“November 18. Visited the Princess of T., at her particular request. She is the eldest own sister of the king, and therefore, according to Burman laws, consigned to perpetual celibacy. She had heard of me from her brother-in-law, Prince M., and wished to converse on science and religion. Her chief officer and the mayor of the city were present; and we carried on a desultory conversation, such as necessarily takes place on the first interview. Her highness treated me with uncommon affability and respect, and invited me to call frequently.
“November 26. Have been confined since the 21st with a third attack of the fever and ague. To-day went to the palace, and presented a petition for a certain piece of ground within the walls of the town, ‘to build a kyoung on.’ The king granted it, on condition that the ground should be found unoccupied.
“November 28. Spent the whole day at the palace, in endeavoring to secure the ground petitioned for. At night, the land-measurer-general’s secretary accompanied me to ascertain the premises, and make out a plan of the place.
“November 29. The land-measurer-general reported to the a-twen-woons that the ground was not actually occupied, but, having been the site of a kyoung when formerly the city was the seat of Government, must be considered sacred and inalienable; in which opinion nearly all the a-twen-woons coincided, notwithstanding the king’s decision to the contrary.
“Had an interesting interview with Prince M., and presented him with a copy of the last three chapters of Matthew, in compliance with his wish to have an account of the death and resurrection of Jesus-Christ. He appeared concerned for our failure to-day in the privy council, but still maintained that, though the ground was sacred, it might with propriety be given to a priest, though not a priest of Gaudama, and advised me to make another application to the king.
“December 25. I have had nothing scarcely of a missionary nature to notice since the last date, having been employed, most of the time (that is, in the intervals of two more attacks of fever and ague), in endeavoring to procure a piece of ground within the city, but have been defeated at every point.
“In prosecuting this business, I had one noticeable interview with the king. Brother Price and two English gentlemen were present. The king appeared to be attracted by our number, and came toward us; but his conversation was directed chiefly to me. He again inquired about the Burmans who had embraced my religion. ‘Are they real Burmans? Do they dress like other Burmans?’ etc. I had occasion to remark that I preached every Sunday. ‘What! in Burman?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Let us hear how you preach.’ I hesitated. An a-twen-woon repeated the order. I began with a form of worship which first ascribes glory to God, and then declares the commands of the law of the Gospel; after which I stopped. ‘Go on,’ said another a-twen-woon. The whole court was profoundly silent. I proceeded with a few sentences, declarative of the perfections of God, when his majesty’s curiosity was satisfied, and he interrupted me. In the course of subsequent conversation, he asked what I had to say of Gaudama. I replied, that we all knew he was the son of King Thog-dan-dah-nah; that we regarded him as a wise man and a great teacher, but did not call him God. ‘That is right,’ said Moung K. N., an a-twen-woon who has not hitherto appeared very friendly to me. And he proceeded to relate the substance of a long communication which I lately made to him, in the privy council room, about God and Christ, etc. And this he did in a very clear and satisfactory manner, so that I had scarcely a single correction to make in his statement. Moung Zah, encouraged by all this, really began to take the side of God before his majesty, and said, ‘Nearly all the world, your majesty, believe in an eternal God, all, except Burmah and Siam, these little spots!’ His majesty remained silent, and after some other desultory inquiries, he abruptly arose, and retired.
“January 2, 1823. To-day I informed the king that it was my intention to return to Rangoon. ‘Will you proceed thence to your own country?’ ‘Only to Rangoon.’ His majesty gave an acquiescing nod. The a-twen-woon Moung Zah inquired, ‘Will you both go, or will the doctor remain?’ I said that he would remain. Brother Price made some remark on the approaching hot season, and the inconvenience of our present situation; on which Moung Zah, inferring that it was on account of the climate that I was about leaving, turned to me, saying, ‘Then you will return here, after the hot season.’ I looked at the king, and said that if it was convenient, I would return; which his majesty again sanctioned by an acquiescing nod and smile, and in reply to brother Price, said, ‘Let a place be given him.’ Brother Price, however, thinks of retaining the small place on which we now live for medical purposes, and getting a place at Chagaing, on the opposite side of the river, for his permanent residence.
“In the evening had a long conversation with Moung Zah on religion. He believes that there is an eternal God, and that Gaudama, and Christ, and Mahomet, and others are great teachers, who communicated as much truth respectively as they could, but that their communications are not the word of God. I pressed my arguments as far as I dared; but he seemed to have reflected much on the subject, and to have become quite settled and inflexible in his conclusions. He may be called a deistic Buddhist, the first that I have met in the country. On parting, however, he remarked, ‘This is a deep and difficult subject. Do you, teacher, consider further, and I also will consider.’
“January 7. Among the many places which I endeavored in vain to procure was a small one, sufficient for one family only, pleasantly situated on the banks of the river, just without the walls of the town, and about a mile from the palace. But it had been appropriated by the chief woon-gyee, and partly fenced in, with the intention of building a temporary zayat for his recreation and refreshment, when accompanying the king in that quarter of the city, and was, therefore, placed beyond any reasonable hope of attainment. Among other desperate attempts, however, I wrote a short petition, asking for that place, and begging leave to express my gratitude, by presenting a certain sum of money. It was necessary to put this into his own hand; and I was, therefore, obliged to follow him about, and watch his movements, for two or three days, until a favorable opportunity occurred, when he was apart from all his retinue. I seized the moment, presented myself before him, and held up the paper. He read it, and smiled. ‘You are indefatigable in your search after a place. But you can not have that. It is for my own use. Nor, if otherwise, could you get it for money. Search further.’ I now concluded to return to Rangoon for the present, and wait until the town should be settled, when, as all inform me, I shall be able to accommodate myself better. I accordingly informed the king of my purpose, as mentioned above, and began to look about for a boat. In the meantime, it occurred to me to make a ‘seventh attempt to fix the thread,’ and I sought another interview with the chief woon-gyee, a being who is really more difficult of access than the king himself. This evening I was so fortunate as to find him at his house, lying down, surrounded by forty or fifty of his people. I pressed forward into the foremost rank, and placed myself in a proper attitude. After a while, his eye fell upon me, and I held up a small bottle of eau de luce, and desired to present it. One of his officers carried it to him. He happened to be much pleased with it, and sat upright. ‘What kind of a house do you intend to build?’ I told him, but added, ‘I have no place to build on, my lord.’ He remained in a meditating attitude a few moments, and then suddenly replied, ‘If you want the little enclosure, take it!’ I expressed my gratitude. He began to take more notice of me, inquired about my character and profession, and then entered, with considerable spirit, on the subject of religion. After some conversation, he desired a specimen of my mode of worship and preaching; and I was obliged to repeat much more than I did before the king; for whenever I desisted, he ordered me to go on. When his curiosity was satisfied, he lay down, and I quietly retired.