"The city and its suburbs cover several miles of ground, but the city itself is a mile square, with high walls enclosing the four sides, and each wall pierced with three gates. Outside the wall there is a deep ditch that is kept constantly filled with water, and evidently it is the intention of the king not to be taken by surprise by having his ditch empty. The soldiers of the king are stationed at all these gates to preserve order, and see that no hostile force enters the sacred precincts, but they would be a poor match for European troops. Their uniform is a combination of the English and Burmese dress; they are almost always barefooted, and their guns are a mixed lot from all parts of the world, and generally of very old pattern. Some of them carry heavy swords that resemble butchers' cleavers, and others are armed with swords and lances. "The king has a great many titles, and some of them have a comical sound in Western ears. Here is a fair sample of them: "His Golden-footed Majesty, Ruler of the Sea and Land, Lord of the Celestial Elephant and Master of many White Elephants, Owner of the Shekyah, or Indra's Weapon, Lord of the Earth and Air, Lord of the Power of Life and Death, and Great Chief of Righteousness. "It is no wonder that he considers himself of great importance when he has all these titles applied to him, and many more besides. Some of them sound like burlesque, particularly the one that calls him ruler of the sea and land; he has no seaport of any kind whatever, and all his commerce with foreign countries must descend the Irrawaddy through British territory, or be carried overland to China. "The government is a despotism of the most emphatic sort; the king has the power of life and death over all his subjects, and may order any one beheaded without the slightest reason, and at a moment's notice. It is said that in old times, whenever the court ceremonies were going on, if any person made the least mistake, even so much as taking a short step when he should have taken a long one, or _vice versa_, the king commanded him to be beheaded, and he was taken outside the building and decapitated instantly. They are not so bad as that in these latter days, though King Theebaw seems to be coming quite near the ancient mark. "The form of government is about the worst that could be imagined; the king takes the revenue, or so much of it as reaches him, and spends it in any way he pleases, and when his pocket gets empty he makes a fresh collection. Some of the districts up the river are subject to frequent levies; the inhabitants have several times refused to pay, but it seems that they are dependent upon the lower country for their supply of salt, and whenever their taxes do not come promptly, the king prohibits the exportation of salt to them. This is sure to bring them to terms; but it is now rumored that they have found a mountain of salt there, and if so, they will be likely to declare themselves independent.