Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-02-27
THE CAPTURE OF AANDALAT.
King Thebaw. Ills Palace, AID uis Jewels
The sacred white Eiephsnr.
,uo,,,.ooI 0ranada1 Gazette

4
King Thebaw. His Palace. AID TITS Jewels
Tn. sacred white Elephant.
Montreal (Csnads) Gazette
We are permitted to publish the fol-
lowing very interesting extracts from a
letter written to his father, the Hon.
Judge Badgley, Of Montreal, by Captain
Badeley, Of the Royal Engineers, who
was with the British expedition to Bur-
nah
MANDALAY, December IS, 1895.
Here the weather is positively hot in
the day, though the nights are cool and
the early mornings foggy. This latter
fact We quite appreciate, as our work
ing parades are at 6 \. NJ. and it is
quite dark when we get up. When |
last wrote we had Just got to Ava, and
the Burmese had given in--ancondi-
tional surrender. Pluck, leaders. or
love of Thebaw and Of independence
must lie wanting. Enterprise there
was none. We occupied the gates
of the palace, and next day de-
ported Thebaw. lie was hard to move,
Try ing to make delays. The fat was.
he thought he would be allowed to
reign as tributary. and was very
much disguised and surprised at being
deposcd. The Burmans came Gown in
crowds TO see the steamers. t must
have been a sight worth looking at
some twentv-odd steamers. each with
two flats dashed alongside. They made
fine procession mp the river, 100
yards apart.
Thebaw is a short, mild.loOking Bar
man. lie was simply dressed. The
Queen, who is supposed to be the in-
stigator of the murders, was quite
plainly dressed in yellow, Blu. had a
eco, 900 diamond necklace round her
neck, and the royal family carried OFT
most Of the yaluables in the palace.
We found very little-about $4,000 in
cash and a few jewels. The most valu.
able Of these, very pretty tiara OF
diamonds and rubles, was found lite
rally on q dust-heAp. 1t has tiSS royal
peacock in front in diamonds and rubles,
and is worth probably $4,000.
The place consists Of the royal palace
in the centre-a pile Of handsome teak
buildings gilded all over, raised on a
terrace about ten feet high-surrounded
by courtyard with guard-hOuses and
gardens to the north and south. On
the west it abuts on the paliSade and
wall, which run all round, but on the
cast, which was the usual entrance,
was a road running north and south to
two gates. and beyond this to the east
were the arsenal, mint council cham
Der, magazines, &c. All round the
palace is a fine palisade made Of upright
logs of teak, | foot in diameter and
Ii feet high; inside this, about 20 feet,
is a l4.foot-high brick wall. The pali-
SADIE is about 700 yards square, and the
city which surrounds the palace is one
and a quarter miles square. This last
! is surrounded by a fine brick wall about
80 feet high, with moat outside LOG
yards wide. The gateways and bas-
tion-like projections are capped by
roofs in pyramidal style, and the wal
is crenelated. The whole looks rather
we'll. Outside again are the suburbs
stretching on the west to the river bank
The roads are mostly execrable
and the buildings mostly BAN
boo huts. The monasteries arr
exceptions, being very handsome, mad
Of teak, carved profusely, and in SOM
places gilded all over. The inside o
the palace is a strange mixture of gid
ing, mirrors, and dirt; dust Of ages il
every corner sanitary arrangement
apparently n,l the gardens miserabl
wildernesses ; the tanks covered wit
scum. | don't really believe tina
Thebaw ever went into these gardens
but he may have, as the palace was s
dirty. lie never stirred out of th
palace enclosure anyhow.
The white elephant was starved t
death, a most shameful thing, and W
had to cart him away and bury him
hard job. lie and the other two whit
elephants ate and drank from silver
great big silver tubs over three fee
high for their water. There is an OF
servatory in the palace, from which
fine view is to be had, but thu fine.
view is from the top of Mandala
Hill, some 500 feet high, abOu
mile off, with the Shan Hill
G,000 feet high, and the river and tn
city; the view is very fine. The trou
BILE is to get up. There is coyere
way up, and what once was steps, bu
now are calculated to bring forth a
the worst feelings Of human nature
We are very comfortably housed in tn
palace, part Of which we have bee
pulling down, and we are now fol
tifying the place in case of a
tack. The country is very III
settled, partly owing to our not declarin
what we are going to do, in our usui
dilatory way. Dacoits are about, an
our flying columns cut up few no
and then. They say that the yicerO
is coming here in the end Of Januar
to settle matters. The mosquitoes hel
are a very fine breed; however, "
have curtains to keep under. Our pc
tai arrangements have been shameful
and still continue bad.
NJ. V..z1.t,;un Jnt,vn.o1 io.l,,,