at a crown, which is
not only a real work of art, but is made of rich materials, and worth
30,000_l._ sterling, after having been placed with much pomp and
ceremony on the top of the finest pagoda in Burmah (Shway Dagohu, the
gilded spire of which rises as high as St. Paul's Cathedral), should
be surmounted and surrounded by the most commonplace articles of the
conquering 'barbarian hordes.'

[Illustration: Entrance to Temple]

Presently we passed the funeral car of a Phoongyee, or Buddhist
priest--a marvellous structure, reminding one of the Juggernaut cars
of India. The funeral of a Phoongyee is always made the occasion of a
great function. The body is embalmed and placed on one of these huge
cars; and the people from the surrounding villages flock to the
ceremony, bringing cartloads of fireworks, for the manufacture of
which the Burmese are celebrated. Great rivalry arises as to which
village shall be fortunate enough, through its representative, to set
the gorgeous canopy on fire, and thereby release the good man's
departed spirit and send it straight to heaven without any further
transmigration or trouble. This happy consummation is supposed to
occur directly the large funeral pile, which is always of highly
inflammable materials, takes fire. The result is that many accidents
occur, besides a great deal of heart-burning and loss of life; for
sometimes at whole quarter of the town is set on fire and much
property destroyed in these contests.

It is the custom, when a Phoongyee of the highest rank dies, to
preserve the body in honey until the funeral car has been built, which
is generally a matter of some weeks. The body of the car is surmounted
by a sort of baldacchino, decorated with blue and green bottles and
pieces of broken glass or porcelain. When all is ready, the body,
attired in a common yellow robe (during life the robes are of silk,
satin, or velvet, or cotton, according to the priest's rank), is
placed on the car; women then seize the ropes attached to the front of
the cumbrous vehicle, and men those behind. After a prolonged
struggle, supposed to typify the conflict between good and evil
spirits, the women gain the day, and the car proceeds on its way to
the funeral pile, upon which the body is placed, and which is finally
set on fire by huge rockets.

[Illustration: Dagon]

The avenue leading to the Shway Dagohu Pagoda is guarded at the
entrance by two enormous statues of _bylus_, or monsters, er