carried §on| ör in what commodities they trafficked, is not k fe where
ascertained^ ^
From this period almost total darkness seems to have obscured' India,
extra Gangern, from the-e|c(ol Europeans, until the cntoipriring genius of
Emanuel, at the close o fth e 15 th century, apeped a new ^o rld , and laid
.the foundation o f general^ wealth to Europe, 'oir the ruin of lie Egspluiri
trade, and ofthe state of VeniS^f Early in the 16t£<cea,tui\. thePonugiu.se
made themselvesmaster^f Malacca, and soo^.âçqûiled infu&mce a g i | | | the
n ê i g h b o ï S ^ ® the wr!^ of tWSffittibn^My^î^
cipally indebted for whatever information-fias been ôbjgined.of istun
countries of India; but their narratives-Xffjboupd ^
recount such extravagant stories, that credit must .be defied -to':i^ ||^ |o f
their assertions; whilst, at the-same time, their writings furnish some
accurate traits of the genius and disposition of the .people whom they
describe. Even the accounts of Mendez de Pintó, the prince.of -fiction
■although an intelligent traveller, will enable his readers to form an estimate
of the importance and civilization of nations which, .at a later periodhaye,
by many, been “erroneously considered .in a coni lition bordering on n ild
barbarity.
From the -testimony of Portuguese historians .it appears, .-fhat in the
middle of the 16th century, four powerful stales divided amongst tliem
the regions that lie between-the south-east prov ince óf British India, Yunan
in China, and the. Eastern Sea; their territories extended from Ca ;say and
Assam,* on the N.W. as far south-eastward as thè island of Junkseylpn.
These nations“were.known, to Europeans by the names-,of Amman, Ava-,
Pegue, and Siam. . Arrâcan, properly Yee-Kein, borders on the S. E. pio-
» There are some petty independent princes whose tends intervene.
IffBAfsSïY -TSÿAYA.-.
.yihGejqM &ish'Jrff*^ what is called the
Bi ok in f lu id s , as l.irTsoutf-das CLipo of the'ancient
capital ofthe Birmans has been usually, ac-cep ted as. the n<urne,©t ;the
tge >. TMst>,qmpil'ei (is -sifdated eastward of
S^rg^tn hsjjn.u Inch u aj i k)^ ,ofdihJip ijiQutttflfuig(caffi$|by
jjjpp native-? ^nP<ul^hec-tt0nrtWdu^oj'?th4lgmflf^estorn^tl|^gopppfy.3if>n ,tfae
lAscpai UciyuviufifiOd'iiltdoffijCdd»'^-« w b\ tin ntjU Ecen-dpeiJi',
,©n the north, up b#i[npurf-aipsjarii 1 pu U,u i oihponlonVUMlla.'-h
Ties# that?lieaG,®i®i%)|j)hs‘lot \ss u i ^ ;oji iljctndiih t aist^.ifijfiipv.hcsjem
Xihinai nul NoitluSi nu ■ olf|(ht south»' n,s hinus h,t;\ripfe »Jinn \-tried. th a t1
it is'ddlreult t(Bj (’tCi i to it itthi.ri.it d'ilh., i y \ fp.rciWmji' <_ dl1 Pwpfelp]!
reti’Pev. steins to. In. oiujiial ^ dMp dW- a l ^ B f n u r f o i Bj.rmtfn .
jfm p i^ eS ^ id t-^W q s e s t-h a s s h ^ o ? | ^ ^ h ^ lhcir.^c^nii>iyjsi5'oi1glt' de-
fgi-cs laribmasfiuj^tpjjeP^g.m{rwilJ^l, jbl\»the n-iCijisdhapog^Ah/ii-.to.iiuU»
'Snuilivvanljol \ v i. whit lijUqyipiis ibe;ss^ifeoastvistl^r, is» M in. tlun, .properly
Mqndffea^.i ef’rbihQy^yas d|>$'nqj$hiwinhb;itier jSUK-h S„iam.-.adjohtbd
ton tbepeast,; The- kingdom oftSiSni iun'Sb ijn (fiolnpn Ik ruled J n
nSOUth: as luia-kseylon,. east-to t 'ifidfl mts; md'uouh iw iDzaiice
||f|®hably» tj^Gffiamee ofh'E^ui^%&\ andt^fia^tiai€ch&(»'i|El^{:marioH
calls itsplfeTai, and is, further dishihguishedrilby: tjhp' a p p e l la |i^ l^ i|y a y ,
or great T ai, «andlT ay-hay, or fliiKp^Isai ^thfeV^feimed nEpitnl^psplamed
Y o o d ia ,o i Yoorha '.1»Y i)c Pinlm Wodia : "fvhom\i ihc^Si ime se are-
frequently, by the Birmans, denominated Yoodras ' I Msd'lhmu^iitts*
however, may ;be rafpepas the, cl um ofhjach snak.,, sham its
* See Hamilton’s new Account of the East Indies. V'
t I t is doubtful whether Prome, of right, belonged to Ava or Pegue \ it was claimed by
both, and often changed its possessor, ^ J Called Juthea by Europeans. ‘