from the Governor of Prince of Wales’s
Island. W e said we knew nothing of it, and supposed it
contained nothing more than friendly and complimentary
expressions. During this visit, the Governor-General was
in excellent humour, and spoke o f the events of the war
between the Burmese and the Siamese, when he was a refugee
in Siam, with the late King Gialong, in 1787.
J u ly 1.— The members of the Mission, having got the
permission o f the Governor-General, paid a visit to the city
o f Saigun. W e travelled on horseback; our course was by
a broad high-road with an avenue of trees, and the people
and houses were thick on both sides. About half-way we
came to two buildings, the one consecrated to the memories
of worthies o f the military order, and the other to those of
the civil rank : in these is deposited a written testimony of
the merit of each individual. A s a mark of respect and
veneration to these buildings, every one that passes by
them is compelled to dismount, and we did so accordingly.
The Mission alighted at Saigun, at a magnificent Chinese
temple, dedicated to the god o f seas and rivers, where
we found a collation o f teas and sweatmeats prepared for us.
In the evening we dined with one of the principal Chinese
merchants; we were honoured with the company of Ong-
him, the Lord Judge, and Ong-tam-pit, the Treasurer.
Th e former made very free with arrack, and became drunk.
On our way back we met a temple o f Boodh, containing one
image of that deity seven feet high, and three others of four
feet each.
J u ly 3 .—The Mission, by a command o f his Excellency
the Governor-General, took the letter from the Court o f
Ava to the palace. It was conducted with much ceremony,
being carried in a gilt litter, accompanied by two hundred
soldiers and many elephants.
Ju ly 4.— The original letter o f the Burman Government,
with the Latin, French, and Cochin Chinese translations of
it, were this day dispatched to the capital. The letter of
the Governor o f Prince o f Wales’s Island was sent at the
same time, unopened. W e were of opinion that the Governor
General did not open it, although addressed to himself,
for fear o f exciting a suspicion in the King and the
other principal officers o f the Government, that he was carrying
on a secret correspondence with the British. The
Governor’s Secretary, indeed, stated this particularly to
myself.
J u ly S.—W e received to-day fifty quans more for our
current expenses, and an order to remove to the house
usually allotted to ambassadors, which had hitherto been
under repair. The house which we had first occupied was
required for an Inspector-General, who had come from the
capital, deputed by the King, to make military arrangements,
to examine into the provinces and cities in the lower
part o f the kingdom, to see that justice was administered,
that the people were not oppressed, and, above all, that the
Mandarins took no bribes, which is a capital offence.
Ju ly 6.— W e paid a visit to his Excellency the Governor,
who sent us to wait on the second Governor. Here
we met the Kambojan Mandarins, on their way to Court
with offerings for the King. Many inferior Cochin Chinese
also presented themselves to pay their respects to the
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