BURMA AND THE BURMESE 2
A 19th century description of Burma, Burmese culture and Burmese customs

BURMA AND THE BURMESE 2

ignorant, for education to the extent of being able to read and write the vernacular is very general among them, but their literature, which consists chiefly of dramatic and poetical legends, is well calculated to foster credulity. Most of these legends relate some wonderful event connected with Gautama during his many and varied existences before attaining the enlightened state of Buddha, but extraordinary as they are, they are not more remarkable than the Burmese histories, which teem with fabulous events and exaggerated facts. The chief aim of the historians seems to have been to palliate the brutality of the kings and extol their virtues ; to explain away their defeats, and exaggerate their victories. About six hundred years ago ten Chinese envoys of noble birth, accompanied by a retinue of one thousand horsemen, arrived at the court of Ava, but, omitting to treat the king with due respect, the whole of them were put to death. The emperor of China duly avenged the death of his subjects, and Major Burney, the British resident at the court of Ava in 1829, referring to this historical event, quotes the following extract from the Burmese historians account of the struggle: When the emperor of China received intelligence of the execution of his envoys, he was exceedingly angry, and,

collecting an army of at least 6,000,000 of horse and 20,000,000 of foot, sent them down to attack Pugan, the king of which, Naratheehapati, as soon as he heard of the coming of this force, placed under the generals Nandapeetzen and Yanda-peetzen 400,000 soldiers and numerous elephants and horses, with orders to proceed and attack the Chinese army. The two generals marched to the city of Ngayoung-gyan, and, after putting its walls, moat, and fortifications in a proper state of defence, opposed the Chinese army, killing during three months so many of their army that not a grasscutter even for its elephants and horses remained. The emperor of China, however, kept reinforcing his army, and replacing those who were killed by sending 200,000 men when he heard of the loss of 100,000, and 400,000 when he heard of 200,000. Hence the Burmese army was at last overpowered with fatigue, and the Chinese crossed the river and destroyed Ngayoung-gyan. Their defeat by the English in the war of 182426, and their enforced payment of an indemnity is described as follows The white strangers from the West fastened a quarrel upon the Lord of the Golden Palace. They landed at Rangoon, took that place and Prome, and < 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12 > Henry Charles Moore, "Burmese Traits" 1893