The fate that befel this Ä ß e flourishing city has already been recounted
in the preceding pages. The extent of ancient Pegue may still be accurately
traced by the ruins of 'the ditch and wall that surrounded it ; from
these it appears to have been a quadrangle, each side measuring nearly
a mile äfidba half : in several,places the ditch is choked up by rubbish that
has been cast into it, and the falling of its own banks; sufficient, however,
still remains tö show that it was once no contemptible defence' ; the
breadth I judged to be about sixty yards, and the.depth'ten o#"twelve
feet; in söme parts of-it there is water, but in no considerable quantity.
I Was informed, that when thé ditch was in repair,-the water seldom, in
the hottest; season, sunk below the depth of four feet. An injudicious
faussebray, thirty feet wide, did not add to the security of the fortress.
The fraginehts of the wall likewise evince that this was a worfedf.magnitude
and labour ; it is not easy to ascertain precisely whab-wasdts'êxact
.height, but we conjectured it at least thirty feet, and in bj^àdfÉîtaùthe
base, not less that forfy^ It is composed of brick, ba^y,;Æmèû|bd^ith
clay mortar. Small equidistant bastions, about 300 yards asunder, are
still discoverable ; there had been a parapet of masonry, but the whole is
in a state so ruinous, and -so covered with weeds and briârs, as to leave
very imperfect vestiges of its former strength. ~
In the centre of each face of the' fort.-there is a gateway about thirty
feet wide; these gateways were the principal’ entrances. The passage-
across the ditch is over a causeway raised on a mound of earth, that
serves as a bridge, and was formerly defended by a retrenchment, of
which there are now no traces..
It is impossible to conceive a more striking picture of fallen grandeur,
and the desolating hand of war, than the inside of these walls displays.
Alompi i, y-huidie got pp^si^ssion. ontliet c rr\ ,in> thn^-ieai 17/yt", n/ed;
, e \e r\ dwelling tq thc#gioupd. ,aU'tlaa
inliabit'a.'nts^ The dcmpL'i'oi, piaiw,.w]ii(.h are very numerous, werethi^
only building'- th iftc\caTOcl .tliq;lun anil ,‘oUthi sc the
gicitnpuamid oD Shotmadoo h'tst, doily iV.SjjJ h-Asrcnccil, .Hid^kcpia^n
ïep a ir.^ ^ i'..'» - • ,
j-Jir'hcfljni. scritp>K-in.gqo6&ËB]f Bum ms whose government has,
dihthrbêVKfiban. that’ of any obbis pjcjlet essoi. sssea y \>m hjsjmgrnMirnqjfhis.
tliou.bts to tlu^Mq ulibioijj} mdifimpioiiLiTKni » s well J^gtl i ,i\knsunr,|
sol Insrtkiynnibl^'rfijd^cLmVttdly&ous,to conulnti milil^
yaess; rZttheï| fir an' gova She tjhchjdp.Ucn of. lie, liasititb^u uuUsomc
•penal laws-irn^oseifeb\ his picdcccssois th<&'-*’j & i i p u I,1 -uivcf
‘“Reguers. 'Justice? is ïwwjjjBïópartialIy'disfjdjutodij.anih tin- i(mh1„rdi'.tmi-
,tion at pi csuil' between a Bn manmand a rl alien; consists m ctheyG\i h coop
;qfpthe lattefefrom- placed o fpu^lic,tsqs| A id u ^v e ^ j, m
SM&tóva’Qfóf tlie Birman government's.-more,.likely tf^icc^^likthe, Pcguci s
to the B inn an jjyoke, than the.’ n sluration 0,15,1 hé; im c icr
and the preservation’and embellishment of the u rnpicktj»Slloornadpq,..The,
Kmg, sensible ol this, as well as.pl the dd\aut^jé^^ati>inifi^ a r i ^ c |'j tM
st'atVftqm Janyincrease of culture and popul^tiqn^fiveJtóf?^,afe^ issued
drders to- rebuild Pcguo encouraged settlers by. gnaiits'; p b grourfflj^srnd,
invited the scattered iamilics of former inhabitants. top Ct urn anil repcojjle
-their deserted city. -
’ ’His Birman Majesty, more effectually to accoirip'lisltetbis end,, on-.tjjg
death of the late Maywoon,-whkl$bapl>ienq.d about- five ytals agoMireaoïl
bis successor, the present governor, tp-quit, Rangoon, aijd make jPegnq(His