"Everybody who goes to be presented to the king must carry a gift of some kind, as this is the custom of the country. I was aware of the custom, and so came provided with a handsome travelling-clock, by one of the best makers in Paris; the prime-minister looked it over carefully to see that no dangerous explosive was contained in the clock, and then said it was quite appropriate to the occasion. When the time came for the audience, the minister led the way to a stone staircase, and motioned for us to leave our shoes, which we did. Then we ascended the staircase, and were admitted to the reception-room, and shown to our places. A few paintings adorned the walls, and at one end there was a green curtain with an opening about ten feet square; through this opening we could see a stage about a yard in height, and there were steps leading from the floor of the room to the stage. At the top of these steps there was a velvet cushion, on which a handsome opera-glass was lying, and I readily guessed that this was the station of the king during the audience. The party for the audience consisted of eight or ten persons; two or three princes of the royal family were on the right, facing the cushion; then came the prime-minister, then myself, and next to me my introducer; then two missionaries and a couple of merchants, if I remember correctly. Behind us were some Burmese officials, who had been recently appointed, and had come to thank the king, and make him the customary presents in token of their recognition.
COPY OF AN OLD BURMESE PAINTING.
"In front of each person there was a little stool or bench, which held the present he had brought; the master of ceremonies arranged us and our presents in the proper order, and we were specially cautioned to keep our feet behind us, as it is very improper to allow a royal personage to see the soles of your feet under any circumstance. The Europeans were seated on the floor in a half-kneeling attitude, while all the natives were prostrate, with their faces within an inch of the floor, and their feet as far aft as it was possible to get them. They kept their eyes turned downward, and I very much doubt if any of them saw enough of the king to say how he looked, and what he did.
"The king—remember, I am speaking of Mounglon and not of the present ruler, Theebaw—came forward at the sound of a couple of blows on a drum, and laid himself down against the cushion with one side of his body toward the audience. Then he picked up the opera-glasses and deliberately surveyed the entire party one after another, though we were not more than twenty feet away from him. I suspect that the glasses were something new, and he was desirous of using them as much as possible, since he did not appear to be near-sighted. When he had finished his inspection he waved the glass to indicate that the performance might go on, and on it went. The king's secretary read the names and occupations of the various persons to be presented, together with a list of the presents they had brought.
"Then the business of each person was stated; those who had petitions to present handed them forward, and they were referred to the proper minister; newly-appointed officers, who had brought baskets of fruit, were very quickly disposed of, and then the king talked with me, through an interpreter, concerning England and its customs. He hoped I would enjoy my stay in Mandalay, and said he had found the English very pleasant people, and most agreeable neighbors. The last remark was more polite than truthful, as he could hardly be expected to regard with favor the foreigners who have possessed themselves of two-thirds of ancient Burmah, and may fairly be suspected of wanting to capture the rest.
"The audience lasted about half an hour, and was brought to an end by the king suddenly rising and going out of the room. One of the queens had been standing behind the screen, and fanning his majesty with a long-handled fan made of peacock's feathers. As soon as her lord and master walked away, she satisfied her curiosity by seeing what kind of beings the strangers were. She came to the opening in the screen, and as she stood there we had a full and fair view of her. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she was very pretty that she thus allowed us to see her, but of this I cannot be at all certain. At any rate she was exceedingly handsome, and I was told that the other three queens were as good-looking as herself. The king has something more than a hundred wives, but only four of them hold the rank of queens.