Night 1 2 3456 7 8 ♂ 9 ( 24 o ¥ h

As the days of the week are found by taking every fourth in the fame feries, we might proceed by this rule to the first hórá of the fubfequent day, whofe regent, the fourth from O, is; and thence proceed by the above-mentioned rule to the regents of hórás for Monday.

I fubjoin the original paffage, which was communicated to me by Mr. DAVIS, and add a verbal translation.

হৰিপুবৃত্তে ঘটিকাহিনিয়া: কানাথ্য হোৱাপতম: শান্তাঃ। দিনে নিজায়া মৃতবাণবৃত্যা নিজাইনাথা গেম: পকল্পাঃ ॥ QUIFI RAI II: TAIZAI KSI TITEL দেশান্তৰ যোজনিত বিঘটীতিঃ পাদহীনাভিঃ ॥

"THE ghaticàs elapfed from the beginning of the "day being doubled, and divided by (five) arrows, "fhew the cords of time called hóra. In the day these "cords are regulated by intervals of (fix) feafons, "counted from the particular regent of the day pro"pofed; in the night by intervals of (five) arrows.

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"The commencement of the day, at preceding or fubfequent meridians, before or after fun-rife, at the firft meridian, is known from the interval of countries, "or diftance in longitude measured by yojanas, and re"duced into ghatis, after deducting a fourth from the "number of yojanas."

The

The coincidence of name for the hour, or twentyfourth part of the day, is certainly remarkable. But until we find the fame divifion of time noticed by a more ancient author than RAGHUNANDANA, it must remain doubtful whether it may not have been borrowed from Europe in modern times.

:

THE

By Captain MICHAEL SYMES.

HE limits of the ancient city Pegue may ftill be accurately traced by the ruins of the ditch and wall that furrounded it. From these it appears to have been a quadrangle, each fide measuring about a mile and a half. In feveral places the ditch is nearly filled by rubbish that has been caft into it, or the falling in of its own banks: fufficient, however, ftill remains to fhew that it once was no contemptible defence. The breadth I judged to be about 60 yards, and the depth ten or twelve feet; except in those places where it is choaked up from the caufes I have mentioned. There is ftill enough of water to impede a fiege; and I was informed, that when in repair, it feldom, in the hotteft feafon, funk below the depth of four feet.

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The fragments of the wall likewife prove that this was a work of confiderable magnitude and labour. It is not eafy to afcertain precisely what was its exact height; but, we conjectured it to have been at leaft twenty-five feet; and in breadth at the bafe, not lefs than forty. It is compofed of brick, badly cemented with clay mortar. Small equidiftant bastions, about 300 yards afunder, are ftill difcoverable: but the whole is in a ftate fo ruinous, and fo covered with weeds and briars, that it requires clofe inspection to determine the extent and nature of the defences.

In

In the center of each fide there is a gateway, about thirty feet wide. Thefe gateways were the principal entrances. The paffage across the ditch is on a mound of earth, which ferves as a bridge; and was formerly defended by a retrenchment, of which there are now

no traces.

Nothing can exhibit a more striking picture of defolation than the infide of these walls. ALOMPRAW, when he carried the city by affault in the year 1757a razed every dwelling to the ground, and difperfed, or led into captivity, all the inhabitants. The pagodas, or praws, which are very numerous, were the only buildings that escaped the fury of the conquerors; and of these the great pagodo of SHOEMADOO has alone been attended to, and repaired. After the demolition of the city, ALOMPRAW carried the captive monarch, with his family, to Ava, where he remained many years a ftate prifoner. YANGOON, or RANGOON, founded about this time, was by a royal mandate conftituted the feat of provincial government, and Pegue entirely abandoned.

The present King of the Birmans, whofe government has been lefs disturbed than that of any predeceffor of his family, entirely altered the fyftem which had been adopted by his father, and obferved during the fucceffive reigns of his two brothers, NAMDOGE PRAw, and SEMBUAN PRAW, and of his nephew CHENGUZA. He has turned his attention to the population and improvement, rather than the extenfion, of his dominions; and feems more defirous to conciliate his new fubjects by mildness, than to rule them through terror. He has abrogated feveral fevere penal laws, impofed upon the Taliens, or Peguers: juftice is now diftributed impartially and the only diftinction at present between a Birman and Talien, confifts in the exclufion of the latter from all public offices of truft and power.

No

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