Cox, Hiram: Journal of a residence in the Burmhan Empire and more particulary at the court of Amarapoorah (London, 1821)

IN THE BURMHAN EMPIRE.

309

had delivered some days before, and to deliver
another from me. The woondock told him, as the
court was not yet assembled, and he had not ob-
tained regular permission to come to the court, he
had better retire and wait till it was formed. While
Mr. Burnett was seated in the looto, the mhee
whoonghee's writer, Avho had brought me the mes-
sage the evening before, came up to him, and in
an insolent tone of voice asked, why I had not
waited on the whoonghee agreeably to the intima-
tion he had given me ? adding that the whoonghee
had expected me all the morning. Mr. Burnett
very properly would not permit any answer to be
given to this insolent interrogation, and retired.
As to wait in the gate-way would have been rather
irksome and improper, he went to the house of a
merchant near at hand, and waited there till he
saw the pacaam whoonghee (who according to the
Burmhan etiquette, being first in rank goes last)
go to the looto ; he then again presented himself
at the gate, and was stopped as before. An officer
of the court passing by obtained permission for the
interpreter to go on to inform the court of Mr.B.'s
being in waiting. When he came to the looto,
the mhee whoonghee in an imperious tone of voice
called out to the nakhan, that he would not permit
my interpreter to deliver any message there ; that
if the strangers had any message to deliver, it
must be through Moncourtuse the king's trans-