From Browne let us proceed to the character next in succession, who had
not his imperfections, and with whom the Sexagenarian appears to have
had much and familiar intercourse. This was the Ambassador from the East
India Company to the court of Ava, during the government of Sir John
Shore, afterwards Lord Teignmouth. Before this mission, our geographical
knowledge of Ava, and the contiguous countries, was exceedingly imperfect
and inaccurate. The few books which had been published on the subject,
were principally French, and were confined to unsatisfactory descriptions
of Siam and Pegu; whereas the empire of Ava comprehends both Siam and
Pegu, which are subordinate and tributary to the court of Ummo-rapoora,
or, as it is there denominated, “The Golden Foot.” It extends to Tibet
and China on the north, and on the south to Junkseylon.
Geographical perplexities were, however, cleared up, and errors,
particularly with regard to the Great River Irrawaddy, removed by this
expedition of M.S. For example, the river which connects Pegu with
the ocean, was by former geographers continued from beyond Pegu, to
the frontiers of China; whereas the main river, the mouth of which is
Rangoon, passes through Prome to the capital, and to the borders of
China. The Pegu river is relatively an unimportant stream, taking its
rise a very little way above Pegu.
By the assistance of Major Rennell and Mr. Dalrymple, the geography of
Ava has now received great illustration; and jealous as that nation
still continues to be, with respect to the admission of Europeans among
them, political necessities, as well as the expediency of commercial
interchange, will probably, in the progress of a few years, remove
whatever obscurities may yet remain.
With respect to the people themselves, of their manners and customs,
the productions of their soil, their religion, and their learning, the
European world was almost in entire ignorance. With the exception of a
small volume, translated from the French, and entitled “A Relation of
the Voyage to Siam, performed by Six Jesuits, sent by the French King to
the Indies and China in 1685,” there was no book in the English language
illustrative of the subject.
No person was, in the opinion of the Sexagenarian, who has so expressed
himself in our notes, better qualified in all respects for such an
expedition than Major S—s. He combined the firmness of the soldier with
the courteous manners of the gentleman, and he found the union of these
qualities, of no small importance in the progress of his undertaking. He
accordingly succeeded to the full extent of his views, and to the entire
satisfaction of his employers. This latter circumstance is sufficiently
attested by his being dispatched a second time to the same place, to
explain some misconceptions which had taken place on the part of the Ava
government. Of this second expedition, however, no public notice has
been taken, nor did the traveller avail himself of the opportunity thus
offered, to correct or enlarge what he had before written and published
on the subject.
It is rather remarkable, that so very little should have been previously
known of an empire, second only in extent to that of China. The Sovereign
considers himself as the greatest Potentate upon earth, and indeed
nothing can be more ostentatiously splendid than the grandeur of his
court.
The East India Company thought so highly of the services rendered them
by their agent, that they voted him a donation of twelve thousand Sicca
rupees.
On his return to his native country, his active spirit found various
opportunities of employment. He obtained a seat in Parliament, he was
confidentially employed in some important offices by government, and
having retained his situation in the army, refused to resign it, when he
might, without the smallest imputation on his honour, or his courage,
have retired. He accordingly joined his regiment in the Peninsula,
and distinguished himself as well by his personal exertions, as by
testimonies of diplomatic skill and acuteness.
But his constitution had long been shaken; he had never entirely
recovered his wonted energy, after his second expedition to the court of
Ava. He was engaged in the unfortunate expedition of Sir John Moore, and
though he survived the battle of Corunna, and got safe back to England,
he died very shortly afterwards, really exhausted by debility and
fatigue. He certainly was one of those personages, of whom some memorial
should be preserved, and as none have preceded the present, imperfect and
inadequate as this may be, it will be far, it is hoped, from rendering
him dishonour.
Ite nunc fortes ubi celsa magni
Ducit exempli via.