jeweller of Venice.
Balbi entered Burma
at Negrais, and
having made “ a
very commodious
a n d p l e a s a n t
voyage ” across the
D e l t a to Pegu,
came to Dagon.
“ After we were
landed,” he says,
“ we began to go
on the right hand
in a large street
about fifty paces
broad, in which we
saw wooden houses
gilded and adorned
with delicate gardens
after their
custom, wherein
t h e i r talapoins,
which are their
TTIE LEG EN D OF T H E SHW A Y D A g 6 N IN WOOD r . i l l 1 triers, dwell and
look to the pagod, or varella, of Dagon. The left side
is furnished with portals and shops, and by this street
they go to the varella for a good mile straight forward,
either under paint-houses or in the open street, which is
free to walk in.” The town was in fact an appanage of
the Shway Dagon Pagoda, and it continued to preserve
60
this character with
varying fortunes till
the growth .'across
the water of Syriam,
thronged with the
ships of European
adventurers, brought
it political importance.
The final
phase in the struggle
of the Burmese and
the Mun or Talaing
races w a s n ow
approaching. At last
in 1763 A.D; Alom-
pra, having annihilated
Pegu, signalised
his conquests
by raising the Shway
Dagon to a height
greater than that of
the rival Mun fane
at Pegu, and bestowed
upon the city
at its feet the name TH E LEG EN D 0 F TH E SHW A Y d a g o n i n w o o d
of Yan-koon, the
City of Victory. It was made the seat of a viceroy
and considerable traffic passed through its gates ; yet it
had not really made any beginning towards greatness.
The accounts of travellers vary at this period concerning
61