down, and silence , was .-.kept for some time, which I first interrupted,, by
telling him, through Baha-Sheen, that the Governor-General of i India,
having received his friendly letter, and being well assured of-the amicable
disposition of the Birman government towards the English nation, had
charged me with the delivery of letters and presents to his. Majesty at
Ava, and had. likewise requested his acceptance of a few ax-tieleS; which
I had brought, with me. I then rose, and presented tjie Governor-:
General’s, letter he laid it on the tray before him, talked of indifferent
matters, and was extremely polite, in his expressions and manneE, but
carefully avoided all discourse that had the least relation to business, or
the objects of the epibassy. After half an hour’s conversation,, chiefly on
uninteresting topics, he invited us to a- grand display o f fireworks, which
was tó take,place. on. tfm following, day, and. soon after withdrew uncere.-
moniousjy : tea and sweetmeats were, then served, up. Having tasted, g f
what was set before us, we were, conducted b,y Baba-Sheen to the" outer
balcony, to view the different companies pass by that intended to exhibit
fireworks .on the following day.
It is the custom, on this occasion, for the several Mious or districts,
whose situation is. not too remote, to. select and send, a number of men and
women from their community to represent-them at the generalfeftivaL:
these companies vie with each other, in. the magnificence of their fire,
works, and on the eve of celebration pass the government house in review
before the Maywoon and his family, each company.distinct. A,; small
waggon, drawn by .four buffaloes, profusely ■ decorated with peacocks’
feathers, mid the tails of Thibet cows, led the procession, -^on. which
were laid the fireworks of that particular company;. next advanced the
men belonging to it, dancing and shouting; the females, in a separate
troop/,, gmjie las,(^singing in; folk feJiQ-rns,t and .clapping-', their- hajidsf4%-a?<|CiSr
ral ely measuredstime, f-i£Eheyy for ithe/m.Pst !paft, iappeaTech tQ<be|g&Js from
si^teen/to twenfy-jyfears.'O^Cgei'e.omelyi pnd.^gfij^feadfe., but«
were ';without- th e delicacy, o f the^d^shfe!cihHjndosiW0fefe«lh^fe^k''of
Iffl. soft Circassian beauties.
were a-few a g d i § > ; t o t a b ”a v I'theck'omllk \ i\ iuts,5Sj^v)Uth
the^emors, however,'seemed 0 jfffitih' the- festivity witb'jUvenildl'spWght-
Kness. ®efreshmeritos^te^agajn£spj^bd&u£*Jto u s i'a nV ^ i^ fe tum e p ^ h ^ .
'dbout' two
At eight m* grekf c'dwds had* assembled' mi $tA« “plituJ
niihoutf,I+HS^4«cil3tlod«f' the'-preseiil town i b1iC“b \ i s . i l l s «
eient Bfegue ;■ three temporary rijlds-’-we're erected-'(-jtiljthe middle aiWlux,
green, apart tfoml each other,one for th^‘reception b f ’ther Maywoon and
his'- famiTy,' another'for-’1 the Martaban ftfbvernor; an0?ftas third- for-l'dur
(Wc-ommoclation.- Common spectators-, torilidHramla 1 ofehmnyftho’usaiWs, t
-fccre scattered m groups-over the plain , eitly di\is««6’oi’ eonipam®viliis.
bited in turn its own fireworks: the dispiav o f lo c ltlt^u av stnkmgl.'S
grand; but nothirig vmse;meritedr aSehlcih..' 'J h e ^ lih d e 'W o r'th c roc'kct’sj
■Were trunks of'trees hollowed? many of them seven o r eight feet long,,
and from two- to- three feet in circumference p1 were’'' bmiud. Hjfr
strong ligatures to thick bamboos, eighteen'dr tweht-y)fee# in-fength p*mey>
EbSedo a great height, and in descending, emitted' various« appba-^'a^ces ’of
fire thaf fesutifah The time arHioint&d lof the aihusunuit con-f ’
siderablydiminfeled the effect,but it was chosen ImnriarBlm’fiVuiDapprchLii1**
sion of injury to the people by the fell of extinguished rackets, whmhtmusfi
have rendered the diyersion, during theraight^ extremely1 dafagdrijusp^®!?!
withstanding this precaution, a man was- unfortunate enough'tp.'be in the