Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1837-07-12
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DcputatIon to Eastern Missions.
JOURNAL OF MR.. MALCOM.-CoNTINUE
Ard.-My stay in Ava amounted tt
four weeks. The concerns Of the mis-
sion and the acquisition for information
respecting the country and its tributaries
occupied Of course all business hours
Daily habits Of active exercise, however
gave me an opportunity Of making such
observations on the city and vicinity a:
naturally find a place in the dairy of g
traveller
The name Of the city is Aug-wa, OF
Ava, pronounced by Europeans Ava, a
term which they sometimes apply also to
the kingdom. The city is surrounded by
wall twenty feet high; embracing a
space Of about seven miles in circumfer-
ence. Within this is considerable area,
enclosed by a better wall, with broad,
deep ditch, called 1.-The little city" This
space is chiefly occupied by the palace,
hall OF justice, council-house, and the
dwellings Of some OF the nobility. but con-
tains also. some well built streets, aud
many inhabitants. The palace itself and
public buildings are enclosed in third
wall, which is itself enclosed in a stock
ade. A very large part Of the city is out.
side Of all these walls On the east is the
river Myet-gua, or little river, a fine stream,
a. hundred and fifty yards broad, extending
far into the interior The Irrawaddy op-
posite the city is without islands, and com
pressed to a breadth of eleven hundred
yards.
The sacred edifces, as usual, are the
prominent objects which on every side
seize the attention. They are almost as
numerous as at Pugan, and some Of them
Of equal size. Viewed from the river
above, their white and gilded spires give
the city an exceedingly imposing appear
ance, which is not realized on entering it.
l shall not attempt minute details re-
speeding these edifces; but Ava has lit
tie else to describe. Here are no hospi-
tails, prisons, schools, societies, factories,
sc. whose principles or modes would aid
the philanthropist, or throw light on Bur-
man character mo literature, nor lItera-
ry men to describe nor even sects whose
opinions, practices, numbers, &c. might
be usefully traced will try, however,
10 give my reader some further ideas OF
4 Ava.
One Of my first visits was to Bongje-
aw, a kyoung' or monastery built by the
present king. There are sthree separate
houses connected by galleries, occupying
a noble enclosure in the midst Of the cny.
The roofs have of course the royal and
sacred popularity Of successive stages,
one above another. Every part except the
very tiles, is richly carved in bass-relief
and covered with gold. Every inch OF
surface in the interior except the floor, l:
similarly carved and gilded. The effect
is dazzling, but rather childish than sub
lime We found the pon-gyee,t a-haan
or president, in vast apartment: with lofty
ceiling supported by many pillars, reclin
ing on the floor near the principal image
with his couch, books, writing apparatus
betel-box, SC. by his side. He wa
the great majority Of his brethren, so fa
as have hitherto known them. He con
versed freely for half an hour, and seeme'
much pleased with our visit. While w
were there young priest came and wor
shipped him, precisely as the idol Is wor
shipped, and on going away presented al
offering Of flowers, which he took in hi
hand and laid on a vase near him, whic
was already piled with flowers, apparent
ly received the same way.
afterwards inspected several other ky
oungs quite as splendid. Certainly non
but the monarch himself has so splendid
dwelling as the priests. d,
The pagodas are even more various
their shapes than at Pagan, and far su
pass in taste and beauty any ! have see
Most OF them are over one hundred fe
high, and some more than two hundre
Colossal images of bell-metal, marb
and brick, covered with stucco. are inn
merable. One which had just been f
Sished out Of solid block Of white marb
measured across the hand twenty lnch'
Il is said there are jim the city TWEEN
thousand priests, including novlclates J
and the number and size ofthe monasterl
seem TO sanction the computation, thou
III probably too large. There must no o,
ever, be q prodigious number. i
queens monastery has FIVE hundred, a
that which have described above, u
informed Us. had three hundred regu
priests, and about the same number oil
violates. Il should be remembered, tn
are in fact colleges. and nearly all W
.Pronounesd IN one syilabie. =
fPronounced P0ng.he. Et n-. 80