a t é ‘ signal givèh, próssed upon the' boRfd tMlïhe immersed them bètlrat
tfe same iftstant. They remained óut o ï sïghb éböutvsc m'iiiute and a
half; when ®*fe o f thBtó; nearly suffocated, raised b e t head", whilst fejite
other continued tö'sit ujlön her hams at the* bottom; but was immediately
lifted op fiy the meti'; aftet whieh air offifcer of the court solefarilypra-
fiöttaCèd judgmèHt in her -favour, and of thé* justice of this decision none
o f the!bye standers appeared to efctetain thé sffiÉlisr d o ib t,i# o in ;lhe
hfftlhbffity/ttf the jurats 'which had befen
The trial by ordeal, in all countries where the Hindoo'riellgiefi prevails1,
is as; ancient • as their recórds. The late Ali Ibrahim Khari, native chïëf
magistrate of Benares, hasf communicated, in a very cüriöus1 pffpet**, tfiè
modes by which this appeal-to~ thé Dfeity is j made, as’they described
in thé Metaschera, or comment on the Bhterma Sststra; in the chaptiÉLqn
oaths : the Birmans being göVemed by the samè authority, observe nearly
similar forms; but as knowledge increases, and mankind become more
enlightened, these absurd" practices' lose ground, and have of late, years
been discountenanced, by the judicial courts both of India and of Avar/sri
PrevSms to our departure., the Maywóöo ö^Pêfgöferdëlive&gh tbrnybara ra
letter addressed to the Governor General of India, couched in very friendly
terms, but dictated in the usual style of turgid extravagance; he enumerated
in it the concessions granted in favour of English commercei ■ and
expressed a determination to execute his p a rt with punctuality and attention.
His Birman Majesty has long entertained a desire to procure an
English carriage, with the' distinctions1'o f Birman royalty attached to it1:
* This paper. Was presented to the Asiatic Society by Warren Hastings, Esq. See “ On
the trial by ordeal among the-Hindoos,” Asiatic R e se a r ch e s , vol. I .
inimitatte&'-thb Maywoo«mfe?a^rfeqqfest’»th'at--S!iieh a brie might be sent;
anddiirorder tbodweefe (heSarMs.t^jlgrim}h^Sh|d'Wl't-h'a very -intelligible
aha ■vi'ell Cxocmm dr^wngl^^StbameJ at^irmha©rapoor¥|[by the King’s
pamter.” If displayed theteag-iage amldiddy-oh an English-'-brafflelae’clced
ehkri&ty iafierddrom- the Lo,p. oW 11e-bwy^^aer.q?fhse a trtgal
spire; avpialatfi, !in separate.sfeges, ^teiaangi aiftriimiafure to
those Vyhich toriiame^rtedf.the »paTanelai^fTOyal^forge, ifoJiS-riions-Unijp
e-roucmirg atrittsde;! guarded the fc-A?Eiage,i; two „.on the fbtegpg.^t', ^ndltwib
behind,1 aMrarbird,’ deSighedifel fcp r.t^hsnnt tihefnenaav or tutelary
gpf sb|f was' jdaE^SntTrbafet JhwfefcsparfdeS wings,.*. IF hb.,M$ywp$n’4feter„
hoyev« ^OTttz^to(T^we^Sni()iRof \u 'g re a te r impmranefe. .that'.was,*'to
obtain1 oiaferialstfoi'-the'estabiigHhient Vf'A^tMTtj :a dfMgiitVKi^juF'cdinur
intoieffeSW, must cofisitteafify pa-raiibte filK Vprosponty -of the^'oQ’n tr), as
tnS'he'CtsSity dHweighmgJcmps'of lead maplisjhipf,;*,and ascertaining die
purity, Operate As. a* sensible impediment te’^commetees-
XTn tne"2?dfh of NoVember, the day-.preceding- that of < our embarkation,
I waited|on. the MaywoM',aec©inpanied''by en-hg ^ deputaf
Thdmas; id take’ .our final W e i I had'oee astbn m itdl
* The European partrof this drawing was made from an old carriage, which- Had been'in t^-'
duced iiito?the Ava country, .several years before. The Governor Genet al complied wfth'both
the reque^-contained-in the Maywoon’s letter, and fn the foIlpWg^ y ^ t| seht aveiy&jjgfij'.'
chariot tqlps Birman Majesty, constructed ac^qrcfin^tp the representation: the'top of- the
spire, notwithstanding the body hung very low^was 18'feet from ^the §^6iind; it ’^was
extremely rich and well executed.
t It is surprising that the Chinese have no national coin; at~thepbrto£ Cart ton, dp&rs.m
some measure supply the deficiency, but. in' the interior of the kingdom, the inconvenience must
he generally felt»1