The coming of the great queen : a narrative of the acquisition of Burma

Front matter

ASIA

LIBRARY

ANNEX

Preface

I am vain enough to flatter myself that this book contains more information on Indo-China generally, and its peoples, than any other publication which has hitherto appeared in print.

It labours under the disadvantage, however, of having been put together in bits and scraps as opportunity has offered over a period of nearly two years, and under the depressing influences of oppressive heat, flies, mosquitos, and the many distractions consequent on official duties.

I should have been glad if I could have been able to sink my own personality a little more than I have done, but I feared by so doing to interrupt the flow of the narrative.

Rangoon, July, 1887.

Book I. Page

History of Burma from the Earliest Times to the Outbreak of the late War. . . 7

Narrative of Expedition, 1885 (Third War) 136

Events subsequent to the Fall of Mandalay 188

History, Fluctuations, and future Prospects of Trade ... . ... ... 249

Exports from Lower Burma to Upper Burma, the Shan States, 1

and China { 254

Trade with Foreign Countries ... ... 255

Dacoits and Dacoity ... ... ... 268

The Burmese Women ... 287

BOOK II. Our Neighbours in the Far East

The Karens..

The Shans ...

The Chins or Khyins

The Kakyens or Kachins...

The Yunanese

The Siamese

The Annamese and Tonkingese.

The Indo-Chinese Question

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

The Coming of the Great Queen . .

Great Bell and Ruins at Mengoon

A Street in Bamo

Race Stand at Rangoon

Captain Couchman's Party of Mounted Infantry at Bamo

Progress of the Expedition to Mandalay

Scene in Upper Defile of Irrawaddy

Temple of Buddhist High Priest at Mandalay

Image of Gautama in the Incomparable Pagoda

South Side of City Wall and Moat, Mandalay

A Few of the Arms taken at Mandalay on November 29th, An Entrance Gate of the Incomparable Pagoda, Mandalay Burmese Girls

. Frontispiece

PAGE

.. face 88

■ • 123

.. 136

.. 151

■ 153

.. 198

.. 199

224 .. 249 .. 289

MAPS.

Historical Geography of the Burmese Countries from Yules "Ava,'' with

present situation added face 2o

Map of Burma and the Shan States in 1887 325

Map of Indo-China in 1887 435

THE COMING OF THE GREAT QUEEN.

ooKKo

BOOK I.

HISTORY OF BURMA FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES UNTIL THE OUTBREAK OF THE LATE WAR.

Travellers and ethnographers of ancient and modern times are pretty well agreed as to the origin of the Burmese people. That they are a branch of the great Mongolian family of the human race is clear from their physical and mental attributes, which also testify to their kinsmanship to the trans- Himalayan tribes.

Sir Arthur Phayre gives it as his opinion that they were formed into a nation by the union of a number of these Mongolian tribes under the influence of Aryan immigrants from Gangetic India, who also introduced Buddhism which remains unshaken until to-day.

That these tribes flooded the fertile valleys of the Irrawaddy in successive waves seems to be proved by the dominance for many centuries of the Mons or Talaings — these latter eventually being driven out by the Burmans.

Early Burmese history is based upon the authority of the Maha Rajaweng, or " History of Kings." Although much of this is naturally romance, the most careful students receive a considerable portion as more or less reliable.

From a remote period there have been three distinct tribes, if not nationalities, in what is now " Burma," as a portion of the British Empire, viz., the Burmese proper, or the inhabitants of the Upper Irrawaddy, who have in times past established their capitals at Pagan, Ava, and, last of all, at Mandalay ; the Peguans, Mons, or Takings, or people of the deltas of the great rivers Irrawaddy, Sittang, and Salween ; and the Arakanese, or inhabitants of the western littoral. Throughout the past ten or a dozen centuries Burmese history is a record of a succession of wars and tumults between these ever restless and insatiable tribes.

At one period we are told of the Burmese supremacy over the "world," at another the Peguans are victorious ; and at a third the Arakanese, often assisted by their cousins from Lower Bengal, descend into the valley of the Great River, and sweep all before them.

