Alompra, the founder of the Birman empire, was succeeded in the throne by his eldest son Namdogee, who, after suppressing various insurrections, and pro= moting the internal improvement of the country, died in 17(4. He left behind him an infant son named Mornien, but Shembuan, the uncle and natural guar dian of the young minor, deprived him of the crown, and took the reins of government into his own hand. On ascending the throne, the new monarch declared war against the Siamese, and after various rencounters, they were completely defeated by his army in a general battle. The forces of Shembuan immediately proceeded to invest Siam, the capital of the kingdom ; but as the fort was of considerable strength, the. besiegers were content with maintaining a passive blockade, the favourite system of Birman warfare. In a short time the king of Siam, in des pair, secretly withdrew from the fort, in order to avoid falling into the hands of the enemy ; and elud ing the Birman outposts, sought refuge among the hills, where he is said to have perished, though by what means is unknown. The Siamese, deserted by their sovereign, agreed to capitulate ; the fortifica tions of the city were destroyed, and a governor was appointed over it, who took an oath of allegiance to the Birman monarchy, and engaged to pay an annual tribute. However, though they were beaten, the spirit of the nation was not subdued. The conqueror had no sooner withdrawn his army, than one of the king's relations returned at the head of a numerous troop of adherents, displaced the new government of Siam, and abolished the regulations of the 'Birman commander. Sliembuan dispatched a new army to suppress the insurrection, but in consequence of the treachery and rebellions of the Peguese soldiers who composed it, the operations against the Siamese were completely suspended, and the nation was saved front destruction. .
In the mean time, however, the Birmans had suc cessfully repelled the invasion of their territories by the Chinese government, who, with the view of sub jugating them to its dominion, sent in 1767 an army of 50,000 into one of the northern provinces. The troops of Shembuan advanced to meet them, and sur rounded the Chinese on all sides, so that a retreat be came impracticable, and to advance was desperate. In this situation the Birmans attacked the enemy with impetuosity, while, on the other hand, the defence made by the Chinese was equally resolute. After a conflict of three days, the latter, in an effort of des pair, tried to force their way through one of the di visions of the Birman army. The attempt proved fatal. They sunk under the pressure of superior numbers, and the carnage that ensued was dreadful. Not an individual of the Chinese army returned home to relate the melancholy tale, and only about 2500 were preserved from the sword, who were conducted in fetters to the Birman capital. Various employments were assigned them, and they were' encouraged to marry native women and settle in the country ; cir cumstances which confer valuable privileges even on slaves taken in war.
Such were some of the principal events of Shem buan's reign. At length, after various other military exploits, to the course of which he subjected to a state of permanent vassalage several of the neighbour ing provinces, he died in 1776, and was succeeded in the government by his son Chengenza. The new prince, unlike his predecessors, was the slave of his pleasures and the tyrant of his people. During his
reign, the military operations of the Birmans appear to have been completely suspended, whilst the neigh bouring nations, who had so recently experienced the power of their arms, felt no inclination to become the aggressors. At last, in consequence of his numerous acts of savage cruelty, a formidable conspiracy was excited against him, headed by one of his uncles: the conspirators surrounded his palace, and though lie saved himself by flight, yet after various adventures, he was slain in 1782, and fell unlamented, as he had lived despised by his people.
Shembuan Menderagee, the head of the conspiracy, was the fourth son of Alompra, and had carefully concealed under an humble exterior, and an apparent love of retirement, ambition that aspired to the pos session of the crown ; and though Mornien, who was formerly deprived of the kingdom when a minor by his uncle Shembuan, and placed in retirement under the care of the priests, was now raised to the throne, he enjoyed his dignity only days. Menderagee, who was also his uncle, seized on the reins of govern ment, and made Mornien prisoner. Deposition and imprisonment, however, did not satisfy the usurper ; but without assigning any cause, or granting even the form of a trial, the unfortunate nephew was, by his uncle's orders, drowned in the river between two Jars, conformably to the Birman mode of executing members of the royal family. Desirous of extending his dominions, the new king in 1783 attacked the Rajah of Arracan, and in the short space of a few months accomplished the conquest of that kingdom, which, with its dependencies, was formed into a pro vince of the Birman empire. He next directed his arms against Siam, which, since the attack by Shem buan, had enjoyed some respite from hostility, and was beginning to recover its ancient vigour. In his first attempt lie was foiled, and being mortified with the disappointment, he resolved, as soon as possible, to retrieve the disgrace which his arms had sustained. With this view, he marched in the spring of 1786 at the bead of 30,000 men ; but lie had scarcely enter ed the territories of the enemy, when be was opposed by the king of Siam, and after a furious engagement completely routed. In the following year the Sia mese made an unsuccessful invasion of the Birman empire ; and at last in 1793, they concluded a treaty of peace highly favourable to the Birman interests. Soon after this, some of the Birman troops made an incursion into the British territorief, in search of some banditti wbo had taken refuge in our dominions. Though at first this circumstance had a threatening aspect, yet the robbers, as they were found guilty of the charges brought against them, were delivered up, and the whole affair was amicably settled. At the same time, event furnished us opportu nity of acquiring more accurate knowledge of a peo ple whose situation, extent of territory, and commer cial connections with British India, rendered a liberal intercourse with them highly desirable. In order to promote this important object, the governor-general Sir John Shore, now Lord Teiginnouth, sent Cap tain Symes on an embassy to the Birman court, and it was on this occasion that we acquired the principal information that we possess of the present state of this empire.