that the front pavilion of the Saw-bwa’s haw or palace
shall have nine mainposts, and the main room five
stories; a gold hti on the spire of the court-room, a
vane with a flowered shaft, a white umbrella, and
a throne with twelve chambers. These concessions
were made by the king in return for the Saw-bwa’s
gift of a white elephant, happily found within the limits'
of his state. The Saw-bwa is now a feudatory of the
empire, and the. area of his'state is five hundred and
fifty square miles. He leaves behind him, after a visit,
the impression of being -a gentleman; and he plays
polo in the Manipurian manner, when his polo-gfound
is not flooded by the river.
Above Thaungdut the river encircles a large island,
then runs on in a straight path facing a mountain barrier,
and attains in the full noontide an exquisite beauty,
where it curves by Hwemadai Laungmin, with rich
forests on either bank, and a range of blue-green
mountains curving in fellowship with it on the west.
It loses nothing of its apparent size here, being broad
and full from one bank to the other, and unbroken
by sands or islands. From moment to moment as the
wind blows, or as it dies away, the face of the river
changes from crinkling ripples to a crystal calm ; and
the clouds in rhythm fling their shadows lazily on the
mountain slopes.
Beyond these passages of varied beauty, the doublemouthed
Nampanga pours her quota into the sovereign
river, and all the land between is. of alluvial, flats,,
and winding broken channels, overlooked by great
436.
THE MAGISTRATE OF HOMALIN - AND HIS FAMILY