According to Sir Arthur Phayre's interpretation of the Maha Rajaweng, a northern Indian prince named Abhi Raja, of the same family as Buddha, descended into the valley of the Middle Irrawaddy, and established his capital at Tagoung, on the right bank. This was about the year B.C. 850. " At his death he left two sons, the elder named Kan Rajaghi, and the younger Kan Rajange. They disputed the succession to the throne, and it was agreed that the difference should be settled in favour of him who should first complete a religious building."

By an artifice the younger brother made it appear that he had finished his in one night, and he was declared the winner. He therefore succeeded to his father's kingdom.

HISTORY OF BURMA.' g

The elder brother collected his followers and went down the Irrawaddy till he reached the mouth of the Khyengdweng (modern Chinwinde) river, which he ascended, and then established himself in the southern portion of the country now known as the Kubo Valley, at or near a hill called Kal£. The tribes Pyu, Kauran and Sak are described as then in the land, and Kan Rajaghi made his son Muddusitta king over them.

"He with his followers went towards the south-west until he reached a mountain in the northern part of Arakan, now called Kyankpundaung. There he established the capital of his kingdom."

If there be any truth in all this, it would appear that the Arakanese kings were descended from the elder branch, while the Burmese of the Irrawaddy Valley sprang from the younger of the Mramma family.

Either the peoples of these lands were of a much more docile nature than they are at present, or the sway of their kings was too firm to be shaken, for they seem to have held undisputed possession over their newly-acquired territories for a long succession of years.

Thirty-one kings of this dynasty ruled at Tagoung, which appears to have been a wealthy and populous city. It was at length captured and destroyed by an army from Western China, and the dynasty came to an end. But as in more subsequent raids to the valley of the Irrawaddy, the Chinese do not appear to have made any attempt to occupy the country permanently, but to have cleared out when the mischief had been done.

IO THE COMING OF THE GREAT QUEEN.

About this time there was another rush of immigrants from Northern India. Their leader, Daza Raja, established his capital on a spot close to Tagoung. This city has been called by geographers Old Pagan, in contradistinction to the more modern and much greater city of Pagan lower down the river.

There is little to be seen of the remains of these cities to-day ; but then, time in the East is a great destroyer.

This second expedition from Gangetic India to the Irrawaddy was inspired by Goadama Buddha, the founder of the Buddhist faith, who was alive at this time, in order to re-establish the supremacy of his followers.

Sixteen kings of this dynasty succeeded each other without opposition, after which a general break up seems to have taken place. The outcome of this was the foundation of Prome, a large native city, to-day only a few hours' train from Rangoon, which for many years was a Royal capital.

The legend runs thus, in the words of the abovequoted distinguished writer : —

" The last king, Thado Maha Raja, having no son, the queen's brother was appointed Ainsh6meng, or heir-apparent, and declared heir to the throne. The king was dethroned by invaders, but whether by the descendants of the former conquerors or by others from the eastward is not stated.

" He hid himself from the invaders, and his queen gave birth to twin sons who were born blind.

" The legend runs that the Ainshemeng, when out hunting, followed a wild boar so eagerly that he lost his way in the forest. Wandering on he became wearied with the world, and determined to become a hermit. Down the course of the river, far from his country, he lighted on a hill where was a cave close to the present town of Prome, and there he dwelt. The three tribes before mentioned were in this land. In Tagoung, the twin sons of the dethroned king being blind were, according to custom, to be put to death as being unfit to rule. But the queen concealed them until they had become young men. They were then put into a boat and set afloat on the Irrawaddy. While borne along by the stream they received their sight, and at length reached Prome. There they met a daughter of the hermit, whom they saw drawing water from the river, and found that her father was their uncle. The elder of the princes, Maha Thambawa, was then married to his cousin. He was the first of the dynasty established at or near Prome, about 483 years before Christ, according to the Maha Rajaweng. From this ruler the kings of Burma claim descent, though several breaks in the succession appear in the course of time."

For the first six or seven hundred years of the Christian era the Mramma family of rulers seem to have remained in power, when an irruption of Shans from the east overran and occupied the valley of the Irrawaddy. Samlongpra, a Shan prince, conquered Kachar, Tippera, Munnipur, and Assam. This success culminated the Shan influence, and about the ninth century the Burmese once more regained sway. It was not until the eleventh century, however, that Anoarahta, by his power and conquests, re-established their former greatness. This prince is one of the darlings of Burmese history.

The date of the founding of Pagan, which for many centuries was the focus of Burmese wealth and influence, is not satisfactorily recorded.

It had been the capital of the Tagoung race of kings for many years previous to the accession of Anoarahta, during whose reign it increased in extent and importance.

This prince not only subdued neighbouring States, but he had the boldness to attack the religious beliefs of his own countrymen. He challenged the teachings of the Ar! priests, abolished Naga, or dragon worship, and purified the Buddhist faith.

He conquered the provinces of Pegu and Prome, and marched an army into China. He broke up the Shan Kingdom and extended his conquests as far west as Bengal.

He died about the middle of the eleventh century.

Anoarahta's successors for the next hundred years seem to have devoted their time and much of the revenues of their vast territory to building magnificent temples at Pagan. The most accomplished Indian architects were brought from Bengal, and many works were constructed, which, to use Colonel Yule's* words, *' excite wonder, almost awe, to this day." But this period did not pass over without internecine strife in the Irrawaddy Valley. The King, or rather Viceroy of Pegu, rebelled, led an army to Pagan, and actually

* Ava.

remained for some time in possession of the capital. But he was finally driven off and his army dispersed.

In the beginning of the fourteenth century we read of the King of Ceylon sending an army to Pegu. This was in consequence of an imagined insult which had been offered to his ambassador, but the matter was compromised, and the Cingalese re-embarked and returned to their own country.

About this time troubles began to accumulate round the Pagan Court.

The enormous sums of money which had been spent on the erection of the temples had somewhat impoverished the treasury, and the people had been taxed to the bounds of forbearance. The Chinese crossed the mountains and descended on Mogoung and Bhamo in the north. They defeated the Burmese and took possession of Pagan, the king and royal family being forced to flee to Pegu. But the Mongols do not appear to have tarried long, nor to have done any serious amount of damage during their stay in the Burmese capital.

An attempt was now made to prop up the empire by adopting severe measures against the many malcontents ; but this only resulted in several minor States, including Pegu, proclaiming themselves independent.

Three brothers, kinsmen of the dethroned king, were next entrusted with the reins of government. They attempted to negociate with China, but this policy failed, a Chinese army once more appearing before Pagan.

The brothers having persuaded the Celestials to depart by loading their chiefs with presents, set to work to fight amongst themselves. This fratricidal strife resulted in the two elder brothers being killed and the younger remaining master of the situation.

This king, by name Thihatha, made his mark in Burmese history. He was a Shan by birth, and he may be said to have been the first of the race of Shan kings who ruled Burma, his dynasty lasting half a century.

Thihatha shifted the capital to Sagain, a place nearly opposite Mandalay on the right bank of the river. The influence of this dynasty extended up and down the Irrawaddy from Mogoung in the north to Prome in the south, and as far west as Munipur. But rebellions and disruptions were continuous all over the country.

About the end of the fourteenth century a prince of uncertain lineage usurped the throne, and he shifted the capital to the left bank at Ava.

He appears to have had some character and skill as a ruler, but he found himself unable to control his troubled and unwieldy possessions. The upper portions fell into the hands of the Chinese, and the Lower Irrawaddy was a prey to robbers and traitors.

His career was cut short by small-pox.

During these times the fertile plains of the delta were constantly overrun by Shans, Siamese and other marauding hordes.

Arakan, although acknowledging in theory the Burmese suzerainty, was really in a state of anarchy during the latter half of this century.

1400-1450. — The first decades of the fifteenth century saw Arakan tributary to Bengal in return for services rendered to the Arakanese by the Bengal princes, in the struggles of the former against the Burmese.

In the Irrawaddy Valley fighting and dacoity went on unchecked. At length a Shan chief named Mengnan-s£ got a firm hold on the kingdom of Ava, and soon commenced to make his influence felt. Tounghoo, once a Royal city, and which for thirty years has been a military cantonment under British rule, first became heard of about this time.

During the fighting and raiding which had convulsed the country for years past, the governor of this province, Soalu, had so successfully controlled his district that he was regarded as an independent prince. He formed an alliance with the King of Pegu, and induced the latter to join him in an attack on Ava.

Arrived at the capital, the Peguan monarch deserted his ally, who had to beat a hasty retreat, and fraternised with the King of Ava.

At this early period of the history of the Indo- Chinese States we hear of women wielding imperial power.

Queen Sheng Soabu of Ava took it into her head to seek a change of consorts in the King of Pegu. She accordingly repaired to the latter city, where she attached herself to the king's household. She became very popular in the province, and when the king died she was invited to rule the Peguans. Her prime favourite was a Buddhist monk who had accompanied her from Ava. This person, on his mistress being raised to supreme power, threw off his sackcloth and ashes and assumed the toga of the statesman. The queen gave him her daughter in marriage, and named him her " heir apparent." On her death he became king, and ruled with great success for a period of thirty-one years.

The last decade of this half century witnessed the Chinese armies once more in the Irrawaddy Valley. Having at first successfully repelled the invaders, the Burmese were finally driven to sue for peace at any price, but this does not seem to have been higher than the surrender of the person of the Governor of Mogoung, after obtaining whom they took their departure.

Sir Arthur Phayre is of opinion that these attacks arose from the determination of the Ming dynasty of China to assert a right of sovereignty over the Shan chiefs.

1450-1500. — During this period no events of importance are narrated in Burmese history.

No prince of any power or character ruled the kingdom of Ava, and that country grew weaker and weaker under incessant attacks from the Shans, her old dependents, the Kings of Prome and Pegu, looking on with indifference.

1500-1550. — The Shan attacks on Ava were continued into this century, and the city taken and pillaged. The throne was actually offered to and accepted by the King of Prome, but he in his turn had to fly, and the dethroned monarch was reinstated.

Meanwhile Tounghoo was increasing in wealth and power, and many of the most influential Burmese nobles who had fled from Ava took refuge therein. Tabeng- Shwe-Tl was at this time its ruler. He led an army against Pegu, and took possession of the city. Europeans appear for the first time to have mixed themselves up in these quarrels, a contingent under the command of Ferdinand de Morales, a Portuguese adventurer, fighting on the side of the Peguans.

In this war the Napoleon Buonaparte of Burmese history first made his military skill as a commander known, in the person of Bureng N young, then simply a general, but who afterwards became king of a vast tract of country. The young King of Tounghoo, with this determined leader to back him up, soon began to extend his possessions and make his power felt. The Portuguese had both ships and guns at Martaban, at the mouth of the Sal ween river, not far from the modern town of Moulmein.

Bureng N young marched a large army against the place, and after a short siege forced it to surrender.

The Portuguese were permitted to escape to their ships, but many of the leading men of Martaban were put to death. The victorious general next prepared to attack Prome, which was then an important principality. He marched across the mountains and laid siege to the city, which was strongly fortified. The King of Ava, desirous of checking the rising power of Tounghoo, despatched an army of Burmese and Shans down the Irrawaddy to relieve the city, while the

B i8

THE COMING OF THE GREAT QUEEN.

Arakanese from the west crossed the hills and directed their march on the same point. But Bureng Nyoung was too much for this triple alliance. Leaving a small force at Prome to continue the investment, he marched to meet an army from the north, which was proceeding partly in boats and partly marching along the left bank of the great river. He attacked and dispersed this army, and, crossing the river on boats and rafts, he moved to meet the Arakanese, whom he also defeated with great slaughter, driving them through the mountain passes westward.

On both of these occasions the wily Portuguese arrayed themselves on his side, sharing the spoil. Prome surrendered, and a governor was appointed to control the kingdom, as Viceroy to the King of Tounghoo.

This was all a terrible shock for the Upper Burmans, and resulted in the reigning dynasty being driven from power, and a Shan prince placed on the throne.

His first act was to despatch an army, composed almost entirely of Shans, against Prome, but Bureng Nyoung, hearing of their approach, once more threw himself upon them, utterly routing them, and chasing the Shans to the gates of Ava.

On his return march he halted at Pagan, where great ceremonials were gone through. His young master was crowned " King of Kings," and the general himself was formally declared heir to the throne.

Pegu was now made the capital of this new kino-

<dom, and all the Indo-Chinese principalities and powers trembled at the name of Bureng Nyoung.

He next led an army into Arakan, but does not appear to have accomplished much. The Arakans avoided him, and after losing many of his best men through sickness, he returned to Pegu.

Siam, the rock on which more than one Burmese king has split himself, was the land on which this insatiable conqueror now turned his glance. He led a large army thither, but the physical difficulties to be overcome were so insurmountable, the sickness amongst his army was so great, the distance to be traversed, the difficulties in the way of supplies and the activity of the enemy, forced him to retrace his ■steps before his object had been accomplished, and he had to employ all his skill and fertility of resource during this disastrous retreat to save his army from total destruction. He at length reached Pegu, where he found the young king sunk in drunkenness and debauchery, and all the affairs of State in disorder. He •constituted himself Regent, and made every effort to restore the kingdom ; but things had gone too far. Exhausted by continual wars, and depressed by the failure of the Siamese expedition, the various viceroys rose in rebellion, and the country generally declared for the local chiefs.

Bureng Nyoung had to fly from Pegu, and sought refuge in his native city of Tounghoo. Arrived here his brother closed the gates in his face, and attended only by a few faithful followers, he retired to the hills, determined to bide his time.

B 2

1 5 50- 1 600. — As he had prognosticated, the people soon began to feel the effects of the state of anarchy which prevailed. His great name once more came to his succour, and the Tounghoo nobles invited him to resume the reins of government. Once more a king, his ambitious designs and the magic of his name soon attached to his standard all the adventurous fighting spirits in Burma. His first act was to reoccupy Prome,. which opened her gates at his approach. He next flooded the delta with his troops. The Taking prince who had been placed on the throne of Pegu, fled, and he was once more proclaimed king of that province. On the Upper Irrawaddy a Shan prince sat upon the throne of Ava. Bureng N young determined to unseat him. Hearing of his intentions, the Shan chiefs drew together, and a large army was assembled near Ava to oppose his advance. He advanced northwards in two columns, one along the left bank of the Irrawaddy, a flotilla of boats conveying all the impedimenta, and a second by way of Tounghoo and the Sittang valley. He accompanied this last column in person. To those who know all this country his strategy in this campaign may appear strange. Having directed his march as far north as Yemethen, he turned abruptly westward with his main body, directing his brother with a small column to march due north, and entrench himself in some suitable position south of Ava.

Pursuing his march westward, he debouched on the Irrawaddy, at Pagan, where he was joined by the flotilla and the Irrawaddy army. He next transferred his whole force to the right bank, and marching along

HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE BURMESE COUNTRIES

FROM YULE'S "AVA"

WITH PRESENT SITUATION ADDED

SCALE ABOUT 500 MILES TO 1 INCH.

the shore he crossed the Chinwinde River, and appeared before Sagain, which he occupied without resistance. He now directed his brother, who was entrenched at Panya, to issue from his position and attack Ava, whilst he crossed the river in his flotilla and made an .attack from the west. The Shan princes were paralysed, and after a feeble resistance the city surrendered.

The Shan King was imprisoned, and Bureng Nyoung placed his brother on the throne of Ava as a tributary prince.

The " Great King " was on this campaign accompanied by a body-guard of four hundred Portuguese, ■dressed in uniform. His short visit to the Upper Irrawaddy convinced him that the Shan chiefs were his inveterate foes, and that no sooner would his back be turned than they would renew their aggressions. He accordingly directed his brother to make preparations for a monster campaign against the Shans, and he promised to return and conduct operations in person. He was as good as his word, for two years later, making a casus belli of some disturbances in the north, he led a large army to Ava, here massed his forces with those of his brother, and marched against the Shans. He routed the Kings of Moyoung and Monyin, and pursued them into the snowy regions of the north-east. He then returned to Pegu. He next turned his attention to the Southern Shan kingdom of Zimme. The terror of his name preceded him, and he overran the country with little opposition, advancing into the heart of Siam. When here news reached him of a rebellion at Pegu, and leaving his son to continue the campaign, hereturned with all speed to his capital. Here he found things in a bad way, and he was constrained to recall the young prince with his whole army.

Having restored order and set the kingdom on itslegs again, he once more led an expedition to Siam. He overran Laos, and penetrated the mountain districts beyond the Mekong. Here he came to grief, losing half his army from cold and hunger, and with difficulty withdrawing the remnants to Pegu.

At no period in the history of Indo-China was. Burma so powerful, united, and dreaded as at that of which I now write.

Of the vast territory over which Bureng Nyoung held sway, only a portion of the littoral of the Bay of Bengal still showed signs of resistance to his control. He accordingly resolved to crush this rebellious and insignificant province. Having collected a fleet of fifteen hundred large boats, he despatched it round the. coast to the town of Sandaway. Here the army disembarked and prepared to march on Arakan. It wasintended that the "King of Kings" himself should join at this place and conduct the march on the: capital ; but his force was failing him, and he found himself unequal to the task. His health rapidly declined and he died this same year at Pegu, having reigned thirty years.

The wars of Bureng Nyoung indicate the restless spirit of the Burmese people, their persistence in aggression, and their belief in, and devotion to, a loved and trusted leader.

The young king, Yuva Raja, who succeeded his father, was no novice in either politics or war, but was not equal to bearing, the weight of the vast territory which his father had ruled. Two of his uncles paid him homage, but other chiefs struck.

He immediately entered on a system of aggression. The King of Ava was disrespectful, and to punish him he led an army up the Irrawaddy. A battle ensued in which, it is said, uncle and nephew had a hand-tohand fight, mounted on elephants. The King of Ava was defeated and driven from power and the " Supreme King " returned to Pegu.

Siam, the " Loralei " of his father, now riveted his attention, and he led an army thither. But disaster befel him : thousands of his troops died of disease and starvation, and only a few survived to return to their own country.

Embittered by this reverse the king became savage and unmanageable, and put many of his most faithful followers to death. A general break up in the Empire took place. Pegu was almost destroyed and the king put to death, and, "thus," says Phayre, "the great Empire of united Pegu and Burma, which a generation before had excited the wonder of European travellers, was utterly broken up ; and the wide delta of the Irrawaddy, with a soil fertile as Egypt and in a geographical position commanding the outlet of a great natural highway, was abandoned by those who might claim to represent the ancient rulers, and left to be parcelled out by petty local chiefs and European adventurers."

The opening decades of the seventeenth century found Burma helplessly tossed on conflicting billows. Henceforward we shall find Europeans mixed up in all important affairs of State, gradually increasing their influence with periodical checks, as time proceeds.

One Philip de Brito appears to have been the first of these who rose to actual power in Burma. He commenced life on these shores as a servant of the King of Arakan, then transferred himself to the delta, where he became manager of the custom-house at Syriam, near the modern city of Rangoon. He soon became governor of the district. He next departed for Goa, married the daughter of the Portuguese Viceroy there, and returned to his business at Syriam. Being a robber and extortioner of the deepest dye, he soon became unpopular, and his days were numbered. The place was attacked and taken by a force from Upper Burma, and the unfortunate De Brito was " impaled on a stake before his own house, and there lived for three days in intense agony." Almost all his European followers perished with their chief.

This blow to the kalas, or foreigners, was a most popular hit for the King of Ava, Maha Dhamma Raja, who was a grand-nephew of the " Great King," and he rapidly obtained the allegiance of Pegu, Prome, Tounghoo, and other smaller States. The Shan States and the Tenasserim Coast next came under his influence. He was acknowledged as a " Supreme King," and received ambassadors from India and China. He was assassinated in 1630, and the Empire once more fell to pieces.